Identify Music with Verizons V CAST Song ID

Verizon Wireless announced the availability of V CAST Song ID, an enhancement to the V CAST Music service that allows users to easily identify songs. With V CAST Song ID, when users hear a song, they can capture a sample of what they are listening to on their phone and the service will identify the song. V CAST Song ID also lets consumers purchase the matching full-track song, ringtone or ringback tone over-the-air right from the cell phone.

To use the service, customers only need a V CAST Music-enabled phone to start identifying recorded music
playing on the radio, in a club, on the street or from virtually any music source. V CAST Song ID can identify
more than four million songs, spanning almost all music genres, from the latest chart toppers to ‘80s rock classics. When the user places the phone near a music source and records a 10-second clip, V CAST Song ID names the artist, song and album title. After successful recognition, the application will determine if the song is available as a full-track song, ringtone or ringback tone and directly launch the Verizon Wireless’ V CAST Music store where the consumer has the option to purchase and download the track.

Mike Lanman, Verizon Wireless chief marketing officer, commented: "Launching V CAST Song ID is yet another reason why Americans who want the best mobile music experience are switching to Verizon Wireless. At a time when some of our competitors won’t even allow you to download your music over-the-air, Verizon Wireless is pushing forward by offering Song ID for free. We’ll help you find the music you love, then make it easy for you to buy."

V CAST Song ID is available as a free download on V CAST Music-enabled phones in the Music and Tones section of the Get It Now virtual store. Once downloaded, consumers can use the application for free to identify songs.

Dell Inspiron 1720

A powerful laptop does not have to be a boring laptop. Take Dell's Inspiron 1720, a robust system that also happens to be available in seven colors besides black. The 1720 is a heavyish 17-inch notebook, but its multimedia design is outstanding.

Superbly crafted for a demanding home office, the 1720 has a full-size keyboard with a separate number pad. Our test machine had a single 160GB hard drive, as well as a complete contingent of connections--five USB ports, an ExpressCard/54 slot, and a memory card slot. The 1720's weight (8.7 pounds) makes it a less-than-ideal notebook for the road.

When you're ready to kick back, Dell's DirectMedia button provides instant access to the full panoply of entertainment choices: DVD movies, music, photo slide shows, and videos. The stereo sound is good; a Blu-ray Disc drive is an option, albeit a costly one ($660 on top of our test unit's $2409 price).

Configured with a 2-GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 processor, 2GB of RAM, and an nVidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics card, the 1720 proved an agile workhorse and gaming machine. Its WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 75 puts it in the top 10 percent of currently tested notebooks. The 1720 kicked booty in our gaming tests, producing 116 frames per second playing Far Cry at 1024 by 768 resolution. Its 3-hour, 33-minute battery life, while not great, is above average for this class.

Our review notebook had an espresso-brown lid that I found a little drab, but if you're looking for a notebook with some pizzazz, try the Inspiron 1720 in spring green or flamingo pink, among other available hues. Who said work isn't fun?

Skype For The iPhone is Out

The iPhone will now have a version of Skype from SHAPE services. This version is also specifically designed keeping in mind the iPhone’s touch screen feature. Initially this application will be available free for iPhone users. The IM+ for Skype for iPhone can be accessed through the Safari browser. So all you iPhone fans out there the Beta version of Skype with IM+ is out and up for grabs. Cash in now.

Now iPhone owners can log onto http://skypeforiphone.com using the device's Safari web browser and talk with their Skype contacts or call any landlines and mobiles in a cost-efficient way.

"Noticing the public interest for Skype on iPhone, we decided to use our mobile IM and mobile Skype experience and develop an application for them; this has also been a move towards our IM+ for Skype platform coverage. It is truly easy and convenient to access and use. We are looking forward to hearing some feedback from iPhone users", said Igor Berezovsky, the company's CEO. "No tweaks are necessary."


IM+ for Skype is the unique fully mobile application that uses SkypeOut credits for voice communication ensuring cost-effective calls to any number around the globe. For users of Skype Unlimited and Skype Pro plans IM+ enables almost free calling from the mobile device to any PC with Skype or any landline/mobile number. IM+ for Skype is already available for BlackBerry RIM, Windows Mobile Pocket PC, Palm OS, Symbian and J2ME devices. The application works in any network and doesn't require WiFi.

Canon DC230

Sony has been a clear winner in this space for a long time. And truly speaking there is little initiative save for some half-assed scramble to somehow make it in the same space. Here we have the Canon DC230 Camcorder that is quite similar to most in this space, but comes with its fair share of drawbacks. Let me show you how.

Design
The DC230 is a bit on the heavy side weighing 405g, however, the body is like a regular MiniDV camcorder with dimensions of 54 x 90 x 128 mm. Yet it's quite comfortable to simply slip your palms through the strap, and the carry it around. What I like is that all the functional buttons are easily accessible with your right hand thumb. This includes the On/Off slider that also changes modes, the navigational thumbstick that also acts like the Set button, and other functional buttons.

The screen swivels (like other camcorders) and has play/stop and forward/rewind buttons at the bottom. The screen is a 2.7-inch wide screen LCD displaying up to 123,000 pixels. The absence of a touch-screen feature puts me off, since mostly all camcorders in this category come with one. You will need to work with the thumbstick, function buttons etc. to get to anywhere. This just doesn’t work for me.
The camcorder, does however, have an internal sliding lens cover. This works better than the external one. The speakers are situated right below the cover, with stereo output. A small compartment beside the screen houses the Memory slot and AV out jack.

New 9MP Entry-level Digicam From Fujifilm

Fujifilm U.S.A. recently announced the launch of the 9 megapixel FinePix A920. Designed specifically for the first-time digital camera buyer and consumers seeking an affordable, easy-to-operate upgrade to their current digital camera, the camera incorporates Fujifilm’s signature Super CCD sensor technology, a 4.0x optical zoom lens and features a 2.7” LCD.

To make it easy for consumers to achieve blur-free results, the FinePix A920 features a “Picture Stabilization” mode in the dial setting. This easy-to-identify setting automatically chooses the correct light sensitivity and best-matching shutter speed, producing high quality digital pictures without blur and the noise often associated with high sensitivity photographs.

In addition, the FinePix A920 shoots with light sensitivities of up to ISO 800 at full resolution.

The FinePix A920 will debut in the US by September 2007 with a retail price of $199.95. No information on the Indian launch or pricing.

World in Conflict Demo Out Now

Developer Massive Entertainment have released a brand new demo of their upcoming RTS, World in Conflict that can be scored from our downloads section. Here's a slight heads up on the game:

World in Conflict presents a chillingly authentic Cold War scenario where the Berlin Wall never fell. Created by Cold War authority and best-selling author Larry Bond, the story begins in 1989 as the Soviets, fearing certain collapse, boldly advance into Europe. NATO responds in force only to be met on a second front; a full-fledged invasion of the American homeland.

download:

Genius Launches First Touch Scroll Mouse

Taiwan-based Genius has announced the world's first Opto Mouse, the Traveler 355 Laser, 1600 DPI Laser Mouse with touch sensor, which was recently showcased at CeBIT, Hannover, Germany.

Genius Traveler 355 Laser uses the OptoWheel, an optical sensor to replace the wheel and features a comfortable touch scroll panel. This allows for multidirectional scrolling and is easier to use than the traditional mechanical wheel. On the bottom of Traveler 355 Laser is the advanced laser technology that makes this mouse work reliably on most types of surfaces and offers much higher tracking power than regular optical mice.

The most revolutionary function of Genius Traveler 355 Laser is that, one can browse the Internet or documents more efficiently by just touching the OptoWheel (the blue eye). To enhance its features, just move the OptoWheel slightly and the "turbo-scrolling" function starts. It can scroll up to one hundred pages per second. The "turbo-scrolling" stops by just pressing the OptoWheel. With this expedient function, users can browse any electronic file very quickly and find the page required immediately.

Sandeep Ramani, Country Manager, KYE Systems (India) Corp., says, "Genius Traveler 355 Laser is an innovative product, which will replace the mechanical scroll wheel by its patented OPTO wheel, a Touch Scroll Panel. This is the worlds First Mouse featuring this technology, only one of its kind which goes best along with a PC or notebook because of its unique, creative features and style. You can use this mouse working or playing games just about anywhere. It's a must for all PC or Notebook enthusiasts, in case they are looking for an out-of-world experience. Again, a Patented Technology from GENIUS".

The price for Genius Traveler 355 Laser is Rs. 1899 (Maximum Retail Price). Traveler 355 Laser will be available with Transtek Infoways and Tirupati Enterprises in a month's time.

Belkin Announces Washable Mouse

Belkin's Washable Mouse is a water-resistant mouse that can survive spills and can be hand-washed under the faucet to stay clean and disinfected.

It has a versatile scroll pad that lets you scroll vertically and horizontally with one easy touch. It works on many household surfaces including upholstery and wood and features optical technology with 1200dpi. It is powered via the USB cable.

The Washable Mouse (F5L007-SCROLL) will be available late August 2007 in the US with launches in Asia, Europe, and Australia to follow. The estimated retail price is $29.99.

Microsoft Revives SideWinder Mouse Line

At the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, Microsoft Hardware has announced the revival of its SideWinder line with its first gaming mouse built from the ground up.

The SideWinder Mouse features one-touch access to Windows Vista Games Explorer, Quick Turn - a performance-enhancing macro that lets users check their perimeter from wherever they are in-game, an LCD and a cable anchor that doubles as an accessories storage box. It lets gamers create an individual gaming system with tuning options that allow them to personalize their SideWinder Mouse, including an adjustable weight tray, changeable mice feet with three materials for glide preference, DPI control and new software features.

Gamers can record their own macros by tying a sequence of actions into one press of a button. It also features two vertical side buttons that allows gamers to feel exactly which button they're pressing and a wide, detented metal scroll wheel that helps gamers feel each movement as they scroll.

"We're taking gaming mice to a new level with a mouse created in direct response to gamer feedback from all over the world; it offers superior customization and performance handling," said Bill Jukes, product marketing manager for Microsoft Hardware. "We found that gamers are a lot like performance car enthusiasts. They like to tweak and tune their mouse to get it just right, and today we are giving them the tools to create a personalized experience that lets them focus on what’s important: being at the top of their game."

"Great games on Windows deserve great controllers, and the new Sidewinder Mouse delivers," said Kevin Unangst, director of Games for Windows at Microsoft. "The SideWinder Mouse is an ideal companion for every game, from your favorite PC classics to the upcoming releases ‘Crysis,’ ‘Hellgate: London,’ ‘World in Conflict’ and more."

Microsoft SideWinder Mouse will be available in October 2007 for an estimated retail price of $79.95 (U.S.), approximately Rs. 3276, and is now available for pre-sale on Amazon.com and will ship in October when the product is widely released.

XFX Introduces 8600 GT "Fata1ty"

XFX in conjunction with Fata1ty has introduced two new cards in the 8600 GT series i.e. 8800 Ultra and 8600 Fatal1ty for the Indian market. The 8600 GT succeeds the 7600 GT, which enjoyed a lot of success with its mid-range pricing.

"This is another great graphics card that the Fatal1ty brand can be proud of," says Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel. "The initial card from XFX became wildly popular due to the unique cooling technology and this card utilizes the same feature."

One of the card’s unique features is its Silent But Deadly (SBD) cooling technology. This was created to dissipate heat without the need of a fan resulting in an effective cooling engine. This new system is far quieter and since air and dust are not forced through the heatsink, helps eliminate clogged heat sinks, which can cause overheating.

The other introduction 8800 Ultra is the flagship model of the G80 range and offers a sizeable performance jump over the G80. It is designed to be HDTV-, SLI-, and HDCP-ready, giving users TV-out functionality and the ability to double their performance capabilities and significantly enhanced scalability on more than 60 of the top PC games.

These products are now available along with a 3 year warranty at a suggested end user price beginning at Rs. 10,000 for 8600GT FATAL1TY and Rs. 45,000 for 8800 ULTRA from all the 50 Rashi branches and select Rashi partners across India.

IDLDPL Launches New iPod Dock

IDLDPL, (India Digital Life Style Distributors Pvt. Ltd.), has launched the Logic 3 family of iPod speaker systems in the Indian market. Logic 3 i-Station iPod speakers are essentially speaker systems for your desktops and mobile computing. The entire range of i-Stations are portable and simply plug and play devices. They are also capable of recharging the iPod while playing.

The i-Station8 is fitted with an innovative Backlit LCD, to show track information and display commands when using the multi-function Remote Control. The i-Station8 is also equipped with an active sub-woofer, passive bass-radiator and 8neodymium drivers, which are strategically placed in a vertical-Line-Array.

Speaking on this new class of products, Ashmit Singh, Brand Manager for Logic 3 I-Station, at IDLDPL said, "Logic 3 i-Station is a wonderful little product for all the music lovers. Not only can you dock you iPods and listen to the music but also can play other mp3 players. Apart from being a speaker system, it is also a desktop décor piece, which the young generation music lovers will like to have on their desktops or living rooms. Indeed its perfect for your office table as well. This is the Authorized by Apple as Official iPOD Accessory. In terms of Quality it is way ahead of tis competition. And we are going to lauch around 6 product lines in it catering to entire market"

Logic3 i-Station8 is available in the Indian market through most of the large retail stores and B2C websites and is priced at Rs. 8, 999/-.

Philips 42 TA2800

One of the first in the market to manufacture plasma TVs, the term “Flatscreen” can be traced back to the days of the supercool Philips advertisement, the one in which the couple attaches the TV to their ceiling. (Kudos to the interior designer that thought of that!). Philips make almost everything in the electronics domain, and their TVs are one of the more colourful feathers in their crowded cap. The current TV in the spotlight is an LCD TV, the new champion of the display world. (I’m talking about the technology, can’t pin the title on the TV just yet.) Model name 42TA2800, this baby has come up in a market situation filled with turmoil; a situation abuzz with competition amongst various brands—most of which turn out insignificant when it really comes down to it. But can Philips actually stand out? Read on to find out…

Design and features
Sleek and ritzy, this model has a nice sober black frame, one whose external finish is not glossy(Thank God), rather it has a nice and smooth surface. The bottom is angled inwards, while the edges can be termed as rounded, though with a tiny radius. The frame is perched on a slick metallic silver pedestal, thus giving the TV’s appearance that extra dose of ‘ogle steroid’. The Black and silver combination is one match made in heaven, it never goes wrong. Fixing the stand took us a while: 2 screws needed to be attached, though it provides a perfect fit. A tiny ‘on’ switch is flush mounted on the lower left corner; it’s made ubiquitous by a thin sliver border etched around it. No tricks and gimmicks here, this TV shouts just one thing: mature class.

The connections at the back are in a configuration that I personally do not like, they face vertically downwards from a wedge at the back. I prefer them facing sideward, its just easier to connect stuff, that’s all. Nevertheless, ignoring the tantrum, the included connections are adequate to simultaneously connect your gaming console, DVD player, PC, spaceship, whatever you own. For the sake of enumeration we have an S-video and a composite input on the side (ahem!) while an HDMI, S-video and 2 component in the back rack. Also adorning the rack are speaker inputs (for the included external surround speaker) and a D-SUB for PC input.

Short and light, the remote control is a simple one, appearance wise it is not as good as the TV, though the buttons are well designed, well placed and most importantly, not the least bit tacky looking.

Philips makes Analogue meet Digital

Philips has combined the best of both audio worlds – tubes and chips, analogue and digital – to create the MCD908 DVD Micro Theater, a compact home entertainment system with the specification and performance normally reserved for true audiophile products but in a chic and compact package that exudes refined taste and luxury

In the past, individually analogue and digital hi-fi systems have had their audio critics, but by combining the best elements of hi-fi tubes and digital circuits, Philips has been able to develop the MCD908 into a Premium hi-fi product.Hi-fi tubes have long been known to provide an appealing warm sound with very low distortion, while the latest Class ‘D’ digital amplifier is exceptionally efficient, capable of delivering a high power output – 2×75 watts RMS – in a compact system with a small footprint.By combining the two systems, the MCD908 can reproduce a sound that is both exceptionally natural and smooth but with excellent dynamics, punch and speed.

The same design philosophy has been applied to the real wood, three-way speakers which comprise Neodymium Ribbon Tweeters, Silk Dome mid-range tweeters and 5-inch woofers.
Ribbon tweeters radiate higher audio frequencies in a 180-degree arc, dramatically expanding the ‘sweet spot’ to deliver wide, crystal-clear and natural sound. The tweeters combine with the silk dome mid-range drivers to produce a sound that is dynamic and detailed yet also warm and uncolored with low distortion, to provide the sublime acoustic experience consumers are looking for.

Razer Launches Lachesis Gaming Mouse

It seems to be raining enthusiast level keyboards and mice since the last fortnight. First off the blocks were Logitech who introduced multiple products like the restructured G15 and mouse. They were followed by Microsoft reviving the sidewinder line. Now the latest to get on the bandwagon is none other than Razer, which has just introduced the Lachesis gaming mouse.


The new mouse introduces a number of innovations, which sets it apart from other enthusiast level products. It is the world’s first 3G laser mouse, which is capable of reaching 4000 DPI movement and 100 inches per second tracking speed. The 3G sensor is also unique, as it stops tracking at much lower lift-off levels than any other laser sensor. This helps in preventing tracking errors when the Razer Lachesis is lifted off its movement area.

The Razer Lachesis will be available for around worldwide for around USD $80 by mid-October.

Velodyne Unleashes Smallest Subwoofer Ever

Velodyne has unveiled its smallest ever subwoofer: the appropriately named MicroVee. Measuring just 22cm round the edges, according to Velodyne the little box uses ingenious technology to enable it to punch well above its modest dimensions.

This technology includes the latest generation of Velodyne’s patented digital amplifier, capable of 1200 watts of dynamic power, and a triple-driver system: one powered 6.5" driver united with a pair of equally-sized passive drivers.On top of all this, the MicroVee is apparently crafted from high-quality materials, and the ribbed aluminum cabinet is available in a choice of black or gloss white.Here are some of the key specs

Specifications:
Drivers: active 6.5" forward firing anodized aluminium cone (5" piston diameter) 2 x 6.5" side-firing passive radiators with aluminium cones (5" piston diameter)
ERS class D amplifier: 1200 watts Dynamic power, 600 watts RMS
Frequency response: 38-120 Hz +/-3 dB
Phase: 0 or 180 degrees (selectable)
Low-pass crossover: 50 Hz – 200 Hz (adjustable), 12 dB octave, 48 dB ultimate
Shipping weight (approx.): 9.1Kgs
Finish: charcoal or pica

The MicroVee will be available in the UK from September 2007, and is expected to retail at £575.

Creative Launches Zen Stone Plus in India

Creative today introduced the Creative ZEN Stone Plus, an mp3 player with OLED screen and stopwatch function in India. Available in six glossy shades of black, blue, pink, green, white and red it with a capacity of 2GB. It also has FM and voice recording function.


According to the company, the player promises a continuous playback of about 9.5 hrs. Since it does not require any drivers for installation of music you can just drag and drop the music file you like from the computer. Zen Stone Plus comes with a range of accessories like the key chain case, skin with clip or armband. According Creative, this player can also be sported as a trendy wristwatch using Zen Stone Plus wristband as it features an inbuilt watch.

Creative Zen Stone Plus is priced at Rs. 4,999 and comes with a warranty of 1 year.

Star Gaze With Google Sky

Google has launched Sky, a new feature that enables users of Google Earth to view the sky as seen from planet Earth.

This tool enables all Google Earth users to view and navigate through 100 million individual stars and 200 million galaxies. To access Sky, users need only click "Switch to Sky" from the "view" drop-down menu in Google Earth, or click the Sky button on the Google Earth toolbar. The interface and navigation are similar to that of standard Google Earth steering, including dragging, zooming, search, "My Places," and layer selection.

As part of the new feature, Google is introducing seven informative layers - Constellations, Backyard Astronomy, Hubble Space Telescope Imagery, Moon, Planets, Users Guide to Galaxy and Life of a Star - that illustrate various celestial bodies and events.

The Constellations layer connects the points of constellations through space, labeling each with its given name; while the Backyard Astronomy layer lets users click through a variety of placemarks and information on stars, galaxies, and nebulae visible to the eye, binoculars and small telescopes. The Hubble Space Telescope Imagery provides users with over 120 high-resolution images provided by the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA/ESA's renowned orbiting telescope.

The Moon layer displays animations of two months of both lunar positions and moon phases; the Planets layer illustrates the seven official planets and their positions in the sky two months into the future; The Users Guide to Galaxies layer enables users to go on virtual tours through different types of galaxies, from Ursa Minor Dwarf to the Milky Way and the Life of a Star layer takes the user on a tour through the different stages of a star's life cycle.

Sky was created by Google's Pittsburgh engineering team by stitching together imagery from numerous scientific third parties including the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), the Digital Sky Survey Consortium (DSSC), CalTech's Palomar Observatory, the United Kingdom Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC), and the Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO). The initiative was born out of the University of Washington's participation in the Google Visiting Faculty Program, which makes it possible for leading academic researchers to visit Google for 6-12 month periods.

To access Sky in Google Earth, users need to download the newest version of Google Earth, available at: http://earth.google.com.

The feature will be available on all Google Earth domains, in 13 languages.

Monster.com Waited 5 Days to Disclose Thef

Monster.com waited five days to tell its users about a security breach that resulted in the theft of confidential information from some 1.3 million job seekers, a company executive told Reuters on Thursday.

Hackers broke into the U.S. online recruitment site's password-protected resume library using credentials that Monster Worldwide Inc said were stolen from its clients, in one of the biggest Internet security breaches in recent memory.

They launched the attack using two servers at a Web-hosting company in Ukraine and a group of personal computers that the hackers controlled after infecting them with a malicious software program known as Infostealer.Monstres, said Patrick Manzo, vice president of compliance and fraud prevention for Monster, in a phone interview.

The company first learned of the problem on Aug. 17, when investigators with Internet security company Symantec Corp told Monster it was under attack, Manzo said.

"In terms of figuring out what the issue was, that was a relatively quick process," he said. "The other issue is you want to make sure exactly what you are dealing with."

His security team spent the weekend investigating, located the rogue servers, and got the Web-hosting company to shut them down some time either late in the evening on Aug. 20, or early in the morning of Aug. 21, he said.

Manzo also said that based on Monster's review, the information stolen was limited to names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses, and no other details including bank account numbers were uploaded.

On Aug. 21, Symantec published a report on its Web site that said it had found copies of scam e-mails that the engineers of the attack were using, with the aim of getting information that was more valuable than just names, addresses and phone numbers of Monster.com users.

Pretending to be sent through Monster.com from job recruiters, the e-mails asked recipients to provide personal financial data including bank account numbers. They also asked users to click on links that could infect their PCs with malicious software.

Their ultimate goal in taking the data from Monster.com was to gain enough personal information to lower the guards of target victims when they read the e-mails, said Patrick Martin, a senior product manager with the Symantec's response team in Austin, Texas, which first identified the attack.

"It gives these spam e-mails just a little bit of credibility," Martin said. "These guys were trying to get financial information from people."

It wasn't until a day after Symantec issued that report on its Web site that Monster began to tell users about the data theft. In a notice posted on www.monster.com on Wednesday, the job-search site warned that users might be the target of e-mail scams.

Monster then announced on Thursday that the details of some 1.3 million job seekers had been stolen. Fewer than 5,000 of those 1.3 million users affected are based outside the United States, it said in a statement.

Manhunt 2 to Release This Halloween

Rockstar’s upcoming hyper violent stealth action game, Manhunt 2 will finally see the light of day this Halloween (October 17th to be precise) on both the PS2 as well as the Wii; only clause is that the game has now been modified to acquire the M (Mature) Rating from its previous AO (Adults Only) rating. As of now we have no clue as to what’s been axed from the final version, but I’m just happy that they’re finally releasing the game.

Rockstar’s head honcho Dan Houser seems to feel the same way as well and here’s what he had to say in a recent press release, "Manhunt 2 is important to us, and we're glad it can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience. Manhunt 2 is a powerful piece of interactive story telling that is a unique video game experience. We think horror fans will love it."

I’m sure Dan will, I’m sure we will.

Yahoo Mail Lets Allows SMS to Phones

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc said on Sunday it was giving its e-mail users more ways to reach friends and online contacts by allowing them to trade messages with mobile phone users.

The new e-mail-to-phone connection is one of the features the Internet media giant plans to add as it makes available to the more than 250 million Yahoo Mail users a new version of the world's most popular e-mail program in coming weeks.

The Yahoo Mail overhaul is part of a drive to transform its e-mail franchise into more of a social activity that blends the convenience of instant communication with the implicit network of relationships found in one's online address book.

Already this year Yahoo has been testing another feature that lets its e-mail users communicate using conventional e-mail or via instant messages using either Yahoo Messenger or Microsoft Live Messenger.

"Our goal is to make (Yahoo) Mail a more social experience," John Kremer, vice president of Yahoo Mail, said in a phone interview. "We really look at ourselves as sitting on top of the largest dormant social network out there."

Kremer said by upgrading the e-mail service technology, the Sunnyvale, California-based company aims to lay the groundwork for adding more social-networking features later this year.

Yahoo is scrambling to make its services more relevant as many Internet users spend more and more time on social networks like MySpace, YouTube and Facebook and less time passing through portals like Yahoo, AOL.com or Microsoft Corp's MSN.

The new version of Yahoo Mail gives users three options for communicating with contacts -- e-mail, online instant-messaging or text-messaging to mobile phone users. Users can switch between the three, depending on which is most convenient.

Initially, the text-messaging feature will be available to Yahoo Mail members in the United States, Canada, India and the Philippines. To text a friend, users simply enter a mobile phone number, type a text message in Yahoo Mail and hit send.

Yahoo Mail had 254 million users in July, according to audience measurement firm comScore Inc, while Microsoft Windows Live Hotmail had 224 million. Yahoo Messenger was used by 93 million in July.

Yahoo plans to make its upgraded e-mail program the standard option for all new users of the free service. It will upgrade users worldwide over a six-week period, Kremer said.

Existing users will be prompted to upgrade, although users of slower dial-up connections or those comfortable with Yahoo's "classic" e-mail can continue to use the older version.

The key difference with the older e-mail program is how the new service lets users "drag and drop" e-mail into folders, speeding the time it takes to sort through incoming messages.

Search features are also improved, allowing Yahoo Mail users to narrow results to find a specific sender, folder, date, attachment type or message status. So a search can, say, find all photos in Yahoo Mail tagged with a person's name.

In the United States, Yahoo Mail will detect dates, addresses and proper names and allow users to link quickly to Yahoo Calendar, Yahoo Maps or Yahoo Search for that data. The look-up feature is optional and can be turned off.

October is the 10th anniversary of Yahoo Mail's launch.

Steam Community Beta Explored

There’s no doubt that PC gamers have suffered big time since the console war erupted. All the great content got snagged by Sony or Microsoft while PC gamers were left behind with half assed ports. Look at Xbox Live on the 360 for instance – it’s pretty much the wall that supports the console, on which all the games are bricked together to form a pivotal force, around which 360 gamers feel right at home. I’ve always wanted something similar on the PC, so when Microsoft announced their Games for Windows Live (GFWL) banner and service for the PC, I was really excited. Who wouldn’t be... Imagine seeing the same kind of integration Xbox Live has on the 360 on a Windows Vista PC. I dreamt of seeing GFWL somewhat like the Media Centre bit of the Vista OS (where looks and functionality is concerned), with a seamless interface that would let you handle your achievements, friends list and have a plethora of arcade games on one gorgeous looking platform, that would be so well woven into Windows Vista that it’d make you drool even if you were dehydrated.

What we ended up with instead, was a crappy set of limited in-game features that had absolutely no functional use whatsoever. In fact, it was so terribly flawed that a great game like Shadowrun(PC) was completely raped to the point that people couldn’t play the game due to Windows Live Gaming. My copy of Shadowrun is collecting dust in front of me as we speak, because every time I start up my game it goes straight to the GFWL update screen, but doesn’t connect to their great update servers, leaving me helpless as I wait for my game to become playable. If you think this is a problem with just my copy/internet connection/nationality you’re quite wrong. It turns out that a huge number of people the world over can’t play this fine game, thanks to Microsoft.