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Nero 8 Ultra Edition

Downloads : 2339
Requirements : Windows NT/2k/XP
License : Commercial Demo
File size : 180.8MB
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Nero 8 Ultra Edition brings the digital world to your PC. Now it’s easy to organize and manage all your multimedia files, as well as create and edit new digital content. Nero'™s sleek design and user-friendly tools make completing projects fun and enjoyable.


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3 Affordable Full-HD LCD Monitors

Prices of LCD monitors have been steadily crashing. Sizes such as 20" and 22" are rapidly approaching mass-market status and this has resulted in full-HD monitors (24" and above) becoming affordable. These 24" inch monitors are not only full-HD compliant but also offer significantly more working area. Another market that such monitors have found surprising success in is next-gen consoles. Full-HD monitors come at a fraction of the price of a comparable TV that would normally be required to enjoy these consoles' native resolution.

Keeping in mind that Blu-ray has now effectively won the HD war and that prices for these drives are already dropping below the 10K mark, we decided to shop around for three 24-inch monitors that can be had for a relatively low price. Here's what we found:
AOC 416V

The brand name AOC may not ring any bells for most readers, since the company is virtually unknown in our part of the world. However, in Europe and many parts of Asia, the company has decent brand recognition since it's been in the PC business for a while.

AOC's monitor range has been available in India for some time though. The 416V is the flagship 24" model, with a native resolution of 1920x1200 p, 5ms response time (gray to gray), a dynamic contrast ratio of 3000:1, and 160/160 horizontal/vertical viewing angles. Though it lacks HDMI, it does have full support for HDCP via its DVI connectors and also has a D-Sub connector.

It is available for roughly Rs 23,000 (prices vary as per regional availability, so it could be anywhere between Rs 19,500 and Rs 24,200). For a detailed specification chart, please check this link.

BenQ G2400W

BenQ is not one a newcomer to this space; its previous model (the FP241W) was one of the best in its generation with a wide variety of connectors, including HDMI/DVI/D-Sub. It recently introduced the G2400W, which differs from other monitors in this range as it is the only one that offers an HDMI connector.

As expected, the G2400W comes with a native resolution of 1920x1200, 5ms response time (gray to gray), a contrast ratio of 1000:1, and 160/160 horizontal/vertical viewing angles. It offers HDMI with full support for HDCP. It has a single DVI connector on board, and also a D-Sub connector.

The G2400W is available for Rs 24,000 + taxes. Detailed specifications can be found here.

Dell E248WFP

Widely regarded as the leader in this space, Dell continues to offer excellent VFM monitors that have established a sterling reputation for display quality and finish. The E248WFP is Dell's entry-level monitor and has a native resolution of 1920x1200, 5ms response time, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 160/160 viewing angles, DVI-D with HDCP support, and a D-Sub connector.

Prices start at Rs 19,100, and factoring in taxes will peg it at around Rs 23,000. This is open to a bit of bargaining, but remember that Dell only takes orders through its website and over the phone. Some discreet negotiation while placing your order just might get you significant savings of around Rs 3000.

Head here for further details.

Assassin's Creed

With the enormous success Assassin's Creed enjoyed on the Xbox360 and PS3 last year, it’s only logical that the game would make its way to the PC soon. Well, it’s finally here, but the question on everyone’s mind is: has Ubisoft developed a well-made port, or is it just another poor transition that one could live without? To be quite honest – after spending hours at stretch with the game, it seems like Ubisoft wants PC gamers to bend over so that they can shove another one of their half-assed ports where the sun don’t shine.

[Before going any further, let me point out that we won’t be reviewing the game all over again. We’ve already reviewed the Xbox360 version, and since the gameplay or storyline hasn’t really changed, we won’t be covering those parts again

I’m not saying that the game plays out terribly on the PC; it just isn’t nearly as good as it was on consoles. In fact, the DirectX9 version of the game looks so terrible that you’d gouge your eyes out and eat them up. This is totally unacceptable, considering that the minimum requirements of the game are REALLY steep, and the fact that the game ran using DX9 on the Xbox360/PS3 and looked a lot better there. Although the DirectX10 version looks much better than DX9, it still falls glaringly short of the game’s glory on its console counterpart.


Although the game supports all widely used 16:10 resolutions (most widescreen monitors use that aspect ratio) the game has black bands on the top and bottom of the screen when played in these resolutions. This means the game’s actually rendered in the 16:9 aspect ratio, and the black bands fill in the empty spaces. Ubisoft’s way of spitting the face of PC gamers who use widescreen monitors!

Fortunately the control scheme isn’t all that bad. On the Xbox360/PS3 the controls come quite naturally to you once you get the hang of the game; but while it’s a little more complicated with a mouse + keyboard (since the keys are kind of spread out), it isn’t too hard to get used to it. I tried playing the game via an Xbox360 controller after that, but I decided that it's easier to play using the previous control scheme, and reverted to it. My colleague Avinash, on the other hand, preferred the Xbox360 controller, so I guess it’s just a matter of preference. The bottomline is that although it isn’t as intuitive as the Xbox360/PS3, the control scheme isn’t too bad on the PC.

What I’m saying here is that, if you have the kind of system requirements (which includes a 2.8 GHz dual-core processor) needed to play it, this isn’t such a bad game to buy. Bear in mind that the substandard visuals in the DX9 version suck; the game's only playable in DX10. So if you don't have Windows Vista (which is needed for DX10), don't bother with this game.

If you own an Xbox360 or PS3 and can get your hands on the console version of the game at retail price, you’d rather do that since the game’s a whole lot better there. Unfortunately, the game's not available for those platforms in India, so even if you get your hands on them they'd be priced exorbitantly. This makes the Rs 999 price tag of the PC version a lot more appealing.

Orkut launches its Mobile Version and Low Bandwidth Site

Orkut has silently released a low bandwidth version of their site for users with dialup or GPRS.

If you have a slow internet connection or a Pay-Per-MB internet plan you should definitely use the lo-fi version of Orkut. To this this:
Navigate to General Settings
Choose “show the low bandwidth version of orkut” option button.
Hit Save Changes.
Enjoy a faster and low data usage Orkut!

Selecting this option switches your account to a low bandwidth version where images in scrapbook, profile pages and the user’s orkut homepage are disabled.

Orkut also has a mobile version of its site for people who have GPRS enabled on their handsets. The mobile version can be found at m.orkut.com - this mobile version lets you read scraps, receive recent updates from friends and you can also approve or decline new friend requests.

Happy Orkutting!

Wyclef Jean Launches ROKR U9 in India

Motorola has launched the MOTOROKR U9 in India. The ROKR U9 was unveiled by Motorola's brand ambassador and international rocker and musician Wyclef Jean who presented the first ROKR U9 to Miss India World 2008 Parvathy Omanakuttan.

The ROKR U9, part of Motorola's music range of handsets is the upgrade to the PEBL and comes equipped with Motorola's CrystalTalk Technology, Bluetooth with an A2DP profile, an external touch semi-sensitive display (only for controlling audio) and a 2 megapixel camera. What makes this phone stand out from being just another Motorola handset is the external display that gives users the feeling that it's floating just under the surface of the handset. It supports animated screensavers as well.

The U9 comes with Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 and supports Windows WMAv10 plus Janus DRM, MP3, AAC, AAC+, AAC+ enhanced file formats. For PC connectivity it supports USB 2.0. It has 25MB internal memory and supports external memory via microSD cards (up to 4GB). Motorola Setup, Backup and Text allow easy setup of the device for Internet browsing, phonebook and text message backup over the air on to secure servers as a free service to users.

The price of the ROKR U9 has not yet been revealed so stay tuned.

Google Fights Porn With Copyright-ID Tech

The fight against child pornography is getting an assist from technology designed by Google Inc. to help identify copyright-protected clips on its YouTube video-sharing site.

Four Google employees used their "20 percent time" - during which the company encourages them to pursue unofficial, out-of-the-box projects - to customize the copyright software for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's program for identifying children in sexually explicit photos and video.

Software already has been used to match known images, but when new ones are submitted by law enforcement and service providers, analysts generally make identifications manually, often based on recollections. The center has recently employed facial-recognition technology to make those IDs easier, but with limited success.

With the new Google tools, analysts can also seek matches based on other attributes, such as the color and shape of a couch or the wallpaper pattern in the background of a photo.

Ernie Allen, the center's president, appreciates the new tool.

The center used to be "dependent on the memory of the analyst who was already overwhelmed by the sheer number of content we were receiving," he said, adding that its 11 analysts processed 5 million child-pornography images last year.

Allen said the center's work helps prosecutors build evidence and police locate children who have been forced to engage in sexual acts.

Google's contribution grew out of an existing partnership between the center and leading technology companies, including Yahoo Inc., Time Warner Inc.'s AOL and Microsoft Corp.

"The keys here were organization, scalability and search," Google research scientist Shumeet Baluja wrote about the project on a company blog. "In particular, the tools we provided will aid in organizing and indexing NCMEC's information so that analysts can both deal with new images and videos more efficiently and also reference historical material more effectively."

LG Creates Limited Edition Iron Man Phone

Iron Man is the next Superhero movie getting ready to hit the big screen on May 2 but where would his alter ego, Tony Stark be without his trusty cell phone? Like any big shot business man it's a necessity and why can’t Iron Man have a separate phone too I ask? LG decided to do just that by partnering with Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures designing a limited edition LG Shine handset for the jet boot propelled Superhero's movie.



This handset is set in 18 karat gold plating and red and only a 100 pieces have been made. The problem is though, is that the phone is available only via entering a marketing contest. The specs include a 2.2 inch TFT display, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth with A2DP, EDGE and microSD card support. Hardly something a Tony Stark or Iron Man would use, personally speaking of course.

The estimated price of the handset is somewhere around Rs. 72,000 ($1,800). Check out the cool contest page here. Unfortunately it seems to be only for people residing in the USA.

burrp.com Launches Online TV Guide

burrp.com has launched burrp!TV, an online television guide that offers a comprehensive view of what is playing across TV channels in India. burrp!TV will be an extension to the portal's existing offering that currently comprises of local lifestyle listings.

burrp!TV will have features like Search, Time Travel, SMS Alerts, Movie Explorer and will be WAP enabled.

Search is the ability to search television listings for show names, character names, channel or genre, while Time Travel will allow users to view channel schedules 14 days ahead of time. Users can set SMS reminders before a show is about to commence with SMS Alerts and can use the Movie Explorer browser for movies playing across all television channels. Users will also be able to access burrp!TV on their mobile phones through GPRS.

Deap Ubhi, co-founder and CEO, burrp.com said, "Television is an exploding medium in India but surprisingly there are not enough structured offerings in this space. As the Indian audiences grow wider and more diverse, the TV space will respond with more expansive content, creating a greater need to structure information and filter out the noise. That's where burrp!TV comes in the picture, continually helping users to make informed decisions."

The company has roped in media networks such as Star, Sony, Zee and Discovery as well as other independent channels such as Zoom to support the platform with schedules and content.

Currently the portal displays schedules of 14 television channels. The company is in talks with all major national as well as regional channels and aims to tie-up all major Indian television channels by this year.

Verizon XV6900 Smartphone Available Online in the US

Verizon Wireless has released its newest smartphone called XV6900, online. Based on Windows Mobile 6, the handset offers a QWERTY keyboard, 2 megapixel camera and Bluetooth 2.0 to mobile business professionals.

The XV6900 smartphone has been developed to provide access to Microsoft’s Office application suite, Microsoft Outlook Mobile and Microsoft Exchange Server support as well as instant messaging, Web and email capabilities.

It bundles a five way enter/navigation button, built-in speakerphone, 256MB of user memory, a 2.8-inch touchscreen with 320×240 pixel, Windows Media Player 10 support for up to 8GB of microSD card and Verizon’s EV-DO wireless broadband network.