Mouse left click not working? A quick fix solution

Before you proceed further reading this post, please note that this is just a quick fix solution, a jugaad, that will help you tide over a current crisis and shouldn't be treated as a long term permanent solution.

The trigger for this post was a desperate call from a friend who was working on something urgent and her left mouse stopped responding. I assumed that it would be a hardware fault and there wasn't much I could do over the phone about it (the three-tight-slaps formula didn't work).

Since the left button (the most used by right-handed computer users) wouldn't be working, also including instructions (in brackets) on using the keyboard to navigate.

- From the Start menu go to Control Panel (Press the Windows Icon - placed to the left of the Space Bar, then use the Arrow Keys to select Control Panel and press Enter).

- In the Control Panel window click on the Mouse icon (Press the Tab button until one of the icons from the Control Panel contents gets selected. Then use the Arrow buttons to reach/select the Mouse icon and press Enter)

- Under the Buttons Tab (in the Mouse Properties window that opens) check the 'Switch primary and secondary buttons' check box press OK (Use the Arrow buttons to choose between the tabs, and press the Tab button to move within the selected tab. Use Shift+Tab to move in the bottom-up direction. When the 'Switch primary and secondary buttons' is selected. Press the Space Bar, the check box will get checked, and then press Enter)



Now, for the time being, you will be able to continue with your work using the right button of the mouse as the primary button. It might be a bit cumbersome to use, but you'll get used to it in a while.

As for the functions of the right mouse button, you can either use any of the following:

- The Menu button on your keyboard (Usually located to the right of the Space Bar, next to the Alt key).

- Shift+F10 or Ctrl+Shift+F10 (whichever works for you).

The instructions/examples refer to Windows XP. The process should be similar in other Windows versions - Vista, Windows 7

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Secure your USB drive with write protection

Many viruses crept into my PC via the my USB pen drives and external hard disks that I lent to friends for transferring data.

If your motive is to prevent unintentional transfer of malicious and unwanted stuff on to your portable storage devices (that do not have inbuilt write-protection), this little software is just what you want. It makes your USB storage device read only.

The USB WriteProtector will occupy only about 500 KB of space on your USB flash drive and will prevent any unauthorised files from making your pen drive their home.

The good part is that it is portable, it doesn't require any installation and can simply be copied to any portable storage. It not only works on USB flash drives but also on external hard disks (I tested).

All you need to do is download the file from here [RAR 189 KB] (via Google Translate since the original site is in German).

Extract the RAR file (if you do not have an appropriate program on your PC, try 7-Zip). And copy the extracted files to your portable storage device.

Click on the UsbWriteProtect.exe file



The default language is German, choose English from the drop down menu.



Choose the 'USB write protection ON' radio button and click on the close button.



And your USB drive/external hard disk will now be read only when reconnected with any PC (note that the turn on feature gets activated only when you remove and reconnect the USB drive. Logical).

This also prevents accidental cut/paste instead of copy/paste of data, that removes the original data from your storage device.

If you want to write data on the portable drive, reopen the USB WriteProtector and choose the 'USB write protection OFF' radio button and click close (unlike the activation process the deactivating procedure is instantaneous and doesn't require the device to be disconnected and reconnected).



I've tested it only on Windows XP PCs, don't know if it'll work fine on Windows Vista or other Windows OS.

There is a small issue that I faced (don't know if it is only with me): If I have the USB WriteProtector turned on in one USB drive, it doesn't allow me to write data on any other USB storage device connected on the same PC. It's only when I turn it off and disconnect the device with the software on it, that I'm able to resume my copy/pasting activity.

Please suggest other (preferably free) software that can perform the desired task better.

Related posts:

· Boost Your Netbook's Performance in 6 Clicks
· Preview Multimedia Files While Downloading
· Zip it for Faster File Transfers

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Fuel deo: Ignite the fire (and experimenting with HTML 5 audio, video)

Why are most men's deo ads in India the same. There are numerous other ways to be sexy. Come on agencies you can do better. Anyway another for the collection.


Download video [00:00:33 FLV 720 KB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:40 AVI 2.37 MB]

But then this is not the real purpose of this post. Yesterday, Mozilla released Firefox 3.5 and one of the far-reaching features is the native support for HTML 5 audio and video with Ogg Theora, Ogg Vorbis, and WAV formats. In the not-so distant future, this is going to change how multimedia content is served on the Web. Proprietary formats like Flash and Silverlight would not rule the roost.

A simple sample of HTML 5 embedded video and audio of the Fuel deo TVC:

Video:

Download video [00:00:33 OGG 732 KB

Audio:

Download audio [00:00:33 OGG 144 KB]

But the obsolete Web browser Internet Explorer 6 is the biggest impediment to the growth of the new Internet. One of the major pains while launching any new website is the compatibility with IE6. More than a third (38 percent) of the readers of this blog are still on IE6 and that's a huge slice.

And one of the major roadblocks to existing Firefox users upgrading to the Firefox 3.5 is the incompatibility of so many add-ons with the latest version. Maybe Mozilla should put a check in place that add-on developers upgrade their stuff. But then, the free nature of the Firefox browser would go against such curbs.

Learn more about Firefox and HTML 5 video and audio.

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Whacky New IE8 Ads for India

In a bid to retain its mammoth share of the internet browser market, Microsoft is trying to better its offering, now that more and more people are getting aware of the other better options out there. And they have also released a set of new fun ads for Internet Explorer 8 in India. It shouldn't matter that, for me, Firefox is still more fun.

I've found four such ads and each highlights one prominent feature of the browser.

Automatic crash recovery


Download video [00:00:46 FLV 921 KB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:46 AVI 4.02 MB]

This one is a parody of the much drooled after ad for Hardee's Western Bacon Thickburger where Padma Lakshmi lustily savours a burger.

Accelerators


Download video [00:01:00 FLV 1.29 MB]
Download hi-res video [00:01:00 AVI 5.48 MB]

A take on the MTV India Roadies auditions and the kinky selection process. They call it the Coadies. On a slightly different track, the MTV show is supposed to be about roads and bike riding - hence the name - but half of the participants can't even ride a bike. It isn't that Indian girls don't ride bikes, a lot do, but I think that such girls don't care much about such shows and their gas-filled producers.

Security


Download video [00:00:58 FLV 1.34 MB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:58 AVI 6.02 MB]

Every guy's ultimate fantasy (girls' too), to go invisible. Some call it the porn mode. And this is what I believe that this TVC is not-so-subtly hinting at. Guy's water runs out, he goes into the girls hostel, invisible, to fulfill his needs - brushing, shaving, bathing and of course ogling.

Web Slices


Download video [00:00:59 FLV 1.41 MB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:59 AVI 5.57 MB]

I found this the least fun and hence keep it for the last.

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Keyboard Shortcuts for YouTube Videos

I had twitted about this a few days back, but since the readers of this blog far outnumber my followers on Twitter, thought it was worth the while to post about it here.

The YouTube video player has some features that would save us the bother of moving the fingers to the mouse and then move the cursor to click the buttons/icons.

A click of a key on the keyboard while watching a YouTube video can perform some simple (and oft needed) functions.

A little list of useful YouTube keyboard shortcuts/commands:

Function	Key
Play/Pause	Spacebar
Move back (rewind) 10%	Left arrow
Move forward 10%	Right arrow
Increase volume	Up arrow
Decrease volume	Down arrow

[Source]

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Review: Idea NetSetter

Bored of being limited within the confines of my workplace or home (though I have Wi-Fi) and the uninspiring internet on my mobile phone, I wanted to break free. Therefore, after some thought (many people had advised me against the idea), I got myself a mobile internet connection - Idea NetSetter.

Idea had entered the data card market recently and has some lucrative tariff on offer. Since my mobile telephone connection is also from Idea, I preferred to stick to the same provider (other reasons are explained lower in the post).

What it promises:

• EDGE/GPRS/GSM Air interface
• Quad band operation (850/900/1800/1900 Mhz)
• Wireless data speed up to 236.8 kbps
• GPRS/EDGE Multislot class 12
• SMS support
• Microsoft (WHQL) certified drivers
• Compatible with notebooks and PCs
• Zero CD installation
• International roaming
• 2 year warranty

What it costs:

Rs 2490 for the USB stick.

For a detailed pre-paid and post-paid plans in your area click here.

I chose the Rs 849/month unlimited post-paid plan. Rs 500/month for the first three months an introductory offer.

How it is:

The hardware cost might put off some budget users - Rs 2490 seems a little too high, even though most service providers charge similar (if not more) rates.

The promised speed (236.8 kbps) seems to be greater than the competition (Tata Indicom Plug 2 Surf - 153.6 kbps, Reliance NetConnect - 153.6 kbps). The actual speed is actually much much lower - as with all Indian ISPs, mobile or fixed line.

I've been using it since last evening and the maximum download speed I got was around 35 kbps with the average hovering around 20-25 kbps. Decent. It is almost like my existing internet connection.

Online broadband speed tests put the download rate at about 119 kbps and 25 kbps for upload.

But it is slower in places with weaker signal strength (like my office desk). It would be a good idea to check beforehand the Idea network strength at the places you are most likely to use it.

The installation is smooth, just plug in the USB stick and just follow the instructions to install the requisite software. The USB stick has 10 MB of space in it.

You might need to reset your browser settings to 'No proxy', in case you have a different setting for your existing internet connection.

Watching internet videos and dowloading large files may seem to be a pain for people used to real high-speed internet (still a distant dream for me). In case you want better, you might like Reliance Netconnect Broadband+ that promises 3.1 mbps speed (but the costs involved is higher too).

Since Idea NetSetter also supports SMS (send and receive) you can easily copy paste or type text messages and send them to your family and friends from the comfort of a computer. There is also easy drag and drop import of contacts in a csv file.

The USB modem turned out to be a little larger than what I had expected, almost the size of the early pen drives - around 8 cms in length. The model that I got (EG162G) is manufactured by Huawei.

The application interface is simple and provides the necessary info (speed, upload/download stats and text messaging), but could've had some little features for a better user experience. The close button - that so many of us are so prone to clicking - shouldn't necessarily close the application. The user should have an option to make the application minimise to the system tray even if he hits close.

Voice call facility would have been a good added advantage. Also a lanyard anchor, though trivial, has its many advantages (just in case I didn't have pockets).

Here in Delhi the pre-paid unlimited plan costs Rs 100 lesser than the comparative post-paid plan. The Idea executives I talked to could provide no satisfactory reasoning for that. Nevertheless, I opted for the post-paid to save me from the bother of getting a recharge done on a specified date, failing which I'd be left internetless (post-paid connections have a 15-day grace period).

To me getting the Idea NetSetter USB modem was worth it given that I pay Rs 800 a month for my not-so-reliable WiMAX internet connection. And my analysis of the competition gives Idea the advantage (even though I didn't get the promised call from any Idea customer service executive when I first expressed my interest for the product through their website. They might be losing some potential customers there).

I sincerely hope (and so would you) that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is able to strictly enforce its guidelines to internet service providers to ensure availability of the minimum required bandwidth in their networks.

My rating for Idea NetSetter: 3 out of 5

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Why Do They Even Have an Internet Connection?

Messages employees at an Indian workplace get to see on their browsers when they try to access websites on the internet from the office:

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MTNL 3G Jadoo: Rs 75 for a YouTube video

MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd) was running a shoddy DAVP-type teaser campaign. There was no surprise at the end of it [MTNL Jadoo 3G press release], it was for the commercial launch of MTNL's 3G service. All that I was curious about was the tariff for India's first 3G service and as expected, it's not for me. Yet.

The initial service is limited to the NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Council) area of Delhi and most of Delhi stays outside that area (and that includes me. Even my current workplace is outside the NDMC periphery).

The tariff is 'promotional'. Here are the details:

MTNL 3G Jadoo Tariff

Activation charge: Rs 500
Fixed charges: Rs 599 per month
Local voice call on own network: Rs 0.60 per minute
Local voice call on other networks: Rs 1.00 per minute
Local video call on own network: Rs 1.80 per minute
Local video call on other networks: Rs 3.00 per minute
STD/ISD
- STD video call: Rs 3.75 per minute
- ISD video call: Rs 30.00 per minute
Data - GPRS/3G/UMTS/HSPDA usage rate: Rs 5.00 per MB
Data HSPDA rental: Rs 149 per month

Which means that even if I just get a Jadoo connection and do not use it, I'll be paying atleast Rs 748 a month (that's about my average mobile bill a month, including GPRS usage).

And data usage rate is @ Rs 5.00 per MB. That means that if I want to watch an average YouTube video of around 15 MB, it'll cost me Rs 75! Don't know how many people can afford that. Atleast, not me.

This is more like the mobile phone rates in the mid-1990s and will surely fall. I'll then start active blogging, with all frills attached from my mobile device. Till then, I'll have to do with the Eee PC.

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Months After Chrome Launch Google Guys Still Use Firefox

Google has pumped up advertising for its new baby - Google Chrome via its Adwords channel. It is also promoting the product through YouTube and also LinkedIn (amongst others).

So this implies that Google (obviously) wants the world to use its Chrome browser. But it seems that the guys there in Mountain View are themselves yet to get used to their very own web browser and are still relying on Firefox for travelling across the World Wide Web.

I stumbled across this browsing through Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide [PDF link] (Dated November 13, 2008) ^[Via] and found that one of the screenshots (on page 3) that the good guys used to make things easier for us has a tiny but very identifiable Firefox logo. That can mean only one thing - Google still uses Firefox! And that is a good thing. Even Bill Gates might be.



To give them the benifit of doubt, they might be working on a Mac (I never worked on that much) and Google is yet to release a Mac-compatible version of Chrome. Therefore Firefox.

Related posts:

· Whoa! Google Chrome has Crashed
· Google Chrome Identified as Safari
· The Google Chrome Comic Book

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Review: Foldable USB Speakers (Tech-Com SSD-510U)

Most laptop don't usually boast of robust sound and therefore external accessories like headphones/earphones or a set of speakers become a necessity for an optimal listening experience.

But then laptop are meant to be portable but most speakers aren't and earphones don't lend themselves to group listening. So when I came across this set of USB powered speakers from Tech-Com (SSD-510U), I was immediately interested. Did a bit of testing and bought it home (as an additional accessory for my Asus Eee PC 1000H).

The biggest advantage is the size and the fact that it folds into two (like a clamshell) to make itself even more portable (see images below).

It doesn't need a driver in modern operating systems (though it comes equipped with a CD) to run and you can simply plug in to your USB post and listen. And also has a little stand to help keep it upright. But there is always a chance of misplacing the little stand.

The sound quality isn't that great, but better than most in-built laptop speaker output (and louder too, but not party loud). It is also more of treble and less of bass. If it is bass that gives you the boost, then this might not be the best choice.

Moreover it doesn't come with volume controls so all the controlling has to be done through the laptop/PC.


Open and plugged in (notice the red right glowing). Compared to a DVD.


Closed. The stand and a DVD lie besides.


Held in the palm of my hand for a better idea of the size.

Being USB powered means that it is a bit different from other speakers that you plug into the headphones socket. If you are listening to something while you plug the USB speakers, the sound wouldn't get transferred from your internal speakers to the external speakers. For that you have to shut the application and restart it again. A small pain.

But for a price of Rs 400 (the printed price reads Rs 699), it seems paisa-wasool.

The packaging says 460 Watts PMPO and doesn't mention any RMS rating. PMPO is dubious, we all know that. And it is manufactured in China.

If you aren't very finicky about the quality of your sound and are looking for portable speakers that you can carry around in your laptop bag, it might be a worthwhile purchase. But the timbre conscious might have to look elsewhere.

[Dealer details: Spiral Systems & Networks, 120 Mansarovar, 90 Nehru Place, New Delhi 110019 | Phone +91 11 2629 2660 | Mobile +91 11 1126 6280]

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Download Files (Without Download Option) from Scribd

Scribd is often referred to as the YouTube for documents. But unlike YouTube, Scribd does usually offer a direct option for users to download files.

But in case you aren't registered with Scribd or the uploader has disabled the download options you might not be able to download the file for offline purposes.

I came across one such file (Best Magazine Covers of 2008) and tried to figure out how to download the PDF file from Scribd. Tried the tried and tested browser cache trick, but it gave me only a .scb file - which I think contains all the relevant data - but was unable to convert it to a friendlier format.

So what do you do? Google. I did but that didn't help. Thought for a while and then Eureka!

You will only need to install and extra bit of software, that is if you don't already have it (any way such software are usually handy to have on your PC) - a PDF creator. There are quite a number of free PDF creators available online that do a decent job. Two of my preferred choices are: PDFCreator (Open Source) and PrimoPDF (it needs .Net Framework 2.0 to work).

Once you have downloaded and installed a PDF creator, click on the dropdown arrow besides the iPaper text on the Flash Player, and click on the Print option. On the Print dialog box choose the PDF creator software instead of your default printer (in case you have one). Then click the Print button and your file in a PDF form will be ready in a while (depending on the size of the document).



This trick should always work for downloading PDF files from Scribd because there doesn't seem to be an option availabe to an uploaders to disable the print functionality. And this way you can also download files without registering with Scribd.

An anonymous reader suggests:

For those receiving blank pages when PDFing:

Try changing the view mode to 'Book Mode' instead of 'List Mode'. I did that and it finally worked!

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G1 'The Google Phone' Videos

The T-Mobile G1 mobile phone manufactured by HTC is the first phone to be built using Google's Android platform.

I was getting irrititaed with all that overhype around the Apple iPhone. Thank god for competition. Now we have a G1 to hit Apple where it hurts the most.

The G1, as you would already know by now, is the first phone to be built using Google's Android platform. The manufacturer is HTC (who also have other cool phones on their portfolio) and it will be released in the US by T-Mobile on October 23.

The official press release doesn't mention any dates for an Asia release but it'll "be available in the United Kingdom beginning in November, and across Europe in the first quarter of 2009. Countries include Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and the Netherlands."

The US price for the phone is a cool $179, that translates to Rs 8,264 (as per today's conversion rate). But when a $199 iPhone costs Rs 31,000 intead of Rs 9,187 (via direct currency convertion), you don't know by how much the G1 would make an Indian consumer poorer.

Here are a couple of G1 videos. One from T-Mobile and the other from HTC.

T-Mobile:

Download video [00:01:08 FLV 1.33 MB]
Download hi-res video [00:01:08 MPG 9.4 MB]

HTC:

Download video [00:00:45 FLV 13.5 MB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:45 MPG 9.4 MB]

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Review: Asus Eee PC 1000H

Small is beautiful. The Nano might presently be in some land-related trouble, but owning another small wonder - the Asus Eee PC 1000H from AsusTek - is quite hassle free. And I got one for myself last week and had been playing around with it too much to be able to put some stuff up on this blog.

I was for so long more of a desktop person and not quite at ease with the bulky laptops. The size and weight of made them defeated the purpose for me. And the existing lightweight versions were out of my limited reach. Then I heard of Asus' Eee PC range (there are quite a number of them in the seemingly unplanned family). But the initial ones didn't again meet my requirements - that go beyond just internet surfing and text processing.

What I needed was a small and light laptop with decent memory, storage and processing capabilities. Then came the Asus Eee PC 1000H and I thought that I found what I actually needed. But then there were some serious competiton to the product and few more were in the pipeline.

A bit of online research made me zero in back on Asus' baby. This is what it takes and gives:

The Price: The printed price on the box says Rs 33,000. The guy from Asus, Mumbai, told me (over the phone) that it would cost Rs 31,000. After a few enquiries at a number of dealers at New Delhi's Nehru Place I got the Asus Eee PC 1000H for Rs 25,500 (inclusive of taxes). Different dealers quoted different prices that varied by a couple of thousand. I expect it to fall further, with new competition entering the market.

The Features/Configuration:

Operating System
Genuine Windows XP Home

Display
10" (1024x600 pixels)

Intel CPU and Chipset
Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz)

Wireless Data Network
WLAN: 802.11 n

Bluetooth

Memory
1GB

Storage
HDD 80GB (their website also lists a 160GB model) partitioned into two

Camera
1.3 Megapixel

Audio
Dolby Sound Room Certified
Stereo speaker
Digital Array Mic

Battery
7 hrs (but the actual backup might differ based on settings and usage)

Weight
1.45 kg

Dimensions
10.47" x 7.53" x 1.12-1.50" (it is actually smaller by quite a few centimetres than Outlook magazine)

Infusion (Colours)
Red, Green, Pearl White, Fine Ebony (though only black seemed to be available at Nehru Place)

And after a few days of use, this is my take on the netbook (aka ultra-portable laptop)

But first let me put forward where the Eee PC 1000H scores over the competition (the so called "Eee PC Killers") in the budget notebook category (or why I chose Asus):

Versus MSI Wind: Asus has a better build quality and battery backup.

Versus Acer Aspire One: Linux OS (many like me are more comfortable with Windows - though unwillingly - for a variety of reasons). Smaller by 1.1". Lesser RAM.

Versus HP 2133 Mini-Note PC: Smaller screen; Windows version costlier (and has Vista not XP). Has a lower powered processor.

Versus Dell Inspiron Mini 9: Smaller screen (and glossy too), small hard drive (only 16GB), single external speaker.

Versus HCL Ultra Portable Tablet: Costlier by a big margin (Rs 34,990 is the official advertised price). Lower powered processor. Smaller screen. Less battery backup. Only two USB ports.

Enough of making myself gain some confidence in the purchase that I made; now on to the review.

Netbooks or ultra-portable laptops (as you like it) are the next big thing in personal computers and things can only get better for the consumer (Even Apple might just soon launch one as these little devils better the MacBook Air in quite a few categories). And AsusTek is definitely the initiator of this revolution and it shows in the 1000H. Already at least half-a-dozen people at my workplace have expressed the desire of getting an Eee PC for themselves.

The keyboard is almost standard sized with easy utility buttons/access keys atop it (two of them can perform user-defined functions). The keys feel good to the fingers, but people with thick digits might experience a few typos. The touch pad is responsive but the accompanying buttons demand a little more physical energy to perform the desired tasks.

Bluetooth and wireless network connectivity is good.

The 10" screen is matte and therefore doesn't reflect light and is easy on the eyes under bright in bright surroundings. And regarding the size, it actually doesn't that small. Though the smaller height (600px) might take a while for some people to get used to but the width is perfect for me.

Though you can change the resolution to the standard 1024x768 at a click of a button, I wouldn't suggest that. The 1024x768 compress gives a distorted appearance, while the other option makes your screen scrollable. People who like things to look big on their tiny screens might opt for 800x600 but then that too gives a distorted appearance.

But some software that have a user interface in the 1024x768 mode might require you make changes to the screen size.

Many people were doubting whether it would be able to run demanding applications like certain image editing software. I installed one, and it works smooth. But since this doesn't house a dual core processor, don't get tempted to go overboard with multi-tasking. (Intel though has announced dual core versions of the Atom processor and even AMD has similar intentions. But they might be seen only in the higher-end models).

I happen to have a liking for matte stuff and a dislike (to some degree) towards things that shine and this Eee PC is almost a mirror and therefore very prone to smudges and fingerprints. Asus thoughtfully equips you with a small piece of cloth that does a fine job of what it is supposed to do. Though the matte finish would have been preferable, but I'm not too unhappy with my little toy's glossy feel.

The promised battery backup is 7 hours, but that is subject to certain conditions such as the display brightness and the performance settings. But under standard usage conditions it should comfortably run for 4 hours and 30 minutes without being connected to the mains. The six-cell battery might have added a little weight but then it is worth it.

The 1.3 megapixel camera and built-in array microphone would come handy in a number of ways. It can also be used to snoop on people as a spy camera (just adding some thrill). Turn on the camera, start capturing video using the ECap utility, turn off the monitor and go away. Come back to see what has happened behind your back. But then the little yellow light adjacent to the webcam might be a giveaway.

It also comes equipped with Dolby Sound Room, that enables users to experience surround sound with normal twin speakers. But the built in speakers aren't that effective to give you the feel. For a more wholesome experience you might need to invest in a pair of external speakers (preferably with built-in amplifiers) or headphones/earphones (by the way earphones give you the best sound at the most economical price)

Such portable devices are a great way to watch movies. And with time you will realise that screen size doesn't really matter that much.

But in the absence of any internal optical drive, watching movies (unless you are the download type) might be a bit of a pain. The compact size doesn't allow much space to squeeze in a DVD drive, but in case you really need one, getting an external USB DVD drive is an option. They are priced somewhere in the range of Rs 3,000-3,500.

The Asus Eee PC 1000H also comes loaded with pre-installed software. Apart from the OS, it has Star Office 8, a good alternative to Microsoft Office and has a very similar interface; InterVideo WinDVD, Microsoft Works, Windows Live and Skype.

One big disadvantage is that dealers do not let you unbox it unless you have made the payment. So you cannot exactly verify before purchasing that the product is functioning properly. Mine came with a small glitch - a single dead pixel. But that unfortunately isn't covered by the warranty. I have to wait for a few more pixels to die before AsusTek would entertain my claim.

All ASUS Eee PCs do not provide dot-free panel replacement warranty. Panel replacement warranty will only be effective when there are more than 3 bright dots (excl. 3) or 5 dark dots (excl. 5). Extended warranty is also not applied on this product.

This tiny laptop is best as a secondary PC, when you already own a desktop (or a laptop), it is a convenient thing to carry around. But for users with limited computing needs, it might just be an ideal option (the absence of an optical drive being the only notable hindrance).

More size comparisons:


Compared to a Dell desktop


Compared to an Apple MacBook


Compared to an Apple MacBook

As I had already mentioned, I did quite a bit if research and with so many similar products it was a close decision. What clinched the deal in Asus' favour was a review that Google led me to - "The Asus EEE PC line is like buying a Toyota."

As a parting thought, I am reminded of the options available when I was buying a 3rd vehicle to serve as a daily driver. I wanted something that I can use anywhere, is easy to maintain, yet still offers a positive image. If I wanted to take more risk and become a maverick (buying something not tested) I would have bought a Hyundai (similar to brands new to UMPC). I felt I already had enough risk with our existing German cars and their high maintenance cost. I decided to get a Toyota Fortuner, that was three years ago and that vehicle has not broken down a single time. The Asus EEE PC line is like buying a Toyota, it does not matter if you like the small Vios(701), the Altis(900/901) or the mid sized Camry(1000H), all are Toyota, and you know you are buying reliability and smart engineering.

Since the Asus Eee PC is not complete in itself (most products aren't) I invested in some accessories (the portable DVD drive will have to wait for a while).

1. Altec Lansing inEar Earclips (CHP227): It cost much more that I would have ever paid for a pair of earphones - Rs 730.

But when I plugged it in and listened to the sound, I knew what they were charging for.

It also comes with a small pouch where the earphones with gold-plated plug can go to sleep.

2. iBall Mouse Laser Precise Speedster Mini (Black): A laser mouse is said to be 30 times more responsive than an optical mouse (and it obviously costs more. Rs 590 in this case) and can operate comfortably on most surfaces.

I tested it on everything from a mirror to a coarse carpet and the results were smooth. 

An ideal accompaniment for a laptop/netbook as you can comfortably move your mouse around sitting on the bed without the aid of the accessory called the mouse pad or twiddle with the touch pad.

3. Netgear Wireless G54 Router WGR614: Since at home I would like to access the internet from different floors, this proved to be a good choice.

I had initially thought of getting a simple switcher to share my broadband internet connection between the desktop and the netbook.

But the idea of having a Wi-Fi enabled home was too much of a temptation.

Since the dealer wasn't confident that the range could cover multiple floors, he advised me to go for more expensive options, but I refused. To be on the safe side I purchased 30 metres of LAN cable, just in case I am not lucky with wirelessness. The wireless router cost Rs 1700 (anyone needing LAN cable can contact me).

The router is located on the second floor and I get good to very good connectivity on the first floor and poor to very poor on the ground floor (but didn't notice much of a difference in the internet speed). The big flaw is the mammoth sized AC to DC adapter - it is so heavy that I found it difficult to plug into vertical sockets, there is always the risk of gravity pulling it down.

Kenneth Haywood's experiences made me play safe and ensured that I secure my connection. Its easy to do so.

And yes, I'm posting this post via the Asus Eee PC 1000H.

---

Since I'm getting quite a few enquiries about Asus Eee PC dealers in New Delhi. Here's the contact details of the dealer I purchased mine from (do give him my reference, I might get some credits during future purchases):

Love Chottani
Spiral Systems & Networks
120 Mansarovar
90 Nehru Place
New Delhi 110019

Phone: +91 11 2629 2660
Fax: +91 11 2629 2661
Mobile: +91 11 1126 6280

Email: info [at] spiralnetworks.biz
Website: www.iware.in, www.spiralnetworks.biz

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Whoa! Google Chrome has Crashed

There has been a lot of excitement around Google Chrome (this is the third Chrome related post on this blog). I've been using it since yesterday, but it still has a long way to go before it can displace Firefox as my default browser.

Last night at it just hanged and I had to manually end the process and today I got my first Google Chrome crash message.


Whoa! Google Chrome has crashed. Restart now?

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Google Chrome Identified as Safari

I was just curious of how the traffic analysis tools identify the new web browser - Google Chrome - and how many visitors of this blog are using it.

But couldn't get the answers as it seems that both StatCounter and Google Analytics (they should have) recognise Google Chrome as Safari.



Though the browser detect utility gives a positive match.



I believe this will be fixed soon.

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The Google Chrome Comic Book

I have a thing for comics and also for new web utilities.

Google mixes both to announce the of launch its new web browser Chrome. The beta version is expected to be released today.

On the surface, we designed a browser window that is streamlined and simple. To most people, it isn't the browser that matters. It's only a tool to run the important stuff - the pages, sites and applications that make up the web. Like the classic Google homepage, Google Chrome is clean and fast. It gets out of your way and gets you where you want to go.

Under the hood, we were able to build the foundation of a browser that runs today's complex web applications much better. By keeping each tab in an isolated "sandbox", we were able to prevent one tab from crashing another and provide improved protection from rogue sites. We improved speed and responsiveness across the board. We also built a more powerful JavaScript engine, V8, to power the next generation of web applications that aren't even possible in today's browsers.

Meanwhile take a look at the comic book that Scott McCloud has inked for the publicity campaign.

I've converted it into pdf and put it up on Scribd for a better reading experience.

The Google Chrome Comic Book
[Image source]

(Alternatively you can download it from here)

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Six Countries Don't Have Firefox 3

Firefox 3 created a world record with over eight million downloads in a day and there have been over 619 million downloads of the much loved web browser! But beyond the bottom of the download heap are six countries/territories that (according to the stats displayed by Mozilla on Firefox 3's Download Day page) that haven't recorded a single instance of a Firefox 3 download (as of July 2, 2008).

The six Firefox 3 black holes are: French Guiana, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Timor-Leste, Western Sahara, and of course, North Korea.

Besides the six there are 17 countries/territories with double digit downloads and 41 more countries with less than a thousand downloads.

I've compiled this table (ordered according to the number of downloads) for further illustration.

Firefox 3 Downloads (as of July 2, 2008)
In order of number of downloads

Rank	Downloads	Country/Territory
1	7,734,930	United States
2	2,466,910	Germany
3	1,342,608	Japan
4	1,198,993	United Kingdom
5	979,362	France
6	824,561	Spain
7	799,448	Poland
8	790,624	Canada
9	763,062	Italy
10	721,524	China
11	598,116	Brazil
12	535,796	Iran
13	495,484	Turkey
14	489,596	India
15	453,278	Australia
16	442,930	Netherlands
17	424,374	Lithuania
18	353,314	Russia
19	329,930	Romania
20	328,664	Mexico
21	279,059	Switzerland
22	252,535	Taiwan
23	247,588	Sweden
24	241,059	Argentina
25	225,824	Hungary
26	221,145	Austria
27	207,103	Chile
28	205,956	Vietnam
29	195,053	Philippines
30	193,209	Belgium
31	184,153	Czech Republic
32	173,805	Finland
33	170,122	Norway
34	168,981	Hong Kong
35	165,764	Bulgaria
36	163,433	Malaysia
37	161,836	Thailand
38	148,090	Greece
39	148,006	South Korea
40	143,283	Indonesia
41	140,331	Denmark
42	139,003	Israel
43	131,479	Portugal
44	129,957	Singapore
45	129,458	Colombia
46	98,740	Ukraine
47	98,445	Venezuela
48	98,186	Ireland
49	79,008	Slovakia
50	78,441	New Zealand
51	72,589	Peru
52	70,343	Slovenia
53	69,286	South Africa
54	62,216	Egypt
55	58,511	Croatia
56	49,922	Saudi Arabia
57	49,658	Serbia
58	44,371	United Arab Emirates
59	43,974	Estonia
60	43,195	Latvia
61	36,114	Morocco
62	35,893	Pakistan
63	32,256	Costa Rica
64	28,822	Puerto Rico
65	26,630	Dominican Republic
66	24,867	Algeria
67	20,247	Ecuador
68	19,339	Bangladesh
69	18,884	Nigeria
70	17,764	Luxembourg
71	17,093	Guatemala
72	15,946	Tunisia
73	15,222	Iceland
74	14,953	Kuwait
75	14,893	Belarus
76	14,500	Sri Lanka
77	13,905	Bosnia and Herzegovina
78	12,442	Qatar
79	12,225	Panama
80	11,188	Republic of Macedonia
81	10,804	Kazakhstan
82	10,446	Moldova
83	10,335	Jamaica
84	10,085	Bolivia
85	9,958	Trinidad and Tobago
86	9,902	Cyprus
87	9,310	El Salvador
88	9,285	Paraguay
89	9,227	Jordan
90	9,046	Uruguay
91	8,646	Kenya
92	7,672	Ghana
93	7,002	Malta
94	6,472	Mongolia
95	6,034	Nicaragua
96	5,921	Bahrain
97	5,853	Nepal
98	5,704	Lebanon
99	5,425	Cuba
100	5,256	Mauritius
101	5,091	Honduras
102	4,870	Senegal
103	4,452	Georgia
104	4,349	Barbados
105	4,174	Côte d'Ivoire
106	4,089	Palestinian Territories
107	4,073	Myanmar
108	3,915	Maldives
109	3,792	Oman
110	3,766	Brunei Darussalam
111	3,745	Syrian Arab Republic
112	3,527	Azerbaijan
113	3,037	Sudan
114	2,869	Albania
115	2,779	Cameroon
116	2,730	Libya
117	2,557	Bahamas
118	2,254	Armenia
119	2,227	Uzbekistan
120	2,051	Cambodia
121	1,881	New Caledonia
122	1,754	Iraq
123	1,598	Uganda
124	1,591	Tanzania
125	1,580	Faeroe Islands
126	1,480	Aruba
127	1,468	Yemen
128	1,433	Antigua and Barbuda
129	1,339	Angola
130	1,318	Bermuda
131	1,317	Madagascar
132	1,309	Fiji
133	1,303	Mozambique
134	1,296	Namibia
135	1,289	Andorra
136	1,264	Montenegro
137	1,237	Ethiopia
138	1,134	Belize
139	1,093	Saint Lucia
140	1,085	Liechtenstein
141	1,045	Zimbabwe
142	958	Botswana
143	935	Guyana
144	921	Zambia
145	844	Lao People's Democratic Republic
146	832	Afghanistan
147	785	Grenada
148	757	Reunion
149	732	Kyrgyzstan
150	714	Rwanda
151	696	Haiti
152	679	Suriname
153	677	Benin
154	647	Aland Islands
155	604	Burkina Faso
156	528	Malawi
157	514	Saint Kitts and Nevis
158	513	Gabon
159	513	Mali
160	511	Dominica
161	482	Greenland
162	389	Guinea
163	370	Togo
164	307	The Democratic Republic of the Congo
165	288	Mauritania
166	265	Gambia, The
167	255	Papua New Guinea
168	248	Tajikistan
169	224	Bhutan
170	220	Djibouti
171	201	Virgin Islands, British
172	196	Cape Verde
173	187	Guadeloupe
174	180	Turks and Caicos Islands
175	170	Anguilla
176	155	Swaziland
177	145	Vanuatu
178	138	Niger
179	136	Burundi
180	125	Lesotho
181	111	Tonga
182	106	Equatorial Guinea
183	79	Sierra Leone
184	66	Martinique
185	60	Somalia
186	59	Solomon Islands
187	56	Republic of Congo
188	53	Liberia
189	53	Samoa
190	50	Eritrea
191	41	Turkmenistan
192	34	Chad
193	24	Palau
194	23	Falkland Islands
195	19	Guinea-bissau
196	18	Central African Republic
197	15	Montserrat
198	13	Sao Tome and Principe
199	12	Comoros
200	0	French Guiana
201	0	North Korea
202	0	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
203	0	Svalbard and Jan Mayen
204	0	Timor-leste
205	0	Western Sahara

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Vintage PCs from 1996

1996 was only 12 years back. The adverb 'only' doesn't exactly fit in right here. It was only the year before that the Indian public got access to the internet. As for me, I was still in school and a very few friends (whose parents could afford it) had a computer that they could call personal.

Though we were taught BASIC as a part of an optional computer course (additional computers fee was charged) and I along with a friend would also visit the city campus of the university in order to expose ourselves to this newly emerging world, I don't remember much from what I did or learned then (apart from GOTO 10) Things have changed so much.

Chanced upon a few interesting bits from those days of shell accounts and 8 MB of RAM. What is interesting is not the advances made in technology (that is expected) but the drastic fall in prices.

VSNL's rates for internet service in 1995:


All prices are flat annual rates (in Rs). Professionals only get shell accounts, the others can choose SLIP or PPP. Dial up users have a total of 250 hours to use up in a year and 512 kb disk space. Leased line rates only include what VSNL charges for bandwidth - the physical link will have to be paid for to the telecom provider - the DoT. These costs are typically 10% of VSNL's corporate rates, for distances up to 50 kilometres (30 miles). [Source]

And some PCs sold in 1996 (Click on images for a better view). Wondering what I can get for Rs 120,945 today.

[From Gladrags, February 1996]


OLIVETTI PCS42P
PRICE: Rs 74,195
FEATURES 208Mb hard disk, 8Mb RAM, five slots, Media, Vision soundcard BEST FOR Reasonably well-specified for the price and is a nippy performer. An enormous box, but with no real advantage in terms of card or drive installation space. Poor socket labelling and an oldfashioned looking monitor don't do it any favours either. The bundle of programs provided is comprehensive, with everything from Works to a typing tutor, atlas, encyclopaedia, zoological reference work and games including Star Wars, Zork, and chess. For audiophiles there's the "pocket mixer" utility which combines outputs from CDs, a microphone, digitised sound sources and Midi instrument files and the Pocket CD player which lets you program favourite music tracks.
Unfortunately, the speakers are a bit ropey.
CHANCES OF YOU GETTING ANY WORK DONE Good. It's a bit too lumpy to enjoy playing games on.


AMSTRAD PC9486
PRICE Rs 78,210
FEATURES 64 hard disk, 4Mb RAM, four expansion slots, MediaVision soundcard
BEST FOR Games and simple business applications. You should be able to run business software, garnes, and creativity packages and with the right video hardware can also run movies from CD-V discs. Once you have a multimedia PC you never have to move from your seat again and the Arnstrad is one of the cheapest on the market. Its soundcard, CD-ROM drive an.d speaker system work well. Other software provided includes a comprehensive business suite, games including the legendary Doorn, and an interactive encyclopaedia on CD- ROM.
CHANCES OF YOU GETTING ANY WORK DONE High. Not enough entertainment value to distract you.


IBM APTIVA 941
PRICE Rs 120,945
FEATURES 850Mb hard disk, 8Mb RAM, Pentium processor, Soundblaster sound card, quad speed CD-ROM
BEST FOR People who drink bottled beer with a slice of lime. IBM clearly intends to make the multimedia PC as familar in the home as a hi-fi or microwave oven. The latest Aptiva designs overcome most of the shortcomings of earlier versions, offering better ergonomics and specifications. Also new is a software system including Personal Desktop, which allows several users to arrange the Windows Program Manager in their own favourite way, and Rapid Resume, which saves all your default settings and powers the machine down to save energy when it's not in use. An optional extra is MWave, a card which serves as a fax modern, answer machine interface and sound care. The price may be a bit steep, butin terms of features, they have done the business.
CHANCES OF YOU GETTING ANY WORK DONE More of a lifestyle statement than a workhorse.


COMPAQ PRESARIO CDS290
PRICE Rs 98,890
FEATURES 411Mb hard disk, 8Mb RAM five slots, Compaq soundcard, integrated modem
BEST FOR Small businesses. The Presario comes with a good preinstalled software bundle, though the compression system means it takes half-an-hour to decompress the software and get going. The built-in modem means e-mail, compufax and Internet services are close at hand, and the computer will even function as a telephone answering machine. Business applications include Works, and instead of the usual Windows Program Manager there's TabWorks, a singlepage indexing system grouping programs by category. But the speakers are crap.
CHANCES OF YOU GETTING ANY WORK DONE High.


VALE PRESTIGE PC1486DX-66
PRICE Rs 83,930
FEATURES 333Mb hard disk, 8Mb RAM, four slots, Creative Labs SoundBlaster 16-sound card
BEST FOR Anything you fancy. As reliable as any PC you could hope for, with plenty of expansion slots and memory making up for the relatively small hard drive. The Prestige comes with pre-loaded software including Works, Microsoft Money, Encarta, Golf, Dangerous Creatures and a pack of other games. The SoundBlaster 16-sound card is the industry standard, and the speakers are decent too, so try one if you're a big games-player or like the idea of playing CDs on your computer while you're working.
CHANCES OF YOU GETTING ANY WORK DONE How's your will power?


AST ADVANTAGE ADVENTURE 6066D
PRICE Rs 76,945
FEATURES 264Mb hard disk, 8Mb RAM, two slots, Creative Labs SoundBlaster sound card BEST FOR Sophisticated games, education. With its generous 8Mb memory, the Adventure is beefy enough to run the most demanding programs, though the hard drive might not be big enough for storing large graphics files. The software bundle includes Microsoft Works., an accounts program, organiser, fax facility, Encarta, the movie database Cinemania, and a 3D golf game which will lure you away from work again and again. Only the piddly speakers stop this from being a package - dump them and plug the soundcard output straight in your hi-fi if you want real entertainment.
CHANCES OF YOU GETTING ANY WORK DONE Fair. A better soundsystem would be more likely to tempt you away from work.

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