iphone

iPhone is a smartphone made by Apple that combines an iPod, a tablet PC, a digital camera and a cellular phone. The device includes Internet browsing and networking capabilities.

iPhone is extremely thin (only 11.6 millimeters thick) but wider and longer than many comparable devices. The display area is a 3.5-inch wide screen multi-touch interface with unusually high resolution (160 pixels per inch). Unlike most other smartphones, iPhone does not use a hardware keyboard or a stylus. To navigate, a user uses multiple taps and drags to navigate through a mobile version of Apple's OS X operating system. Like iPod, iPhone synchronizes data with a user's personal computer, using iTunes as a client software and Apple's proprietary USB port. iPhone is compatible with Microsoft's Windows operating systems, including Vista.
iPhone's networking features include:

• Automatic detection of WiFi networks.


• Support for the 802.11b and 802.11g standards.


• The use of quadband GSM and SIM cards to access cellular networks.


• EDGE support for high-speed data transfer where available.


• Bluetooth connectivity for short range networking with peripherals, other iPhones and PCs.

Apple says that iPhone carries 8 hours of life on the internal lithium-ion battery for talk or video, and up to 24 hours for music mode. The device ships with either a 4 or 8 GB hard drive, an Intel CPU and Apple's OS X operating system, modified for mobile use.
iPhone comes preloaded with a suite of media management software and communications software, including iTunes, the Safari Web browser and iPhoto. iPhoto may be used in combination with the 2 megapixel camera on the back of the device. Google's search and mapping services are fully integrated, including the ability to initiate phone calls from within Google Maps. Users can also view YouTube videos on the device, along with Microsoft Office documents and most imaging formats, including .JPEG, .GIF and .TIFF. A partnership with Yahoo allows iPhone users to send and receive rich HTML email. Other IMAP or POP3 e-mail services are integrated as well, along with webmail access in the browser.
While iPhone was released under an exclusive two-year partnership with AT&T Wireless, it took less than three months for hackers working in concert worldwide to unlock the device for use on any GSM network, though the process involved a level of technical sophistication well beyond the consumer level.

Sony Plans Smaller, Lighter PSP

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sony Corp plans to sell a smaller and lighter PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld game machine later this year, according to video game websites which cite what they say is Sony's own promotional video clip.

The video clip, which game websites including IGN say was first distributed through Sony's online game information distribution service for paying U.S. subscribers, has been posted on YouTube. For the YouTube link, click ">here

The new device, dubbed the PSP Go, is 43 percent lighter than the current model and comes with a 3.8-inch display, compared with a 4.3 inch screen now, according to the video clip on YouTube.

A spokesman for Sony's game unit, Sony Computer Entertainment declined to comment on the video clip, saying that any announcement on the PSP will be made at the E3 video game trade show that starts on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

According to the video clip, the PSP Go will go on sale this autumn, although the current model, the PSP 3000 will remain in the market.

The newer model's key pad slides out from below the screen, the clip shows. With the PSP 3000, the keys are placed on either side of the screen.

Sony aims to sell 15 million units of the PSP in the financial year to March, up from 14.1 million units a year earlier. The PSP competes with Nintendo Co Ltd's DS.

Shares in Sony rose 2.6 percent to 2,560 yen, outperforming the Nikkei average, which gained 1.6 percent.

Sony announces X-Series Walkman

Sony might have admitted that Apple is winning the MP3 player war, as previously reported on Pocket-lint, but that isn't stopping it from trying to wrestle the crown from Cupertino's shiny white head.

Its latest attempt is the X-Series Walkman, which - you have to admit - is a bit of a looker. It's the first Walkman with an OLED display, which should result in a bright, clear picture and better battery life. That OLED display doubles as a 3-inch 432 x 240 touchscreen, a half-inch smaller than the 3.5-inch display belonging to its main competitor - the iPod touch.

The other big feature is the sound quality. Sony is promising rich, wide bandwidth audio with ultra-low distortion that's more often seen in its hi-fi products, while enhanced stereo separation will also please headphone listeners.

There's also digital noise cancellation, aimed at commuters. Three different settings will apparently cut background noise in planes, buses and trains and in the office. Flyers will also be able to pump the in-flight audio system through the X-series for the same benefit.

Lastly, there's built-in wireless connectivity. Sony promises that users will be able to browse the Internet and watch YouTube - and iPlayer content - directly from the device.

The X-Series will be available from 13 May, and cost £209 for a 16GB model or £279 for a 32GB model.

Networking

What is a Network?

Linking two or more computing devices together, usually for sharing data (files or folders) or resources (mail servers, file server, printers, Scanners etc.) is popularly known as a Network.

If there are a number of computers at home or in an organization, connecting them together can bring substantial benefits. For example, you can share printers, internet connections and files such as photos or music etc.

Networks are built using both computer hardware and software. Networks can be categorized into different types like LAN, WAN and MAN according to the geographic area they span.

he primary purpose of a computer network is to share resources:

• You can play a CD music from one computer while sitting on another computer
• You may have a computer with a CD writer or a backup system but the other computer doesn’t have it; In this case, you can burn CDs or make backups on a computer that has one of these but using data from a computer that doesn’t have a CD writer or a backup system
• You may have a computer that doesn’t have a DVD player. In this case, you can place a movie DVD on the computer that has a DVD player, and then view the movie on a computer that lacks a DVD player
• You can connect a printer (or a scanner, or a fax machine) to one computer and let other computers of the network print (or scan, or fax) to that printer (or scanner, or fax machine)
• You can place a CD with pictures on one computer and let other computers access those pictures
• You can create files and store them in one computer, then access those files from the other computer(s) connected to it

Peer-to-Peer networking
Based on their layout (not the physical but the imagined layout, also referred to as topology), there are two types of networks. A network is referred to as peer-to-peer if most computers are similar and run workstation operating systems.

It typically has a mix of Microsoft Windows 9X, Me, Windows XP Home Edition, or Windows XP Professional (you can also connect a Novell SUSE Linux as part of a Microsoft Windows-based network; the current release of the operating system is really easily to install and made part of the network).

In a peer-to-peer network, each computer holds its files and resources. Other computers can access these resources but a computer that has a particular resource must be turned on for other computers to access the resource it has. For example, if a printer is connected to computer A and computer B wants to printer to that printer, computer A must be turned On.

Client /Server Networking

A computer network is referred to as client/server if (at least) one of the computers is used to "serve" other computers referred to as "clients". Besides the computers, other types of devices can be part of the network.n a client/server environment, each computer still holds (or can still hold) its (or some) resources and files. Other computers can also access the resources stored in a computer, as in a peer-to-peer scenario. One of the particularities of a client/server network is that the files and resources are centralized. This means that a computer, the server, can hold them and other computers can access them. Since the server is always On, the client machines can access the files and resources without caring whether a certain computer is On.

Another big advantage of a client/server network is that security is created, managed, and can highly get enforced. To access the network, a person, called a user must provide some credentials, including a username and a password. If the credentials are not valid, the user can be prevented from accessing the network.

The client/server type of network also provides many other advantages such as centralized backup, Intranet capability, Internet monitoring, etc.

WIFi

A wireless network uses radio waves, just like cell phones, televisions and radios do. In fact, communication across a wireless network is a lot like two-way radio communication. Here's what happens:
A computer's wireless adapter translates data into a radio signal and transmits it using an antenna.
A wireless router receives the signal and decodes it. The router sends the information to the Internet using a physical, wired Ethernet connection. The process also works in reverse, with the router receiving information from the Internet, translating it into a radio signal and sending it to the computer's wireless adapter.
The radios used for WiFi communication are very similar to the radios used for walkie-talkies, cell phones and other devices. They can transmit and receive radio waves, and they can convert 1s and 0s into radio waves and convert the radio waves back into 1s and 0s. But WiFi radios have a few notable differences from other radios:
They transmit at frequencies of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. This frequency is considerably higher than the frequencies used for cell phones, walkie-talkies and televisions. The higher frequency allows the signal to carry more data.
They use 802.11 networking standards, which come in several flavors:
802.11a transmits at 5 GHz and can move up to 54 megabits of data per second. It also uses orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), a more efficient coding technique that splits that radio signal into several sub-signals before they reach a receiver. This greatly reduces interference.
802.11b is the slowest and least expensive standard. For a while, its cost made it popular, but now it's becoming less common as faster standards become less expensive. 802.11b transmits in the 2.4 GHz frequency band of the radio spectrum. It can handle up to 11 megabits of data per second, and it uses complementary code keying (CCK) modulation to improve speeds.
802.11g transmits at 2.4 GHz like 802.11b, but it's a lot faster -- it can handle up to 54 megabits of data per second. 802.11g is faster because it uses the same OFDM coding as 802.11a.
802.11n is the newest standard that is widely available. This standard significantly improves speed and range. For instance, although 802.11g theoretically moves 54 megabits of data per second, it only achieves real-world speeds of about 24 megabits of data per second because of network congestion. 802.11n, however, reportedly can achieve speeds as high as 140 megabits per second. The standard is currently in draft form -- the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) plans to formally ratify 802.11n by the end of 2009.
Other 802.11 standards focus on specific applications of wireless networks, like wide area networks (WANs) inside vehicles or technology that lets you move from one wireless network to another seamlessly.
WiFi radios can transmit on any of three frequency bands. Or, they can "frequency hop" rapidly between the different bands. Frequency hopping helps reduce interference and lets multiple devices use the same wireless connection simultaneously.

As long as they all have wireless adapters, several devices can use one router to connect to the Internet. This connection is convenient, virtually invisible and fairly reliable; however, if the router fails or if too many people try to use high-bandwidth applications at the same time, users can experience interference or lose their connections.

WiFi Hotspots

Once you've installed your wireless adapter and the drivers that allow it to operate, your computer should be able to automatically discover existing networks. This means that when you turn your computer on in a WiFi hotspot, the computer will inform you that the network exists and ask whether you want to connect to it. If you have an older computer, you may need to use a software program to detect and connect to a wireless network.
Being able to connect to the Internet in public hotspots is extremely convenient. Wireless home networks are convenient as well. They allow you to easily connect multiple computers and to move them from place to place without disconnecting and reconnecting wires.

Building a Wireless Network

If you already have several computers networked in your home, you can create a wireless network with a wireless access point. If you have several computers that are not networked, or if you want to replace your Ethernet network, you'll need a wireless router. This is a single unit that contains:
A port to connect to your cable or DSL modem
A router
An Ethernet hub
A firewall
A wireless access point
A wireless router allows you to use wireless signals or Ethernet cables to connect your computers to one another, to a printer and to the Internet. Most routers provide coverage for about 100 feet (30.5 meters) in all directions, although walls and doors can block the signal. If your home is very large, you can buy inexpensive range extenders or repeaters to increase your router's range.

As with wireless adapters, many routers can use more than one 802.11 standard. 802.11b routers are slightly less expensive, but because the standard is older, they're slower than 802.11a, 802.11g and 802.11n routers. Most people select the 802.11g option for its speed and reliability.
Once you plug in your router, it should start working at its default settings. Most routers let you use a Web interface to change your settings. You can select:
The name of the network, known as its service set identifier (SSID) -- The default setting is usually the manufacturer's name.
The channel that the router uses -- Most routers use channel 6 by default. If you live in an apartment and your neighbors are also using channel 6, you may experience interference. Switching to a different channel should eliminate the problem.
Your router's security options -- Many routers use a standard, publicly available sign-on, so it's a good idea to set your own username and password.
Security is an important part of a home wireless network, as well as public WiFi hotspots. If you set your router to create an open hotspot, anyone who has a wireless card will be able to use your signal. Most people would rather keep strangers out of their network, though. Doing so requires you to take a few security precautions.
It's also important to make sure your security precautions are current. The Wired Equivalency Privacy (WEP) security measure was once the standard for WAN security. The idea behind WEP was to create a wireless security platform that would make any wireless network as secure as a traditional wired network. But hackers discovered vulnerabilities in the WEP approach, and today it's easy to find applications and programs that can compromise a WAN running WEP security.
To keep your network private, you can use one of the following methods:
WiFi Protected Access (WPA) is a step up from WEP and is now part of the 802.11i wireless network security protocol. It uses temporal key integrity protocol (TKIP) encryption. As with WEP, WPA security involves signing on with a password. Most public hotspots are either open or use WPA or 128-bit WEP technology, though some still use the vulnerable WEP approach.
Media Access Control (MAC) address filtering is a little different from WEP or WPA. It doesn't use a password to authenticate users -- it uses a computer's physical hardware. Each computer has its own unique MAC address. MAC address filtering allows only machines with specific MAC addresses to access the network. You must specify which addresses are allowed when you set up your router. This method is very secure, but if you buy a new computer or if visitors to your home want to use your network, you'll need to add the new machines' MAC addresses to the list of approved addresses. The system isn't foolproof. A clever hacker can spoof a MAC address -- that is, copy a known MAC address to fool the network that the computer he or she is using belongs on the network.

Open Source Software

Free and open source software

Free and open source software, also F/OSS, FOSS, or FLOSS is software which is liberally licensed to grant the right of users to study, change, and improve its design through the availability of its source code. This approach has gained both momentum and acceptance as the potential benefits have been increasingly recognized by both individuals and corporate players.

'F/OSS' is an inclusive term generally synonymous with both free software and open source software which describe similar development models, but with differing cultures and philosophies. 'Free software' focuses on the philosophical freedoms it gives to users and 'open source' focuses on the perceived strengths of its peer-to-peer development model. Many people relate to both aspects and so 'F/OSS' is a term that can be used without particular bias towards either camp.

Free software license and open source software license are used by many software packages. The licenses have important differences, which mirror the differences in the ways the two kinds of software can be used and distributed and reflect differences in the philosophy behind the two.

Difference between Free License & Open source License

Today the terms "free software" and "free open source software" (FOSS) and "free libre open source software" (FLOSS) generally mean the same thing. Despite disagreements about independently important but relatively minor differences, the simple term "open source" originally had the same meaning as FOSS/FLOSS for several years, nicely guarded, but not trademarked, by the open source initiative. However, by mid 2007 enough companies were opening some source to hop on the open source bandwagon, while keeping other advanced functionality closed, that the common meaning of "open source" came to include what is now called "Commercial Open Source Software" (COSS) as well. Today either the specific terms free software/FOSS/FLOSS or COSS are often used instead of the more general term "open source" in order to differentiate between the two different models and preserve the original meaning of the free software/FOSS/FLOSS space.