about technology we love

what is the blue ray technology??

2009-04-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

the new technology (blue ray) made the life better and this is the main aim of any technology some asked me for more information about blue ray technology and blue ray history.
Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD), is the name of a next-generation optical disc format jointly developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a group of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers (including Apple, Dell, Hitachi, HP, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson).

The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. This extra capacity combined with the use of advanced video and audio codecs will offer consumers an unprecedented HD experience.

While current optical disc technologies such as DVD, DVD±R, DVD±RW, and DVD-RAM rely on a red laser to read and write data, the new format uses a blue-violet laser instead, hence the name Blu-ray. Despite the different type of lasers used, Blu-ray products can easily be made backwards compatible with CDs and DVDs through the use of a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical pickup unit. The benefit of using a blue-violet laser (405nm) is that it has a shorter wavelength than a red laser (650nm), which makes it possible to focus the laser spot with even greater precision. This allows data to be packed more tightly and stored in less space, so it's possible to fit more data on the disc even though it's the same size as a CD/DVD. This together with the change of numerical aperture to 0.85 is what enables Blu-ray Discs to hold 25GB/50GB. Recent development by Pioneer has pushed the storage capacity to 500GB on a single disc by using 20 layers.

Blu-ray is currently supported by about 200 of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer, recording media, video game and music companies. The format also has support from all Hollywood studios and countless smaller studios as a successor to today's DVD format. Many studios have also announced that they will begin releasing new feature films on Blu-ray Disc day-and-date with DVD, as well as a continuous slate of catalog titles every month. For more information about Blu-ray movies, check out our Blu-ray movies and Blu-ray reviews section which offers information about new and upcoming Blu-ray releases, as well as what movies are currently available in the Blu-ray format.

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Lindsay Lohan looks for love on the Web

2009-04-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

who will be the lucky man all over the net to date lindsay on the net
as reuters : Lindsay Lohan is looking for a lover who does not mind her alleged alcoholism or electronic monitoring bracelet, or so the famously troubled Hollywood actress said in a mock Internet dating profile.

Lohan, whose recent breakup with Samantha Ronson has been covered by the media, stars in an a dating profile posted online on Monday at FunnyOrDie.com that parodies similar videos created for matchmaking company eHarmony.

"I would define my personality as creative, a bit of a night owl," Lohan says in the video.

"I'm a workaholic, a shopaholic and according to the state of California, an alcoholic as well as a threat to all security guards if they work at hotels," she says, with a perky smile.

Lohan, who is on probation, was briefly jailed in 2007 for a drunken driving and cocaine possession conviction. She had been arrested the previous May after wrecking her car in Beverly Hills and again in July following a car chase in the Los Angeles beach community of Santa Monica.

She was made to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet, a fact that the actress jokingly mentions in her video, which features the jumpy camera work characteristic of eHarmony dating profiles.

"We'll crash a few parties, a car or two, but at the end of the day I promise you, I never lose my Google hits, just my underwear," the actress says in the video.

Lohan starred in the 2004 movie "Mean Girls," which made more than $129 million worldwide at box offices, but in recent years her career faced ups and downs as she battled drug and legal problems.

Her latest film, the comedy "Labor Pains," will not have a wide release in U.S. theaters and will instead play on cable channel ABC Family.

Lohan's humorous video is the latest comedy piece from FunnyOrDie.com using a Hollywood star to make light of a topic in the news, in this case Lohan's breakup from Ronson. FunnyOrDie.com was created by comedian Will Ferrell and actor/director Adam McKay.

Last year, the Web site had celebrity heiress Paris Hilton star in a video mocking presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, after he used Hilton's image in a campaign ad.

Lohan's relationship with Ronson, 31, a celebrity DJ, has been the focus of months of media attention, after they were photographed kissing at the Cannes International Film Festival in May 2008.

But they recently broke up, with Lohan appearing on the cover of the latest issue of US Weekly next to her quote that she is "so alone." In her comedy video, Lohan sits on a sofa and reads from the magazine.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

iPhone vs. Windows Phone

2009-04-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

the way you use your phone is the mainly difference between mobiles you love and others you do not.
when an iPhone fan picks up a Windows phone, his or her first impression may go something like this: "It's difficult to find various features, it's kind of ugly, the hardware doesn't quite match the software, and it's generally user-unfriendly."

Vice-versa, when a die-hard Windows Mobile user picks up an iPhone, he or she might think, "This is a locked-up, inflexible platform designed mainly to get you to buy more stuff from Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) More about Apple, like movies, music and apps."

With the rise of the touchscreen form factor, though -- and Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) More about Microsoft new Windows Phone directions -- are the differences slipping away?
What are today's big differences? Is it just the user interface, or is there more to it? Are there clear advantages and disadvantages beyond the slick Apple design and cool logo?

Microsoft on the Move

While Microsoft's Windows Mobile division may have seemed a bit stagnant for the last couple of years, the software giant is reinvigorating its mobile phone operating system. In February, the company announced that the next generation of Windows phones will be based on Windows Mobile 6.5, and we can expect to see Microsoft focus less on the old "Windows Mobile" moniker with a version number. Rather, it will tend to refer to the devices the platform powers simply as "Windows phones."

Despite the subtle branding change, the latest enhancements are definitely aimed at consumers rather than enterprise-based customers. Consider this: Windows Mobile 6.5 features a new user interface, improved touchscreen capabilities, and a better browsing experience. Plus, Windows phones will feature two new services that are eerily similar to the ground pioneered by Apple: Microsoft's My Phone service will sync text messages, photos, video, contacts and more to the Web (think Apple's MobileMe); and Microsoft's Windows Marketplace for Mobile will give Microsoft a consolidated storefront for selling direct-to-phone mobile applications and can be accessed from both the phone and the Web (think Apple's App Store).

There is one big hitch, though: Windows Mobile 6.5 running on snazzy hardware won't hit until the latter half of 2009, when HTC, for instance, is expected to deliver the Touch Diamond 2 and Touch Pro 2.
Consumers vs. Enterprise Users

The iPhone's intuitive touch interface, media-friendly integration with iTunes and a simple email setup and integration combine to make a big difference between it and Windows Mobile phones in the eyes of many consumers.

Some of the other big differences, however, result from Microsoft's go-to-market strategy and the history of Windows Mobile. For instance, Microsoft doesn't build its own hardware like Apple does with its iPhone.

"Windows Mobile is licensed to other manufacturers, and it has deep back-end development options," Ken Dulaney, an analyst and vice president of mobile and wireless research for Gartner (NYSE: IT) More about Gartner, told MacNewsWorld. Plus, while Apple has made great strides in attracting developers to the iPhone OS platform, there are far more developers for the Windows Mobile/Windows Phone operating system.

Does that make the Windows Mobile operating systems and the actual devices more flexible than iPhone OS and the iPhone?

"That depends on how you define flexibility," Dulaney said. "Windows Mobile has many more options for just about everything, [but] from a user standpoint, Apple has many more app options."

This, of course, brings up the idea that there are certain types of users who are best suited to an iPhone, and others who are better matched with a Windows phone.

"Consumers are better suited for iPhone -- and those who prioritize browsing. Windows is more suited for custom applications, which Apple has shown little interest in," Dulaney said.

Plus, "iPhone 3.0 was pitched to us almost solely focused on the consumer," he added.

It's hard to say how that might change in the latter half of 2009 when Windows Mobile 6.5 arrives -- and you can't count the iPhone out of the enterprise entirely.

"When Apple licensed Microsoft's ActiveSync, which gives you synchronization with Exchange server, that was a big step in making the iPhone enterprise-ready," Matt Rosoff, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, told MacNewsWorld.

"That said, Outlook on Windows Mobile offers you the most synchronization, the most in-depth sync with Exchange and the most Outlook-like experience," he added. Plus, it is more focused on letting enterprise IT professionals control the devices and applications that can run on them.

However, while iPhone has made enterprise-related strides, the real competition is between Windows Mobile and RIM's BlackBerry devices, Rosoff noted.
No 'Can You Hear Me Now?' Options

"If you look at Windows phones versus iPhones from an end-user point of view, the biggest disadvantage to iPhone is that you have no choice of carrier -- it's AT&T (NYSE: T) More about AT&T in the U.S., and generally overseas, it's just one carrier, too," Rosoff said.

If you're a customer stuck with a service provider that didn't partner with Apple, you're out of luck with the iPhone. If you get poor AT&T service in your particular niche in the U.S., the iPhone isn't particularly a great choice, either. Windows phones, on the other hand, are offered by most major service providers, which means customers -- consumers or business users -- can choose the service that best fits their geography (or budget).

Microsoft is looking to counter Apple's MobileMe service with its My Phone offering -- and perhaps even offer a greater range of data-friendly features.

"I think the most interesting new thing is the Microsoft backup service, My Phone. It comes free, and if you lose the phone, everything on the phone is backed up -- all your photos, contacts, stored email, and so on. It's done automatically, and it solves some issues of getting data off of your phone and onto the computer," Rosoff noted.

"I think it's a great idea, but it's not out yet, so we'll have to see how well it's implemented," he added.
Microsoft Gets Finger-Friendly

"From what I saw at Mobile World Congress, 6.5 has an improved interface that's much more touch-friendly," Chris Hazelton, research director of mobile and wireless for The 451 Group, told MacNewsWorld.

"If you look at 6.1 now, it has a Today screen that has your messages, meeting notifications, status of certain parts of the phone -- it has a lot of information on it, and it's somewhat cumbersome. Any of those sections you can dive into by touching them, but with your finger, it's very hard to do. With a stylus, it's ideal," he explained.

"Windows Mobile 6.5 is a move more to a touch or finger-oriented UI (user interface)," Hazelton said.

For instance, to access different parts of a 6.5-based touchscreen phone, you might flick through core apps vertically, "and then when you get to the one you want, say Calendar, you scroll horizontally and you can see today, tomorrow, your first meeting, next meeting, and things like that. It hasn't been finalized yet, but it's more direct touch-based," Hazelton explained.

In addition, Apple's iPhone is limited to a touchscreen software-based keyboard -- Windows phones are not. "I think you'll see devices [for Windows phone] that have a large touchscreen and then also a slide-out QWERTY keyboard," Hazelton said.

Apple may eventually deliver a new form factor with a slide-out keyboard, but the company has given no indications that it's even thinking about it. So, what's the big deal? Those who need to type a great deal on a phone -- big text-message users and mobile emailers, for example -- may prefer the tactile feedback that comes with a hardware-based keyboard. iPhone doesn't have one. Choose accordingly.

For many consumers, the ability to let their phone multitask with third-party applications -- allowing apps to run and communicate in real time regardless of whether the user has the app open in the foreground -- would be handy feature, but hardly a deal-killer. For enterprises, the need for multitasking becomes more pronounced. Apple has avoided this feature to save on battery life (lots of running apps suck energy), as well as possible issues with security and controlling the performance of the iPhone. Run too many apps concurrently, and you might end up with a sluggish end-user experience.
The Big App Shootout

Apple has been aggressively marketing its App Store and its thousands of applications that run on the iPhone. Since launching last summer, the store has sold almost 1 billion apps. However, there are also thousands of Windows Mobile-based applications already in existence.

"Both Windows Mobile and iPhone have over 25,000 applications available, but the iPhone applications are easier to find, can be purchased over the air, and are arguably more innovative," Avi Greengart, research director of wireless devices for Current Analysis More about Current Analysis, told MacNewsWorld.

"Microsoft plans to rectify this with its own app store, Marketplace, but that is not available yet," he added.

Plus, there are key differences in how third-party developers create applications for each platform.

"Windows Mobile application developers need to optimize their applications for multiple screen resolutions and two separate versions of the OS -- Standard and Professional -- while iPhone developers have a single target to hit," Greengart said.

"Corporate Windows developers can use their existing tools to write Windows Mobile applications and distribute them internally. All iPhone apps need to be published via App Store. Apple plans to rectify this with an internal publishing tool, but that is not available yet," he added.

The point? For consumers, app delivery rocks on the iPhone but is a sad, sad song on a Windows Mobile-based phone. Meanwhile, for corporate users, app delivery is something to cry over on iPhone but rocks on Windows Mobile-based phones. For certain types of users, these are big, continental-divide-sized issues for now. However, they will likely be flattened out with similarities by the end of 2009.
Last but Not Least: Accessories

There is one last key angle of consideration, and that's accessories. In this space, Apple wins hands-down, largely thanks to the company's successful iPod line. The popularity of the MP3 player attracted a great deal of attention from accessory makers, many of which have expanded their lines to include iPhone accessories over the past two years.

"The iPhone taps into a huge -- and growing -- market of third-party accessories and [even] docks in cars and airplanes," Greengart said. "With iPhone 3.0 software, these accessories can directly interact with iPhone apps." Accessories for Windows Mobile phones, he said, are largely limited to cases.

All in all, the differences between iPhone and Windows Mobile are huge. However, they will clearly become smaller as Microsoft becomes more consumer-friendly and Apple becomes more willing to play with businesses -- assuming, of course, that Apple doesn't blow everyone away with something that turns everything upside-down this summer.