DTU times october edition

TECH COLUMN-by Dhruv sapra

Tech quote (preferably in the top bar not as part of the main page)

All of the biggest technological inventions created by man - the airplane, the automobile, the computer - says little about his intelligence, but speaks volumes about his laziness.

-Mark Kennedy

Gadgets glare...

This month we are back with a whole new bunch of cool freebies from the e-world, the desktop sidekicks-The Windows gadgets, ever since launched, they have become a impeccable partner at work, both as timesaver and a stress buster. Here are some cool gadgets that might cling on to your desktop:

1. Talking clock

Bored with the analog clock that comes up with Windows time to go digital, The Talking clock is an amazing alternate to the conventional clock, with audio support it goes a step ahead in telling time, but it's best feature remains the alarm available. Customization in color is also available, which allows the user to add a personal touch.

Available for free at: www.homecookedgadgets.com

2. Xirrus Wi-Fi Monitor 1.11

Xirrus Wi-fi monitor is by far the best wi-fi monitoring gadgets available on the web world. Capable to detect, administer, and connect, this monitor exceeds the expectations of a user with the details for the connection it provides and goes beyond luring kids with the radar detector like appearance. A must have gadget for all.

3. All CPU Meter

All CPU meter is a CPU monitor that provides the detailed performance graph for the RAM usage and core processors individually. This one also serves as a shortcut to the task manager (just a double click away!) beating the conventional CPU meter beyond miles.

Available at: Addgadget.com

4. Drive manager

Drives are the heart of the computer, and this freebie knows just how well to take care of it, one of my favorites, Drive manager provides tasks like exploring a disk, disk cleanup, backup, format and defragmenter at the click of a button.

Available for free at : www,homecookedgadgets.com

5. Calculator

The Calculator is a time saver for sure, all we need is at the corner of the desktop, no more scrolling through the options just to open the window's calculator. Supported with scientific functions, and design customizations this one's a piece to grab.

Available for free at : www.homecookedgadgets.com

6. Piano

"All work and no play makes jack a dull boy" Piano is a musical stress buster, it uses keyboard entry to play notes. Just a tap of the fingers and the fun begins!!!

ANDROID 4.0 -ICECREAM SANDWICH

Google's latest Android just became official at the Google-Samsung event in Hong Kong along with the mighty Galaxy Nexus. Going by the name it seems yummier than gingerbread & honeycomb, and trust me it's really a better bet than both of its parent OS as it curbs some of the inherent issues in the current available OS such as fragmentation, that was plaguing Android for a long time. Designed with the idea to bring together the tablet- phone world Ice cream sandwich combines the tablet optimized Honeycomb and Gingerbread into a cohesive whole. The unification of UI and APIs means that the developers will have the freedom of portability across OS and devices thus contributing towards a bigger and better pool of Applications for Ice cream Sandwich. Android 4.0 is optimized for smartphone and tablet use, and features a host of changes while still having a striking resemblance to Honeycomb and gingerbread like the latest user interface, called the "Roboto" features updated animations, transition effects while still has the robotic theme of previous Android versions, supported with new features like a recent apps bar, improved notification menu, home screen folders and the swipe close option, all these new features take the android experience to a whole new user comfort level. One of the coolest features incorporated this time is the voice input for texting purposes and once finished we can review the spelling mistakes or re-enter a word if it is incorrectly entered. Other key features include:

· Resizable widgets, viewable through the application menu

• Built-in screenshot utility
• Ability to monitor and control data usage
• Improved accessibility for disabled users
• New Peoples app
• Improved Gmail and Calendar app
• Improved web browser with ability to save web pages and incognito mode
• Visual voicemail
• Improved camera app with face detection and panorama mode
• Improved video recorder with continuous auto-focus, zooming while recording, snapshot while recording and time lapse mode
• Redesigned Gallery app with photo editor
• Android Beam for transferring data using NFC
• Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth HDP support

At the end, just to some up I feel if the initial bugs like the face lock failure at the launch, could be fixed in the final version the developer friendly Ice cream sandwich will prove to be a landmark in bridging the gap between the mobiles, computers and the tablets in the near future.

Some screenshots: