Karthik Calling Karthik - Bollywood Movie Preview

What is it about: Karthik is an introvert with a miserable job, a bad boss and a colleague Shonali who is unaware that he loves her. One day, he gets a call from another Karthik, who becomes his mentor and tells him how to get what he wants. But will Karthik be able to cope with his new life?

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Deepika Padukone,

Director: Vijay Lalwani

Genre: Thriller

Windows Phone 7 Series chassis specs detailed

While it seemed Microsoft chucked Windows Mobile into any handset that would take it, chatter surrounding Windows Phone 7 Series suggests it may well be a bit more picky when it comes to handsets for its new OS.

In fact, it seems it has already set the bar on hardware requirements for three different chassis options – the first of which is very similar to the "prototype device" the OS was shown off on at MWC.

Microsoft developer evangelists Michael Kordahi and Andrew Coates took to a podcast to discuss the designs, with chassis 1 being a "big touchsceen" phone, with a 1GHz processor and dedicated graphics processor. They confirmed this will be the style of handset that will launch at the end of the year.

Chassis designs 2 and 3 were a bit more vague, with 2 packing touchscreens and full slide-out QWERTY keyboards and 3 perhaps being a candy bar phone design.

While chassis 2 sounds like a possibility, we're a little more hesitant when it comes to 3 – although Ballmer said during the launch he wanted to see the OS on all types of designs of phones, he did mention all would be touchscreen, and all would pack just three buttons on the front – the start, search and back button.

We'll have to wait and see when and if the other two designs crop up, no doubt some time next year. In the meantime, check out our 5 things you need to know about Windows Phone 7, and Windows Phone 7 Series In Pictures.

Via: The Unwired

China says google hacking claims "groundless"

Just days before negotiations are due to begin between Google and China about the Internet giant's fate in China, the dispute between the two sees no sign of ceasing.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman told the first press briefing after the country's Lunar New Year that a US news report claiming two Chinese schools were involved in the Google cyber-attack was "groundless".

A report by the New York Times last week said that investigators traced hacking attacks on Google to Shanghai Jiaotong University and Lanxiang Vocational School in Shandong province. The two establishments have denied their involvement.

"Reports that these attacks came from Chinese schools are groundless, and accusations of Chinese government involvement are irresponsible and have ulterior motives," Qin Gang, the foreign ministry spokesman said at the news briefing yesterday.

In a Jan 12 announcement Google said the hackers stole some of its computer code and tried to break into the e-mail accounts of human rights activists who focus on China.

It said it would not cooperate with the Chinese government's censorship of the Internet and might close its China operation.

The dispute has been simmering for more than a month with the US government adding its weight behind Google. Meanwhile Google is still operating in the Chinese market.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday Google representatives are scheduled to resume discussions in the coming days with Chinese officials about the fate of Google's China business, but the schedule and the status of the talks, which are being picked up after a break for the Chinese New Year holiday, are unclear.

Google acknowledged it might have to shut down its Chinese search engine, Google.cn and its offices in the country.

However, some US politicians hold different opinions to the government and Google.

Last month, Iowa lawmaker Greg Cusack wrote to the Shanghai Daily, an English newspaper based in Shanghai, refuting US accusations about China's Internet freedom.

"I regret that my country has, once again, fallen into the old habit of "lecturing to China", he said. "Does not your citizenry and your government have a reasonable interest, indeed, responsibility, in seeing to it that the Internet furthers civility rather than erodes it? Enriches young minds rather than poisoning them?" Cusack wrote in the letter.

Meanwhile. Cusack apologized for US lecturing on China and said "China does not need to repeat our mistakes" that "all sorts of garbage (not just pornography, but so-called games of excessive violence, and political charges and counter-charges without any supporting facts) fills our media, including the Internet."

Southern Daily cited a Russian report that suggested some experts in the US believe China was not involved with the alleged attacks but was taken advantage of and used as cover by an unamed third country.

Google has also become the focus of a debate on privacy protection since it teamed up with the US National Security Administration (NSA) for its ongoing investigation into the cyber-attacks.

Last week Fox News described the NSA as the "ultra-secretive agency" better known for "tapping phones, than patching security holes for private companies", and said since the 9/11 attacks, the NSA has used its power to violate American citizens' privacy to track terrorists overseas.

Internet Explorer 'Browser Ballot' system in action

Microsoft has begun testing of its Internet Explorer 'Browser Ballot' screen for European copies of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. Currently testing is restricted to the United Kingdom, Belgium and France, with the download being offered via Windows Update.

So, what can users expect?

Well, here's what users need to look out for in Windows Update:

What happens after installation and a reboot depends on whether Internet Explorer is set as the default browser.

If Internet Explorer isn't set as the default browser, then nothing happens and life carries on as normal.

However, if Internet Explorer is set as the default browser, then several things happen:

1. An 'Information Regarding Web Browsers' pop-up appear, introducing the 'Browser Choice' program.
2. If Internet Explorer is 'pinned' to the Windows 7 taskbar, it will be unpinned.
3. A link 'Browser Choice' link is added to the desktop.

Here's the list of browsers on offer:

It's going to be really interesting to watch out for the following:

• Any change in browser usage share over the coming months in Europe.
• Whether 'baddies' try their had at their own 'Browser Choice' screen in order to push malware.

Changes in Nokia Corporation's own shares

Based on previously announced decisions of the Board of Directors to issue shares held by the Company, 537 202 Nokia shares (NOK1V) held by the Company are today transferred to 375 participants of Nokia's equity-based incentive plans as settlement in accordance with the plan rules. 

SMBs Moving Towards Cloud Computing, says Microsoft study

A recent Microsoft study states that SMBs are beginning to understand the value of renting IT as a service

Microsoft recently released its global SMB IT and Hosted IT Index 2010, which investigates how small and midsize businesses (SMBs) across multiple segments fared during the recession and how they use technology. As part of the study, over three thousand SMBs were surveyed in France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain, UK, USA, Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and Singapore in a cross-section of different industries.

The research finds that businesses that value IT as an enabler for better business productivity and effectiveness and those that use hosted services performed better fiscally than those that do not.  The 2010 index indicates SMBs are beginning to see the benefits of cloud computing; more than 40 per cent of the respondents that use hosted or cloud technology reported revenue rises of 30 per cent or more compared with 90 per cent of respondents not using hosted technology that saw decreases in revenue.

The advantages of hosted or cloud technology are viewed as reduced cost and IT management and maintenance, as well as increased business value, productivity and competitiveness. Further, awareness of hosted services is increasing with 65 per cent of SMBs using hosted software to some extent, while 73 per cent of the remainder have considered it, compared with only 44 per cent in the 2008 Index. SMBs are also beginning to understand the value of "renting" IT as a service — 36 per cent said a pay-as-you-go model would be attractive.

 "Over the last five years, we have seen nearly 40 per cent growth in usage of hosted services," said Michael Korbacher, director of EMEA Software plus Services in the Communications Sector at Microsoft. "Using pay-as-you-go cloud technologies, small and midsize businesses can now afford and easily have access to enterprise-class, secure services across any platform."

Motorola Wins GPON Deal with Medicine Park Telephone Company; Continues to Drive Rural Broadband Upgrades

New fiber-to-the-home deployment reflects Motorola's broadening GPON customer base, and continued consumer demand for faster broadband

HORSHAM, Pa., Feb 04, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced that Medicine Park Telephone Company has selected the Motorola gigabit passive optical network (GPON) solution for its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband delivery. The rural telecom operator will now be able to offer dramatically higher-capacity broadband services, including faster internet access and richer, more personalized media experiences.

Rural markets are increasingly at the new frontier for the most powerful broadband technologies. As a result, Motorola is leveraging a distributor relationship with Power & Tel to reach these often-underserved regions with a proven FTTH solution. Power & Tel is making it easy for telecom companies like Medicine Park to access Motorola's GPON technology, and Motorola, in turn, is providing a fast and efficient way for these providers to deliver new internet and television services. With a fully-integrated RF return path for video delivery, Motorola is helping Medicine Park upgrade data speeds while also introducing new video offerings that use Motorola's widely deployed line of RF set-tops.

"Motorola has an unparalleled track record in FTTH networks with customers large and small around the world," said Edward Hilliary Jr. of Medicine Park. "We chose to work with Motorola because of its technology and its real-world deployment experience. We've also been impressed with the way Motorola develops evolving technologies, making sure that the network upgrades we make today can support the demands and innovation of tomorrow."

"Medicine Park represents a growing number of rural operators eager to offer a wider set of broadband services to subscribers," said Joe Cozzolino, senior vice president, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility. "By providing a customizable GPON solution, we are helping companies like Medicine Park transition to the next generation of broadband and RF video delivery. Not only does Medicine Park benefit, but subscribers throughout its rural footprint also reap the rewards of faster Internet access and higher-quality video services."

Motorola's GPON portfolio includes the Motorola AXS2200 optical line terminal (OLT), the Motorola ONT1400GT single-family optical network terminal (ONT) and the Motorola ONT6000 for multi-dwelling units. Motorola's FTTP solutions inherently support SCTE-51 - or Motorola RF return path functionality - for easy integration with Motorola video headend and RF set-top solutions.

Motorola's Home & Networks Mobility business delivers fully integrated and customizable media solutions enabling operators to provide personalized, rich media experiences to their subscribers. As a global video leader in digital entertainment devices, digital and IP video headends and digital video processing, Motorola brings its video expertise to bear as operators - wireline, wireless, cable and telco - seek to evolve their networks for the future. For more information on Motorola's GPON products, click here.