Cyber Crooks Targeting Windows XP-Based ATM Machines

You may want to think twice the next time you drive up to an ATM machine and blithely insert your bank card into the nondescript machine and plug in your PIN number, because a gang of cyber crooks are now targeting ATM machines.

European hackers are targeting ATM machines that run on Windows XP with a new malware program that provides full access to a user’s pin codes and other personal data.
Trustwave’s SpiderLabs analyzed the unique malware program discovered in nearly 20 ATM machines in Eastern Europe and have never seen anything like it. All of the infected machines were found to run on Windows XP.

The hackers used a simple dropper file to install and activate the malware virus. A dropper file is a tiny infected, standalone program that drops a virus into a system. One the dropper installs and activates the malware program; the hackers obtain full access to the private memory space of all of the transaction-processing applications on ATMs.

The malware program works by capturing the magnetic strip data and PIN codes. The cyber crooks then access the personal data by inserting a specially designed card into the ATM, where they can pull up their own customized user interface.

Once this occurs, the hackers have effectively hijacked the ATM and you can say goodbye to your money.

Cyber security experts have issued previous warnings to banking institutions regarding the risk of using a Windows based system to run ATM machines. Some have even called the practice stupid.

Many ATMs now run Windows operating systems connected to a large group of servers over an IP network, exposing personal data to theft, and denial of service attacks.

Many systems don’t even encrypt data as it travels through the network, exposing card numbers, card expiration dates, transaction amounts, and account balances in plain text, making it easy for determined cyber crooks to harvest customer’s data.

The virus experts of SpiderLabs believes the cyber crooks are using Eastern Europe as a testing ground for their malware program, before they launch the virus to infect ATMs in the United States and other countries.

How Wind Power Works?

It's hard sometimes to imagine air as a fluid. It just seems so ... invisible. But air is a fluid like any other except that its particles are in gas form instead of liquid. And when air moves quickly, in the form of wind, those particles are moving quickly. Motion means kinetic energy, which can be captured, just like the energy in moving water can be captured by the turbine in a hydroelectric dams. In the case of a wind-electric turbine, the turbine blades are designed to capture the kinetic energy in wind. The rest is nearly identical to a hydroelectric setup: When the turbine blades capture wind energy and start moving, they spin a shaft that leads from the hub of the rotor to a generator. The generator turns that rotational energy into electricity. At its essence, generating electricity from the wind is all about transferring energy from one medium to another.

Wind power all starts with the sun. When the sun heats up a certain area of land, the air around that land mass absorbs some of that heat. At a certain temperature, that hotter air begins to rise very quickly because a given volume of hot air is lighter than an equal volume of cooler air. Faster-moving (hotter) air particles exert more pressure than slower-moving particles, so it takes fewer of them to maintain the normal air pressure at a given elevation (see How Hot Air Baloons Work) to learn more about air temperature and pressure). When that lighter hot air suddenly rises, cooler air flows quickly in to fill the gap the hot air leaves behind. That air rushing in to fill the gap is wind.

­If you place an object like a rotor blade in the path of that wind, the wind will push on it, transferring some of its own energy of motion to the blade. This is how a wind turbine captures energy from the wind. The same thing happens with a sail boat. When moving air pushes on the barrier of the sail, it causes the boat to move. The wind has transferred its own energy of motion to the sailboat.

BMW Z4 Coupe

Munich. Following strong consumer reaction to the concept Z4 Coupe at the 2005 Frankfurt and Tokyo Auto Shows, BMW has confirmed that both the Z4 Coupe and an M version, the M Coupe will enter series production.

Visitors in Frankfurt and Tokyo were captivated by the car’s stylish body with its unique silken matte finish, tailored in the very best style of a classic sports coupe. While the driving dynamics potential of the vehicle was clear in its strong, purposeful lines, equally appealing to visitors was the striking interior design.

To be produced in Spartanburg, S.C., the first vehicles will be delivered to customers as early as June 2006.

The proven 255 horsepower (U.S. SAE net) in-line 6-cylinder engine with its high output and lightweight magnesium and aluminum construction promises superior agility and high performance. It not only catapults the Z4 Coupe to the top of the international competitive field but is also demonstrates the enormous performance capacity of the fundamental BMW Z4 Roadster concept – which forms the basis of the coupe.

BMW is also working to produce a high-end variation as quickly as possible and the result will be the return of the M Coupe, based on the new Z4 Coupe. Powered by the exciting 3.2-liter high-rpm engine, familiar from the BMW M3 and winner of many international awards, it will also come out in June 2006.

FMG9 Folding Machine Gun

The concept of a discreet, foldable submachine gun is at least two decades old. Legendary gun designer Eugene Stoner developed one in the 1980s, but Magpul Industries made news this past March with its own updated take on the lethal cult classic. The FMG9, short for Folding Machine Gun, looks like some sort of toolbox with a flashlight mounted on top.

One moment, that flashlight is in your eyes, and one moment later—one very pregnant, James-Bond-by-way-of-Cyberpunk moment—and you're being fired at by a 9mm submachine gun. It's a quicker transition than anything Stoner was able to pull off, and that could make the weapon an effective tool for lightning raids on terrorist hideouts where surprise could play a major part. The gun also has an integrated laser sight, and can be carried without the handle and flashlight, for a sleeker, more pocketable profile.

Corner Shot Launcher

The Corner Shot is a brutally simple contraption: a modified gun that, thanks to a hinged frame, under-the-barrel camera and handy video screen, allows the user to shoot around corners. Currently, there are three versions available, each with a different weapon at the business end of the frame—a pistol, a compact assault rifle or a 40mm grenade launcher. The device is designed for urban environments, where the ability to peek around corners with impunity is useful, but being able to open fire while behind cover is even better.

With the Corner Shot Launcher, the concept is the same, but the result is less subtle. Essentially a sideways-firing rocket launcher, it allows the user to aim with the same kind of integrated camera and video screen, and fire a massive 60mm round into an enemy vehicle or reinforced position, such as a bunker. This device, which could be an overwhelming weapon in urban engagements, is a collaboration between Israeli and German defense firms.

SAR-21

While the United States has repeatedly—and spectacularly—failed to replace the aging M-16, Singapore has been using a newer and possibly better-performing assault rifle since 1999. The SAR 21 replaced Singapore's licensed version of the M-16, and has gained a reputation among gun experts as one of the best “bullpup” assault rifles—where the action and magazine are behind the trigger—on the market. It has a smaller overall profile than the M-16, without sacrificing barrel length (the shorter the barrel, the less accuracy at longer ranges) and significantly more manageable recoil, due in part to the weapon's center of balance. The recoil tends to drive directly back against the firer, instead of pushing the barrel upwards.

All of this is useful in an assault rifle, but particularly for urban warfare, where more compact weapons are crucial to maneuvering indoors, and where close-range, fully-automatic fire is more common. The SAR 21 has a Kevlar cheek plate to deal with chamber explosions occurring next to the user's face, a regular safety issue for bullup weapons. It's also one of the few assault rifles in the world equipped with an integrated laser aiming device.

Apache Attack Helicopter

Apache AH-64 military attack helicopter is one of the most respected combat helicopters ever created. Two seate r with four blades in the main and tail rotor was seen in action in Panama, Gulf war, Afghanistan and Iraq. First one produced in 1984 and ever since it was one of major air to land, air to air weapons in U.S. Army.Designed by Hughes Helicopters for Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program.

Through many years AH-64 got many improvements. Latest is AH-64D Apache Longbow which is currently in use of U.S. Army.

AH-64 variations:

AH-64A is the original attack helicopter. Two seater with four blades combined with two turbo-shaft engines. 30mm M230 chain gun in combination with AMG Hellfire anti-tank missiles, Hydra 70 unguided rockets and air to air missiles for defense AIM-92 Stinger.

AH-64B upgrade from AH-64A brought newly developed GPS system and other electronics including improved navigation system and new radios. This model was soon cancel and all new gadgets were built in previously mentioned AH-64A.

AH-64C and AH-64D both quite similar and brought a lot of new improvements in sensor and weapon system. Helicopter also got a new more powerful engines. The key improvement was a small dome installed over the main rotor which housed FCR - "Fire control radar."

Sea Apache was a modified AH-64A for Navy purposes.

Design and armaments:

AH-64 power comes from two General Electric T700 turboshaft engines. The power from engines is transferred in four blades in the main rotor and in the tail rotor. There are two seats, one for a pilot and copilot(gunner) which takes care of firing weapons. Its armor provides some safety and can sustain hits from 23mm gunfire.AH-64 is armed with the main 30mm M230 Chain gun, which aim is in the gunner's helmet mounted display. Other weapons are stored in its stub-wing pylons. Usually it is armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles used for ground targets, Hydra 70 unguided 70mm rockets and AIM92 air to air missiles.

Sophisticated radars and other electronics such as GPS, Target acquisition and designation system combined with pilot night vision system allow this steeal bird to operate in combat during the day or night.

Today AH-64 is used in countries all over the world including Egypt, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.

General characteristics:

Crew: 2: pilot, co-pilot/gunnerLength: 58.17 ft (17.73 m)Rotor diameter: 48 ft (14.63 m)Height: 12.7 ft (3.87 m)Empty weight: 11,387 lb (5,165 kg)Loaded weight: 18,000 lb (8,000 kg)Max takeoff weight: 21,000 lb (9,500 kg)Engines: two T700 turboshaft enginesFuselage length : 49 ft 5 in (15.06 m)Rotor systems : 4 blade main and tail rotorPerformanceMaximum speed: 158 knots (182 mph, 293 km/h)Cruise speed: 143 knots (165 mph, 265 km/h)Combat radius: 260 nmi (300 mi, 480 km) Rate of climb: 2,500 ft/min (12.7 m/s)

ArmamentGuns: 1× 30x113 mm M230 chain gunRockets: Hydra 70 unguided rocketsMissiles: AGM-114 Hellfire, AIM-92 Stinger, and AIM-9 Sidewinder

As the Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW) program withered on the vine, the system's most revolutionary element—microchip-embedded explosive rounds that could be detonated at precise ranges, raining fragmentation down on enemies hiding in foxholes or behind barricades—has managed to put down roots. Once envisioned as an under-the-barrel weapon attached to an assault rifle, the self-contained XM-25 is an entirely new take on the grenade launcher. Using the onboard ballistic computer and laser rangefinder, the firer can quick set the exact range at which the 25mm round will explode.

This is precision-guided munitions for infantry, with the goal of negating nearly any kind of cover a target could find, particularly in urban environments. Rounds could be set to go off, in midair, just past the corner of building, just inside a sniper's window, or directly above a group of hostiles hunched behind a concrete barrier. Alliance Techsystems, which is developing the XM-25, credits overhead airbursts with the potential for five times greater lethality, compared with the current M203 grenade launcher, because shrapnel will be more likely to drop onto the target's head. It's a ghoulish point of pride, but, as with other precision munitions, a more precise grenadier could also mean fewer civilian casualties.

SCAR Light

The effort to replace the M-16 Rifle, as well as its more compact variant, the M-4, has been a long, epic and largely tragic tale. One attempt would have created a modular weapon system, called the Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW), with an integrated grenade launcher and laser-rangefinder. That all-in-one system was scrapped because of excessive weight, and subsequent attempts to salvage the core of that weapon—the XM8 assault rifle—have also failed, highlighting some of the worst aspects of the weapons procurement process.

Fed up with the rest of military's inability to replace the M-16 and M4, and apparently uninterested in an OICW-type multipurpose weapon, the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) held a competition for a new assault rifle, to be deployed with special forces personnel. Having passed muster as a more accurate and reliable weapon than the M4, FNH USA landed the contract with its FN SCAR, which comes in two calibers—5.56 for the SCAR-Light, and 7.62 for the SCAR-Heavy. The weapon also meets SOCOM's requirements for quick changes in the field. Within a few minutes, a SCAR-Light's 18-in.-long, precision-fire barrel can be replaced with a standard-length 14-in. barrel, or a shorter, 10-in. barrel for use in cramped, urban environments. Although the SCAR-Light is likely to be more common than the more powerful SCAR-Heavy, the two weapons share 99 percent of the same parts, making field repairs easier and streamlining the overall logistics.

ENIAC Computer History - Invention Of ENIAC Computer

In 1936 British mathematician Alan Turing proposed the idea of a machine that could process equations without human direction. The machine (now known as a Turing machine) resembled an automatic typewriter that used symbols for math and logic instead of letters. Turing intended the device to be used as a "universal machine" that could be programmed to duplicate the function of any other existing machine. Turing's machine was the theoretical precursor to the modern digital computer.

In the 1930s American mathematician Howard Aiken developed the Mark I calculating machine, which was built by IBM. This electronic calculating machine used relays and electromagnetic components to replace mechanical components. In later machines, Aiken used vacuum tubes and solid state transistors (tiny electrical switches) to manipulate the binary numbers. Aiken also introduced computers to universities by establishing the first computer science program at Harvard University. Aiken never trusted the concept of storing a program within the computer. Instead his computer had to read instructions from punched cards.

John Mauchly, an American physicist, and J. Presper Eckert,

an American engineer, proposed an electronic digital computer, called the Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC), which was built at the Moore School of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The computer was based on some concepts developed by John Atanasoff, a physics teacher at Iowa State College. ENIAC was completed in 1945 and is regarded as the first successful, general digital computer. It weighed more than 27,000 kg (60,000 lb), and contained more than 18,000 vacuum tubes.

Roughly 2000 of the computer's vacuum tubes were replaced each month by a team of six technicians. Many of ENIAC's first tasks were for military purposes, such as calculating ballistic firing tables and designing atomic weapons. Since ENIAC was initially not a stored program machine, it had to be reprogrammed for each task.

Unfortunately, although the conceptual design for EDVAC was completed by 1946, several key members including Eckert and Mauchley left the project to pursue their own careers, and the machine did not become fully operational until 1952. When it was finally completed, EDVAC contained approximately 4,000 vacuum tubes and 10,000 crystal diodes.

In light of its late completion, some would dispute EDVAC's claim-to-fame as the first stored-program computer. A small experimental machine (which was based on the EDVAC concept) consisting of 32 words of memory and a 5-instruction instruction set was operating at Manchester University, England, by June 1948. Another machine called the electronic delay storage automatic calculator (EDSAC) performed its first calculation at Cambridge University, England, in May 1949.

EDSAC contained 3,000 vacuum tubes and used mercury delay lines for memory.Programs were input using paper tape and output results were passed to a teleprinter. Additionally, EDSAC is credited as using one of the first assemblers called "Initial Orders," which allowed it to be programmed symbolically instead of using machine code.

Eckert and Mauchley eventually formed their own company, which was then bought by the Rand Corporation. They produced the Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC), which was used for a broader variety of commercial applications. The (UNIVAC I), was also based on the EDVAC design. Work started on UNIVAC I in 1948, and the first unit was delivered in 1951, which therefore predates EDVAC's becoming fully operational.

Eckert and Mauchly later lost the patent on their machine when it was claimed that another early experimenter, John Atanasoff, had given them all the ideas about ENIAC that mattered.

How Nuclear Bombs Work?

You­ have pr­obably read in history books about the atomic bombs used in World War II. You may also have seen fictional movies where nuclear weapons were launched or detonated (Fail Safe, Dr. Stragelove, The Day After, Teastament, Fat Man and Littel Boy, The Peace Maker, just to name a few). They're on TV, too -- Jack Bauer struggles to stop a nuclear bomb detonation on the ­TV show "24." In the news, while many countries have been negotiating to disarm their arsenals of nuclear weapons, other countries have been developing nuclear weapons programs.

We have seen that these devices have incredible destructive power, but how do they work? In this article, you will learn about the physics that makes a nuclear bomb so powerful, how nuclear bombs are designed and what happens after a nuclear explosion.

­Nuclear bombs involve the forces, strong and weak, that hold the nucleus of an atom together, especially atoms with unstable nuclei. There are two basic ways that nuclear energy can be released from an atom:

Nuclear fission - You can split the nucleus of an atom into two smaller fragments with a neutron. This method usually involves isotopes of uranium (uranium-235, uranium-233) or plutonium-239.

Nuclear fusion -You can bring two smaller atoms, usually hydrogen or hydrogen isotopes (deuterium, tritium), together to form a larger one (helium or helium isotopes); this is how the sun produces energy

In either process, fission or fusion, large amounts of heat energy and radiation are given off.

To build an atomic bomb, you need:

A source of fissionable or fusionable fuel
A triggering device
A way to allow the majority of fuel to fission or fuse before the explosion occurs (otherwise the bomb will fizzle out)

BMW Builds a Shape-Shifting Car Out of Cloth - GINA

Concept cars give automotive designers a chance to let their imaginations run wild, often with outlandish results. But even by that measure, BMW has come up with something as strange as it is innovative — a shape-shifting car covered with fabric.
Instead of steel, aluminum or even carbon fiber, the GINA Light Visionary Model has a body of seamless fabric stretched over a movable metal frame that allows the driver to change its shape at will. The car — which actually runs and drives — is a styling design headed straight for the BMW Museum in Munich and so it will never see production, but building a practical car wasn’t the point.
Chris Bangle, head of design for BMW, says GINA allowed his team to "challenge existing principles and conventional processes."
"It is in the nature of such visions that they do not necessarily claim to be suitable for series production," company officials said in unveiling the car Tuesday. "Rather, they are intended to steer creativity and research into new directions."
Giving Bangle and his team that latitude to design so radical a car "helps to tap into formerly inconceivable, innovative potential" to push the boundaries of appearance and materials as well as functions and the manufacturing process, BMW says.
Bangle and is team actually built GINA — which stands for "Geometry and functions In ‘N’ Adaptions" — six years ago, but BMW kept it under, er, wraps until Tuesday. It’s built on the Z8 chassis and has a 4.4-liter V8 and six-speed automatic transmission. BMW says the fabric skin - polyurethane-coated Lycra - is resilient, durable and water resistant. It’s stretched over an aluminum frame controlled by electric and hydraulic actuators that allow the owner to change the body shape. Want a big spoiler on the back? Wider fenders? No problem. "The drastic reinterpretation of familiar functionality and structure means that drivers have a completely new experience when they handle their car," BMW says.
GINA has just four panels - the front hood, two sides and the rear deck. The doors open in jack-knife fashion and are completely smooth when closed; access to the engine is through a slit in the hood. BMW says the shape of the body can be changed without slackening or damaging the fabric. The fabric is opaque translucent so the taillights shine through, and small motors pull the fabric back to reveal the headlights.
The interior is equally innovative. The steering wheel and gauges swing into place and the headrest rises from the seat once the driver is seated, making it easier to get in and out of the car.
BMW says GINA is built on a space frame that provides all the safety of a conventional car, but we suspect people - not to mention BMW’s lawyers and government regulators - wouldn’t embrace fabric bodies. Still, the company says GINA could influence the design of future Beemers.









Photos And Video By BMW.

1GB USB Made Out Of Cardboard

Recycling stuff and making them more useful, is what I like the most. This time its Colin Garceau who has designed a 1GB USB out of a cardboard. This was actually done by him for his packaging class. Corrugate cardboard is very handy as it is waterproof & fireproof, so there is no need to worry about the fearing factors.

In the above picture you can see is a cardboard plate. Actually when you crack it from the dotted lines the USB sticks get detached, this is an excellent way to package them as its very portable. It would be interesting to see other more useful and innovative recycle ideas.

Spy Camera Button by Thanko for Spying

The Tokyo based company Thanko, this time around has come up with a spy gadget in disguise of a shirt button. This would sure bring up smile on those faces, whom love to do spying. The spy camera button comes along with a complete set of accessories, which include other similar buttons and some other stuff.
Features:

Video capturing at 15 fps.
Images are saved as JPEG ( upto 1280 x 1024 pixels).
Five similar buttons, so the camera button doesn't look different.
Gold ring to switch the camera on and off.
USB port for easy file transfer.

Eizo Nanao has introduced its very efficent new monitors namely as the Flex 23" EV2303 & Flex 20" EAV2023. There is something very special about these monitors as they give you a energy saving facility. The EcoView feature allows the monitors to keep a check on whether someone is sitting in front of the computer on not, if someone is not then the monitor will go on standby and turn on again when someone comes and sits. Keep in mind that this EcoView can differentiate between an animated & static body i.e. it wont take in account the chair or any other object you are using for sitting.

Combined Features:

Slimmed down cabinet design
250 cd/m2 brightness
D-Sub (analog)
One DVI-Digital Input

Flex 20" EV2023W Features:

VA pannel with 1600 x 900 native resolution
178° viewing angle
3000:1 contrast ratio

Flex 23" EV2303W Features:

TN pannel with 1920 x 1080 native resolution
160° viewing angle
1000:1 contrast ratio

Dual SIM Samsung B5702 Mobile Phone Features

Samsung is all ready to bring up their new B5702 dual-SIM slide mobile phone. Its has a good edge over the other dual-SIM phones available because it features quad-band connectivity. The internet browsing of this mobile would be great, as it would allow to use internet from any of the SIM you choose. Because of the fact, it is a dual-SIM mobile phone, the user interface has been designed so that there is no difficulty in using both the SIM cards.

Other Features:

17.5mm thick

LED lights to indicate which SIM card is being used

Easy switching between SIM cards

3 Meegapixel camera

FM radio with Radio Data System (RDS) function

In the movie 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' a robot was used to stimulate the older version of Brad Pitt.Now using the same technology as used their,a robot of Einstein would be made to welcome people at the Technology,Entertainment and Design conference in Long Beach,California.This is something really exciting if you are a Einstein fan like me :)

It has been designed by David Hanson, a roboticist from Dallas.The robot has been made as to look exactly like the original to get the best of the emotions out of it.In actual a face requires 48 muscles to make a motion,in the robot 32small motors would be used to stimulate the effect.

Moreover there are two cameras which act as the eyes of the robot,but are made to look like an actual eye. Einstein is dead for like 50 years but still his genius lives on,and i think its a great way bring him back in a techy manner.

This is the fourth of its kind,and was created just two months ago.Other Hanson robots are on display at universities and museums around the globe.

Concept Color Picking Pen by Jinsun Park

Artists would love this new concept device i.e. the color-picking pen designed by Jinsun Park. It is just like the color-picker available in the Adobe Photoshop. This is a really nice concept, as its very out of the box idea and also a very useful one if it comes into manufacturing phase. It can take out colors from any item which you put it against and then the pen uses the same color.

The color you want to use is detected by the color sensor and the RGB cartridge of the pen mixes the required inks to create the required color. Below you can see the pic showing the various part of this concept pen.

Facial Surgery

Many people are seen to have distorted faces as a result of some sort of accident in which their face loses all its beauty. Such people can make themselves presentable by going for a facial surgery. People whose faces are affected as a result of trauma may lose all its beauty and the people can be emotionally depressed and not come out in the public and tend to live a secluded life.

It is therefore up to the hands of the surgeon conducting the facial surgery to see to it that they reconstruct the faces of the victims in such a way so that it becomes presentable. People who undergo the surgery have been found to have improved confidence and are able to lead normal lives.

There are a large number of benefits of facial surgery and it is not only used as a means of reconstructive surgery but also used by people to improve their looks and become more beautiful or handsome. Many people also try to defy their age; and look younger taking the help of facial surgery.

Facial surgery was not very popular in the fast as it was regarded to be a very complex surgery and people did not want to take any risks. Also the costs of such surgeries were very high in those days. But with the gradual passage of time and with the gradual advance in the medical technology, people now have faith on the medical efficiency of the doctors.

Nowadays, people are no longer afraid of going for a facial surgery if they consider it necessary to improve their looks. But one should be sure about the capability of the surgeon who performs the surgery as an inexperienced surgeon can distort your looks and make you ugly looking. A detailed survey should be done on the expertise of the doctor and then only should one go ahead with such a surgery.

If a facial surgery is not performed in a proper manner there can be some grave dangers that cannot be altered any further. The most dangerous of all the complications resulting from an erroneous surgery is the paralysis of the face. Paralysis cannot be treated by any further surgery and thus the patients have to bear the effect throughout their life.

Even if a facial surgery does not cause any grave danger, it is not always possible to do another surgery to correct the errors done by a faulty surgery. This happens because there is not much tissue left to replace the faults done by a previous surgery.

It is however surprising to note that it is not only women who are turning up to get a facial surgery, a large number of the people signing up for such kind of surgery are found to be men. Nowadays, men also have become interested in improving their looks and this is the reason they also turn up for facial surgery.

Facial surgery now has become the most famous form of cosmetic surgery prevalent all over the world.

How Does Bluetooth Work?

Bluetooth is a short range wireless-based open protocol that is used to connect Bluetooth enabled electronic devices. This allows quick and easy synchronization and data transfer.

Bluetooth offers worldwide compatibility as the Bluetooth radio chip, which is built into a small microchip, functions in a globally available frequency band. There is no cabling involved and files, photos and other information are easily exchanged between the connected electronic devices. The connected devices, which may include cellular phones, laptops, personal computers, printers, digital cameras, GPS receivers and even gaming consoles, communicate and exchange data through a secure 2.4GHz to 2.485GHz short range radio frequency bandwidth. Users can, therefore, create Personal Area Netwoks, or PANs for connecting with other Bluetooth compatible devices.
Bluetooth was designed keeping in mind the requirement to operate and allow sharing of data and information exchange in noisy environments where there may be interference from other radio frequency signals such as those from microwave ovens. The radio technology made use of is named frequency-hopping spread spectrum. This technology makes the link between the connected devices a very robust one.

High-tech hydrogen scooter designed to sell clean technology

An Industrial Design Engineering graduate from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands has designed and built a working prototype of a scooter, which can be powered by hydrogen. Crijn Bouman, who graduated for his Master's degree with credits, designed the Fhybrid scooter for the purpose of fighting pollution in inner-cities. Industrial designer Bouman: "the look and feel of the scooter are aimed at selling the clean technology inside".The scooter has an electric in-wheel motor that derives its power from a (Li-)ion battery. This battery (primarily when the scooter is stationary) is charged by a compact fuel-cell system, which derives its energy from hydrogen (from a tank) and oxygen (from the air). The battery moreover stores up energy when the scooter brakes. Depending on the amount of traffic, this so-called regenerating braking system reduces the hydrogen consumption by 10-20 percent. To use the energy generated during breaking optimally, the scooter is front-wheel driven.Apart from being environmentally friendly, the Fhybrid performs better than regular petrol powered scooters during test drives. The Fhybrid has a top speed of 65 km/ph, accelerates faster than regular scooters and can travel approximately 200 km on a full tank of hydrogen. An additional feature is the parking assistant. The electric engine can be very precisely controlled when travelling at low speeds, enabling the driver to park backwards or forwards without having to push the entire scooter into place.The Fhybrid is designed to be hydrogen-powered, but for now the prototype is powered by batteries, with the help of a fuel-cell simulator that was specially designed for this project. "A special course and various permits are required to build a hydrogen-powered engine. It wasn't possible to achieve this during the time period of my graduation project", Crijn Bouman explained. "The faculty is now trying to assemble all the necessary means to fully develop the hydrogen-powered scooter."The Fhybrid's complete drive system and energy management system were built by Epyon, a TU Delft spin-off company, of which Bouman is one of the founders, and in partnership with the Delft Design Institute.

Audi TT Roadster

First displayed at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show, the Audi TT Roadster quattro is the only open-top two-seater in the world apart from the Lamborghini Diablo Roadster to transmit its power to the road via all four wheels.Like its fixed head counterpart, the Audi TT Roadster quattro is available in two permanently four-wheel-driven guises, both powered by turbocharged 1.8-litre, four-cylinder petrol engines. The 180bhp version, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, is capable of sprinting from rest to 62mph in just under eight seconds and continuing to a 139mph top speed. The 225bhp engine, transmitting its power through a six-speed manual gearbox, reduces the acceleration time to just under seven seconds and increases the maximum speed to 147mph.These impressive performance figures are not achieved at the expense of body rigidity or occupant safety. Precisely calculated reinforcement using thicker metal in the sill areas and sturdy transitions at the joints between the A-pillar and the floor assembly give the TT Roadster quattro a degree of torsional rigidity that would have earned high praise for a saloon car body only a few years ago. Despite the body modifications kerb weight has been kept down to 1,310kg, illustrating the benefits of developing the CoupÚ and Roadster in parallel. Front and rear crumple zones, high-strength side impact door bars and large volume sill sections have helped the Audi TT Roadster quattro to meet future legal requirements for frontal (96/79/EU) and side impact (96/27/EU) collisions.Rollover protection was also of paramount importance to Audi engineers. They have created an occupant survival zone by adding two striking chromed rollover hoops which form an integral part of the body structure and by strengthening the A-pillars using a tube-in-tube system in high-strength steel./ppInside, the Audi TT Roadster quattro shares its safety specification with the TT CoupÚ quattro. Driver and front passenger airbags are fitted as standard, and are supplemented by side airbags integrated into the seat backs which are designed to protect both the head and thorax areas. Pyrotechnic seatbelt pretensioners also ensure optimum body protection.The CoupÚ's characterful and functional interior design is a feature of the Roadster, but includes some unique detailing of its own. The special leather upholstery with "Baseball Glove" stitching which featured in the Roadster design study is available as an optional extra to ensure even greater individuality.Refinement meets Audi's typically high standards, helped by an impressive drag coefficient and low airborne noise characteristics. The height of the windscreen, the shape of the soft-top, the position of the struts and even the weave and tension of the cloth have been designed so that the airflow remains in contact for as long as possible. This also prevents the top from billowing at speed. The roof's design ensures that it is easy to live with on a day-to-day basis. It features a large, heated glass rear window, can be raised and lowered using only one hand and folds out of sight beneath a neatly integrated cover.

New Tech Could Make Nuclear the Best Weapon Against Climate Change

In December 20, 1951, just outside the tiny town of Arco, Idaho, four 100-watt lightbulbs strung on a single cord flickered to life and then glowed brightly, becoming the first appliances ever powered by nuclear energy. The small group of scientists watching, employees of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), toasted to a future powered by the splitting of atoms.
It would be a dream deferred. Nuclear power stalled in America amid highly publicized accidents and concerns about radioactive waste. But scientists at the INL quietly soldiered on, and now the tide may be turning: The imperative to limit greenhouse-gas emissions is sparking an atomic renaissance on the very site of nuclear energy’s birth.
Buoyed by an allocation of $1.25 billion in funding for reactor research from the 2005 Energy Policy Act, INL scientists are working to improve safety, boost efficiency, minimize waste, and decrease cost in a new generation of nuclear reactors. Even if renewable energy goes mainstream, INL researchers still believe nuclear will be essential for supporting the electrical grid’s base load—that portion of the nation’s electricity that must be supplied at a constant rate, in contrast to the variable supplies from the sun and wind. “Nuclear is the major base load–producing energy source that could reduce greenhouse-gas emissions,” says Kathryn McCarthy, INL’s deputy director for nuclear science and technology.

About The Black Hole

The anomalous black holes are concentrated areas of mass so immense, that the mammoth force of gravity denies anything within a certain area around it from passing. This area is called the event horizon of a black hole.
We have given black holes their name because light inside the event horizon can never be seen by mankind, or any outside observer. We believe that black holes in space are created by the collapse of a red super giant star. As these stars reach the end of their lives, an imbalance of inward and outward pressure forces the star to collapse.
Information on black holes is limited, though numerous schools of theory exist. We know black holes exist not because we can see them, but because of the impact they have on the space around them.
Scientists like Karl Schwarzschild, Jayant Narlikar and Stephen Hawking have built upon ideas from Einstein and others to offer theories on black holes. And yet, they remain an enigma. Because extensive, proven black holes information is scarce, they remain a constant area of intrigue and curiosity.
For additional information on black holes, refer to our articles, pictures and other interactive resources below.

In general relativity, a black hole is a region of space in which the gravitational field is so powerful that nothing, including light, can escape its pull. The black hole has a one-way surface, called an event horizon, into which objects can fall, but out of which nothing can come. It is called "black" because it absorbs all the light that hits it, reflecting nothing, just like a perfect blackbody in thermodynamics. Quantum analysis of black holes shows them to possess a temperature and Hawking Radiations.
Despite its invisible interior, a black hole can reveal its presence through interaction with other matter. A black hole can be inferred by tracking the movement of a group of stars that orbit a region in space which looks empty. Alternatively, one can see gas falling into a relatively small black hole, from a companion star. This gas spirals inward, heating up to very high temperature and emitting large amounts of radiation that can be detected from earthbound and earth-orbiting telescopes. Such observations have resulted in the scientific consensus that, barring a breakdown in our understanding of nature, black holes do exist in our universe.

How Hybrid Cars Work

Have you pulled your car up to the gas pump lately and been shocked by the high price of gasoline? As the pump clicked past $20, $30, $40 or even $50, maybe you thought about trading in your car for something that gets better mileage. Or maybe you're worried that your car is contributing to the greenhouse effect.
The auto industry has the technology to address these concerns. It's the hybrid car. There are a lot of hybrid models on the market these days, and most automobile manufacturers have announced plans to manufacture their own versions.
How does a hybrid automobile work? What goes on under the hood to give you 20 or 30 more miles per gallon than the standard automobile? And does it pollute less just because it gets better gas mileage? In this article, we'll help you understand how this technology works, and we'll even give you some tips on how to drive a hybrid car for maximum efficiency.

Hybrid cars like the 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid are designed for fuel efficiency and low emissions.

­­Many people have probably owned a hybrid vehicle at some point. For example, a mo-ped (a motorized pedal bike) is a type of hybrid because it combines the power of a gasoline engine with the pedal power of its rider. In fact, hybrid vehicles are all around us. Most of the locomotives we see pulling trains are diesel-electric hybrids. Cities like Seattle have diesel-electric buses -- these can draw electric power from overhead wires or run on diesel when they are away from the wires. Giant mining trucks are often diesel-electric hybrids. Submarines are also hybrid vehicles -- some are nuclear-electric and some are diesel-electric. Any vehicle that combines two or more sources of power that can directly or indirectly provide propulsion power is a hybrid. Most hybrid cars on the road right now are gasoline-electric hybrids, although French car maker PSA Peugeot Citroen has two diesel-electric hybrid cars in the works. Since gasoline hybrids are the kind you'll find at your local car dealership, we'll focus on those in this article.

USB Aromatherapy Oil Burner

This is one of the greatest inventions for you mind, body, soul and nose. That's right, the nose. The USB Aromatherapy Oil Burner is exactly what it sounds like- an aromatherapy burner in the form of a USB. Simply plug it into your computer and de-stress.

This is quite frankly, one of the smartest ideas every created. After all, where is the place you are most often stressed? If you answered, at the office, at work, or at your job, then this is exactly why a USB Aromatherapy Oil Burner is the perfect addition to your workstation. Freshen the air while de-stressing the situation at the same time.

Scent can affect our moods without us even realising it. It can brighten the day; it can lift your sprits; and it can sooth the soul.

The USB oil burner can be plugged into any USB computer port. This means you can take the soothing smell of aromatherapy wherever you go. On the bus, on the train, at home, in the office. Associate work with good thought with this aromatic invention. This is one sweet smelling Usb Gadget!

The USB oil burner is simple to use. Just place the aromatherapy oil, which comes included with the USB, into the X. X marks the spot for pleasure in this case. Then you just need to wait a few moments for the aromatherapy oil to warm before the soothing scents will be emitting throughout your workplace.

This USB burner makes a perfect Christmas gift, Birthday present or office exchange. The smell lasts much longer than flowers or any other aromatic gift idea. Plus, it is convenient, compact and personal.

The USB Aromatherapy Oil Burner comes complete with Rose scented oil. However, the USB can be used with any fragrance. Mix it up and indulge your senses with this fantastic addition to any workplace.

Boeing: Grgent GPS Satellite Launched On Schedule

Boeing Co. said today that the planned launches of its new Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites is on schedule, following worries that the global navigation system could degrade or even fail.

The timely replacement of aging GPS satellites was a major concern of the U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) in a May report and testimony before U.S. House subcommittee.

Following the GAO report, officials at the U.S. Peterson Air Force Space Command sought to assure the public the the GPS system would not fail, but did say there was some potential risk of degradation in GPS performance.

GAO predicted that system degradation could have wide-ranging impacts, including reducing accuracy of precision-guided munitions using GPS to strike their targets, or reducing the accuracy of emergency 911 communicatons systems. Also, airlines might have to delay, cancel or reroute flights.

The GPS system, now comprised of 30 satellites used to help in navigation, is undergoing an upgrade expected to cost the federal government $6 billion over the next five years. The system is used by the U.S. military, but also commercial ship and plane pilots, and millions of motorists.
Boeing said today that it has shipped one satellite to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida for tests considered key to the Air Force'ss deployment of a next-generation GPS system that would reduce the probability of system degradation.

"The shipment of this pathfinder satellite keeps GPS IIF on track for its first launch...," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems.
The satellite arrived at Cape Canaveral on May 7, two days before the GAO's testimony. An Air Force spokeswoman today said the first Boeing satellite in the GPS IIF series is due to launch in early 2010, with a Boeing spokesman saying it should be ready to go later in 2009.

Separately, the Air Force spokeswoman said a Lockheed Martin satellite, known as GPS IIR 21 (M), which is designed to maintain the GPS system, is scheduled to launch Aug. 17.

The satellite that Boeing shipped is the second of 12 satellites called GPS IIF satellites, Boeing said. It will undergo ground tests that are part of the preparation for the first launch, and then will be returned to El Segundo, Calif., for further preparation for its own launch at a later date.

GPS IIF satellites follow Boeing's development of 39 satellites deployed for the first generation system. They will have twice the navigational accuracy of existing satellites, more robust signals for aviation and search and rescue efforts, and greater resistance to radio jamming by hostile sources, Boeing said.

Only 24 satellites of the 30 positioned in space are needed to keep the GPS service above a 95% probability of staying within acceptable performance standards, and Buckman has vowed that going below 24 won't happen.

In May, Buckman admitted there had been problems upgrading the navigation system, including with a satellite called SVN-49 that was launched in March, that was not fully deployed above Earth weeks later.

Boeing has posted a background paper on the GPS IIF satellites (PDF document).

Toyota Develops Mind Controlled Wheelchair

The clever Japanese researchers at the Brain Science Institute (BSI) Toyota Collaboration Center have done something quite incredible once again. Using a wheelchair controlled by brain waves measured using EEG, it’s basically a system that will control the ride using brain waves analysed every 125 milliseconds; therefore the name “mind controlled wheelchair”.

As you will see in the video to follow, testers using the wheelchair and the EEG cap system have achieved accuracy of up to 95% which is not a bad figure considering a high tech wheelchair like this may be used in place of current manual wheelchairs for patients who have had strokes or other significant mobility impairments.

Here’s the official news release from Toyota…

Real-time control of wheelchairs with brain waves

—A new signal processing technology for brain machine interface (BMI) application—

Major advantages of the new technology

Commands for smooth left and right turns and forward motion of the wheelchair are processed every 125 milliseconds by analyzing brain waves using signal processing technology.

Brain-wave analysis data are displayed on a screen in real time, giving neuro-feedback to the driver for efficient operation.

This technology is expected to be useful in the field of rehabilitation, and for physical and psychological support of wheelchair drivers.

The BSI-TOYOTA Collaboration Center (BTCC; Hidenori Kimura, Director), has succeeded in developing a system which utilizes one of the fastest technologies in the world, controlling a wheelchair using brain waves in as little as 125 milliseconds (one millisecond, or ms, is equal to 1/1000 seconds). BTCC was established in 2007 by RIKEN, an independent administrative institution (Ryoji Noyori, President), as a collaborative project with Toyota Motor Corporation (Akio Toyoda, President), Toyota Central R&D Labs, Inc. (Takashi Saito, President), and Genesis Research Institute, Inc. (Kiyoshi Nakanishi, Representative Director of Research). Also collaborating in the research were Andrzej Cichocki, Unit Leader, and Kyuwan Choi, Research Scientist, of BTCC’s Noninvasive BMI Unit.

Recently technological developments in the area of brain machine interface (BMI) have received much attention. Such systems allow elderly or handicapped people to interact with the world through signals from their brains, without having to give voice commands.
BTCC’s new system fuses RIKEN’s blind signal separation1 and space-time-frequency filtering2 technology to allow brain-wave analysis in as little as 125 ms, as compared to several seconds required by conventional methods. Brain-wave analysis results are displayed on a panel so quickly that drivers do not sense any delay. The system has the capacity to adjust itself to the characteristics of each individual driver, and thereby is able to improve the efficiency with which it senses the driver’s commands. Thus the driver is able to get the system to learn his/her commands (forward/right/left) quickly and efficiently. The new system has succeeded in having drivers correctly give commands to their wheelchairs. An accuracy rate of 95% was achieved, one of the highest in the world.

Plans are underway to utilize this technology in a wide range of applications centered on medicine and nursing care management. R&D under consideration includes increasing the number of commands given and developing more efficient dry electrodes. So far the research has centered on brain waves related to imaginary hand and foot control. However, through further measurement and analysis it is anticipated that this system may be applied to other types of brain waves generated by various mental states and emotions.

Ear Reshaping Surgery

Ear reshaping surgery is a surgery meant to change the appearance of the outer ear. There are various changes which can be brought about by ear reshaping surgery. The very folds of the ear cartilage can be changed or you can just reshape deformed ears. The external era can be only reshaped using ear reshaping surgery.

Ear reshaping surgery was first performed in India by a surgeon named Sushruta around 600B.C. he is also known as the founding father of surgery. Local anesthesia has to be applied to the patient before ear reshaping and if the entire process requires incision then full anesthesia has to given to the patient. The operation may take anything around four to six hours for completion and the duration of the operation depends on the gravity of the situation.
Complex ear reshaping surgeries take more time for completion and involve a bit of risk too. The surgery can be performed in two ways, one way is to make an incision and the other way is to perform the operation without any incision. One sided incision can be applied on the flatter side of the cartilaginous part of the ear and then the entire cartilage can reshape along the incision. The incision less ear surgery is done by a needle which marks the areas along which the cartilage will re grow.

Mostly one or more incisions are enough to gain access to the areas of the ear to be sculpted. In some cases the incision is behind the ear. To make the concha bowl move close to the head a small tunnel like structure has to be sculpted through the antihelixes. The antihelixes are poorly folded and can be restructured to balance the position of the ear lobe. This has to be done with great precision.

In case of missing structures form the ear cartilage, artificial implants have to be made to make the ear look proper in shape. This part of the ear does not have any major nerves but the outer appearance is very important. Such surgery is generally required in case of a surgery.

After the surgery has been completed a proper dressing is necessary to keep the ear free from external injury and infections. The dressing should be regularly changed to observe the pace of healing and re growth of tissues. If any abnormality is noticed then the doctor should be informed immediately.

Ear reshaping surgeries should be performed by trained surgeons who specialize in this type of surgery. Any surgeon who does not specialize in this type of surgery should not attempt this surgery. It is preferable for a plastic surgeon to perform these surgeries. Any untrained doctor can mess up this surgery and can make the parts deformed completely.

The nature of surgery to be performed should be analyzed before hand and then only the doctors must attempt this surgery. You are advised to go for this surgery after prior consultation with a reputed physician.

What Is PCMCIA Card?

Laptop computers have become a very efficient mode of mobile computing today. Many of them fill in the communicative networking’s that make cell phones indispensable along with the superior processing power of personal computers. Most new laptops and notebooks have built in wireless connectivity options, but there are some who still do not have wi-fi connectivity need an extensible card that plugs right into them to give them an additional facility. Many new wireless internet providers provide such cards that are used in laptops very efficiently. They provide the most elegant solution to wireless networking when a laptop does not support such functionality.

So what exactly is this card that provides such an
amazing functionality in a small package? This card is the PCMCIA card, known as the PC Card. The PCMCIA is an acronym for Personal Computer Memory Card Association – an association that sets the standards for the PC Card, the extra connectivity add-on card the size of a credit card that is used so widely. This non-profit trade organisation defines the standards for not only the PC Card, but also its successor, the ExpressCard and other memory add-ons, modules and other functionality adders. These cards were so popular that there were three variants designed and accepted by the PCMCIA:-

Type I: 3.3mm thick cards that were designed by the first ever PCMCIA meet. These were simple memory cards that were used in RAM modules, flash drive addons, and Static Random Access Memory cards.

Type II: These were thicker, 5.0 to 5.5mm cards with the first input/output support allowed devices to act as peripherals – such as TV tuner devices, modems and other network cards to be attached as a sort of dongle at the sides of laptops. Laptop manufacturers also started building support for PCMCIA cards so that such devices could be tethered to the laptops.

Type III: At 10.5mm, these devices could incorporate a wide array of devices such as bigger interfaces and hard drives could be accepted into the PCMCIA adapters and ports.
These adapters and cards eventually became standardised and accepted use in all laptops and portable computers such as netbooks and notebooks. These devices have not only added functionality to the laptops but have become a new way of providing services to the mobile consumer by many internet providers. This is how the future works out for those computers that are behind the times.

Citoren C3

Citroen's futuristic C3 concept car is a stunning illustration of how a Citroen supermini for the next century might look.Shorter than a Saxo, the C3's design makes maximum use of the interior space demonstrating practicality and versatility in a futuristic style which is as functional as it is space age.The Citroen C3 concept car overflows with innovation, clever design and neat touches. For instance, the front doors include a storage compartment which doubles up as a removable, stylish and trendy hand bag, as well as an umbrella housing, whilsts the rear doors are equipped with expandable net pockets for easy storage of all sorts of items.A classic example of the design flair within C3 is the individual 'two way' seats - each with its own integrated seat belt. By simply tilting the front seats backwards - so the back of the chair becomes the seat and vice versa - the seating layout can be transformed from a driving configuration to an 'all seats facing' layout.Variations on the seating layout are numerous with four seat fixing rails running the whole length of the vehicle. The standard configuration can be adapted by removing and replacing the passenger seats to the left, centre or right of the vehicle.Simple and easy to use, the stylish and futuristic dashboard comprises a central console housing the speedometer, a multimedia screen and a rotary knob regulating temperature and air flow. The gear lever is also console mounted allowing free access between the front seats.An electrically operated glass slat sunroof, which opens almost the full length of the roof, combines with a large and curved windscreen to create a light and airy feel to the interior, enhanced still further on this concept car by doors that open from the centre outwards.Improving practicality in multi-story car parks is the cleverly designed double jointed tailgate which opens in a half folding motion - ideal for times when overhead height is restricted. Boot space is large for a car measuring just 3.67m in length, but can be quickly expanded by simply sliding the rear seats forwards on their runners.

What Is eSATA

The modern storage facilities available for computers are many and varied. There are many interfaces used to connect these cards to the host computer or portable notebook. Of the varied cords used to interface these storage facilities, the Serial ATA (Serial Advancement Technology) is one of the most modernised and highly used cables. SATA hard drives form the more advanced and faster core of hardware power and data lines offering speeds up to 3 GB/s (for data transfer). These data cables and standardised formats for use in mass storage devices have become the advent children of modern computer organisation and architecture, overthrowing the age old IDE drives for both optical media transcription and magnetic palette and disc storage devices.


eSATA is the new form of standardisation used in external storage devices. The ‘e’ in eSATA stands for ‘external’. The externalisation of both the drive as well as power means that although it is a power hog, the eSATA device has a massive advantage over USB or Firewire cables in terms of raw speed and data read/write capability. With a rated data transfer speed of up to 3 Gigabits per second, the eSATA drives monstrously overtake USB cables, offering more than triple the speed that USB’s and Firewire cables could offer. Dedicated cables for power indicate that the eSATA drive will not be consuming power from the computer, and thus have to be more rugged and insulated from power overload. Although the price of the eSATA drive is bound to increase, the functionality it offers would prove to be a bargain for all those road warriors who want faster access to their portable data.

As the data cable is itself a SATA cable and plugs directly into the SATA port, it does not need to code the information in a USB or Firewire compatible language, and the computer does not need to decode the information from the USB or Firewire port into hard drive information and thus accessing and writing data has very little lag attached to it. And since the eSATA drives store easily accessible computer formatted data, they can also be booted from the BIOS, needing no extra support from the BIOS (such as USB booting etc.)

Though the disadvantage of having an external power port presents many problems, these are overcome by modifying the power cable into a USB male port, deriving power only from the computer system. Later modifications may also include a power over SATA wire twisted along with the main eSATA wire, allowing the hard drive to draw power from the system itself.

Dell Vostro 1220 Laptop Review Specifications & Pricing

Dell has launched a new compact 12.1″ screen laptop which weighs around 1.52Kgs in total and gives you a real good battery life of 9 hours. Isnt that a exciting feature of long lasting battery because iam normally happy with a bit slower laptop ie with a decent configurated laptop but with a higher battery life, since thats more important for me while on travelling. The 9 hours of battery life would for sure give you 6 hours when you are running media files like audio, video related stuff.


The Laptop comes with a inbuilt 1.3Mp camera which is not really a high quality but works out when you want to go for a video chat with someone through your laptop with the help of free Video chat software and video conferancing solution. The laptop comes with 802.11 draft-n wireless LAN & future scalability with WiMAX (U.S. only) or get wired connectivity where broadband isn’t an option with a standard internal modem.

Features of Vostro 1220 :

Stay light on your feet without sacrificing power – The thin and light ultra-mobile 12.1” Vostro 1220 at 3.36lb/1.52kg1 starting weight is equipped with latest Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processors.

Customize core features, including an energy-efficient Premium LED screen with wide view, two striking finishes (Obsidian Black and Deep Cherry Red), or solid state drives for 3 times the reliability of traditional hard drives2.

Energy-conscious performance with optional energy-saving Premium LED screen and get an ENERGY STAR® 5.0 qualified product out of the box – on select configurations.

Easily exchange data with colleagues or between devices via the 3-in-1 media reader, or use the 3 USB ports for easy data transfer and fast connection to printers, external audio systems and other peripherals.

Add service & support3 for peace of mind now and later. Options include Dell On-Site System Setup4, and CompleteCare™ Accidental Damage Service5 for reliable coverage when accidents happen.