Android ebook Readers

Suddenly I have taken to reading books, novels that is! I have installed a app called FBreader from Android Marketplace and now using my phone to read whatever I can get hold of! I just finished the The Mysterious Affair At Styles by Agatha Christie and now started her other novel The Secret Adversary. The first one happens to be Christie’s first published novel and introduces Hercule Poirot and the next one introduces the duo of Tommy and Tuppence.

There is also a Kindle app for Android. I guess it is the most popular of the android ebook reader apps. I have installed it and I like the look and feel of the app which seems to have a lot of more functionality than the basic FBreader. I have not tried it out much though. I plan to continue my reading and may buy a few titles from Amazon.com for the Kindle app.

I have to say I am enjoying reading. FBreader allows increasing the font size to a level it cannot put much strain on the eyes. The problem is finding a good source of free ebooks. The titles available for free are mostly classics. But I have got the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and few works of Edgar Allan Poe for free and its waiting in queue after I finish The Secret Adversary. Its fantastic to be able to read these masterpieces of detective novels while waiting at meetings and elsewhere.

Bluetooth problem: Missing system tray icon in XP

Yesterday, I spent a good two hours trying to resolve a niggling issue in my newly bought netbook. I could not get to start the bluetooth device.

After buying the netbook, I had deleted the bluetooth system tray icon from the Startup as I prefer to keep my desktop and the toolbars clean. But, then when I wanted to turn the bluetooth on, I could not do it anymore as it appears that the only place in Windows XP from where you can start the device is from your system tray icon. Read the rest of this entry »

Smart Homes

I have this fascination for networking and automating my home to transform it into a smart home. Although, some sort of basic electronic automation applications are being used in many homes here recently, it still cannot be called a trend.

In my home, I have a wireless network setup using a basic Netgear wireless router for the laptops and a wired network for the desktops with printer sharing. I plan to add an IP surveillance camera for the main gate and connect the TV to the network so that I can watch my movies on the bigger screen and share photos. But there is a lot of solutions available out there for designing a truly smart home.

The wide variety of solutions available like wireless networking,home theatre design with audio video integration across the home, automated lighting and electrical appliances control, curtain control, security and HVAC systems that bring technology to your home and blend it with the interiors. The result is that all the wires and controllers are hidden away somewhere and your home is transformed into a smart home customized to suit your lifestyle. Read the rest of this entry »

Netbook Softwares

The netbook is not same as the desktop or even a regular laptop. The processing power and other resources available in a netbook is considerably less and to make best use of them it is necessary to use alternative software options.

I went through a lot of computer forums and after reading comments from a lot of netbook reviews, I found the following softwares to be popular choices. Read the rest of this entry »

I finally got my netbook

I had to. From the time, Asus and then MSI launched their netbooks, I am following closely with drooling eyes the development of these cool gadgets. I made up my mind that I need one of these long time but waited for the technology to get better a bit.

I decided on Lenovo Ideapad S 10-2 but ultimately went for the Samsung N110 because of the free external DVD writer offer and my good experience with Samsung products.( I have recently bought a air-conditioner, refrigerator and two mobile phones and their service is exemplary.)

I was following the reviews of the leading netbooks on offer for quite some time and Samsung fared quite well in all of them. Although there is not much to differentiate from one netbook to another, the Samsung NC10, the predecessor of my N110 was a clear winner and won a lot of praises in most reviews I read online. Read the rest of this entry »

Top 10 Windows Mobile Software

Here is a list of top 10 Windows Mobile Software that I found extremely useful. Although, Windows Mobile 6.1 is already old stuff and people are flashing their phones to try the latest Windows Mobile 6.5, I still decided to post this for people who have recently bought smartphones and are looking for softwares. Read the rest of this entry »

LifeSize has launched software based HD Video Conferencing

LifeSize Communications on Monday rolled out high-definition video conferencing software designed to extend boardroom video conferencing systems outside the office.

The software has been designed primarily to meet the demands of LifeSize customers, both large and small enterprises, who want to extend their existing vide0-conferencing systems installed in their board rooms to allow their executives on the road. Read the rest of this entry »

Reasons to start using video conferencing now!

You think that video conferencing is still a luxury and not required by your organization. You find the cost of implementing video conferencing across your organization too high compared to the benefits.

Think again. Read the rest of this entry »