Unity for Nokia S60 with and without accelerometer sensors

Unity was originally invented in Japan 1985 as "Chain Shot!" by Kuniaki Moribe. After that it has spread all over the world with names such as SameGame, TumeGame, KomeGame, MameGame, DebaGame, TileFall, Cabeem, MaciGame, GD-BMD etc.

The idea is to clear the whole playing area by removing tiles in groups. The more tiles you remove at the same time, the more points you get.

Unity works in devices with and without accelerometer sensors!

Free Download: unity_v2_20_0.sis

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Iriver P7 (16GB)

Iriver P7 (16GB) measures 4.5 inches across, 3 inches tall, and a relatively svelte 0.5 inch thick. The overall form is more pocket friendly than the chunkier design of the Cowon O2, feeling more like an Archos 5 with a shrunken screen. The majority of Iriver P7 (16GB) is operated using touch screen control, however, you'll find teeny, tiny buttons for power, menu, and volume on the top edge of the player. Iriver P7 (16GB)'s headphone jack is on the right edge, along with a hold switch, and a microSD memory slot covered by a plastic door.

While the P7's hardware looks like it takes a few cues from Apple, the touch screen interface is entirely unique. Iriver appropriately describes the main menu screen as magazine like, laying out each of the player's functions on a single screen, compartmentalized into an attractive arrangement of boxes. If you're accustomed to scrolling though menus, Iriver P7 (16GB)'s Mondrian esque layout takes a little time to grow on you.

After spending some time with it, we can't say the layout offers any practical advantages, but it's a pleasant break from the norm. Once you dial down into Iriver P7 (16GB)'s music and photo menus, the single page interface of the main menu eventually gives way to a more common list view. Unlike the iPod Touch's smooth, swift, and responsive song lists, sorting through your music on Iriver P7 (16GB) requires patience and a precise touch on a slim graphical scroll bar.

If you plan on storing a large music collection on Iriver P7 (16GB), prepare for some navigation frustration. The P7 is easy on the eyes, but the features are nothing to write home about. Despite the movie worthy 4.3 inch screen with a 480x272 resolution, video really isn't the P7's strong suit. On paper, support for formats such as AVI, MP4, WMV, MPG, FLV, XVID, H.264, and a handful of others, makes Iriver P7 (16GB)'s video capabilities seem very impressive.

In practice, however, we found that Iriver P7 (16GB) didn't offer the kind of drag and drop video format and resolution flexibility we've seen from competitors such as the Cowon O2 or Archos 605 WiFi. Just like the smaller screened Samsung P3 or Iriver SPINN, we found ourselves spending extra time converting the videos we wanted to watch on Iriver P7 (16GB) using the included software. Power users and the patient minded may be able to put up with Iriver P7 (16GB)'s particular video requirements, but people looking for drag and drop simplicity should look elsewhere.

In spite of our complaints about the sluggish, unfriendly design of Iriver P7 (16GB)'s music menu navigation, the audio capabilities of the P7 are arguably the best feature of the device. Iriver P7 (16GB) supports MP3, WMA, FLAC, WAV, and OGG file formats, along with album artwork and lyrics, but leaves out the AAC format critical for playing back music purchased from iTunes. Songs are listed in either an ID3 tag sort (Album, Artist, Genre, Playlist) or presented as the user's own custom list of folders.

Once a song is playing, you can apply custom or preset EQ (there's also some nice SRS WOW HD enhancement settings), change the playback mode (shuffle, repeat, etc.), rate the song on a five star scale, and even view song lyric information embedded within the file's ID3 tag. There are also settings for bookmarking, looping, or saving files to a custom playlist. Between Iriver P7 (16GB) and the similarly priced Cowon O2, we're a little torn when it comes to each player's audio capabilities.

Neither device shines in terms of touch screen menu navigation, but we suspect the O2's AAC support is more important than its lack of ID3 song sorting (some will surely disagree). Iriver P7 (16GB) features, such as the FM radio and text reader, are nice to have, but unexceptional. The photo viewer, like most aspects of Iriver P7 (16GB), is a little sluggish. At best, transitions between photographs take 3 seconds to complete, and the image browser uses the same tiny, tedious scroll bar found on the music player.

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IBM Memory Faster and Cheaper

Memory is one of the biggest things people have to deal with in their computers. It seems everytime you turn around you are needing to upgrade your memory because you ran out or your computer crashed. This is a particular problem due to the price of some memory.

But the new memory from IBM plans to change everything we know about memory. According to England's university of Leeds physicist Christopher Marrow, "Racetrack memory will be a vast improvement over today's leading computer memory technology - flash and hard disk - which each have serious limitations." IBM shows it's new Racetrack memory, as it has been named, has been more reliable in recent tests than hard disks which hopefully will make frequent computer crashes obsolete.

Racetrack is also said to be cheaper than the current prices for hard disk memory. According to Marrows, "This technology will have the best of both worlds - cheap nano-size with huge memory in 3G phones, MP3 players, camcorders, and other devices. But more importantly there will be more sites that will be able to give away storage for free like YouTube and Gmail."

The main point of racetrack is speed, hence the name, and reliability. In hard disks, a motor-operated head, like the ones seen in record players, has to move to the data to read it. Data stored on the Racetrack is moved around on a wire which is pushed by spiraling magnetics. The moving parts in the hard disk makes it very susceptible to crashing. "Hard disks are so good because they are so cheap. But they are bad because of the moving parts." says Marrows.

The other memory device, flash memory, was created in 1980 by Toshiba. But, like hard disks, flash memory has its own problems as well. On the good side, flash memory has no moving parts and is a solid-state storage device. This makes it more reliable and faster than disks. However, on the flip side flash memory has a limited number of erase-write cycles it can perform before the memory capacity begins to deteriorate.

The thing for Racetrack is to have the speed and durability of flash memory combined with the hard disk affordability. According to Stuart Parkin, IBM fellow and inventor of Racetrack, "Racetrack will have cheap memory with the possibility of being one million times faster than hard disks without the risk of wearing out." Unlike hard disks, there is no need to search for information. According to Parkin, this will allow computers to boot up almost instantly.

And, like everything else in the world, Racetrack memory will use less energy making it green. Parkin says, 'The tremendous amount of storage, faster performance, and reduced energy requirements make it a nice green and smart technology."

One of the biggest, and smartest, innovations of Racetrack is that it is designed vertically which allows it to take up less room than the current memory. This will make it extremely less expensive due to the fact that the price of a chip is based on the space it uses. This design makes Racetrack the first 3-D memory allowing it to obtain more bits per transistor. According to Parkin, "This will allow us to take a chip and increase the transistor size 10 to 100 times, breaking Moore's Law." Moore's Law was founded by Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel. In 1965, Moore observed that the number of transistors per square inch on a circuit board will double every 18 months.

Some experts believe that Moore's law will hold true for another couple of decades. However, Parkin is hoping that his Racetrack will quash that ide in about 5 to 7 years. It is at this point Parkin hopes the Racetrack memory will be fully operational and available. Zeljko Zilic, associate professor of the Department of Electrical Computer Engineering at Montreal's McGill University, says that, "As technology enabler, racetrack fits within the 'universal memory' concept, where one type of memory could be used across the full spectrum, replacing the need for multiple types of internal memory. Currently, flash memory comes closest to the ideal, but disadvantages of flash will become more and more apparent."

The goal of IBM is not, in any way, to improve current technology. Their goal is to absolutely replace it all together. Racetrack has the potential to replace both hard disk and flash," Parkin says. "Our goal is to replace all flash memory as it will get rid of the concept of trading performance for cost."

While there are still a few years before Racetrack comes out, people are already waiting with high anticipation. The thought of completely replacing the memory system we have used for the past 60 years is no small feat. But with the brains at IBM, we can bet that they will give it their all to give us the best quality tehy can.

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Amoebax for UIQ and S60 phones

Amoebax is a cute and addictive action-puzzle game. Due an awful mutation, some amoeba's species have started to multiply until they take the world if you can't stop them. Fortunately the mutation made then too unstable and lining up four or more will make them disappear.

Follow Kim or Tom through 6 levels in their quest to prevent the cute multiplying amoebas to take the world and become the new Amoeba Master. Watch out for the cute but amoeba's controlled creatures that will try to put and end to your quest.

Amoebax is designed with levels for everyone, from children to adults. With the training mode everybody will quickly become a master and the tournament mode will let you have a good time with your friends. There is also catchy music, funny sound effects, and beautiful screens that sure appeal to everyone in the family.

Amoebax was ported for S60 and UIQ by Anotherguest

Free Download:
amoebax_s60v3.sisx (for S60v3)
amoebax_uiq3.sisx (for UIQ3)

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Sound Technology gives UK debut to key new products at PLASA Focus

At PLASA Focus today, Sound Technology Ltd is giving a UK debut to a number of key new products in its portfolio.

The Soundcraft Si2 is a new compact addition to the Si Series of mid-market digital consoles. It's compact footprint and standard I/O configuration, allowing the Si2 to easily slot directly in place of an analogue console, is sure to appeal across multiple markets. With an intuitive user-interface with a "where you mix is where you look" design, Virtual Si offline editor, and the exceptional sound quality Soundcraft digital consoles have become renowned for, the Si2 is shipping in May 2009.

Pictured: Soundcraft Si2

PLASA Focus also marks the first UK appearance of the AKG DMS700 Digital Wireless System. The sophisticated new system operates on two future-proof bands, each with a tuning range of up to 155Mhz, offers up to 100 simultaneous channels, 100% digital audio transmission with no compounder, and the ability to securely encrypt data. The AKG DMS700 system is also shipping in May 2009.

Pictured: AKG DMS700 Digital Wireless System

From dbx Pro comes four new additions to the popular ZonePRO Zone Processing range of models. The 1260m, 1261m, 640m and 641m join the existing range, adding more microphone inputs, input processing on each mic input, Ambient Noise Compensation and numerous other enhancements. Shipping now is the new range of dbx System Core digital matrix processors. Based on the principles of the dbx Zone Processing products the new SC32 and SC64 matrix processors offer wizard driven configuration using HiQnet System Architect™ making unprecedented DSP power, incredible routing flexibility and a rich palette of processing tools accessible with the minimum of training.

Pictured: dbx Pro SC64 Digital Matrix Processor

Finally, Crown's new I-Tech HD flagship amplifier, a stunning product of engineering R&D, more than 60 years of amplifier heritage and systematic user input from tour sound leaders in all markets, has arrived in the UK. Developed in conjunction with sister company BSS, the next generation OmniDriveHD DSP Engine at the heart of I-Tech HD is built on a new architecture specifically optimized for fast and efficient audio processing to provide tour and contracting professionals with a new platform for signal processing. The new FIREWALL™ FIR filter technology provides significantly improved midrange clarity and dramatically improved off-axis response. The OmniDrive HD reduces latency, safeguards sonic integrity and advances system reliability. AudioCore features 24- bit, 192 kHz A/D and D/A converters. In yet another industry first, Crown Audio links the limiters in its new family of amplifiers: Crown's innovative LevelMax™ limiter technology links the previously independent Peak, Thermal and RMS Limiters, enabling more effective, elegant protection of connected speakers while advancing system performance. LevelMax limiter actions are better informed for more effective, efficient results and minimal sonic degradation. I-Tech HD is shipping now.

Pictured: Crown I-Tech 12000 HD

For more information please visit www.soundtech.co.uk

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Scala London upgrades with Soundcraft MH3

Landmark London venue The Scala, has upgraded its front-of-house console— replacing its old mixing desk with a new 32-channel Soundcraft MH3 analogue, multi-mode console.

The board was specified by the venue’s experienced head of sound, George Gregori, on recommendation from Soundcraft dealer, Pete Brotzman of Crystal Pro Audio, who provided the venue with much of its audio support.

The desk is also used by day to run live sound training courses run by Gregori for his company Live Sound Courses (www.livesoundcourses.com) . With many alumni having progressed to great achievements in the professional world of live sound mixing, he believes that the physicality of the analogue surface is much more forgiving than the digital equivalents.

“The MH3 is perfect for our needs — unlike our previous desk which was being repaired so often that it became uneconomical to maintain,” observes Gregori.

The acquisition comes exactly a year after the 800-capacity converted cinema upgraded its sound reinforcement system; the head of sound says the new desk, with its sophisticated feature-set, has injected it with a new vitality.

Gregori says he never considered anything than a Soundcraft analogue desk. “We constantly get production riders stating ‘No digital desks at any cost’”, he notes. “Soundcraft is a familiar surface for incoming sound engineers, and matching the price of this robust desk with the facilities on board made the decision a no brainer.

“Also, being a dual-mode desk incoming productions are able to use the MH3 in monitor mode if they need to. mThe MH3 gives us eight VCA’s, a great sounding mic pre and a big EQ section — with two parametric mid sections and sweepable high and low sections — at a great price. These facilities make it the perfect tool for training students,” he says.

Finally, he notes that the MH3 also provides four additional stereo channels and has eight stereo returns — features with which he is hugely impressed.

Pete Brotzman added, “Looking at what the Scala had before, the MH3 was the only way to go. It’s the ideal pro desk at this price point, with a great mic pre and front end. It’s no wonder we sell so many into this type of application.”

Soundcraft is distributed in the UK and Eire by Sound Technology Ltd.

More information:
http://www.soundtech.co.uk

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Setting up Bootlog for Debian

Edit file /etc/default/bootlogd


Change

# Run bootlogd at startup ?
BOOTLOGD_ENABLE=No

to

# Run bootlogd at startup ?
BOOTLOGD_ENABLE=Yes

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JBL Professional Earns Fifth Straight MIPA In Portable Sound Category For EON500 Series

At this year’s Prolight + Sound Exhibition in Frankfurt, JBL once again earned a MIPA (International Music Press Award), this time for the new EON500 portable PA loudspeaker series in the category of Portable Sound. More than 100 magazines voted in over 40 categories products at the 10th Annual MIPA ceremony, which took place on April 2. This marks the fifth straight year that JBL has won the MIPA in the Portable Sound category and JBL’s ninth MIPA nomination overall.

Since the initial introduction of the EON series in 1995, JBL has sold nearly one million speakers, resetting the standards for portability and performance along the way. The EON500 series continues to raise these standards with even greater versatility, performance and value.

More information:
http://www2.jblpro.com/catalog/general/ProductFamily.aspx?FId=70&MID=3

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Live Mesh Part 2

In my previous entry about Live Mesh I mentioned that you could use it to transfer data to and from the cloud in addition to straightforward file-sync operations.

To develop Mesh enabled applications you need to sign up to the Mesh developer site, but this is straightforward. You do need to remove the Live Mesh client to install the Live Framework Client and connect to https://developer.mesh-ctp.com rather than http://www.mesh.com, but presumably this will be rectified for final release You can download the SDK from here.

In the Live Framework SDK there are samples to demonstrate Mesh functionality. The Live Folders sample creates, edits and deletes files from the Mesh. These files and folders appear exactly the same as the synchronized folders created with Live Mesh. I would expect that long term you could synchronize with these folders, but at the moment the Live Framework Client is sandboxed and does not support the synchronization or remote control features of Live Mesh.

The following code creates a Live Mesh folder and you can see that the resource type is LIVE_MESH_FOLDER:

public static string CreateRootFolder(Mesh mesh, string title)

{

// Check if a folder with the same name exists.

foreach (MeshObject oneObject in mesh.MeshObjects.Entries)

{

if (oneObject.Resource.Title.Equals(title))

{

return "Folder already Exists!!!";

}

}

// Create folder object

MeshObject meshObject = new MeshObject(title);

// It is a mesh folder

meshObject.Resource.Type = MeshConstants.LIVE_MESH_FOLDER;

// Add folder to collection of mesh objects

mesh.MeshObjects.Add(ref meshObject);

// Create feed for files (required)

DataFeed fileDataFeed = new DataFeed(MeshConstants.LIVE_MESH_FILES);

// Set type and handler type (required)

fileDataFeed.Resource.Type = MeshConstants.LIVE_MESH_FILES;

fileDataFeed.Resource.HandlerType = MeshConstants.FILE_HANDLER_TYPE;

// Add new data feeds to collection

meshObject.DataFeeds.Add(ref fileDataFeed);

//this.LoadMeshObjects();

return "Root folder " + title + " created successfully";

}

There is also a Project Manager sample in the SDK. This is a simple application to create projects and milestones. It creates non-standard objects in Mesh. As you can see in the project code below, you can create your own class of object and are not constrained by standard folders and files:

///

/// UUID of the parent MeshObject
///
[DataMember]
public string MOID { get; set; }
///

/// Title of the milestone (during save/update, this matches MeshObject.Resource.Title,
/// but is stored here when the custom object is databound instead of the resource)
///
[DataMember]
public string Title { get; set; }
///

/// Date when project will be started
///
[DataMember]
public DateTime KickOffDate { get; set; }
///

/// Estimated Date for Completion
///
[DataMember]
public DateTime CompletionDate { get; set; }
///

/// Date when project was shipped
///
[DataMember]
public DateTime ShippedDate { get; set; }
///

/// Description of Project
///
[DataMember]
public string Description { get; set; }

When you deploy a Mesh application it appears both on the users Live Mesh website and also as a shortcut on their desktop. In this way, a user can just run the app without any knowledge of Live Mesh. Furthermore, because the data is synchronized between the local machine and the cloud, they can run the application when they are disconnected and it will automatically synchronize when connected although there is no conflict resolution built in.

This does come with some caveats. This is currently CTP and is not fully functional. As previously mentioned the developer environment does not currently integrate with the Live Mesh client. Also every time I tried to run an application from the desktop it said it was waiting for me to sign in with no opportunity for me to do so and regardless of whether I was signed in or not. There is also a risk that this is a solution waiting for a problem. It looks interesting, it’s quick and straightforward to Mesh enable applications, but there needs to be a compelling requirement for this to go beyond the trying out samples stage and into developing real applications.

In the code samples above, these are just snippets of the complete solution, but you can see that Live Mesh has both straightforward user file and folder synchronization, as well as an API to enable you to create a cloud-based solution.
As a final note, I looked into this as a way to synchronize favorites in IE8. You can now do this by signing up to SkyDrive and reinstalling the Live Toolbar.

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AV Magazine features BSS Soundweb in British Music Experience case study

The latest issue of AV Magazine features an in-depth case study of the O2's permanent British Music Experience installation. Providing the audio network core is BSS Soundweb.

"BME's audio systems, also installed by Sysco, are fully integrated with the BME show-wide control software and tightly synchronized to video content. The audio system is networked using a BSS SW9088 Soundweb system, a return to the venue where the world's largest Soundweb network was originally installed for the Millenium Dome. The Soundweb network here allows precise delivery of digital audio to the hundreds of network locations, free from interference and noise."

More information:
http://www.soundtech.co.uk/installprojects/britishmusicexperience

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Canon PowerShot A590 IS

As with previous PowerShot A-cameras, Canon built Canon PowerShot A590 IS around a large, bright, flexible lens. The 35 to 140mm equivalent, f/2.6 to f/5.5 lens offers a slightly longer reach and wider aperture than the 3x, f/2.8 lenses found in most compact cameras. It incorporates Canon's Optical Image Stabilization system, which shifts lens elements to help reduce image shake.

The camera can also accept conversion lenses with an optional adapter that fits over the base of the original lens. Unfortunately, the adapter retails for about $25, and conversion lenses retail for $100 or more, so outfitting your A590 IS with wide and or telephoto conversion lenses can cost almost as much as the camera itself. Skilled photographers will appreciate the camera's myriad controls and options.

Like other PowerShot A-series cameras, it offers program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and full manual exposure control modes. Of course, if you don't want to use any of those features, you can still shoot in the automatic mode, or with the camera's several scene presets. Finally, the camera adds a new "Easy" mode, which further simplifies and automates the interface. Slow shot to shot speed hindered Canon PowerShot A590 IS's otherwise very quick performance.

After a 1.8 second wait from power on to first shot, the camera could capture a new picture once every 2.3 seconds with the flash disabled. With the flash turned on, that wait more than doubled to an anguishing 5.2 seconds. Burst mode further disappointed, capturing 9 full resolution shots in 11.2 seconds for a rate of 0.8 frames per second. On the other hand, its shutter performed admirably, lagging a scant 0.45 seconds with our high contrast target and an even more impressive 0.7 seconds with our low contrast target.

Whether you shoot in low light or outside on a sunny day, you can expect the camera to grab the shot quickly, and then leave you waiting a few seconds before you can shoot again. Last year, the Sony Cyber shot DSC-T100 wowed us with its remarkably crisp picture quality. Though the A590 IS retails for far less than that camera, it manages to produce photos that are nearly on a par with those from the T100.

While the A590 IS's automatic white balance does a great job for a camera in its price range, it's not quite as good as the automatic white balance in the T100. The A590 IS does a good job of neutralizing colors shot under incandescent light, but leaves a hint of warmth. It also leaves more of a green cast than we'd like to see on a camera like this when shooting under fluorescent lighting.

Its tungsten setting did a wonderful job of neutralizing our very yellow tungsten hot lights. While noise remains extremely low from ISO 80 to 200, we did see some noise even at the camera's lowest sensitivity setting. Still, at these lower ISOs pictures look very good for a camera of this price, and fine textures such as fabric and fur appear consistently crisp. Noise becomes prominent at ISO 400, though details still come through clearly.

Like most compact cameras, Canon PowerShot A590 IS produces significant grain at ISO 800 and its maximum of ISO 1,600, covering the picture and damaging details with a fuzzy sheen. Overall, Canon PowerShot A590 IS produces very nice images and can even yield usable small prints at ISO 800, which is impressive for a camera of its class.

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Mazing Days for Nokia S60 with and without accelerometer sensors

Mazing Days is a simple labyrinth or maze game. You start from top left corner and finish at bottom right corner.

Mazing Days works in devices with and without accelerometer sensors! If you have e.g. N95, turn the device. Otherwise use joystick (arrow keys) to choose direction.

Free Download: mazing_days_v1_0_0.sis

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SuperTux for SymbianOS

SuperTux is a classic 2D jump'n run sidescroller game in a style similar to the original SuperMario games.

SuperTux was ported for S60 and UIQ by Anotherguest

Free Download:
supertux_with_data_s60v3.sisx
(SuperTux with data for S60v3 (P.I.P.S 1.3 required))
supertux_with_data_uiq3.sisx
(SuperTux with data for UIQ3 (P.I.P.S 1.2 required))

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Kredit Exchange for Nokia S60

Kredit Exchange is a traveller's utility, focusing entirely into quick currency conversion.

Main Features

• Supports 34 currencies (see details below).
• Works offline, conversion rates can be refreshed over the air.
• UI with country flags and 1-row or 2-row list
• Change value for one currency, all others are updated

Free Download: Kredit_v1_10_0.sis

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Nord Electro 3 comes "highly recommended" by Sound On Sound

Described as "the keyboard player's keyboard", the new Nord Electro 3 comes "highly recommended" in the May 2009 issue of Sound On Sound.

The Electro 3 is the latest incarnation of Nord's award-winning electromechanical keyboard, featuring a superbly giggable set of organs, electric pianos, acoustic pianos, and now with a user-replaceable sample library for adding any sample of your choosing.

The Electro 3 now uses the virtual modelling of Nord's C1 dedicated organ. The review praises the sound quality and realism, describing them as "superb" with the Hammond B3 emulation becoming "my instant favourite".

The ability to use any of Nord's sample library in the Electro 3 - or any of the user's own samples - adds huge live capabilities and is recognised as making the Electro 3 "a far more complete and well-rounded instrument".

The all important playability that Nord is renowned for is addressed too with the verdict, "Tweakable and versatile - and, above all, highly playable".

Overall it is the concept, design and implementation of the whole package that gains most praise.

"Due to a willingness to respond to reviews and user feedback, Nord have continued to improve their original design, producing their best collection yet of classic instruments in convenient, modern form. The Nord Electro 3 is a mature, highly evolved, organ-based keyboard capable of coveted electric pianos, Clavinets, acoustic grands and any sample you care to feed it."

The conclusion: "If you are looking for a single keyboard to deliver classic rock organs, pianos and lots more beside, the Nord Electro 3 comes highly recommended."

More information:
http://www.soundtech.co.uk/nord/nordelectro3synth73
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbyQ-qGEpU0

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"An Awesome Tool": Digitech HarmonyMan Review in Play Music Pickup Magazine

"The HarmonyMan has the potential to elevate the sound of your band to an incredible degree while leaving casual listeners in awe...".

The HarmonyMan is the latest revolutionary guitar effects pedal from Digitech. Essentially a pitch shifting pedal for generating multiple guitar harmonies, it receives its latest and greatest review in this month's issue of Play Music Pickup Magazine.

"...this harmoniser pedal is an awesome tool that tracks beautifully and sounds incredibly natural. You can't fault the sounds from the HarmonyMan in any way, really; the chorus sounds lush and fruity and the way that the harmonies track is incredible. Using the second voice to add an extra harmony part whilst building up a solo sounds amazing and if you play in a covers band and have to cover multiple guitar parts by yourself, you simply have to get one of these. Period".

More information:
http://www.soundtech.co.uk/digitech/news/playmusicharmonyman

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DigiTech RP 1000 wins Guitarist Choice Award

The latest and greatest model in the hugely popular RP Series, the RP1000, is reviewed in the latest issue of Guitarist magazine.

The RP1000 integrates into your amp and with your stompboxes, not the other way around. Featuring exclusive Stompbox and Amp loops, the RP1000 doesn't get in the way of your tone and switches external stompboxes in and out of the signal path like large pro rigs. For home recording Steinberg Cubase LE4 software is also included.

The RP1000 is awarded the Guitarist Choice award for 'highly recommended-excellent buys' and receives a Guitarist Rating of 4.5 out of 5. The review in particular recognises its impressive number of sounds-per-pound, expanded pedalboard mode (on the RP500) and ease of editing.

More information:
http://www.soundtech.co.uk/digitech/news/guitarist-rp1000-review

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Answer Or Hangup for Series 60 3rd edition

Answer Or Hangup is a very simple application, that can automatically answer or hangup incoming calls.

Free Download:
aoh_full_s60_3.0_3.1_not_signed.sis
for S60 3rd and S60 3rd FP1 (N80, E70, N73, E61, E50, N95, N95 8Gb, E71, E65)
aoh_full_s60_3.2_5.0_not_signed.sis
for S60 3rd FP2 and S60 5th (N96, N78, N79, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic] For these platforms auto hangup is NOT supported!!!

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LG Xenon

LG Xenon appears to be just another touch screen phone. Measuring 4.16 inches long by 2.11 inches wide by 0.62 inch thick, the Xenon has smooth, sleek lines all around, with a touch of chrome around the border. It's a little smaller than the LG Vu and a little thicker as well. The Xenon is fairly lightweight at 3.81 ounces, and it's slim enough to fit in a front pocket. LG Xenon looks like a touch screen phone from the front.

Dominating its entire front surface is a large 2.8 inch touch screen display. It's smaller than the 3 inch displays on the LG Dare and the LG Vu, but it still looks good. It supports 262.000 colors and 240x400 pixels, which result in great looking graphics and colorful images. You can view the date, time, battery life, signal strength, and photo caller ID. Even when the screen is locked, you can see the date and time in a screen overlay.

You can set the brightness, the backlight timer, and the font size. For dialing fonts, you can set the color as well. Along the top of the screen are three icons, each of which corresponds to one of three customizable standby screens. You get one just for your favorite contacts, one for the home screen, and one for your favorite application shortcuts.

All standby screens have four shortcut icons along the bottom, which correspond to the phone dialer, the contacts list, the messaging menu, and the main menu. The main menu interface is similar to the one on the Vu, with four tabs along the right to differentiate applications. You get one tab for Phone related apps, one for Multimedia, one for My Stuff (which includes the media gallery plus productivity tools), and another for Settings.

For the favorite contacts screen, just follow the instructions to add a contact from your phone book. The contacts will then appear as small icons with the person's name, phone number, and photo. You can have up to three pages of favorite contacts, and you can arrange them on the screen however you wish by dragging and dropping the icons, or you can align them with the grid.

You can also fix the icons so they don't change position with the screen orientation. As for the shortcuts screen, you can add up to nine shortcuts. To add and remove shortcuts, simply press and hold down on a shortcut icon. The home screen is also customizable with a variety of widgets, similar to the TouchWiz interface on some Samsung phones. On the bottom left of the Xenon's home screen is a little right arrow that opens up to reveal a tray of widgets.

There are only six to choose from, though there's an analog clock, a world clock, the calendar, sticky notes, the image gallery, and the music player. To add a widget to the home screen, just drag and drop it on the page. You can then close the tray by pressing the little left arrow. LG Xenon also has a drop down shortcuts menu it calls the "Annunciator."

Simply tap the top part of any screen, and a list of shortcuts will appear. You can go directly to the music player, toggle the Bluetooth connection on and off, set your ring and vibration profile, send a new text message, send a new mobile email, check your voice mail, start the instant messenger for either Yahoo, AOL, or Windows Live, set your alarm clock, or view the calendar.

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Weather and events right here, right now

Here and now offers easy-to-use web services related to your current location. Check the local weather at a glance and get other topical information while on the move.

Free Download: HereAndNowBeta.SIS

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Vizio VF550XVT

This big screen LCD looks unassuming for the most part, with the standard glossy black frame surrounding the picture area. But the nondetachable speaker bar along the bottom, with its silver coloring, reflective supports, bulbous shape, and see through panel exposing the wall behind the TV, assumes a bit too much, and we predict you'll either love it or hate it. We fall into the latter camp.

Vizio VF550XVT
We're not fans of the TV's big, nondetachable speaker bar, which brings silver and reflective chrome coloring to the aesthetic party. Vizio VF550XVT 55 inch VF550XVT measures 51.5 inches wide by 36 inches tall by 13.5 inches deep and weighs a svelte 86 pounds with stand attached. Remove the nonswiveling stand and its dimensions become 51.5 by 33.9 by 5 inches and its weight just 73.8 pounds.

We liked Vizio VF550XVT's large remote, with its oversize chrome colored cursor pad surrounded by well spaced, easily differentiated, yellow backlit keys. Highlights include a section that offers direct access to different input types, "A, B, C, and D" keys for other devices, such as cable boxes, that double as picture in picture controls, and the capability to command three other devices.

Many of the keys double up, but the remote handles these well we appreciate that the oft used key to control aspect ratio shares the bright red "record" key, for example. Vizio VF550XVT's main menu system, arranged along the left side of the screen, is a bit awkward to use. The company has revamped its menu system for the XVT models, squeezing it onto the left side of the screen and improving the graphics. The menus' usability has taken a step backward, however. We found ourselves annoyed at the fact that you can only see one parameter at a time and that too much scrolling is required to access all of the settings.

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Table and Index Partitioning in SQL Server 2008 Enterprise Edition

Introduction

SQL Server 2008 Enterprise enables you to horizontally partition individual tables and indexes so that data storage is spread over multiple drives. Horizontal partitioning is the process of dividing the data in a table or index by rows, so that some of the rows are contained in one location, some in a second location, some in a third, and so on. For example, with SQL Server 2008 Enterprise, you can partition large tables by date, so that each partition stores rows that correspond to a specific time period.
Partitioning has multiple benefits:
• Firstly, it enables you to make efficient use of the available disk capacity by controlling the placement of data from a single table or index across multiple disks. Partitions are mapped to filegroups, which in turn contain the files that hold the actual data.
• Secondly, partitioning enables flexible management of larger tables, for example by enabling you to backup a just subset of the rows in a table. Because partitions are mapped to filegroups, you can use SQL Server backup to backup just the filegroups that contain changed data.
• Thirdly, partitioning can make the loading new data a much faster procedure using the SWITCH option, which we’ll discuss shortly.
• Finally, and perhaps most significantly, partitioning can improve query response times for users.

Partition switching

Faster data loading can be achieved when you use the SWITCH clause of the ALTER TABLE statement. This enables you to swap a populated table or partition with an empty table or partition, provided that the they both have the same design structure, including the number, order, naming, and nullability of columns. For example, you could load new data by switching a populated table into a partitioned table and switching a named partition – say, partition 1 - out of that table. All that actually happens with this operation is that the metadata of the table and partition, including the table name and the partition name, are switched. No data actually needs to be moved, and as a result the process is very quick. You can also use the ALTER PARTITION FUNCTION statement with the MERGE and SPLIT clauses to merge two partitions together and to split an existing partition.

Performance improvements

Partitioning improves query response times on partitioned tables when users issues queries that filter rows by date, as is very often the case in large databases such as data warehouses. This is because SQL Server only needs to search through the partition or partitions that contain the relevant rows, which is more efficient. You can also limit lock escalation to the partition rather than the table, reducing the risk of blocking and deadlocking.
SQL Server 2008 offers a considerable improvement in performance over SQL Server 2005 for queries against partitioned tables that run on multiprocessor systems. In SQL Server 2005, if a user issued a query against a partitioned table and the query touched only one of the partitions in that table, all available threads could be allocated to that query, resulting in fast response times. If, however, the query touched more than one partition, then only one thread could be allocated per partition in the query, resulting in comparatively slower response times, particularly in cases where the majority of the data resided in just one of the partitions. This behaviour was by design and was actually intended to provide improved performance in the special case of a query touching only one partition, but from the users’ point of view, it sometimes meant that execution times seemed unpredictable. SQL Server 2008 addresses this issue with improved partitioned table parallelism. Queries that touch a single partition behave in the same way as they do in SQL Server 2005, and all available threads are allocated to the query. Queries that touch multiple partitions now have all available threads allocated to them, with the threads being distributed in a round-robin fashion. For example, on a server that has four cores, a query that touches one partition will have all four threads allocated to it. A query that touches two partitions will have all four allocated again, with two available per partition. In SQL Server 2005, this second query would only have had one thread available per partition. This new behaviour can result in drastic improvements in performance, with some queries running ten to fifteen times faster.

Summary

Table and index partitioning is a powerful feature that offers many benefits to administrators who manage large databases. SQL Server 2008’s enhanced partitioning delivers impressive performance on multi-core servers, enabling you to get more out of your existing hardware.

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Stratagus for Nokia S60

Stratagus is a free cross-platform real-time strategy gaming engine.

Stratagus was ported for S60 and UIQ by Anotherguest

Free Download:
stratagus_s60v3.zip
(installation file and data files for S60v3)
stratagus.zip
(installation file and data files for UIQ3)

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Liero for Nokia S60

Liero is a computer game has been described as a real-time version of Worms.
Liero was ported for S60 and UIQ by Anotherguest

Free Download:
liero_s60v3.sisx
(Liero for S60v3 required P.I.P.S 1.3)
liero_uiq3.sisx
(Liero for UIQ3 required P.I.P.S 1.2)

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HP Firebird with VoodooDNA 803

Voodoo was recently purchased by HP and this union has resulted in the Blackbird 002 and the Voodoo Envy 133 subnotebook, both of which are Editor's Choice-winning gaming computers. The newest computer to arrive from the company is the HP Firebird with VoodooDNA 803.

This high powered gaming desktop has some unique attributes to it. On interesting thing is that the guts of this desktop have many characteristics similar to those of a notebook. The rig has switchable graphics, the first ever seen on a desktop. It has a distinctive style about it which also incorporates a resemblance to the HP?Voodoo family. This computer comes with a Intel Core 2 Quad processor with 4GB of RAM and and 640GB of storage space. The Firebird runs the nVidia GeForce 9800S SLI graphics card which delivers powerful graphics quality. However, this computer does have a few things that might turn away a serious hard-core PC gamer.

First off, the performance of the device has been a little disappointing to some users. Also, the Firebird has limited upgrade ability which means you better be satisfied with what you get because you are not going to be able to do much to it. There are only two DIMM slots both of which are filled. This means you will need to swap the current 4GB of memory if you want to add more. The Firebird does have two innovative hard drive sleds. Considering they are compact and built well, you will be able to connect and disconnect multiple times. However, both of these slots are filled as well with 320GB drives. This system also lacks a set of PCI/PCIe connectors. This computer kind of resembles a gaming console. All the internal components are permanately attached, except for the memory and the hard drives.

One great thing about this system is that is completely free of anything annoying. For example, it does not come with any trialware programs or ads. The only things that occupy the the hard drives is HP total care for one year, a one year subscription to AVG Professional Anti-Virus Software, and a copy of Cyberlink DVD for the ability to play DVD's and Blu-ray. This computer also comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse.

The graphics setup for the Firebird is really innovative. It has the NVidia nForce 760s motherboard chipset. Which allows you to switch between power saving intgrated graphics and the two nVidia GeForce 9800s graphics cards. It has a save power mode for video viewing but if you want all the features in Nvidia's PureVideo HD, the discrete graphics need to be turned on.

This computer isn't your average gaming computer. It is a top-of-the-line gaming computer for a reasonable price. It has a nice, sleek design to it and the energy saving capabilities will save you a few needed bucks, especially in today's economy. And the incredible graphics can be turned up whenever you need it to. This computer was going to set you back around $2,099 but is on sale now for $1,299. If you are in the market for a good gaming desktop, the HP FireBird with VoodooDNA 803 is definitely worth a look at, especially if you are looking to save a few bucks.

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Nokia Easy Meet

Nokia Easy Meet is a web-based mobile collaboration service which lets you use your mobile device and/or PC to create, conduct, and participate in meetings with your business colleagues as well as your friends and family. The service is about sharing content synchronously and in real-time.

Key features include:

• Slide sharing
• Image sharing (JPEG, PNG)
• Conference chat
• Remote content access (via OVI Files)
• Participant awareness
• Gestures
• File download
• Meeting minutes

Free Download: Try it yourself at http://easymeet.nokia.com.

via: betalabs.nokia.com

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Samsung Propel Pro (AT&T)

Samsung Propel Pro (AT&T) captures your attention for a couple of reasons, the first of which is its shiny exterior. The smoky mirrored chassis is definitely eye catching and tones down the Samsung Propel's playful image with a classic and corporate appropriate look. However, the shiny surface gets dirty pretty quickly, as it holds many fingerprints and smudges we had to constantly wipe the screen. Also, the back of the handset can feel slick, almost greasy.

All these issues sap the smartphone of some of its initial allure. Samsung Propel Pro (AT&T) is slightly bulky. The second reason you take notice of the Propel Pro is because of the slider phone's squat, squarish shape. Though we've seen more handsets come in this shape, including the LG Lotus and Verizon Wireless Blitz, it's still uncommon and to our recollection, it's the first smartphone we've seen with this design.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, however it's just different. In all, Samsung Propel Pro (AT&T) measures 3.9 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide by 0.6 inch thick, and weighs 4.8 ounces, so it's quite a bulky handset. The smartphone feels wide when held in the hand and you might want to put this into your coat pocket, since it's not going to easily slip into the pocket of your pants. On front, there is a 2.5 inch, 65.000 colors TFT nontouch display with a 320x320 pixel resolution.

It could stand to be a little bigger and there's certainly room, but overall, we found it sharp and easy to read. Like most cell phone screens, Samsung Propel Pro (AT&T)'s tends to wash out a bit in bright sunlight. You can customize the Home screen with various layouts, color schemes, and background images. We particularly like the sliding panel layout since it provides easy access to your information and applications right from the Home screen.

Without a touch screen, the controls beneath the display will be your main way to navigate the phone. You get two soft keys, Talk and End buttons, a Home shortcut, a back button, and a navigation joystick. The controls are fairly easy to use, with the exception of the joystick. It doesn't provide the most precise method for scrolling and selecting menu items. For example, on several occasions, we inadvertently moved the joystick when we were simply trying to press down to select something.

It gets easier with more time, but still, it doesn't offer you complete control like a traditional directional keypad or trackball. Below the display, you'll find some navigation controls. We weren't huge fans of the joystick since it wasn't very precise. To access the full QWERTY keyboard, simply push the screen up. The sliding motion is smooth and the screen securely locks into place. The Propel Pro's keyboard is slightly different from the regular Samsung Propel.

The buttons are rectangular instead of oval shaped and there's no spacing between the keys, making it slightly cramped and troublesome for users with larger thumbs. The spacebar was particularly problematic, since it's so short we'd have preferred it slightly longer (and it looks like there was space to do so). On the positive side, the buttons weren't stiff to press as they were on the Samung BlackJack II, so that reduced some typing errors.

The Propel Pro's full QWERTY keyboard features good size buttons that are easy to press. However, the layout is a bit cramped. On the left side, there's a power button, a volume rocker, and a microSD expansion slot and on the right spine, you'll find a camera activation or capture button and Samsung's pesky proprietary power or headset jack.

We really hope Samsung considers switching to a more standard Mini or Micro-USB port and a 3.5mm headphone jack in the future, since having to use Samsung specific accessories is quite annoying and restricting. Finally, the camera is built into the back of the front cover, so you need to slide open the phone in order to use it.

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ScratchPad is quickest way to take a note on your phone.

With ScratchPad you can take a note simply writing on the phone display like a paper notepad.

You can also turn pages or tier a page.

Simple and quick.

Free Download: ScratchPad.zip

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Warning: SuexecUserGroup directive requires SUEXEC wrapper.

Apache is obviously complaining about suexec in the apache error logs. I finally found the solution.


apt-get install apache2-suexec

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Active SMS Lock for Series60

Active SMS Lock can help you protect your SMS message with passwords so others won’t be able to read them. You will be able to protect your inbox and your outbox from unwanted eyes. Enter the correct password to see the messages! Simple as that! The application is available for FREE!

The Default PIN code is 12345.

Free Download: ActiveSMSLock_1.10_BETA_S60_3_0.SISX
for Symbian OS 9.1, S60 rel. 3.0 with basic capabilities (Nokia 3250, 5500 Sport, 6290, 6650 T-Mobile, N71, N73, N75, N80, N91, N92, N93, N93i, E50, E51, E60, E61, E61i, E62, E65, E70)
ActiveSMSLock_1.10_BETA_S60_3_1.SISX
for Symbian OS 9.2, S60 rel. 3.1 with basic capabilities (Nokia 5700, 6110 Navigator, 6120 Classic, 6121 Classic, 6124 Classic, N77, N78, N81, N82, N92, N95, E90)
ActiveSMSLock_1.10_BETA_S60_3_2.SISX
for Nokia 6210 Navigator, 6220 Classic, N78, N79, N85, N96 (Nokia 6210 Navigator, 6220 Classic, N78, N79, N85, N96)

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Nikon CoolPix S630

Nikon CoolPix S630 is a little thicker than usual for Nikon's S-series cameras. That extra depth is for the 7x zoom lens out front, but it doesn't stop this camera from easily fitting in a pocket or small handbag. Available in five colors black, blue, purple, silver, and red it looks more stylish head on than from the back where things get more functional. The right side swoops out a bit leaving a large thumb rest that was appreciated more and more while using the zoom ring around the shutter button on top of the camera.

Below that are the Mode and Play buttons followed by a scroll wheel or directional pad and two more buttons for the settings menu and deleting photos while shooting or in playback. Controls are very straightforward and even if the menus aren't much to look at, they're easy to navigate and a simple tug to the right on the zoom pulls up the Help system. Plus, you can get through them as fast or slow as you want with either the scroll wheel or directional pad.

General shooting options Nikon Coolpix S630

• ISO sensitivity (full resolution) Auto, Fixed-range auto (ISO 64-200, 64-400); 64; 100; 200; 400; 800; 1,600
• White balance Auto, Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Flash, Manual
• Recording modes Auto, Scene, Scene auto, Sport continuous, High sensitivity, Smile, Movie
• Focus Face priority AF, Auto AF, Manual AF, Center AF
• Metering Matrix, Center weighted
• Color effects Standard, Vivid, Black & White, Sepia, Cyanotype, Pastel
• Burst mode shot limit (full resolution) 4 photos
  

When it comes to shooting controls and options, Nikon CoolPix S630's feature set is not terribly deep, making it inadequate for anyone wanting to experiment. It has taking simple snapshots down cold, however. Recording modes are kept pretty lean with Auto giving you the most shooting control, including the ability to limit the ISO range the camera uses.

There are three specialized shot modes, too. Smile mode, which snaps a picture whenever it picks up on a smiling face, includes a Blink Proof setting that'll fire off a second shot in case it detects the subject blinking (and it works, but the person has to be fully facing the camera). A Sport Continuous mode works well for capturing action, but does lower the resolution to 3 megapixels and increase the sensitivity to a minimum of ISO 640.

This not only creates some extra image noise, but it'll also cause outdoor or well-lit photos to overexpose. Lastly, there's a High Sensitivity mode for low light shooting, but it too drops photos to a 3 megapixel resolution and sets the ISO range from 640 to 3,200. (To be fair, the thorough instruction manual warns about these things and explains how and when best to use the special settings.)

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