ipone 3G on Vodafone n AIrtel-The Insight

How to buy an Apple iPhone in India ? What is the price of iPhone in India? Will an unlocked iPhone you bought in US or UK work here?

Vodafone and Airtel will launch iPhone 3G model but does India have 3G? Read this quick iPhone FAQ Guide before you purchase an iPhone from Indian mobile phone dealers.

• Is the Apple iPhone available in India – Yes but not through the official channel yet.
• If iPhone is available where can I buy iPhone in India – The Apple phone is not available here officially but you can order it on eBay or buy it from some shops in Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderbad, Mumbai, Chennai, etc.
• Alternatively, some online underground sites are also selling unlocked iPhone in India but these unofficial iPhone suppliers in India do not share their contact address so be careful in case you run into shipping problems.
• Will Indian iPhone work with the GSM SIM card of Airtel, Idea, BSNL or Vodafone? If you buy an unlocked iPhone, it will work with GSM networks here but but you cannot use the Visual Voicemail feature of iPhone. Also, iPhone is GSM based so it may not work with Tata Indicom or Reliance CDMA network.

• Can I buy an unlocked iPhone in US and use it in India - Yes, the iPhone bought in US (or UK or Canada) works in India - you can just buy a local SIM card in India and replace the AT&T SIM. Make sure you read the Apple policies as this may break the warranty.
• I bought an iPhone in US and am traveling to India on a business trip. How can I save on iPhone international roaming charges while making phone calls in India - Do not use the AT&T call service, instead make phone call over VoIP using the Wi-Fi option of iPhone. You can use Jajah or even Skype to make cheap international calls over the Internet.
• Related: Video: How to Unlock & Jailbreak iPhone
• Is Apple not selling unlocked iPhone - Yes, they have launched an unlocked iPhone in France so not need pay anyone for unlocking the iPhone.
• What about Apple Store in India – iPhone will be sold via Airtel and Vodafone. The Apple stores that you have in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, etc are for selling Macbooks, iPod, Apple TV and other Apple products but they won’t stock iPhone.
• What is the price of iPhone in India – The unlocked 4GB iphone is around 20k while the 8GB unlocked iPhone costs around 30k. (includes shipping and taxes) The prices will fall once iPhone 3G arrives here this year and is expected to sell for Rs 10,000 – 12,000.
• Should I wait for iPhone or invest in BlackBerry or Nokia N95 ? Read this comparison of smartphones - iPhone vs Blackberry, N95. Check these iPhone typing tutorials to see if you can type faster with the touch-screen keyboard. And this online size tool will help you compare the dimensions of iPhone with you existing mobile phone.
• How do I buy an iPhone officially ? While you can’t buy that yet, pre-register iPhone with either Airtel or Vodafone.
• What is the launch date of iPhone in India – No official confirmations but Steve Jobs hinted that iPhone will land in September.

iPhone is a quad-band GSM mobile phone so it will working internationally in countries outside the US though you’ll have to ask AT&T to turn on international roaming on the iPhone and that the places you’re going offer GSM coverage.

Extracted from labnol

Top 10 Xbox Racing Games

The Xbox controller was seemingly made for driving games, and it is no surprise that there is no shortage of quality racing and driving games for the big black box. Check out some picks for the best the genre has to offer.


1. Project Gotham Racing

One of the biggest racing games out on the market. There are hundreds of races, a huge car list, and several different types of races to compete in. The gameplay is a little funky compared to other games because style counts as much as speed. By sliding around corners and choosing the right lines, you get Kudos points that you can then use to buy new cars. The graphics are fantastic and the soundtrack is excellent. The best driving game on Xbox by far. [more reviews]


2. Need for Speed Most Wanted

Need for Speed Most Wanted is literally the best of all of the Need for Speed worlds. It combines the great car customization and open world of Underground with the police chases of Hot Pursuit and the solid racing gameplay that the entire series has been known for. Whether on the Xbox or Xbox 360, Need for Speed Most Wanted is a must play for race fans. [more reviews]



3. Forza Motorsport

Forza Motorsport is one of the best racing games on Xbox for a number of reasons. Great graphics, tons of cars, lots of customization, an extremely robust paint editor ... the list goes on and on. It is an absolute joy to play and is one of the most satisfying games on the system. There is nothing like tuning your own custom car to perfection and annihilating the competition with it. Pair Forza up with the Speedster 3 wheel from Fanatec and you're in for a treat. [more reviews]


4. RalliSport Challenge 2

Rally racing is an acquired taste, but once you get into it you’ll be hooked. Whipping around a corner at 120 mph with a thousand foot cliff only inches away is a thrill. RalliSport Challenge 2 presents the speed and adrenaline rush better than any rally racing game before it. This is more of an arcade style racer, so it isn’t so realistic and is easy to get around the track, but it is very fun and I would take fun over realism any day. [more reviews]



5. Burnout Revenge

At this point, there is little debate as to whether or not the Burnout series is among the best racing games ever. These games deliver a fast, easy to get into, and satisfying thrill that few games can match. Burnout Revenge continues that trend and stands as the best in the series and one of the best racing games on the Xbox. It makes a few key tweaks to the Burnout formula and the result is a fantastic game that deserves a spot in every Xbox owner’s collection. [more reviews]


6. Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition

The Midnight Club series has always been right at the top of the racing world and Midnight Club 3 is no exception. Tons of cars and customization options are available and the trademark lightning fast racing is back in full force. It isn't the prettiest looking game and there are a few bugs which spoil the experience a little bit, but overall this is a very solid racer that is among the best the Xbox has to offer. [more reviews]



7. MX vs. ATV Unleashed

MX vs. ATV Unleashed takes everything that made 2004's MX Unleashed so good and adds a ton of stuff on top for the ultimate offroad experience. You can ride motorcycles and ATVs and drive monster and trophy trucks all on the same race track. Throw in some helicopters and airplanes and you have something special. The gameplay is extremely sharp and the whole experience here is really enjoyable. [more reviews]



8. Grand Theft Auto Double Pack

Driving is only part of the game in Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City, but it is definitely the best part. Grabbing the nearest car and just driving around is incredibly fun. Cars, boats, motorcycles, helicopters, airplanes – whatever you want to drive is in these games. GTA doesn’t have realistic physics, but that is part of why it is so fun. You don’t have to worry about anything other than what is in the road in front of you. A great deal on two great driving games. [more reviews]


9. NASCAR 06: Total Team Control

EA and Tiburon are back for another year of NASCAR racing and their 2006 effort is one of the best yet. Pretty much everything that was included in 2005 is back and even more polished this time around. The big new feature for 2006 is that you can now switch back and forth between teammates and the goal here is to strive for team unity and strength as much as individual accomplishment. It works surprisingly well and the end result is something that NASCAR and race fans in general will love. [more reviews]


10. Simpsons Hit n Run

The best Simpsons game ever, but also a great driving game. Hit & Run plays just like Grand Theft Auto, but it takes out the crime and adds in a load of comedy. This is another game where it is fun to just hop in a car and drive around. You have lots of cars to choose from and three different sections of the city to explore, so there is a lot to see and do. Hit & Run is highly recommended even if you aren’t that big of a fan of the Simpsons. [more reviews]

Top 5 Best Desktop Replacement Laptops

Desktop replacements are one of the largest growing segments in the portable market. These system pack in the features and functions that make them competitive with full sized computers. There are even a lot of specialized multimedia and gaming models.

The following are the Five Best Laptops rated according to their configuration, real-time performance and design.


1. Dell XPS M1730

For those looking for a high performance system for gaming, Dell's XPS offers the XPS M1730 laptop. The system is highly customizable to fit to a wide variety of budgets but does offer some superb 3D graphics performance thanks to its ability to run a mobile SLI setup with NVIDIA GeForce mobile graphics processors. They even offer the Core 2 Extreme mobile processor for some of the best processing power available. Of course, the top of the line performance will cost a lot. Dell even makes a specially skinned version for those who play World of Warcraft.

Click here to compare prices and read review


2. Gateway P-173XL FX

If gaming is one of your primary reasons for getting a desktop replacement but you don't want to spend the huge sums for a gaming oriented laptop configuration, check out Gateway's FX series of laptops. The 17-inch P-173XL FX offers a very well balanced system configuration with a very strong GeForce 8800M GTS graphics processor that is even capable of playing 3D games up to the 17-inch screens 1920x1200 resolution. The RAID drive setup helps boost performance and storage space and the wide variety of peripheral connectors lets you hook up just about anything. The only real drawbacks to it are its fairly large size and battery pack that extends out from the case.

Click here to compare prices and read review


3. HP Pavilion dv9830us

If multimedia and high definition video are what draws you to a desktop replacement, HP offers some extremely strong values. The Pavilion dv9830us has a very attractive price and includes features such as a Blu-ray reader and DVD burner combo drive and digital/analog HDTV tuner card that let it play a wide variety of HD media. One big downside to the system though is the 17-inch LCD is limited to a 1440x900 resolution preventing it from being used for 1080p video. It is still possible to do it with an extrenal monitor via the HDMI connector. The price might also be so low as it uses an older Core 2 Duo T5550 mobile processor.

Click here to compare prices and read review


4. Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch

The MacBook Pro is probably one of the more expensive desktop replacement laptops on the market, but it is also the most portable. The svelte aluminum clad laptop is just one inch thick with a very light 6.8 pounds. Performance is also quite strong thanks to the Core 2 Duo T9300 processor. With the Mac OS X 10.5 operating system, it is also possible to run the Windows operating system thanks to the new Boot Camp feature. This makes the system extremely flexible in what it can run. The price just makes it something that many people might reconsider.

Click here to compare prices and read review


5. Lenovo IdeaPad Y710

Prior to the purchase by Lenovo, IBM was not a company that built any laptops with screens larger than 15-inches. The IdeaPad Y710 was a major step away from that by producing the first 17-inch desktop replacement laptop. The system integrates well loved features such as the ThinkPads great keyboard design and matched it with features consumers would like. The system ranges for very affordable budget systems to high end PC gaming platforms. Whether you need an affordable system, strong general performance or gaming, Lenovo has an IdeaPad Y710 that can match those needs.

Click here to compare prices and read review

The Most Expensive Watches!!!

1. Zadora Timepieces

Manufacturer: Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof
The latest offering by Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof is a bee of oxidised palladium and micro pave. The bee is adorned with black and canary yellow diamonds, pear-shaped emerald eyes with a baroque south sea pearl in its mouth.
Price: $150,000


2. Titanic Watches

Manufacturer: Romain Jerome
A Swiss jeweller is now offering watches made from the hull of the Titanic.
The metal has been mixed with shipbuilding steel to make the casing. The black dials have been made by mixing the recovered coal burned in the Titanic's furnaces with ceramics.
Price: $152,435


3. Double Tourbillon

Manfacturer: Breguet
The Breguet Double Tourbillion comes hand-engraved with an image of the solar system.
This double-tourbillon watch has a 95 per cent pure platinum case while the blued-steel Breguet hands are wound manually and do not contain springs.
Price: $329,000


4. Opera Onev

Manufacturer: Girard-Perregaux
This beautiful platinum timepiece includes an alligator band and features a Westminster minute repeater and tourbillon with three gold bridges, manual winding, 75-hour power reserve and a see-through backing.
The watch has a power reserve indicator, a subsecond complication, a minute repeater and a truly elegant face.
What differentiates Girard-Perregaux's Opera Three from other luxury watches is its ability to sound passing hours not with a beep but with actual tunes.
Price: $495,000


5. Grande Complication

Manufacturer: Blancpain
This wristwatch has a minute repeater, split-seconds chronograph, tourbillon, perpetual calendar, moon phase and an automatic winding mechanism.
The sleek crocodile wristband further adds to the look. It takes the maker eight to 10 months to piece together all 740 components and only 18 of a limited run of 30 watches have been assembled till now.
Price: $785,000


6. Tecnica Skeleton Chronograph

Manufacturer: Parmigiani Fleurier
This watch hit the market early this year.
Each unit of the watch includes a platinum case and other interesting features like a minute repeater, tourbillon and chronograph, as well as a cathedral chime.
Price: $850,000


7. Classical Billionaire Tourbillion

Manufacturer: Corum
The shimmering wristwatch is adorned with 850 diamonds and boasts a dazzling skeleton dial with skeleton hour and minute hands. The watch is manually wound with 90-hour power reserve and features Caliber CO-372 by Corum and La Joux-Perret.
Rightly named so, the Billionaire Tourbillion comes in many versions with price ranging from $325,000 to $998,000. Only 10 pieces are in production.
Price: $998,000


8. Big Bang Chronograph

Manufacturer: Hublot, Bunter SA
The renowned watchmaker, Hublot, in alliance with a diamond-setting workshop, Bunter SA, designed and developed an elite watch dubbed Big Bang.
The $1-million Big Bang boasts a fully invisible setting that makes the material disappear. Only things that can be seen are the diamonds.
The credit goes to the craftsmen who accomplished the tedious job of making this exclusive watch, which was not feasible a few years ago.
Price: $1 milllion


9. Tour de l'Ile

Manufacturer: Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Costantin's Tour de l'Ile was designed in 2005. The collectible piece is also the most complicated double-face watch, and only produced in a limited edition of seven.
This 834-part watch took over 10,000 man-hours to be made and features an 18-carat silver gold dial with a hand-sewn alligator leather band and pink gold buckle.
It touts an original combination of horological complications and astronomical indications forming 16 different points, including a minute repeater, sunset time, perpetual calendar, second time zone, and a tourbillon device.
Price: $1.5 million


10. Joaillerie 101 Manchette

Manufacturer: Jaeger-LeCoultre
In this watch, a unsystematic series of polished or gem-set links (a jewellery puzzle) hides the exalted Calibre 101.
It's wonderful to look for the time through the gold, diamonds and onyx cabochons.
The wristwatch is festooned with 576 diamonds and comes in 18-carat white gold. The versions with Onyx have 400 diamonds and 11 onyx cabochons.
Price: Unknown at the moment

source:studentrockstars

IBM Roadrunner Judged World's Fastest Computer

IBM (NYSE: IBM)'s Roadrunner, which provides more than 1 quadrillion calculations a second for nuclear security and scientific research at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, topped the list Wednesday of the world's 500 fastest computers. The supercomputer also was found to be one of the most energy-efficient systems.

IBM also grabbed the No. 2 and No. 3 slots in the Top 500 list with the Blue Gene/L system at the National Nuclear Security Administration's Lawrence Livermore National Lab in California and the Team Blue Gene/P system at the Department of Energy's Argonne National Lab in Chicago, respectively. The biannual list was released at the International Supercomputing Conference in Dresden, Germany.

The $100 million Roadrunner, built by IBM and scientists at the NNSA-run Los Alamos in New Mexico, gets its muscle of 1.026 petaflops from 12,240 IBM PowerXCell 8i chips, which handle the math-intensive calculations. For all other chores, the machine uses 6,562 Opteron Dual-Core processors from Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD). The PowerXCell chips are derived from the same processors that power Sony (NYSE: SNE)'s PlayStation 3 video game console.

The Roadrunner, which is based on IBM QS22 blade servers, is more than twice as powerful as the Blue Gene/L system, which held the top spot in the last list, released in November. That machine clocked in at 478 teraflops, or 478 trillion calculations per second. The No. 3 Team Blue Gene reaches 450-teraflop performance.

Rounding out the top five systems was the new Sun Microsystems (NSDQ: JAVA)' Sun Blade x6420 Ranger system, at 326 teraflops, and the upgraded Cray XT4 Jaguar, at 205 teraflops. The Sun system is at the Texas Advanced Computing Center at the University of Texas, and the Cray machine is at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

The remaining top 10 systems, respectively, were the IBM Blue Gene/P system at Forschungszentrum Juelich in Germany, the SGI Altix ICE 8200 at the New Mexico Computing Applications Center, the Hewlett-Packard Cluster Platform 3000 BL460c at the Computational Research Laboratories in India, the IBM Blue Gene/P at IDRIS in France, and the SGI Altix ICE 8200EX at Total Exploration Production in France.

IBM had 210 systems on the list, the most of any supercomputer vendor. HP, however, was not far behind with 183 systems, including the No. 8 system.

source:Information week

Top 10 Cams from PC-World-Chart

1. Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS

Max. Megapixels: 8, Optical Zoom: 3X, Zoom Range Min. (mm): 38, Zoom Range Max. (mm): 114, Media Slots: SD Card,

Bottom Line: Sleek design, superb image capability and intuitive controls make the SD1100 IS a solid buy.

2. Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2

Max. Megapixels: 10, Optical Zoom: 4X, Zoom Range Min. (mm): 28, Zoom Range Max. (mm): 112, Weight (ounces): 7.8, Media Slots: SD Card,

Bottom Line: High image quality and widescreen format are this camera's best attributes, though some controls could be easier to use.

3. Kodak EasyShare C653

Max. Megapixels: 6.1, Optical Zoom: 3X, Zoom Range Min. (mm): 36, Zoom Range Max. (mm): 108, Weight (ounces): 6.9, Media Slots: SD Card,

Bottom Line: The C653 is easy to use, delivers high-quality photos, and offers in-camera panorama stitching. But battery life is low.

4. Nikon Coolpix L10

Max. Megapixels: 5, Optical Zoom: 3X, Zoom Range Min. (mm): 37.5, Zoom Range Max. (mm): 112.5, Weight (ounces): 6, Media Slots: SD Card,

Bottom Line: The L10 is sleek and offers custom white balance, panorama mode, and face recognition auto focus. But the LCD is small.

5. Nikon Coolpix S500

Max. Megapixels: 7.1, Optical Zoom: 3X, Zoom Range Min. (mm): 35, Zoom Range Max. (mm): 105, Weight (ounces): 4.8, Media Slots: SD Card,

Bottom Line: The S500's face detection and optical image stabilization help it deliver top-quality shots.

6. Fujifilm FinePix A610

Max. Megapixels: 6.3, Optical Zoom: 3X, Zoom Range Min. (mm): 39, Zoom Range Max. (mm): 117, Weight (ounces): 6.8, Media Slots: xD-Picture Card, SD Card,

Bottom Line: Offers limited controls, such as exposure compensation and white balance presets, but for low light reaches only ISO 400.

7. Fujifilm FinePix F50fd

Max. Megapixels: 12, Optical Zoom: 3X, Zoom Range Min. (mm): 35, Zoom Range Max. (mm): 105, Weight (ounces): 6.3, Media Slots: xD-Picture Card,

Bottom Line: Though it looks dull compared to some of the flasher models we tested, it has all the latest features and takes great shots.

8. Canon Powershot A460

Max. Megapixels: 5, Optical Zoom: 4X, Zoom Range Min. (mm): 38, Zoom Range Max. (mm): 152, Weight (ounces): 7.5, Media Slots: SD Card,

Bottom Line: Offers controls such as exposure compensation, and has a super macro mode, though you're limited to ISO 400.

9. HP Photosmart R937

Max. Megapixels: 8, Optical Zoom: 3X, Zoom Range Min. (mm): 39, Zoom Range Max. (mm): 118, Weight (ounces): 7.8, Media Slots: SD Card,

Bottom Line: The enormous touch-screen display looks spectacular and makes the R937 a cinch to use.

10. Canon A470

Max. Megapixels: 7.1, Optical Zoom: 3.4X, Zoom Range Min. (mm): 38, Zoom Range Max. (mm): 132, Weight (ounces): 5.82, Media Slots: SD Card,

Bottom Line: For just $130, the PowerShot A470 is a good option for your kids or as a no-frills point-and-shoot.

Wierd Watches over the net