open gmail directly in basic HTML mode

How many of you have been stuck on a low bandwidth internet connection and your Gmail won't just open. It just loads and shows you a blank page. This happens when you are accessing gmail from a low bandwidth connection and/or a crappy PC. Gmail just shows loading for second time and man it is stuck. The remedy at that moment is to switch to the basic HTML view and check your mail. But what if it doesn't show you "Switch to basic HTML view" option after loading!!!

So here's the remedy. Sign into gmail and let it load. If it fully loads well and good but if it takes time or gets stuck just paste the following code into the address bar

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=html&zy=d


and Voila the Gmail opens in basic html view. Some features like chat may be disabled but You'll have to suffice with that.

Thin Is In: Size Zero Notebook From HP

The notebook measures less than one-inch thick and weighs 1.64 kgs.

Thursday, April 09, 2009: Thin is in for the notebook PC market. Entering the ultra-thin notebook race, HP has launched the HP Pavilion dv2 Entertainment Notebook PC in India. This size zero notebook is just under 1-inch thin and weighs 1.64 kgs.
The compact dv2 notebook packs a powerful punch internally as well. It is equipped with energy-efficient AMD Athlon Neo processor, ATI Radeon X1250 integrated graphics and optional ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 discrete graphics.

Inspired by liquid metallic forms, the clean architectural lines of each notebook is complemented by the 12.1” LED Backlit Widescreen display and a lustrous glossy finish in a choice of Espresso Black and Moonlight White HP Imprints. It houses a 12.1-inch diagonal HP BrightView display in a sturdy lightweight magnesium-alloy case.

Commenting on the launch, Diptesh Ghosh, category head, consumer notebook, HP Personal Systems Group (PSG), India, quipped, “We understand the discerning demands of people today and their aspiration to own a notebook that is not only good looking and portable but also kicks a punch when it comes to form and functionality, a notebook that suits their personality and lifestyle quotient. This is a perfect notebook meant for consumers who value a perfect mix of mobility, entertainment and productivity - at a competitive price.”

The dv2 also offers entertainment features including the integrated entertainment experience on the HP MediaSmart, and HD playback through an external Blu-Ray optical drive. Windows Vista technology and a variety of high-capacity hard drive options up to 500 gigabytes (GB) also provides ample room for the largest digital libraries, while HP ProtectSmart technology gives consumers peace of mind that their hard drives are protected even while on-the-go.

The dv2 also supports optional built-in WWAN for wireless connectivity and includes an HP Webcam and integrated microphone. With six-eight hours of battery life, Dv2 is also ENERGY STAR qualified and EPEAT Silver registered.

The HP Pavilion dv2 is available at Rs 37,490 (plus taxes).

iRing

iRing is a control playback for your Apple media devices. As a simple ring which fits on a finger, it has a wireless Bluetooth connectivity with iPod and iPhone. “iRing features a bright OLED status display with touch-sensitive function strip, and a rechargeable battery life of up to 2 days. Conveniently recharge your iRing using the included cradle.” Neither price nor production dates are known.

Vaio Zoom::Future of laptop

Sony Vaio Zoom Concept is Exactly How We Want Laptops to Look in the Future.

This Vaio Zoom laptop concept is one of the coolest we've seen. Featuring a holographic glass screen that goes transparent and a keyboard that turns opaque when turned off, it's slick and beautiful. And sure, a touch keyboard like this would be extremely annoying without haptic feedback and screens like that don't really exist yet, but it's an interesting look at what we'll be playing with a few years down the line. Despite the fact that this isn't an official Sony concept, we still think they should work at making it a reality. Check another image after the jump.

Say hello to Gmail voice and video chat

I'm a big user of Gmail chat. Being able to switch from email to chat as needed, all within the same app, is really great for productivity. But people can only type so fast, and even with our new emoticons, there are still some things that just can't be expressed in a chat message.
that's why google has launched voice and video chat -- right inside Gmail. They've tried to make this an easy-to-use, seamless experience, with high-quality audio and video -- all for free. All you have to do is download and install the voice and video plugin and we take care of the rest. And in the spirit of open communications, we designed this feature using Internet standards such as XMPP, RTP, and H.264, which means that third-party applications and networks can choose to interoperate with Gmail voice and video chat.

Once you install the plugin, to start a video chat, just click on the "Video & more" menu at the bottom of your Gmail chat window, and choose "Start video chat." You'll have a few seconds to make sure you look presentable while it's ringing, and then you'll see and hear your friend live, right from within Gmail. You can click the "pop-out" icon to make the video larger, or click the fullscreen icon in the upper left-hand corner for a fully immersive experience. See this all in action in the video below:



They've just started to roll out Gmail voice and video chat for both PCs and Macs, so if you don't see it right away, don't worry -- it could take a day or so for this feature to be available in all Gmail and Google Apps accounts. If you want to download the plugin right away, visit http://gmail.com/videochat.

Thanks to Justin Uberti, Software Engineer in google inc.

Skin-tenna: Antenna That Uses Skin To Transmit Signals

Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed a wireless antenna that channels signals along human skin could broadcast signals over your body to connect up medical implants or portable gadgets. The new power-efficient approach could make more of established medical devices like pacemakers or help future implants distributed around the body work together.

Skin-tenna works by taking advantage of the creeping wave effect that allows waves to travel along a surface, due to mismatches between the air and the surface, and allows wireless devices (like pacemakers) to communicate more efficiently with devices anywhere on the body. Signals are channeled out sideways along the skin by this reflection and the conducting plate. That makes the antenna more efficient, which could double the battery life of body-worn gadgets.

The future may be filled with wearable device are powered by body heat or water or bacteria and communicate by sending signals along the surface of our skin. Now that’s a future that sounds exciting.