Google Mini Search Appliance.

The Google Mini offers the simplicity and power of Google's universal search technology at a great price. An integrated hardware and software solution, the Mini offers true plug-and-play installation and can be purchased online. Whether you're looking to search your company's internal information or your public website, the Mini has the features for your business.Search your corporate data and improve employee productivity With the Google Mini, you can offer employees relevant and secure search across intranets, file servers, and business applications. Employees' familiarity with Google's user interface from searching on Google.com will facilitate adoption in your enterprise, and instant access to corporate information will make them more productive.
Add search to your public website for increased conversion rates and page views If you operate a public website, you probably already know that your visitors rely on search to find products and information on your site. When visitors cannot find what they search for, they leave your site. With relevant search results, they'll be more likely to purchase from and return to your website.
The Google Mini's relevant search results and customizable user interface make it a perfect solution for website search. Integration with Google Sitemaps also makes it easy to submit your website for inclusion in Google.com search results.The Google Mini works with over 220 different file formats and its integration with existing security systems ensures that employees can only access information they are supposed to view.The same reliable results you expect from Google web search can be yours on your corporate network or public website with the Google Mini search appliance.This combined hardware and software solution is easy to use, simple to deploy, and can begin providing relevant and secure search results in just a few short hours. The Google Mini can search up to 300,000 documents in 220 different file types and supports document-level security so that users only see the content they're authorized to view. And the Mini's new OneBox for Enterprise feature enables users to view search results from a variety of business applications in a single Google interface.The price includes 1 year of full customer support, software updates, and replacement coverage.Visit http://www.googlestore.com/appliance/product.asp?catid=3For more details ……………

Lock your folder with Microsoft Private Folder

Microsoft Private Folder created a single folder on the user's desktop which, when opened for the first time, prompted the user to assign it a password. the user had to re-enter the same password to re access the folder . Microsoft Private Folder is a useful tool for you to protect your private data when your administrator or other people share your PC or account. It is assumed that Private Folder used strong encryption with a key based solely on this password to secure the data contained in the folder. This is in contrast to Microsoft's Encrypting File System, where encryption is tied to a keypair which can be made accessible to IT staff.Private Folder used a system service called prfldrsvc (display name: Private Folder Service), the function of which is not yet publicly known.

Download Now :
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Security/Lockdown/Microsoft-Private-Folder.shtml
http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/f/e/9fee44c7-70ac-46d8-a11c-c3fdc2c3c265/mspf10enu.Msi
Remember don't forget the password :-)

Tech updates on Video games

Sony introduced a slimmed down version of the PS2 in November 2004. The new PS2 also has an Ethernet connection port.
Sony also announced that they would be using Blu-Ray discs for the PS3.
Microsoft's next version of the Xbox will come out in three stages. First, is the Xbox Next, which will not have a hard drive. Second, is the Xbox Next HD, which will have a hard drive and possibly a video recorder. Finally there is the Xbox Next PC that will combine the Xbox Next with a low level PC.
Nintendo released the handheld Nintendo DS in November 2004. The game system has dual screens and a bundle with a game sells for around $180.
Sony has yet to release their new handheld game system the PSP in the US. It was released in Japan in December 2004 and has already sold over 800,000. It is expected that the PSP won't arrive in the US and UK until March 2005.
California passed a watered down version of Assembly Bill 1793 in 2004. The bill originally set out to regulate the sale of M rated video games to minors. The final bill requires retailers to post information about game ratings and to provide a brochure on the subject.
Video gaming appears to be moving in two directions. In one direction are more powerful consoles with more ٌrealisticî games such as the Army's training game Full Spectrum Warrior, now a popular game for the X-box.
In the other direction, low tech, casual, and retro games are increasingly popular. Low-tech, casual on-line games are very popular with women. Yahoo has 10 million players per month with one third of the players are women. EA's Pogo.com has 14 million players per month, 55% of them women.
Radica Games and Jakks Pacific are offering retro games with the Sega Genesis and the Atari System. Jakks Pacific has a system that retails for $20 with 4-10 games built in such as Asteroids, Centipede, and Ms. Pac Man.
Nintendo has released some information on its new handheld, the DS, and its new console, code name ٌRevolution.î The company says it will focus on casual users and new ways to play games rather than faster, more powerful, and ٌmore realisticî games and systems ـ the strategy of rivals Sony and Microsoft.
Finally, who says you can't make money playing video games. Korean cable television now has 3 channels devoted to live video game matches between professional video game players.
Nintendo released the DS on November 21, 2004. The handheld device sells for $149.99 and includes dual screens, a touch pad and voice recognition. It also allows wireless communication and PictoChat software. The DS is also backwards compatible with Game Boy Advance games.
The Sony PSP was released on March 24, 2005. This device sells for $249.99. The PSP has 802.11b wireless connectivity and USB 2.0 and Memory Stick inputs. The device plays games and movies on UMDs. The PSP is also an MP3 player. Hackers have already created new functions for the PSP including an e-book reader, instant messaging, and the ability to download programming from TiVo.
Microsoft introduced the X-Box 360 on MTV May 12, 2005. The next generation X-Box indeed has a hard drive – 20 GBs – that is upgradeable and detachable. It uses an IBM PowerPC processor. It is Wi-Fi ready and has built in Ethernet support. The console also has built in HD game support and it has زout of the box access to Xbox Live featuresس The rumor is that the console will be released before Thanksgiving (November 24, 2005).
Due out in Spring 2006, the PS3 will be backwards compatible with the Playstation 2 and 1. It will use a PowerPC based chip called the "Cell" and will also support High Definition. Like the Xbox 360, the PS3 is Wi-Fi ready and has built in Ethernet. Games will use Blue-ray discs.
The popular game "Grand Theft Auto 3: San Andreas" had it's rating changed from M to AO (Adult-Only) after adult sexual content was discovered within the game. Users could unlock the content with secret codes. The game was pulled from the shelves of major retailers including Wal*Mart and Target.

Recent Developments in Personal Computers

Apple introduced the Mac mini, an affordable computer that sells for $499 and up. The computer includes a G4 processor and Apple's iLife software. The computer doesn't include a keyboard, mouse, or monitor though.
The EU ruled that Microsoft had to remove Windows Media Player from Windows. Microsoft didn't appeal and will ship the stripped down version of Windows to Europe in 2005.
Microsoft continues to make news. The U.S. appeals court finally approved Microsoft's 2001 anti-trust settlement with the Justice Department. However, the company's anti-trust problems are far from over. Microsoft as of Summer 2004 is challenging a European Union decision that it violated anti-trust rules, arguing that the rules were misapplied. Finally the company is under serious pressure as nations are frequently turning to open source software, such as Linux. In response, Microsoft has cut the price for its software in some poorer nations that are rapidly expanding computer use. For example, a Thai language version of XP with MS Office sells for just $36.
Software piracy continues to be a problem. The Business Software Alliance reported that $29 billion are lost each year.
Apple Computers released the newest version of its operating system OS X called ٌTiger.î
Apple announced in June 2005 that it will be switching to Intel processors. The chips will allow Mac computers to "run faster and cooler, and have longer battery life" according to Walter Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal. The first computers with the new chip are expected in Spring 2006.
Microsoft introduced the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, which works with Media Centers PCs. The operating system includes Windows Media Player 10, DVD and CD burning, improved gaming and Windows Movie Maker 2.1.

Exxon helping to power electric cars

VANCOUVER, December 5, 2007 (GLOBE-Net) –Exxon Mobil Corp., the largest oil company in the United States, has developed a technology that may help the automotive industry switch to lighter, more efficient lithium batteries and open the door to the next generation of hybrid and electric vehicles.
ExxonMobil and Japanese affiliate, Tonen Chemical, have developed a thin film separator that will allow lithium batteries large enough for an automobile to be produced without overheating.
“By developing new film technologies that allow lithium-ion batteries to meet hybrid and electric vehicle requirements, ExxonMobil Chemical is helping to make next generation vehicles more energy and cost efficient, as well as lighter,” said Jim P. Harris, senior vice president, ExxonMobil Chemical Company.
Currently, nickel hydride batteries are widely used in automobiles, while lithium batteries remain small and primarily used in consumer electronics. Although nickel hydride batteries are not as cost effective, efficient or light as heir lithium counterparts, lithium batteries of a size adequate for automobiles easily overheat and can catch on fire.
Separators, which exist in all lithium batteries, insulate the anode from the cathode through the centre of the battery to prevent overheating. As lithium batteries become larger, without adding sufficient insulation, the heat generated between the anode and cathode can overcome the separator.
This has prevented lithium batteries from replacing nickel hydride in vehicles and in turn prevented the development of more cost effective and efficient hybrids, thereby stalling the release of a fully electric plug-in car.
Unlike earlier gasoline-electric hybrids, which run on a system of twin batteries and a combustion engine, plug-ins are zero emission and optimally designed for short commutes. Powered entirely by an electric motor and a battery charged through a socket at home, the operation of these vehicles does not contribute to GHG emissions.
Major cities that experience some of the highest vehicle-related emissions levels in the world would benefit greatly from the growth of the plug-in technology market.
Exxon, a company that in the past was criticized for ignoring the urgency of climate change, believes its innovative battery technology may be a major breakthrough in mitigating the crisis. Exxon is demonstrating that even one of the world’s largest oil companies can do its part to reduce a dependence on fossil fuels.
Automobile manufacturers are all ready planning to launch fully electric vehicles, The Chevrolet Volt from General Motors is to be released by the end of 2010. The new technology from Exxon may prompt a more rapid and wider release from other manufacturers.
ExxonMobil Chemical will present the new film technologies at the 23rd Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exposition (EVS-23) in Anaheim, Calif. on December 2-5, 2007.
The AutoFuture Tech Summit 2008, which takes place in tandem with the Globe 2008 International Trade Fair in Vancouver, BC, will feature speakers and exhibits on lithium batteries and hybrid cars. The economic, social and environmental potential of plug-in vehicles and the impacts these will have on the future of the automobile industry will be explored at AutoFuture Tech.

Canada Launches Latest Clean Energy Software

BALI, December 11, 2007 (GLOBE-Net) - Canada’s Environment Minister, John Baird, together with Natural Resources Minister, Gary Lunn, today officially launched the latest version of RETScreen, a highly successful software tool developed by Natural Resources Canada to help assess the viability of clean energy projects. The software, available in 26 languages is provided free to industry and the public includes a full array of financially viable clean power, heating and cooling technologies and energy efficiency measures.
The RETScreen International Clean Energy Decision Support Centre seeks to build the capacity of planners, decision-makers and industry to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. This objective is achieved by: developing decision-making tools (e.g. RETScreen Software) that reduce the cost of pre-feasibility studies; disseminating knowledge to help people make better decisions; and by training people to better analyse the technical and financial viability of possible projects.
The RETScreen Project Analysis Software is a unique decision support tool developed with the contribution of numerous experts from government, industry, and academia. The software, provided free-of-charge, can be used worldwide to evaluate the energy production and savings, life-cycle costs, emission reductions, financial viability and risk for various types of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies (RETs).
The software also includes product, cost and climate databases, and a detailed online user manual. Other tools include: a case study based college/university-level training course; an engineering electronic textbook; and this Website. All of these tools are available free-of-charge in English and French, with many of the tools available in other languages.
It is used worldwide by more than 129,000 people, including architects, planners, investors and industry decision makers. The Government of Canada and partners have invested $1.8 million over the past two years to create the latest and most in-depth version of RETScreen.
The demand for the new version is expected to be high with new features such as energy-efficiency models used for residential, commercial and institutional buildings and for industrial facilities and processes, additional language support and access to NASA’s global climate data for the entire surface of the planet.

Program to Accelerate the Deployment of CO2 Capture and Storage

A Program to Accelerate the Deployment of CO2 Capture and Storage: Rationale, Objectives, and Cost is the first in a series of Pew Center papers that explore strategies for addressing CO2 emissions from using coal to provide electricity.
This white paper analyzes one strategy for accelerating the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) by the coal-fueled electricity generation industry.
This strategy involves providing reimbursement for the incremental costs of installing and operating CCS systems, with reimbursement provided for retrofitting existing coal-fueled electricity generation plants with CCS, incorporating CCS into new plants, and launching large-scale demonstrations of geologic storage of carbon.
One of the most significant challenges in addressing global climate change is reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from the use of coal. Coal use, primarily for the generation of electricity, now accounts for roughly 20 percent of global GHG emissions.
Rising energy demand will continue to drive up coal consumption, particularly in countries with large reserves such as the United States, China, and India. By 2030, GHG emissions from coal-fired power plants in these three countries alone may be equivalent to one-fourth of total global energy-related emissions today.
To avoid—or minimize—dangerous human interference with the climate system and at the same time ensure adequate, affordable energy supplies, it is critical that these and other countries adopt policies and technologies that enable continued use of coal while dramatically reducing its GHG emissions profile. To help address this challenge, the Pew Center is undertaking a major initiative to identify policy options for reducing coal-related GHG emissions. This initiative will produce a series of papers examining:
Technology pathways for future coal use, both for power generation and other potential end uses, that will assist in reducing emissions, particularly by enabling the introduction of carbon capture-and-storage (CCS) technologies; and
Policy options at the national, state, and international levels to drive the deployment of advanced generation technologies and, ultimately, widespread capture and sequestration of coal-related GHG emissions.
These papers will be undertaken in collaboration with leading experts and with advice and input from a Consultative Group of experts, policymakers, and stakeholders. Please click on report titles in the "Related Content" box to view the Coal Series white papers.
The report was prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, October 2007 By: Vello A. Kuuskraa, President, Advanced Resources International, Inc.