HP launches thinnest Laptops in Pakistan

Karachi: Hewlett-Packard (HP) introduced thinnest `Ultra-slim Notebooks' in Pakistan. An introduction ceremony to this effect was held at a local hotel on Wednesday. It was pointed out on the occasion that HP continued its leadership in the high-growth thin and light notebook category by introducing new `Ultra-slim Notebooks' in Pakistan on Wednesday. A comprehensive new notebook portfolio from HP included HP Pavilion dm3, the HP Pavilion TM2 Tablet Notebook, the Mini311 slim and the already launched AMD Based DV2.

Philip Lau, General Manager Asia Emerging Countries (AEC) and Pakistan HP, spoke about the salient features of the notebooks. He was of the view that the HP's thin and `attractively priced notebooks have the potential to resonate with consumers in Asia and become a major driver for the overall PC market in the process'. Philip maintained that the HP is well positioned to take advantage of this growth with its portfolio of thin and light notebooks that address both businesses and consumers computing needs, he further opined.
APP (Associated Press of Pakistan)

Being bored could be bad for your health

London : Can you really be bored to death? In a commentary to be published in the International Journal of Epidemiology in April, experts say there's a possibility that the more bored you are, the more likely you are to die early. Annie Britton and Martin Shipley of University College London caution that boredom alone isn't likely to kill you — but it could be a symptom of other risky behavior like drinking, smoking, taking drugs or having a psychological problem. The researchers analyzed questionnaires completed between 1985 and 1988 by more than 7,500 London civil servants ages 35 to 55. The civil servants were asked if they had felt bored at work during the previous month. Britton and Shipley then tracked down how many of the participants had died by April 2009. Those who reported they had been very bored were two and a half times more likely to die of a heart problem than those who hadn't reported being bored. But when the authors made a statistical adjustment for other potential risk factors, like physical activity levels and employment grade, the effect was reduced.

Other experts said while the research was preliminary, the link between boredom and increased heart problems was possible — if not direct.

"Someone who is bored may not be motivated to eat well, exercise, and have a heart-healthy lifestyle. That may make them more likely to have a cardiovascular event," said Dr. Christopher Cannon, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard University and spokesman for the American College of Cardiology. He also said if people's boredom was ultimately linked to depression, it wouldn't be surprising if they were more susceptible to heart attacks; depression has long been recognized as a risk factor for heart disease. Cannon also said it was possible that when people are bored, dangerous hormones are released in the body that stress the heart. Britton and Shipley said boredom was probably not in itself that deadly. "The state of boredom is almost certainly a proxy for other risk factors," they wrote. "It is likely that those who were bored were also in poor health."

Others said boredom was potentially as dangerous as stress.

"Boredom is not innocuous," said Sandi Mann, a senior lecturer in occupational psychology at the University of Central Lancashire who studies boredom. She said boredom is linked to anger suppression, which can raise blood pressure and suppress the body's natural immunity. "People who are bored also tend to eat and drink more, and they're probably not eating carrots and celery sticks," she said.

Still, Mann said it was only people who were chronically bored who should be worried.

"Everybody is bored from time to time," she said.
Associated Press, 2010

Google working on voice translator phone, redefining synergy

Okay, so Google has this expansive online translation service, which we all know, use, and sometimes even love. Google also has its own branded phone, with a voice recognition function that we frankly adore. So what's a brave new age company with bottomless pockets to do but try to splice the two together into some kind of omnilingual instant translator? Speech-to-speech translation -- long the exclusive plaything of fanciful sci-fi writers -- is said by Franz Och, Google's head of translation services, to be a viable possibility within a measly couple of years. The Mountain View approach to overcoming the inherent problems of variable pitch, tone and accents in speech will be to use each person's phone to accrue data on his or her linguistic idiosyncrasies, so that the more the phone's voice recognition is used, the more accurate it becomes. Sounds tres bien to us.

Times Online Engadget®

BenQ V2220 claims 'world's slimmest' monitor title

BenQ is on the warpath today, updating its V series and crying from the mountaintops about unbeatable slimness and contrast ratios. We could care less about the supposedly class leading 10,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, but the 15mm thinness on the flagship V2220 certainly intrigues. It's claimed as the thinnest 21.5-inch monitor around and its junior sibling, the 18.5-inch V920, shaves another millimeter of thickness off while claiming the same title for its size class. Naturally, they're supplemented by slightly bulkier 23- and 24-inch varieties (V2320 and V2420, respectively) for those who need the extra room, with H variants offering HDMI and headphone connection options. You can expect 1920 x 1080 (1366 x 768 on the V920) resolution, 250 nits of brightness, 5ms response time and a good 1,000:1 real contrast ratio across the board, with the Taiwan launch set for the next couple of months followed by global availability in June.

Far East Gizmos

  BenQ

 Engadget®

Public invited to question Nasa astronauts via Twitter

Washington: With astronauts now sending a steady stream of 'tweets' from space, NASA is inviting the public to ask them questions using the popular micro-blogging service. The US space agency said astronaut Mike Massimino at Mission Control in Houston, Texas, will relay questions submitted over the next few days to the crew of Endeavor. They will be answered during a live 20-minute question-and-answer session beginning at 3:24 am (0824 GMT) on February 11 which will also be shown on the Web and on NASA Television, NASA said. Questions should be sent to Massimino's Twitter feed at @astro_Mike. Endeavor is scheduled to blast off Sunday on a mission to the International Space Station, where two other astronauts, Timothy "TJ" Creamer, a NASA flight engineer, and Japan's Soichi Noguchi, have been "tweeting" regularly.

Creamer's Twitter account is @Astro_TJ while Noguchi "tweets" at @Astro_Soichi.

Besides 140-character-or-less messages, Noguchi has been using Twitpic to send spectacular pictures of Earth as seen from space, including views of Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Fuji and other landmarks. Creamer sent the first "tweet" from space two weeks ago after getting a personal Web connection on the International Space Station. Massimino, who flew on the space shuttle Atlantis in May, also "tweeted" from space but needed an assist from the ground to get his message out. Previous "tweets" from space were actually sent by by email to the ground and support personnel posted them to Twitter accounts.
AFP (Agence France-Presse)
aaj.tv

Karachi Bomb strikes Jinnah Hospital, 10 dead

Karachi : At least 10 people were killed and 50 others were wounded on Sunday after another bomb struck the Karachi’s Jinnah Hospital.

The blast took place at a time when the dead and the injured of Shahra-e-Faisal blast were being shifted to the hospital’s Emergency Ward.

According to source, the blast left more than 50 people injured.

The injured are new being rushed to other hospitals after the blast.

A large number of relatives of the first blast victims were present at the time of second blast.

Iran successfully fires satellite rocket: TV

Tehran : Iran successfully fired on Wednesday a home-built satellite rocket, Kavoshgar 3, carrying an 'experimental capsule,' state-owned Al-Alam television reported.

It gave no further details.

State television meanwhile showed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiling a new home-built satellite carrier rocket, Simorgh.

The events are part of celebrations marking the 31st anniversary of the founding of the Islamic revolution.

The milk-bottle shaped rocket, emblazoned in blue with the words "Satellite Carrier Simorgh," is equipped to carry a 100-kilogramme (220-pound) satellite 500 kilometres (310 miles) into orbit, the television report said.
(AFP)

I don’t know how much I earn: SRK

Mumbai: He came, he mouthed dialogues from his super-hit films and he conquered. In his own signature style. And very few can say ‘Kem cho Amdavad’ with so much of warmth. Well, when you are talking about superstar Shah Rukh Khan, everything has to be in perfect harmony. And yes, he didn’t forget to promote his friend Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots. “3 Idiots is a very nice film, I want each one of you to see it,” says Shah Rukh who came to Ahmedabad after a decade. “I hardly get time to go on a holiday, I travel only while I am shooting. The city roads are very beautiful here. I have friends here whom I call Jaybhai and Juhiben,” he laughs. And he loves his share of “khandvi, dhokla and theplas. I love Gujarati food.” Talking about his forthcoming film My Name Is Khan, SRK who was in town to inaugurate a miniplex in the city says, “It has got nothing to do with my real name. My last film was Billoo. It is the subject of the film and this is the name that suits the film. It is just a co-incidence.” clarifies SRK. And after years, he’s back with Kajol on the silver screen and the entire nation is waiting to see them together. And when the film is directed by Karan Johar, it has to be more special. “They (Karan and Kajol) both are talented. I am working with Kajol after years — she is marvellous and beautiful. Karan feels a lot for me — whenever he wishes to cast me, he writes a film for me,” he says.
The film is different from what he has done in the past. So is it a conscious decision to do such a film? “I am not someone who believes to doing a film just because it is off beat. There is something special in every role I do. The essence is that I leave something of me in every role — not 100 per cent. This role is very special as it is more technical and I had to learn a lot about it,” he says.
And he dismisses all talks of reinventing himself as an actor. “I am the same old actor. When people question me I really look back and think but I feel people love characters like Rahul or Raj because they are different. Every role is different and I am not reinventing myself as an actor,” says SRK.
In the midst of talks on films and success, he adds, “I wasn’t supposed to work for nine months after my surgery but I did work on a slow pace. I believe the show must go on. This is also the price a star has to pay. But the good thing was that I got to spend a lot of time with my kids. Both my children boss over me and it is meant to be like that. My strength to work in such situations comes from my family and people who love to watch me,” he says.
And how does he see tomorrow? On a philosophical note, he says, “I am where I never thought I would be. I got much more that what I had expected. I am strong believer in God, hard work and honesty. My family and my close relationships keep me grounded and they are more important than my career. My family likes me as a person and not because I am an actor. I never mix the two. I don’t know how much I earn or how many awards I have received.”
And yes, the man who has ruled many hearts across the world has a word of advice: “Money is a good thing to run after. It is very important to be financially stable but you have to keep your wrongs and rights in mind. Don’t shy away from earning but without selling your soul.”

iPad, the latest from Apple,

San Francisco: The iPad, a touchscreen tablet computer unveiled by Apple chief executive Steve Jobs on Wednesday, is the latest device from a company that has introduced products that have become cultural milestones:

Here is a look at some of the best-known products from the Cupertino, California-based company: Macintosh computers: The first Macintosh computer was launched in 1984 and the line has grown to include iMac all-in-one desktop machines as well as stylishly sophisticated MacBook laptops. 

The iPod: The iPod was introduced in 2001 and the hip MP3 music players led a lifestyle shift in portable digital entertainment that has culminated in a touchscreen iPod Touch.
 
The iTunes Store: Launched as the iTunes Music Store in 2003, Apple's online shop sells music, movies, and television shows for computers and its mobile devices.
 
The iPhone: Apple introduced its first iPhone in 2007, combining iPod features and Internet connectivity in a touchscreen smartphone that swiftly became the mobile device of choice.
 
The App Store: Apple began letting outside developers customize applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch in 2008, opening an online App Store now stocked with more than 100,000 fun, functional or hip mini-programs.
AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2010

'Avatar' soars to new box office record

Los Angeles: Science-fiction epic 'Avatar' soared to a new global box office record, taking 1.85 billion dollars and sinking 'Titanic' to become the biggest earning film of all time, figures showed on Tuesday. "On Monday, January 25, 'Avatar' officially passed 'Titanic' to become the highest grossing film in history at the worldwide box office," 20th Century Fox studios said in a statement. Remarkably, "Avatar" director James Cameron had only himself to beat, and by Monday his groundbreaking 3-D blockbuster had taken in 16 million dollars more than his own 1997 film "Titanic," leaving him with the two biggest movies of all time. "Avatar" had taken 1.859 billion dollars, compared with the box-office total for the Oscar-winning "Titanic," which took 1.843 billion dollars, the studios said in its statement. "It's official: the king of the world is the king of the world again," box office analyst Jeff Bock told AFP. "Like the ship itself, many observers thought 'Titanic's' record box office was unsinkable. Not so. Leave it to the captain of the ship, James Cameron, to sink his own vessel and resurface with a whole new world."

The 500-million-dollar epic has been hailed as a cinematic milestone for its use of state-of-the-art 3-D cameras and motion capture technology which Cameron was instrumental in helping to develop. Set on a distant planet called Pandora, in the heart of a vast tropical forest, it recounts how strife erupts between an indigenous tribe and an Earth-based consortium pillaging for a precious mineral. "I see it as a broader metaphor, not so intensely politicized as some would make it, but rather that's how we treat the natural world as well," the Canadian-born Cameron said at last month's premiere in London.

"Avatar" walked away with the best picture and best director at the Golden Globes this month, cementing its status as a front-runner for the Oscars, with the nominations due to be unveiled next week. "We are deeply gratified that so many millions of people around the globe have embraced Avatar," 20th Century Fox said. "The themes of protecting the environment, respecting life, and yearning for a peaceful planet have united moviegoers worldwide." The futuristic fantasy tells the story of paralyzed war veteran Jake, who is sent on a mission to Pandora where, through his genetically engineered avatar body, he falls in love with a blue humanoid named Neytiri of the alien Na'vi race. Instead of helping the US military to extract the valuable mineral from the ground, Jake (Sam Worthington) and a crusty doctor, played by Sigourney Weaver, decide to help the Na'vi defend their homeland. It was Cameron's first movie since "Titanic," which starred Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet, scooped 11 Oscars at the 1998 ceremony. But box office analyst Bock pointed out that "Avatar" rocketed to its record in just 39 days, while "Titanic" sailed across screens for 41 weeks to reach its total. He added that 72 percent of the global box office had come from 3D venues.

Cameron accepted his Golden Globes speaking partly in Na'vi -- the language spoken by the blue-skinned peace-loving alien heroes of the film invented for the movie by a University of Southern California linguistics expert. "Cameron is that rare combination of movie magician and master tactician. his films aren't just unspooled, they are unleashed. In the end, they are spectacles and you have to see them to believe," said Bock.

"His films don't follow the worn path, they blaze trails and become part of the cultural zeitgeist of the day."
AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2010