Apple iPhone in Mauritius

The launching of the Apple iPhone3G is expected by the end of November, and while waiting for it here’s an ‘avant-gout’

 

Introducing iPhone 3G. With fast 3G wireless technology, GPS mapping, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App Store, iPhone 3G puts even more features at your fingertips. And like the original iPhone, it combines three products in one — a revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device with rich HTML email and a desktop-class web browser. iPhone 3G. It redefines what a mobile phone can do.

 

iPhone is a revolutionary mobile phone that allows you to make a call by simply tapping a name or number in your address book, favorites list, or call log. It automatically syncs all your contacts from a PC, Mac, or Internet service.

 

iPhone is a widescreen iPod with touch controls that shows off your content — including music, audiobooks, and videos — on a beautiful 3.5-inch display. Sync content from the iTunes library on your Mac or PC. Scroll through songs and playlists with the touch of a finger. Even browse your album artwork using Cover Flow.

 

iPhone features fast 3G and Wi-Fi capability, rich HTML email, Maps with GPS, and Safari — the most advanced web browser on a portable device. Safari automatically syncs bookmarks from your PC or Mac and includes built-in Google and Yahoo! search. iPhone also multitasks, so you can make a phone call while emailing a photo or surfing the web over a Wi-Fi or 3G connection.

 

Info courtesy: Apple

For more info on Apple iPhone

Happy Diwali 2008

Tomorrow 28 October 2008 all Hindus in Mauritius and around the world are celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights.  (For more info refer to my previous post on diwali celebrations.)

I wish all my blog readers and others as well a HAPPY DIWALI!!!

 

Summertime introduced in Mauritius

The Government has, in the context of promoting Mauritius as “Une Ile Durable”, agreed to the introduction into the National Assembly of the Time Bill which provides for the introduction of summer time in Mauritius.
The summer time period which will be of one hour ahead of the standard time (+5 GMT), will be aligned with that in Europe and the United States of America. It will start at two o’clock in the morning on the last Sunday of October and will end at two o’clock in the morning on the last Sunday of March the following year. The summer time for the year 2008 – 2009 will, therefore, be effective as from 26 October 2008 and end on 29 March 2009.
The summer time initiative is expected to produce gains to the country, reduce global carbon emissions, generate substantial savings in terms of energy production and consumption, and at the same time, reduce the electricity peak demand in the evening by some 15 MW.

VoIP

 

Voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) is a protocoloptimized for the transmission of voice through the Internet or otherpacket-switched networks. VoIP is often used abstractly to refer to the actual transmission of voice (rather than the protocol implementing it). VoIP allows users to use regular telephone networks anywhere through any internet service provider, and avoids issues on long distance charges that are normally subject to callers. This latter concept is also referred to as IP telephony, Internet telephony, voice over broadband,broadband telephony, and broadband phone.

VoIP providers may be viewed as commercial realizations of the experimental Network Voice Protocol invented for the ARPANETproviders. VoIP can be a great benefit to major corporations trying to cut costs by simply running network cables. Although it requires those using VoIP to have a well configured network it is a new use of IP that is extremely cost efficient. Skype and Vonage are great examples of how VoIP is being greatly utilized world wide.

Voice-over-IP systems carry telephony signals as digital audio, typically reduced in data rate using speech data compression techniques,encapsulated in a data-packet stream over IP.

There are two types of PSTN-to-VoIP services: Direct inward dialing (DID) and access numbers. DID will connect a caller directly to the VoIP user, while access numbers require the caller to provide an extension number for the called VoIP user.

 

For more info refer to VoIP from Wikipedia.

Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex Beta

The next version of Ubuntu’s free Linux operating system, dubbed “Intrepid Ibex,” is due out Oct. 30, but the beta release is up for grabs. Although the desktop hasn’t been reshaped, the features tweaked just a little bit, and most of the work focused on compatibility and usability (not that those are bad things, by any means), there are still some neat new tools and tweaks that are worth checking out. Read on for our picture-filled take on the new Ubuntu.

Installation and boot-up

The basics of putting a live CD in your drive, trying the desktop or installing the system are basically the same as with Hardy Heron, with a few welcome differences. The most confusing/imposing part of the process, the partition editor, shows you a graphical view of what you’re doing, thereby explaining what each option does a lot better.

Ibex also supports importing browser data, backgrounds, music and pictures from Windows XP and, new to this version, Vista. Once you’ve installed the system and booted up, you might notice a new setting in the multi-boot menu: “Last successful boot.” That’s an indication that Ubuntu keeps track of which Linux kernels actually work for your system, and lets it delete old ones and prevent them from cluttering up the boot menu.

Desktop changes

There’s a chance, however small, that Ubuntu 8.10 might just get the graphical overhaul that was promised for 8.04. Ibex uses a slightly updated version of the brown/orange-centered “Human” theme—status bars glow, a few icons were changed, and buttons have a warm glow. Other than that, the desktop is a pretty familiar affair:

Installing Ubuntu Apps

 

Free Ubuntu app search site Appnr is a great way to find and install a huge range of applications and tools, especially for Linux newcomers. Faster and more explanatory than the default Synaptic installer, more expansive and up-to-date than the “Add/Remove Programs” tool, Appnr uses Ubuntu’s apt-url handler to make it simple: Click “Install” next to any program, and your system takes care of the rest. The only missing option is the results-as-you-type searching; otherwise, it’s a great tool for searching and browsing what’s available in the world of Ubuntu Linux. Appnr is free, doesn’t require a sign-up.

Link: http://appnr.com/