Users Invited to Test New Gmail Features

Google is inviting users to test thirteen new Gmail features by adding a new Labs option next to the Web-clips option in the Gmail Settings page.

Reportedly, Gmail Product Manager, Keith Coleman, said the idea was to make Gmail more flexible, get users' feedback, and include popular features in it. Coleman said they would open-up integration of third-party codes with Gmail and enhance its interface for better performance. Currently, only Google engineers can code features to be listed under Labs.

Here's a snapshot of some of the new features:

Specific Gmail messages can be bookmarked with a quick-link tool

Mail can be labeled with custom stars using the Superstars feature

Email accounts can lockout after fifteen minutes using "email addict" tool

Messages can be viewed within a fixed-width font

User signatures can be automatically placed before quoted text in email replies using signature tweaks

Buddies' status can be hidden in your list using muzzle tool

Navigation can be done with mouse movements using mouse gestures

Keyboard shortcuts can be customized

MobileNXT.com is Launched

MobileNXT Online, in partnership with MobileNXT Teleservices, has launched an online specialty retail store dedicated to mobile phones and accessories.

MobileNXT.com claims to have a range of mobile phones with over 250 handsets to choose from and accessories ranging from memory cards, head sets, mobile carry cases, and batteries to Bluetooth devices.

Built with Web 2.0 features, the site encourages user-generated content; making it social and interactive. It has detailed product specifications, customer ratings, reviews, and shopping features like phone comparisons so users can make informed purchase decisions, say the Web site owners.

As a special launch offer, MobileNXT.com is offering mobiles with a shipping charge of Rs 2.

Rahul Sethi, business head of MobileNXT Online, says that MobileNXT.com is being launched as an end-to-end mobile ecosystem, which covers the online and offline space seamlessly, enabling visitors to research and buy a phone from this ecosystem. They intend to have a comprehensive range of handsets and accessories with complete information, detailed expert reviews, and more.

Bangalore-based MobileNXT currently has 22 retail stores spread across India. The company plans to expand its footprint in the country through more stores.

The Nokia N78 is Now Available in India

The Nokia Nseries N78 is now available in India. Nokia claims the device not only offers multiple experiences on one device but also helps merge experiences to create newer ones.

The highlight of N78 is its "Location Tagger" application that automatically tags location data to pictures, allowing users save pictures by date plus geographical co-ordinates. The phone offers the full suite of Nokia services such as Nokia Maps and integrated A-GPS.

Looks-wise, N78 comes in two colors: cocoa brown and lagoon blue and sports a signature sleek black surface. It is claimed to be the slimmest of Nseries devices and boasts a 2.4-inches screen, packing a 3.2 mega pixels camera with Carl Zeiss optics, and technologies including high-speed connectivity via WLAN and HSPDA 3.5G. Nokia has preloaded Maps of eight cities across India on to its N78 -- these are complete with points of interest across 52 categories such as bars, cafes, restaurants, hotels, etc. And, N78 comes with an integrated three-month navigation license. The N78 is also the first to feature widgets such as Weatherbug and RSS feed that are enabled by Web Runtime technology. The device supports microSD cards up to 8GB, internal speakers, and standard 3.5mm headphones.

The N78 comes with Nokia Original Accessories including the Nokia Stereo Headset WH-600 and the Nokia Bluetooth Speakers MD-7W. The headset has a headband style while the Bluetooth Speakers feature a click-and-go magnetic attachment system allowing consumers carry their music with them.

The Nokia N78 will retail for around Rs 19,999 (wonder why they didn't make it a round figure?).

Google to Build R&D Campus at NASA

Larry and Sergey's SPACE dreams have finally gotten them to that final frontier -- Not quite!

For now, the dynamic duo are content with a 40-years lease term with NASA to build a high-tech R&D campus at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View. Their company Google retains the option to extend the lease term to 90 years with construction expected to start 2013 onwards. Initially, lease payable by Google would be $3.66-million a year.
The initiative has been lauded by both NASA and Google officials. Given the campus space i.e. 42.2 acres, Google plans to have its offices up to 12 million square feet, expand its workforce by a couple of thousands, and include housing for its highly-talented employees.

Google's association with NASA isn't new; earlier they've worked together on Google Earth and other such projects. The latest endeavor is billed to help NASA too -- in the expansion of its Research Park for space exploration, scientific discovery, and other such.

Aksh Optifibre to widen its IPTV reach with BSNL

Cable and optical fibre manufacturer, Aksh Optifibre, has entered into a deal with state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)for delivery of Interactive Personalised Television (IPTV) on its broadband network in the north Indian market.

As per the deal, the company needs to have 10,000 subscribers in the next nine months across 20 cities in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh (West) in north India, a press release stated here today.

BSNL has a total landline network of 40-million across India, and six-million in north India, which indicated the immense potential in the market for IPTV services, the release said.

The incremental cost for acquiring, creating content and subscribers is expected to be Rs 500 crore.

The project would be funded through resources raised from the international market, the release said .

In January, the company had concluded a global depository receipts (GDR) and foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCB) issue of USD 40-million to part finance the IPTV and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services in Delhi and Mumbai, the release said.

Aksh-tel, Aksh Optifibre's IPTV delivers television programming, which comes with a high-quality reception and several unique add-on features.

IBM Hatching Mini Pipes for Chip Cooling

With chips getting smaller and cramming more processing power into even smaller spaces, existing measures to cool-off miniature chip circuits including heat sinks may fall short of the requirements of Gen-Next computers. In fact one particular microprocessor design envisaged by IBM includes chips stacked vertically with a heat-to-volume ratio which exceeds that of a nuclear reactor.

However, researchers at IBM have also come up with a solution for the problem: piping water in between chips that are sandwiched together; the kind of pipes to be used would measure just 50-microns (50-millionth of a meter) in width and would be sealed in order to prevent leaks and electrical shorts.

The fact is even micro amounts of water can handle humungous cooling tasks because water is much more efficient than air at aborbing heat. The trick here is doing it on a miniature scale inside the chips.

While aspects of IBM's approach have already been showcased by other researchers, the company deserves some credit for trying to push the idea towards commercialization. All said, the miniature pipes are a good five years away from being made available.

Firefox RC 2 Now Available for Download

Firefox 3 Release Candidate 2 (RC 2) is now available for download from the Mozilla Web site.

Just last month, Mozilla had released Firefox 3 Release Candidate 1 (RC 1) after which the Mozilla Team reportedly fixed nearly 40 bugs, applying patches including localization updates.
One of the issues was the Windows XP bug that resulted in the browser crashing while surfing Web sites such as Facebook, eBay, and Hotmail. The other issue was with Linux that resulted in hanging of the user interface (UI) rendering it useless. Meanwhile, Firefox 3 RC 2 does not include any new features, Mozilla said. The final Firefox 3 release is scheduled for mid this month.