Tara enters semifinals
Special Correspondent, The Hindu, August 30, 2007
NEW DELHI: Tara Iyer worked her way past Varatchaya Wongteanchai of Thailand 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the $10,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex here on Thursday.
On a day when the top-seeded Rushmi Chakravarthi and Isha Lakhani went out without a fight, Tara kept the Indian hopes alive along with Ankita Bhambri.
After racing away with the first set, Tara found herself in a spot of bother when she lost the second set despite bouncing back from 1-4 to 4-4.
In the decider, Tara opened well with a break of serve in the first game, but lost her serve in the very next game.
Tara raced to a 5-2 lead but could not close out the match in the eighth game as she uncharacteristically dropped serve at love.
The Thai girl came up with a last-ditch effort as she saved three match points from 0-40 in the ninth game, hitting three spectacular winners in a row including one on serve.
Tara, capitalised on her fourth match point and forced the Thai to hit a backhand long.
In the semifinals, Tara will meet Nungnadda Wannasuk.
The second-seeded Tangphong had pulled out with a back injury on Wednesday itself. Rushmi continued to find qualifier Kyung-Yee Chae a tough nut to crack and lost to her for the second time in successive weeks.
The 29-year-old Rushmi was unable to hit with her usual flair on the fast courts as she was slow to the ball, and the Korean left-hander was far too crafty and consistent while scripting a 6-2, 6-1 win.
Ankita proved too good for the fourth-seeded Isha Lakhani and raced to victory 6-2, 6-1.
It was the 11th win in 13 international meetings for Ankita against Isha.
The gutsy Isha lost her cool early in the match as she could not get a grip over the proceedings and was lucky to get away without being fined for a torrent of abuse that was mainly directed at her own incompetent display.
The results: Singles (quarterfinals): Kyung-Yee Chae (Kor) bt Rushmi Chakravarthi 6-2, 6-1; Ankita Bhambri bt Isha Lakhani 6-2, 6-1.
Tara Iyer bt Varatchaya Wongteanchai (Tha) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3; Nungnadda Wannasuk (Tha) w/o. Montinee Tangphong (Tha).
Doubles (semifinals): Sophia Mulsap-Varatchaya Wongteanchai (Tha) bt Ankita-Sanaa Bhambri 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Nungnadda Wannasuk (Tha)-Tara Iyer bt Rushmi Chakravarthi-Sandhya Nagaraj 6-1, 6-4.
Source : Tara enters semifinalsarticle in The Hindu
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Nokia introduces new internet services brand
Nokia introduces new internet services brand
By Ivan Gale, Staff Reporter, Gulfnews, August 30, 2007
London: Nokia announced a new internet services brand called Ovi, featuring gaming, music and navigational services, that will appear on select Nokia devices in the UAE beginning in October.
Following on the success of Web 2.0, or the personalisation of the internet through social networking and file-sharing, Nokia is seeking to bring the internet to its mobile users.
The Finnish mobile phone giant will launch two web portals, the Nokia Music Store and N-Gage, from which users may access music and games, respectively, via PCs and download them to mobile devices. Nokia Maps will offers maps and city guides more directly to compatible mobile devices, while other Internet based services are expected in the coming months.
From a company that once produced rubber boots and now is known as the world's biggest mobile phone maker, Nokia's latest move sends a clear endorsement of the transformative power of the internet.
"Whether you call it Web 2.0 or something else, its clear people are using the internet far beyond its original role," said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia's president and CEO, during a press conference in London yesterday announcing the new service.
"Great companies renew themselves as the world changes," he said, "and this world doesn't work the way the old world did."
Featuring a new user interface catering to the latest music, gaming and Internet needs of its users, Nokia will introduce its first Ovi-compatible device, the N81, to the UAE starting in October. When Ovi's music portal launches, Nokia officials confirmed it will include Arabic titles, while an Arabic-language version of Ovi will be released sometime in 2008.
The introduction of a fully-fledged gateway for internet services is a culmination of 18 months of investing in online properties for Nokia. Recently it acquired music site Loudeye, media sharing site twango and mapping service gate5.
It also represents a second effort at gaming. Although Nokia introduced n-gage gaming system on mobile phones since 2003, it underperformed initial expectations. Now, with a more sophisticated suite of hardware and software on its latest N-Series phones, Nokia believes the time is now right to begin a fresh push.
Part of this optimism stems from its own successes, and also from observing the dramatic rise in portable gaming devices.
Kallasvuo said Nokia shipped 80 million converged devices in 2006, and this is expected to climb to 120 million units this year. Meanwhile, he said the global gaming market was 25 billion euros, and more than a third of that came from portable devices.
Source : Nokia introduces new internet services brand article in Gulfnews
By Ivan Gale, Staff Reporter, Gulfnews, August 30, 2007
London: Nokia announced a new internet services brand called Ovi, featuring gaming, music and navigational services, that will appear on select Nokia devices in the UAE beginning in October.
Following on the success of Web 2.0, or the personalisation of the internet through social networking and file-sharing, Nokia is seeking to bring the internet to its mobile users.
The Finnish mobile phone giant will launch two web portals, the Nokia Music Store and N-Gage, from which users may access music and games, respectively, via PCs and download them to mobile devices. Nokia Maps will offers maps and city guides more directly to compatible mobile devices, while other Internet based services are expected in the coming months.
From a company that once produced rubber boots and now is known as the world's biggest mobile phone maker, Nokia's latest move sends a clear endorsement of the transformative power of the internet.
"Whether you call it Web 2.0 or something else, its clear people are using the internet far beyond its original role," said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia's president and CEO, during a press conference in London yesterday announcing the new service.
"Great companies renew themselves as the world changes," he said, "and this world doesn't work the way the old world did."
Featuring a new user interface catering to the latest music, gaming and Internet needs of its users, Nokia will introduce its first Ovi-compatible device, the N81, to the UAE starting in October. When Ovi's music portal launches, Nokia officials confirmed it will include Arabic titles, while an Arabic-language version of Ovi will be released sometime in 2008.
The introduction of a fully-fledged gateway for internet services is a culmination of 18 months of investing in online properties for Nokia. Recently it acquired music site Loudeye, media sharing site twango and mapping service gate5.
It also represents a second effort at gaming. Although Nokia introduced n-gage gaming system on mobile phones since 2003, it underperformed initial expectations. Now, with a more sophisticated suite of hardware and software on its latest N-Series phones, Nokia believes the time is now right to begin a fresh push.
Part of this optimism stems from its own successes, and also from observing the dramatic rise in portable gaming devices.
Kallasvuo said Nokia shipped 80 million converged devices in 2006, and this is expected to climb to 120 million units this year. Meanwhile, he said the global gaming market was 25 billion euros, and more than a third of that came from portable devices.
Source : Nokia introduces new internet services brand article in Gulfnews
All set for GSLV-F04 take-off on Sept. 2; countdown starts today
All set for GSLV-F04 take-off on Sept. 2; countdown starts today
Chennai, Aug. 31 (PTI): The countdown for the launch of a rocket from Sriharikota, about 100 km from here, carrying India's communication satellite INSAT-4CR, will start today.
"The countdown for the launch will start today afternoon," ISRO sources told PTI.
The 49-metre tall rocket will be launched at 4.21 p.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, they said.
The GSLV-F04, the fifth in the GSLV series, will put INSAT-4CR into a Geosynchronous Transfer orbit of 170 km perigee and 35,975 km apogee with an orbital inclination of 21.7 degrees, about 16 minutes and 40 seconds after lift off.
"The satellite will carry 12 high-powered KU-band transponders for DTH services, video picture transmission and Digital Satellite News Gathering," the sources said.
The satellite will subsequently be manoeuvred into geostationary orbit using its own propulsion system.
ISRO scientists have taken all efforts to ensure that the vehicle does not meet the same fate of its predecessor, the GSLV-F02, in July 2006, when it had strayed away from its path, forcing scientists to destroy it, 56 seconds after take off.
Source: All set for GSLV-F04 take-off on Sept. 2; countdown starts today appearing in The Hindu
Chennai, Aug. 31 (PTI): The countdown for the launch of a rocket from Sriharikota, about 100 km from here, carrying India's communication satellite INSAT-4CR, will start today.
"The countdown for the launch will start today afternoon," ISRO sources told PTI.
The 49-metre tall rocket will be launched at 4.21 p.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, they said.
The GSLV-F04, the fifth in the GSLV series, will put INSAT-4CR into a Geosynchronous Transfer orbit of 170 km perigee and 35,975 km apogee with an orbital inclination of 21.7 degrees, about 16 minutes and 40 seconds after lift off.
"The satellite will carry 12 high-powered KU-band transponders for DTH services, video picture transmission and Digital Satellite News Gathering," the sources said.
The satellite will subsequently be manoeuvred into geostationary orbit using its own propulsion system.
ISRO scientists have taken all efforts to ensure that the vehicle does not meet the same fate of its predecessor, the GSLV-F02, in July 2006, when it had strayed away from its path, forcing scientists to destroy it, 56 seconds after take off.
Source: All set for GSLV-F04 take-off on Sept. 2; countdown starts today appearing in The Hindu
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Sony software makes PCs vulnerable, researchers say
Sony software makes PCs vulnerable, researchers say
By Jim Finkle, Tue Aug 28, 2007
BOSTON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Software included with high-end memory sticks sold by Sony Corp can make personal computers vulnerable to attack by computer hackers, according to researchers with two Internet security firms.
Sony's MicroVault USB memory stick and fingerprint reader includes software that creates a hidden directory on the computer's hard drive, researchers with Finnish security software maker F-Secure Corp (FSC1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research) reported on the company's blog on Monday.
Such software that hides itself, which is known as a root kit, leaves room for hackers to secretly infect personal computers, they said.
Software that is installed on such hidden drives is not only invisible to the human eye; some types of computer security software are unable to detect viruses and other types of so-called malware, or malicious software, stored on them.
F-Secure's blog posting said it attempted to contact Sony before alerting the public about the software, but the company had not replied.
Sony spokesman Chisato Kitsukawa said he could not immediately comment on the situation.
On Tuesday, researchers with McAfee Inc. said they had confirmed the vulnerability described by F-Secure.
"The apparent intent was to cloak sensitive files related to the fingerprint verification feature included on the USB drives," said McAfee spokesman Dave Marcus. "However, software creators apparently did not keep the security implications in mind. The application could be used to hide arbitrary software, including malicious software."
This is not the first time F-Secure has found Sony software installing hidden directories on the drives of its customers. In 2005 there was a similar situation involving the electronics maker's digital rights management software, security experts say.
Source : From Reuters article - Sony software makes PCs vulnerable, researchers say
By Jim Finkle, Tue Aug 28, 2007
BOSTON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Software included with high-end memory sticks sold by Sony Corp can make personal computers vulnerable to attack by computer hackers, according to researchers with two Internet security firms.
Sony's MicroVault USB memory stick and fingerprint reader includes software that creates a hidden directory on the computer's hard drive, researchers with Finnish security software maker F-Secure Corp (FSC1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research) reported on the company's blog on Monday.
Such software that hides itself, which is known as a root kit, leaves room for hackers to secretly infect personal computers, they said.
Software that is installed on such hidden drives is not only invisible to the human eye; some types of computer security software are unable to detect viruses and other types of so-called malware, or malicious software, stored on them.
F-Secure's blog posting said it attempted to contact Sony before alerting the public about the software, but the company had not replied.
Sony spokesman Chisato Kitsukawa said he could not immediately comment on the situation.
On Tuesday, researchers with McAfee Inc. said they had confirmed the vulnerability described by F-Secure.
"The apparent intent was to cloak sensitive files related to the fingerprint verification feature included on the USB drives," said McAfee spokesman Dave Marcus. "However, software creators apparently did not keep the security implications in mind. The application could be used to hide arbitrary software, including malicious software."
This is not the first time F-Secure has found Sony software installing hidden directories on the drives of its customers. In 2005 there was a similar situation involving the electronics maker's digital rights management software, security experts say.
Source : From Reuters article - Sony software makes PCs vulnerable, researchers say
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