Wi-Fi; Bad for Trees

Wi-Fi one of the amazing device we all uses for wireless access of network. Its almost in all places now. Routers are so cheap these days and everyone is buying it to get rid of the wires and for multiple access of the network. But, now it’s the time for realization.

Results from a preliminary study by DU Delft University, Wageningen University, and other institutions in the Netherlands show that Wi-Fi radiation may be harmful to trees. The study finds that Wi-Fi radiation may cause bleeding and fissures in tree barks, and these incidents were not attributed to virus or bacteria, and that 70% of trees in urban spaces now show signs of damage compared to just 10% five years ago. The study finds that trees located nearest to Wi-Fi radiation exhibited a lead-like shine on the leaves and death of leaves’ lower and upper epidermises.

Radiation from Wi-Fi is also said to inhibit growth of corn cobs, though more work needs to be done to truly isolate the cause of these symptoms to Wi-Fi radiation and not just particulate pollution in the air. For now, just be careful where you use those Wi-Fi hotspots, as tempting as it is to work outside in a park on a nice day. Thank you for reading!

 

 

About 60,000 Honda City sedans to be recalled in India

The recall applies to cars made between November 2008 and December 2009 and is part of a global exercise

Japan’s Honda Motor Co. on Thursday said it will recall 57,853 of its City sedans in India to replace a defective spring that could stall engines.

The recall will apply to cars manufactured between November 2008 and December 2009 and is part of an international exercise.

Globally, Honda will recall 700,000 units of its City, compact minivan Freed, and compact car Fit.

In India, there will be no recall of the Fit, which the company sells as the Jazz, Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) said in a statement. Honda does not sell Freed in India.

This will be Honda’s second recall of the City in India in about a year. Last January, the auto maker recalled 8,532 City sedans manufactured in 2007 to replace defective power window switches that could cause fires.

Honda will “carry out preventive part replacement of lost motion spring in the valve train” of specific City sedans, the company said. “HSCI is proactively replacing the part in these vehicles with a new improved part.”

HSCI, a joint venture between Siel Group and Honda Motor, said the defective springs in these cars may bend or break over time, resulting in abnormal engine noise and potentially causing engine stalling and problems in re-starting.

Honda currently produces the City, Jazz, Civic and Accord cars in India. It also imports and markets the CR-V sports utility vehicle.

The recall comes at a time when HSCI’s India sales rose just 2.9% between April and January to 51,044 units from a year earlier.

Surjit Arora, a sector analyst with Mumbai-based brokerage Prabhudas Lilladher Pvt. Ltd, said the recall is both positive and negative for Honda.

“There are two ways to look at it. In India, it will have a negative impact on the company’s prospect. The City is already facing stiff competition from cars such as (Maruti Suzuki India Ltd’s) SX4 and (Tata Motors Ltd’s) Indigo Manza in the A3 segment. Gone are the days when people used to buy Honda cars for their brand value,” Arora said. “Globally, it is the other way around. People take these incidents positively. They are happy with the fact that the company reviews the products, which it sold two-three years ago.”

Honda has updated its dealers about the replacement and new parts are being dispatched in phases.

“The replacement would be carried out free of cost and the company will communicate directly with the owners of the cars which are covered under this part replacement,” Honda Siel said.

The latest global recall will affect at least 220,000 units in Asia, including about 156,000 in China, Honda spokeswoman Natsuno Asanuma said. Around 97,000 cars will be recalled in the US.

The car maker was forced to call back about 1.35 million vehicles in December, mainly in the US, and the Thursday announcement is only the latest in a series of recalls to hit Japan’s auto industry.

The world’s biggest auto maker, Toyota Motor Corp., recalled nearly 16 million vehicles beginning late 2009 due to various issues such as brake and accelerator defects linked to accidents that tarnished its image of reliability.

For Indian customers, Honda has created a website http://www.hondacarindia.com, to check whether their cars are covered under the part replacement.

By

Electricmist

S4 EEE

 

DELL STREAK- Leave A Bold Statement

 

DELL STREAK- Leave A Bold Statement

 

 

The Dell Streak is a hybrid device that lives in the space between a smart phone and other larger tablets or netbooks that you might be using right now. We designed it to provide a wide range of users’ flexibility to do what they need with a mobile device. That’s why we packed the Dell Streak with a lot of features. We’ll utilize that flexibility via over-the-air updates for platform upgrades, Adobe Flash 10.1 on Android 2.2 later this year, plus other enhancements like video chat applications and more.

After using the Dell Streak for a bit, one thing that really stand out in my opinion is the screen. The vivid, 5-inch diagonal display may seem only slightly larger than many of the smartphones making waves out there specs-wise. But when that larger screen is coupled with higher pixel density, it’s surprising how much difference that extra inch and a half or so makes in everyday activities like browsing the web, playing games or watching video. Because it’s made with Gorilla Glass the screen also has a pretty big durability advantage over more fragile mobile devices. Take a look at the Gizmodo hands-on to see what I mean. The Dell Streak is thin (10mm-which is  thinner than a lot of mobile devices out there), and though it’s just a bit heavier than other smartphones, it feels solid and balanced-which makes using it pretty natural across a number of activities. We’ll also offer all kinds of Dell Streak accessories like a car dock kit, battery replacements, a home AV dock and more.

The Dell Streak is a device designed for accessing entertainment, navigating your busy schedule and connecting you to the friends and family who matter to you.

Hardware-wise, the Dell Streak features the following:

• A sharp 5-inch capacitive multi-touch WVGA (800×480) display for a great full-screen experience watching video or browsing the web
• Fast 1GHz Snapdragon ARM-based mobile processor from Qualcomm
• 5 MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash that offers easy point & shoot capability and quick uploads to YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and more
• VGA front-facing camera enables video chat functionality down the road
• A user-removable (and replaceable) battery
• A 3.5mm headphone jack means many of you can use the Dell Streak as the music source (and more) in your car
• Integrated 3G + Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) + Bluetooth 2.1 (think headsets, external keyboards, stereo headsets, etc.)
• UMTS / GPRS / EDGE class 12 GSM radio with link speeds of HSDPA 7.2 Mbps / HSUPA
• A user-accessible Micro SD slot expandable up to 32GB. That means you can store  lots of movies, music, photos or other kinds of files.

On the software side, here’s what you can expect:

• A customized multi-touch version of the Google Android operating system that features Dell user interface enhancements
• Access to over 38,000  apps (and growing) via the Android Marketplace
• Microsoft Exchange connectivity and integration through TouchDown
• Google Voice support
• Integrated Google Maps with voice-activated search, turn-by-turn navigation, street and satellite views
• Quick access to activity streams via integrated social network app widgets like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube

By

Electricmist

S4 EEE

 

HONDA’s SMALL CAR – BRIO

HONDA’s SMALL CAR – BRIO

These are the first pictures of Honda’s attractive new Brio, hot from the Bangkok Motor Show. Based on the 2CV design concept shown at the Auto Expo in Delhi, the Brio has a youthful and unique identity.

The big chrome strip in the grille and the Honda ‘H’ at the centre are familiar but, apart from that, this tightly skinned compact car has a look all its own. It looks ready for action, thanks to the upward sweeping lines and tipped-forward stance, and the wide, open chin looks a lot like an intake on a jet fighter! Pretty radical stuff. Bulging headlamp pods get black surrounds, the Indian version may get chrome inserts and this car has side skirts too, something that may only come as an option here in India. At the rear, the hatch gets low-set, clear tail-lamps which look unique and Honda has used a glass-only hatch at the rear. As on Maruti’s original 800, this is to save weight and cost but the smoked-out effect provided looks attractive.

While the 3.6-metre length and relatively compact dimensions mean this car is shorter than a Swift, Honda engineers have worked hard to extract maximum space from inside the cabin. Expect the Brio to offer clever space utilisation and practicality as seen on the Jazz.

Though Honda claims the Brio is still only a prototype, we believe it is very close to the production version. Especially the interiors which, like the Toyota Etios, do not conform to tradition. There is no conventional central console, with the music player in fact aligned horizontally with the instrument panel. Slightly retro dials, a generous smattering of circular vents and plenty of beige and chrome give the Honda a slightly upmarket feel on the inside and Honda has paid plenty of attention to storage space as well. There are plenty of cupholders and storage space at the bottom of the central console and in the door pockets is good too. The double DIN music system, like in the Honda City, has no CD player and only iPod support; there is a driver airbag as well. Sign of cost cutting, however, exist — the front seats have got fixed head restraints and there is no climate control either.

Power will come from a 1.2-litre engine from the Jazz and a 1-litre unit might arrive at a later stage. This will be a three-cylinder version of the same motor but without the VTEC technology. To improve fuel efficiency, Honda has used Michelin Energy tyres and has added flaps at the lower end of the front bumper and rear tyres to further reduce the coefficient drag. There is no news of a diesel engine as yet, but Honda has hinted towards a hybrid version of the ‘2CV’, following feasibility reports.

Honda knows that in order to achieve success in this segment, it will need to be cost competitive. Prices are expected to start at Rs 4.5 lakh, which will be good value. The Brio will arrive around September 2011, which means that it will be the last of the three hatchbacks launched next year, after the Toyota Etios hatchback and the new Maruti Swift. There’s a big fight coming up, so stay tuned.

By

Electricmist

S4 EEE

 

MAHINDRA THAR- First Drive

MAHINDRA THAR- First Drive

The good news for jeep lovers, off roaders and college kids looking for a fun ride is that Mahindra has brought back the Classic. Well, almost! With its all-new Thar, M&M for the first time has incorporated truly modern mechanical bits. So while you get the wide stance, bulging bonnet and drooping front fenders or mud guards, underneath it all, the Thar is practically a Scorpio.

Modern common-rail motors have a massive number of high-tech systems and hitching them onto the old MM540 was going to be no easy task. Mahindra went ahead with the CRDe unit in place of the mHawk engine as it had a flatter torque curve from start up, very important when you’re stuck in the mud. After looking at various solutions, the engineers settled on using the Scorpio’s ladder chassis, as this presented the simplest solution to help integrate the independent suspension, power steering and various other systems of the car. However, plonking the MM540’s body on to the Scorpio proved to be difficult because of packaging issues at the rear. This was finally sorted by using a Bolero rear end; chassis, suspension and all.

While the exterior skin panels and the rear floor have been taken from the MM540, there are plenty of bits from the Bolero as well. To give the exteriors that custom look, the Thar boasts elements like chunky tyres, flared wheel arches and a chrome bull bar. And undoubtedly, the Thar does look very attractive.

Unlike the motor however, the interiors are old school. The cut-to-size by hand Bolero dashboard is minimalist, non-adjustable steering is too close to the dashboard, and you have bits like basic window-winders. Other ergonomics disasters exist as well. The manual-selector lever for the four-wheel drive is placed too low and near the pedals. The manual seat adjust is crude and though you get a heater, air-con is not standard. You also get parallel bench seats at the rear, and this of course rules out comfortable long distance travel for more than two.

Now with a strengthened chassis, and a powerful and modern diesel motor, this rugged Mahindra’s off-road skills have moved on to an all new level. 25.18kgm of torque on tap gives it more than adequate pulling power over steep inclines. And once you engage low range, it feels unstoppable on firm ground. Power delivery is linear and instant, and the Thar ascends steep inclines with ease. The 200mm ground clearance gives it the ability to pass over most obstructions which would leave other SUVs with a scraped belly. Navigation through rough trails is hassle-free, thanks to the power-steering. Its Borg Warner transfer case (chain driven) features a four-wheel low and a four-wheel high mode for off-road driving. Also missing on the Thar is a limited slip differential or lockable front and rear differentials, which would make getting out of slushy and sandy conditions so much easier.

The Thar isn’t a vehicle that’s optimised for the tarmac, but does a respectable job anyway. It manages three-digit speeds without breaking into a sweat and you can cruise quite comfortably. A real speed of 138kph can be attained after a bit of patience, but the Thar doesn’t feel very stable when running at higher speeds. With its independent suspension at the front and leaf springs at the rear, the Thar however rides pretty well with only some amount of bouncing over broken surfaces detectable.

The 2498cc, 105bhp common-rail CRDe motor is not as well insulated in comparison to the Scorpio, Xylo or even the Bolero for that matter. The old style MM540 body allows the clatter of the diesel and the noise of the fan to seep out.

Its linear power delivery makes it pretty driveable in the city though and with close to zero turbo-lag, the Thar shoots into the gaps without any hesitation. In terms of flat-out performance, the Thar takes 17.05sec to reach the 100kph mark and thanks to the torquey nature of the engine, in-gear times are impressive too. The five-speed manual gearbox has a bit of an odd gate though, but once you get used to it, banging through the gears is not an issue. Also the brakes have a nice bite to them and give the Thar good stopping power.

The car we tested came without the hood, and that means we can’t tell you how good or bad the rag top is. Expect it to be a bit drafty, more than a bit flappy at speed and difficult to take on and off. However, the Thar will get a soft-top as standard. Mahindra has provided a list of options so you can customise the Thar.

Should you?

The Thar is not practical enough to be used as everyday A to B transport. The build of the vehicle is crude, refinement in general is poor and that’s a shame. With a price tag of Rs 5.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the Thar CRDe isn’t great value too; but then it isn’t exorbitant either. Targeted at the niche market looking for a proper off roader, the Thar however will service that small section of customers pretty well. Yes, the Thar, with its common-rail motor and independent front suspension, is a much improved version of the dedicated off roaders from Mahindra’s past. However, M&M should have made a more concerted effort by bringing it fully up-to-date, and engineering it to modern standards.

By

Electricmist

S4 EEE

 

NEW HYUNDAI SONATA- Spy Pic

NEW HYUNDAI SONATA- Spy Pic

 

These fresh pictures from Bangalore show the new Hyundai i45 or Sonata replacement being tested. The i45 has received a very positive reaction in every market it has been launched till date, and India should be no different.

And it’s not difficult to see why; this aerodynamic car has a very attractive form, with sharp cuts and flowing lines blended in with a great degree of sophistication. The front has a very strong ‘V’ shape to it and the overall profile of the car resembles both the Mercedes CLS and the VW Passat CC. Of course the Hyundai will be several times cheaper, and that’s bound to make it attractive to Indian customers.

The swoopy lines of the car are carried over on the inside as well. The central console has a strong V shape to it, there is a cockpit like wrap around feel for both the driver well as the passenger and there are plenty of brushed aluminum and chromed over bits. We expect Hyundai to load the i45 up with all manner of goodies, keyless go, paddle shifts and Bluetooth and I-pod connections. The i45 also features a very attractive set of deep set instruments, with an information display screen at the center. What remains to be seen however, is if rear legroom and more importantly headroom have been sacrificed for the attractive lines.

Hyundai is likely to power the car with its latest generation direct injection 2.4-litre petrol motor, which will make it as technologically advanced as the motor of the Skoda Superb. There won’t be a turbo or a twin clutch automatic gearbox, but with 198bhp on hand, the larger engined i45 will have plenty of performance. And because this new Theta II motor uses direct injection, it is likely to be more efficient as well. Owners wanting to eek out even greater fuel economy can also elicit the help of a real time in dash Eco indicator.

Though there isn’t a diesel version of the car currently on sale, we expect Hyundai to plonk the 194bhp Santa Fe CRDi motor under the hood. With an attractive Rs 17-19lakh price tag, Hyundai should be able to re address the slump in Sonata sales. Remember how well the Jaguar S Type look alike sold? This car has the same potential

By

Electricmist

S4 EEE

MARUTI SUZUKI KIZASHI



MARUTI SUZUKI KIZASHI- Test Drive And Review

Maruti has had its foot stuck in the small car doorway for quite a while now. But now with the new Kizashi, the company has confirmedly stepped into the luxury car segment. We havegot our hands on the new luxury saloon from the Suzuki stable and here are our first impressions.
In flesh, the Kizashi looks quite impressive sitting on those large 17inch wheels – it gives the saloon a lot of attitude. Though it’s unmistakably a Suzuki in its design, the Kizashi possessesan added flair. The front has a large open-mouthed look with the bonnet crease flowing in a singular line in ‘U’ shape under the air dam. It sports the typical honey comb and the doublebarrel headlamps add some zing. From the side profile, the Kizashi looks well proportioned, tightly skinned saloon with a sporty stance. The rear is nice too with the C pillar flowing allthe way down to the smart tail lamps. What’s also nice is the smartly styled double exhaust pipes in chrome.
The cabin is probably the best we have come across in a Maruti Suzuki. The saloon comes with good quality interiors with just a few plastics that are not up to th
e mark. We like the flatintegrated central console and the retro looking dials with chrome rings. Splashes of chrome add some life to the other wise basic looking cabin. The good thing is that the Kizashi isavailable in only one trim level – be it the automatic or the manual – so you get everything that Suzuki has on offer: smart leather upholstery, multi function steering wheel, cruise control,push button start, dual zone automatic climate control, CD/MP3 player with USB port, adjustable power seats, rear seat armrest, and 60:40 split rear seats.
The Kizashi comes loaded with safety features too –such as ABS with EBD, ESP, hill assist, pre-tensioner seat belts, engine immobilizer, lane change indicators, dual front airbags, sideairbags for front seats and curtain airbags for front and rear passengers.
Under the hood lies the same 4-cylinder, 16 valve 2.4litre DOHC motor that powers the Grand Vitara. However, the improved 2393cc VVT motor now churns out 176bhp whiledeveloping 23.4kgm of max torque – a nominal improvement over the Vitara’s output figures.
Take the car for a spin around the city and you will realize that the bottom end is not a strong point of this car. It can also get a bit jerky in the city with sudden surges of power, but takeit out on a highway the Kizashi comes into its own. It makes its way to 3 digit speeds quite quickly and is able to cruise comfortably. You have to work the gears a bit to get the best outof this car and once you get used to it, the saloon performs well in city traffic too. The 6-speed manual gear box feels a bit rubbery – we would have preferred a more positive shift. Theengine gets a bit buzzy at higher revs and is quite audible inside the cabin.
Kizashi is also available with a CVT gear box. After taking this car for a spin, we felt that the CVT is a bit sluggish. It also has that typical rubber-band effect -where you feel the engineis revving more than the car is actually accelerating. A traditional automatic gearbox would have sufficed. However, the Kizashi is well equipped and comes with paddle shifts for theautomatic variant, which means if you can switch to manual mode if you care less about the auto box’s functioning. In the manual mode the gearbox reacts quite quickly to inputs andshifts up or down on demand.
Out on the highway, the steering feels a bit numb at dead centre but after that it turns quickly and responds to inputs positively. What adds the Kizashi’s luxury car appeal is that is feelsplanted on the road, even at high speeds.
What is sacrificed due to its relatively compact dimensions and a sporty feel is legroom. Yes, at 2700mm, the Kizashi’s wheelbase is as long as the Honda Civic’s, but this car is likely tobe priced in between the Civic and the Accord, and it it falls short of the competition with the interior space it offers. Legroom is more like the VW Jetta’s or Skoda Laura’s. And rear seatcomfort is just as good, if not better, with the well bolstered seat supporting you in the right places. You don’t really miss the legroom unless there is someone really tall seated up front.The centre of the rear seat is slightly raised too, which means that although a third passenger can fit in, he will not be too comfortable. Boot space is not impressive when compared toothers in this class, but its offering of 461litres is pretty adequate.
Maruti knows the Indian road conditions well and the engineers have tuned the suspension prioritizing on ride quality. The Kizashi’s ride is quite flat making the cabin a comfortable placeto be. It absorbs all the bumps and potholes without really letting them affect to the passenger much.
The Kizashi is definitely the most luxurious Suzuki yet, but does it have what it takes to match up to its counterparts? Maybe not, because it trails behind in certain key areas. But withtime the Kizashi tends to grows on you. It’s very well equipped, has comfortable back seats, good ride quality and comes with the peace of mind the Maruti brand brings. Plus, Maruti havealways been known to price their cars well and price will be a key factor in the Kizashi’s success in India.

By

Electricmist

S4 EEE

 

STOP IIS FROM USING PORT 80

A system that have IIS installed in it will not allow your wampserver to run ‘apache’ correctly on it. This occurs because by default both of them, (wampserver and iis), listens to the same port, usually 80). This conflict can be avoided if we configure any one of them to listen to any other port, say 8000 (or by disabling IIS at times when you are running wampserver and this is a very annoying task.)  Since I am developing and running php apps in my system I prefer to use wampserver, also I rarely (never) use IIS. So I prefer to change the port of IIS to some other port, other than 80. Here I will tell in detail how this can be done, with screen shots.

STEP 1:
Open IIS Window. You can do this by, simply hitting the ‘Windows’ key and typing in ‘IIS’ or ‘Internet Information Services’. The result will be shown up there. Click it, you will get the window opened for you.

 

STEP 2:
On the ‘Connections’ pane, click the default one to expand it. Usually (PC-NAME(PC-NAME\user), where ‘PC-NAME’ is your PC name, and ‘user’ is the username.

STEP 3:
Click ‘Sites’ and expand it.
Now select ‘Default Web Site’.
On the ‘Actions’ pane, click ‘Bindings’ under the ‘Edit Site’.

STEP $:
Now a window named ‘Site Binding Opens. Click ‘http’ and then click edit.
Change the port to another number, say 8000 and click ‘Ok’.

You are done. Now you can simply run your wampserver on your system, without disabling IIS.

job john james.
EEE.

SOLAR CELLS

History of Laser

 

By

Edwin Raju

S1S2

B Batch