17 Jul

EPIC-First Indian Web browser-Free with Antivirus

Recently India got it’s own Currency Symbol for Indian Rupee! But do we know, we also got our own “Made in India” browser on 15th July 2010?!!

EPIC – Yes it’s the name of the new browser, the first Indian web browser, launched by Hidden Reflex, Banglore. Epic is creation of Indian Engineers using the Mozilla Open Source Platform. EPIC is now launched for Windows Platform and it’s completely free for download.

EPIC-The First Indian Web-Browser with Inbuilt Virus Scan facility

EPIC-Web-Browser

It’s been released under tag lines “the first-ever web browser for India“, “the world’s only antivirus browser“.

Second tag lines seems quite impressive and unique ! Yep, after installing browser, it asks for additional download for antivirus definitions and thats it. It will scan your downloads as well!

Quite impressive for all those security-seeking freaks, rest of us knows how to format :).

Well, jokes apart, it’s again a good and different feature, first in it’s category. EPIC’s Virus scan is powered by ESET. [ Provides NOD32 Antivirus if you have ever tried!]

It’s a “modern” web brower developed specifically considering Indian users. So it has to be quite colorful & quipped.

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It comes with a lot of pre installed widgets mainly Social Networking sites Facebook, Orkut, Twitter, Chat clients and email facilities.

EPIC web browser includes lot of applications 15 Indian languages transliterators, web snippet tool, timer, to-do list, text editor, games, google maps and many other Installable apps. They says it counts ~1500 free apps for the EPIC Web Browser.

For those who keep themeing their “things” now have a new browser with a lot of themes and wallpapers.

I personally find it good at first glance, quite colorful and content full. For kids and new-bies its surely something to try. I don’t require antivirus in browser but I wish including that won’t cost me performace / speed of the browser.

I tend to stay “clean” as far as my system is concerned but for those who like to ease their eyes, EPIC is worth a try.

By the way CEO of Hidden Reflexes, Alok Bhardwaj, claims Epic will be useful to all types of users, including hard-core multitaskers and newbies.

Any ways, Congratulations & Best of luck EPIC.

27 May

My Sony DSC HX1 Performance, Learning and Photos – I

After a lot of ifs, buts, confusions and questions I’ve bought Sony’s DSC HX1 . Well I’m not that good at photography but yes I like that.

Here I will post my some of the photography with new DSC HX1. I’d request your comments and suggestion to improve it.

Mind well, the pictures captured and uploaded here are compressed to almost ~30% to fit the size restrictions.

I hope you’ll like it. Don’t Miss the last picture of the page.

Close Ups:

Earliest morning capture in low light:

Flowers:

Zoomed at Max to reach here:

Concentrated on subjects – Still learning on this:

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No matter how many fish in the sea, it feel so empty without me 🙂 [At some lake on the way to Jammu]:

Bat-man begins – I’ve never seen it so clear (except on discovery)

The horizontal and vertical panorama captures of The Taj Mahal and The Kutub Minar – Possibly very first time captures 😉

Attempt to get the Moon:

Now the best of my live captures [as of now]:

The law applies: Survival of the fittest.

I saw it live, a fish came out, got its food and went back in water. Life is all about struggle and here you can see the risk of life that brave fish has taken… I really love that… This is the extent one should go to get what you want. I should have captured video but… alas… Enjoy the capture mean while…

Your comments are welcome.

27 Apr

Google:Earth View on Google maps

When have you lastly visited Google Maps? Google have now Introduced Google Earth on Google Maps. Now using Browser you can see 3D maps online; they named it “Earth View”.

Till now we were just looking at flat terrains but after installing the Earth View Plugin, you will be able to get actual 3D view. You don’t need to install the Google Earth Software, this is simple browser plugin that will do the trick.

You can see the places like Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal, Eiffel, the Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower and many other favourites in 3D mode.

3D Earth View of Effiel Tower

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3D Taj Mahal from Earth View

You just need to download the Google Earth View plugin: http://earth.google.com/plugin/

Enjoy.

03 Apr

Place to visit Mumbai: Alibaug 1-2 day tour weekend picnic

Think about one day tour and a lot of fun in Mumbai? Alibaug is a good choice.

It a normal budget, full day, full fun and great place.

Reach Gateway Of India. [20 Mins walk / 5 Mins (Rs. 15) Taxi from Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus / Victoria Terminus]

Gateway of India

Book a PNP / Ajanta Jetty from booking stalls opposite to Gateway of India. [AC – 120, non-AC – 65]. [First ferry @ 8.30 AM – depends on tide conditions too]

Non-AC ferry, top seat is best way to travel as you can feel the breezing wind and cool waves. The birds following in the mid-sea to the ship is a different fun to capture them.

Sea Birds following Jetty

Next you will land at Mandwa port, Quick walk to the bus services provided by PNP / Ajanta to Alibaug. [It takes 1 Hr from Gateway of India to Mandwa and ~30 Mins from Mandwa to Alibaug.]

If you’re over cautious, book tickets for return journey and confirm day’s last jetty. PNP / Ajanta Jetty service offices are near by only.

The closest beach is Alibaug beach, walk-able distance from Alibaug bus stand.

At Alibaug beach you may have water bike / wave ride, or normal sea-routines.

If you’re a fort’oholic, you may choose to visit the Colaba Fort @ 100 Rs / person through a 10 minute boat ride. 1 hr. is sufficient to capture all major corners of the fort.

Colaba Fort, Alibaug

Kolaba Fort, Alibaug

I don’t much recommend Alibaug to waste your precious time on.

Akshi and Negaon beaches are on the same route. Auto will charge 120 Rs for Negaon beach ~30 mins from Alibaug Station / beach. [Take mobile number from auto driver in case of no return transport availability.]

Negaon beach

and is really a recommended one. It has nice long beach with all those coconut trees greeting the waves to the shore.

If you’re a bunch of crazy guys looking for a place to freak-out, Negaon beach is for you. Football, cricket, Hourse riding or any beaching activity is absolute fun here. I don’t like lazy bums in the gang but they can rest under the shadows on misty sand. Gliding and water rides are of-course available.

Negaon Beach, Alibaug

Hotels / rooms are cheap; food is okay; though these shouldn’t impact as these are not major fun part.

You cannot cover everything in one day; nor have I visited all of the attractions there.

For 1 day tour, pack a bag and directly reach to Negaon beach.

Approx expenditure: <500 Rs / person.
Large

Other Routes:

By Road: One can reach Alibag via Pen (30 km away), which is on the Mumbai (78 km away) – Goa road.

From Mumbai, one can reach Alibag by traveling on the Mumbai-Goa highway (NH-17) till Wadkhal (Vadkhal) and taking the right fork from Wadkal – the left fork will lead you to Goa. The distance is approximately 108 km from Mumbai.

By Railways: The nearest rail railway station are Pen, India. Through Pen, India, it is connected to Khopoli.

Other beaches at Alibaug:

Varsoli Beach:Located about a mile from the main beach, home to a very large naval base.

Kihim-Navgaon Beach: Kihim is a secluded place at a distance of 12 km from Alibag. The Kihim beach is famous for dense cover of Coconut trees. It is also famous for woods which are home to rare butterflies, birds and flowers.

Awas: It is situated about 16 km away from Alibag.

Saswane: It is situated about 18 km away from Alibag.

Rewas: It is situated about 24 km away from Alibag.

Chaul Revdanda: It is situated about 17 km away from Alibag.

kaneshwar Mandir: It is situated about 17 km away from Alibag to karlekhind-chondi road.

Mandawa: It is situated about 20 km north of Alibag. The catamaran/ferry services are available from Mumbai to the Mandawa jetty. Many Bollywood celebrities own bungalows here.

Kashid Beach: It is 36 km away from Alibag, on the Alibag-Murud highway, also this beach is possibly one of the cleanest and most beautiful beaches in the region with almost ‘white’ sand.

27 Mar

Earth Hour March 27 2010-India-Switch off lights for future

Earth Hour is a global event organized by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature). Earth Hour held on the last Saturday of March annually, asking households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change.

In 2007, 2.2 million residents of Sydney participated by turning off all non-essential lights and in 2008 many other cities around the world adopted the event in 2008.

In India during Earth Hour 2009, almost five million Indians across 56 cities switched off their lights for an hour to contribute towards the action for climate change.
Earth hour saved almost 1000 MW of power! Celebrities and cricketers including Aamir Khan, Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble have supported the cause with Abhishek Bachchan pledging his support as the brand ambassador.

Earth Hour 2010 will take place on March 27, 2010 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., local time.

Earth Hour 2010 is reportedly on track to become the largest Earth Hour yet, aiming to garner more than the one billion participant goal of 2009’s Earth Hour.

121 countries have signed up for Earth Hour 2010.

Show your support:

New economic modelling indicates the world has only 5 years to initiate a low carbon industrial revolution before runaway climate change becomes almost inevitable. But it can be done, and the long term benefits will be enormous.

So now’s the time to take a stand and give world leaders the mandate they need to make the right climate deal.

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This year, India – IHG Hotels Group Support the Earth Hour Cause by encouraginh in-house guests to switch off lights in their rooms and join the “guestogether” parties being hosted by them between 8:30 and 9:30pm.

Lets start making difference-

Switch off all unnecessary lights @ 8.30 on 27th March

and make the Earth Hour a success towards our a better future.