Online car rental in India- GetMeCab.com

GetMeCab.com is recently started online portal for renting cars for local usage , airport transfer, railway station pick-up/drop and outstation trips.

GetMeCab operates in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

GetMeCab Delhi


GetMeCab Bangalore


GetMeCab Mumbai

Taffiti.com: SilverLight takes on Flash

    After a lot of talks about SilverLight, It is finally in market. Taffiti.com is a search site which uses silverlight technology. Today I visited this site and Now I feel that Flash got really very good competitor. Silverlight looks better than flash to me. It is so smooth and never give feeling that site is using silverlight.

Microsoft® Silverlight™ is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of .NET based media experiences and rich interactive applications for the Web. Silverlight offers a flexible programming model that supports AJAX, VB, C#, Python, and Ruby, and integrates with existing Web applications. Silverlight supports fast, cost-effective delivery of high-quality video to all major browsers running on the Mac OS or Windows.

Orkut in new dress

   Today when I logged into orkut got surprized to see the new look. It is looking great now atleast changed from last boring look. Below is new look :

Quotes from official orkut blog:

"Today we're announcing our latest improvement to the site: an updated look! Just as you change your profile picture to keep with the times, we're updating the look of orkut. The change isn't live yet, but starting soon, we will start rolling-out the new look. To start, we will roll it out to a small group of users randomly selected, and will continue to do so until everyone is on the new site. We'll tell you a little more each day, so come back to the blog to get a few sneak peeks."

Sky no limit for Google earth

  Now you don't need telescopes to view stars/planets. Google earth have come with a new feature in which one can watch distant planets/stars and galaxies.

With Earth's new Sky feature, you can:

 - Zoom in to distant galaxies and nebulae

  - View constellations and the movements of the planets

- Learn about the lifecycle of a star and different kinds of galaxies

- Create and share your own imagery, placemarks and more

Want to know more about it click here and want to learn how to use it click here.

Windows Live services grabs Nokia

  Microsoft and Nokia made an agreement under which Nokia's upcoming 60 series will have Windows live services embedded. Instant Messenger and Hotmail are two major Windows Live services.

 The service will be free of charge initially.Under the deal, Nokia will start offering Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger on its most powerful Series 60 handsets this year. Later in the year or early next year, the services will be made available on Series 40 phones.

Berkowitz said Microsoft will continue to develop versions of Windows Live services for its own Windows Mobile operating systems as well as slimmed-down WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) versions that can run on a wide array of phones.

As for whether it would develop any sites tailored for Apple's iPhone, Berkowitz quipped, "If the iPhone were ever to get any distribution, maybe."

He added that the company will go where the marketplace and its customers demand. "Our best place to invest is where the reach is," he said. "Nokia is a great example of that."

The latest deal has been in the works for more than a year, the companies said.

"It's taken a bit of time and a bit of learning on both sides," said Nigel Rundström, Nokia's vice president of multimedia experiences.

Google India unviels products for local languages

  Google has started targetting the users in south asia who are uncomfortable with English. Google india released two product for south asian local languages. These two products are:

1. Mouse based tool to type in local language: Users can directly see the characters in local language and click on it. By clicking on letters ,a query will be made in local language which will search all local language related stuff on net.

2. Transliteration tool from english to hindi: In this product users don't need to click. They can directly type in phoentic base. This tool will convert from english to hindi.This tool is only available for hindi. Try it at http://www.google.com/transliterate/indic/.

These products can be seen at Google's India Lab website.

On net , other sites are also providing such tools. Guruji.com , an indian search engine provide virtual keyboard for local languages. There is also a dedicated hindi site hinkhoj.com which allow users to directly type in Hindi. 

Google's this move is good for people who like to surf interent with local languages. In future , competetion will increase in this space and we will see good quality of local language products.  

Bebo in Love with Microsoft

 One of dominant social networking site 'Bebo' will partner with Microsoft to use its instant messaging service.

Bebo, the largest social networking site in the UK, will allow its 36 million global users to export and import contacts between its site and contacts lists maintained on Microsoft's Windows Live online services.

Bebo users will be able to add "IM me" button on their profile to send instant message on one click.

"Our core strength is not building applications. We're more of an open platform and much more likely to partner than build it ourselves," said Joanna Shields, president of Bebo's international business.

It is logical decision as 90% of Bebo users use Windows Live IM services.

Microsoft has more than 300 million Windows Live users, who frequently log in to check email and instant messages. Those users represent Microsoft's most valuable asset in catching Web leaders Google Inc and Yahoo! Inc.

In recent months, Microsoft has announced deals to broker display advertising with fast-growing social network Facebook and news site Digg - two of the hottest names in the "Web 2.0" phenomenon.

XBox360 Elite lands in India

 Indian game enthusiasts can try hands on XBox 360 Elite now. It is offered at price of 34,990RS against the price of Xbox which is 19990 RS.

 

  

 

 

XBox 360 Elite have a black finish,and signature metallic detailing. It requires a component HD cable or HDMI cable, both of which are included with the package. While the Xbox 360 includes a 20GB hard drive, the Xbox 360 Elite includes a 120GB hard drive. The wireless controller is now in black, and features the Xbox Guide Button for quick, in-game access. The controller boasts a range of up to 30 feet and a battery life of up to 30 hours on 2 AA batteries.

The Xbox 360 Elite is available exclusively through indiatimes.com. Those interested need log on to www.indiatimes.com and place their order

IBM introduces Lotus Notes and Domino 8

  After google, now it is IBM's turn to attack Microsoft Office components. IBM recently introduce the Lotus Notes and Domino 8.

According to product overview following are new/key changes in Lotus notes 8:

• "Open" button for fast access to most often used applications.
• Conversation mode that lets you gather and review e-mail threads based on subject headers.
• Sidebar that displays critical information and alerts including IBM Lotus Sametime^® 7.5.1 contacts, day-at-a-glance, RSS, and ATOM Feeds.
• Context sensitive toolbars and customizable view preferences.
• Omnipresent search center for e-mail, calendar, the Web, and your desktop.
• Support for activity-centric computing.
• Word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation applications, which support OpenDocument Format (ODF), Microsoft™ Office, and IBM Lotus SmartSuite^® file formats.
• Ability to export documents to Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF).
• Collaboration history that lets you search and view your collaboration history with specific people.
• Server-managed provisioning
• Cross-platform support for both client and server.
• Multi-directory integration improvements provided through limited entitlement to IBM Tivoli^® Directory Integrator that accompanies Lotus Domino 8 software.
• Mail recall and new cluster replication technology that helps improve replication performance and can reduce network usage.

Read detail news here:

Microsoft release Windows Live ID Web Authentication 1.0 SDK

The Windows Live™ ID Web Authentication 1.0 software development kit (SDK) gives you a platform-neutral way to bring the power of the Windows Live ID authentication service to your own Web site.
    The Windows Live ID Web Authentication SDK describes a platform-independent interface for implementing Windows Live ID sign-in on Web sites of all kinds. This release includes a sample application for each of six different programming languages: ASP.NET, Java, Perl, PHP, Python, and Ruby. For each language there is a function library that you can use to extend the sample. 
Benefits

• The ability to use Windows Live gadgets and controls to incorporate authenticated Windows Live services into your site.
• An HTTP-based, platform-neutral interface for implementing Windows Live ID authentication in your existing site, even if it is hosted by a third-party.
• Freedom from the technical details of authentication! The Windows Live ID authentication service handles this for you.
• A huge user base: any of the millions of users who have a Windows Live ID can become a user of your site.

Download it from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=8BA187E5-3630-437D-AFDF-59AB699A483D&displaylang=en

CoCreate's OneSpace Modeling is Vista Certified.

In a press conference , CoCreate said that its OneSpace modeling is certified for Vista. 

    CoCreate Software, Inc., a leading provider of 3rd generation PLM software applications for high-tech electronics and machinery, today announced that CoCreate OneSpace Modeling has received the Certified for Windows Vista logo.

By meeting the standards of the Certified for Windows Vista logo program, CoCreate’s OneSpace Modeling delivers better performance and enhanced security on PCs running the Windows Vista operating system. CoCreate OneSpace Modeling will now carry the Certified for Windows Vista logo, and deliver a premium Windows Vista experience.

By achieving the Certified for Windows Vista status, CoCreate OneSpace Modeling:

• Is independently tested for compatibility and functionality on Windows Vista–based PCs.
• Provides enhanced security by implementing Microsoft security guidelines.
• Meets privacy standards set forth by the Anti-Spyware Coalition.
• Installs cleanly and helps eliminate unnecessary reboots.
• Ensures compatibility with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows Vista.

Only Certified for Windows Vista software and devices have undergone Microsoft compatibility tests for ease of use, better performance, and enhanced security on PCs running the Windows Vista operating system.

“Microsoft is pleased that CoCreate has earned the Certified for Windows Vista software logo for OneSpace Modeling,” said Dave Wascha, director of Windows Client Product Management at Microsoft Corp. “This highlights CoCreate’s commitment to providing its customers with higher quality applications that deliver a more secure and compatible experience with Windows Vista.”

“CoCreate’s participation in the Certified for Windows Vista program indicates our full commitment to deliver a superior 3D product development experience with the latest Microsoft technologies. Our customers are now primed to enjoy the benefits of the latest Windows operating system,” said William M. Gascoigne, CoCreate CEO.

The Certified for Windows Vista version of OneSpace Modeling will be available with the pending release of version 15.50 for the 2007 CoCreate OneSpace Suite.