Official Google Blog: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

The END is beginning.
Google is ready to bring out an Operating system as we had feared for a long time.

Not just a mobile OS (Android) that could run on netbooks !!!


This is a new one - rising from the hashes or whatever.


Official Google Blog: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

It's been an exciting nine months since we launched the Google Chrome browser. Already, over 30 million people use it regularly. We designed Google Chrome for people who live on the web — searching for information, checking email, catching up on the news, shopping or just staying in touch with friends. However, the operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no web. So today, we're announcing a new project that's a natural extension of Google Chrome — the Google Chrome Operating System. It's our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be.

Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because we're already talking to partners about the project, and we'll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve.

Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We're designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds. The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the web. And as we did for the Google Chrome browser, we are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don't have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.

Google Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips and we are working with multiple OEMs to bring a number of netbooks to market next year. The software architecture is simple — Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel. For application developers, the web is the platform. All web-based applications will automatically work and new applications can be written using your favorite web technologies. And of course, these apps will run not only on Google Chrome OS, but on any standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux thereby giving developers the largest user base of any platform.

Google Chrome OS is a new project, separate from Android. Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks. Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems. While there are areas where Google Chrome OS and Android overlap, we believe choice will drive innovation for the benefit of everyone, including Google.

We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear — computers need to get better. People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up. They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them. They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files. Even more importantly, they don't want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates. And any time our users have a better computing experience, Google benefits as well by having happier users who are more likely to spend time on the Internet.

We have a lot of work to do, and we're definitely going to need a lot of help from the open source community to accomplish this vision. We're excited for what's to come and we hope you are too. Stay tuned for more updates in the fall and have a great summer.

Free GPRS Internet in India on Airtel and now Vodafone

There has been a lot of tricks going round for free internet.

But the most useful ones have been those that give free internet on cellphones even while on the move and even in roaming.



AIRTEL India has been the one cellphone service provider which has been thoroughly used by the youth of India to get free internet, free SMS, free calls and stuff like that for several years now.


The free internet in Airtel SIM cards started with a simple hack that worked on Opera Mini. It was simple, just open Opera Mini and the default Web browser with slightly different access point settings (of Airtel Live). And poof !!! You reached free internet. But that was blocked more than a year ago.

At that time, it was also possible to connect the free internet to a computer too (called tethering in Geekish) by using a proxy IP address. But all that has been blocked too.


Then came TeaShark browser. It also gave free internet access by GPRS on mobile phones by using the Airtel Live connection. But sad to say, that was blocked recently.


But wait, all is not lost, there is still hope for free internet in the form of a h browser called UCweb. It uses a Chinese proxy server, so maybe that is how it evades Airtel's data usage tracker(just a hypothesis, can anyone clarify ?)

UCweb still works (I've been using it for quite some time) but there is a setting that you have to change first before accessing internet through UCWeb.

You have to take Options > Settings > Settings
And remove the tick for Shadow connection and Twi-request


That is the current working hack for free internet in Airtel SIM cards.


What about other Indian mobile service providers ?

A Vodafone hack has also been found. Zoozoos are going to be happy huh ???

Basically, u have to change the GPRS access points settings.

Take an access point and change the following settings.

(from Tools > Settings >Access points )

Basic Settings :

Account Name : Vodafone_gprs
Homepage : http://live.vodafone.in
User Name: (not required)
Password :(not required)

Advanced Settings:

Proxy: Enabled
Proxy Address: 10.10.1.100
Proxy Port: 9401
Data Bearer: Packet Data

Bearer settings :

Packet Data Access Point: portalnmms
Network type: IPV4
Authentication: normal
User Name :(not required)
Password :(not required)

Once u do this, it should work. If it doesn't, try restarting the phone. Or even reinserting the SIM card.

Let me know in the comments how effective these tricks were.

An additinal tip for those who want to browse from mobile.

Many websites have mobile versions of their sites which load fast and give full control on mobile. (without the need for an advanced javascript supporting browser on mobile)

They are mostly reached by changing "www." with "m."

For example, www.facebook.com becomes m.facebook.com

www.orkut.com becomes m.orkut.com

www.gmail.com becomes m.gmail.com

These mobile sites are useful even on a computer if u have a slow connection and just want to check for small messages.

Hope this was useful.

National Knowledge Network to link 15,000 colleges on Cabinet agenda at 1 GBPS internet connection

Friday , Jan 02, 2009

New Delhi:

National Knowledge Network to link 15,000 colleges on Cabinet agenda at 1 GBPS internet connection

THE Union Cabinet on Friday will have on its agenda the launching of the Rs 5,000-crore ‘National Mission in Education in ICT’ project, which envisages the creation of a National Knowledge Network across institutes through a 15 Gigabit broadband connectivity.

A key recommendation of the Sam Pitroda-led National Knowledge Commission (NKC), this project first mooted in 2007 envisages networking across some 15,000 colleges and universities, putting learning material online and sharing the expertise of centres of excellence with institutes spread across the country. With the Cabinet nod for the project, this will be one of the few NKC proposals which has found favour with the Arjun Singh led-HRD Ministry.

The Ministry will be tying up with the Department of Telecom for creation of a countrywide broadband access network by utilising its existing optical fibre network. The Mission is expected to cover some 18,000 colleges eventually and make available facilities like e-books and e-journals in digital libraries