TechNama

Avast is a major antivirus contender that comes free (not the pro version). I have been lately using AVG and ESET and now switched to Avast to test if it is any good. You know what?? They are all the same apart from some kind of difference every Antivirus on planet earth asks to update new definitions on daily basis, usually they’re light (hey am not talking about Norton ) and do reasonable job to weed out viruses, torjans and other yada yada.

Avast is a popular Anitvirus given the fact that they have joined hands with Google and it will be available in Google Pack application’s package.Currently Avast is only available for selected languages including German but not English. Avast replaced Norton Security Scan in the language versions of Google Pack.

You can download Avast 5.0 free version which obviously does not offer the features that come with Avast 5.0 Professional, like a new sandboxing option, command line controls or push updates.

Avast 5.0 comes with a total new face and you will find the new interface not that boring! plus improvements to the antivirus scanning engine, performance and memory, disk and cpu usage have also been enhanced

The latest beta of Avast 5 can be downloaded from the Avast website. The final version of Avast Antivirus 5.0 is reported to be released very soon and will then be available for download.

It is very hard to find Kespersky or McAfee keys and even if you find one, it turns out to be expired and apart from this you have to undergo lot of laborious task with lots of browsing on vulnerable sites having some sexy/nude images in sidebars making you shy to open such sites in office. Not only this but such sites also bombard you with lots of pop up ads! (and who knows malwares are behind the scenes)

Keeping that hard and toil effort in mind for find keys for Kespersky and McAfee, I usually prefer Eset Nod32. Eset Nod32 also requires username-password (for authentication) to always keep itself updated. Finding the Nod32 username-passwords is not that difficult.

Since it is not that difficult i have found 6 username/password combinations that should work. I will be posting more regularly on this topic since Eset find it out and cancels and then we have to all new again. If your Nod32 Username/password combination expires, do nudge me in comments or try the another combination given below:

(I will be putting such updates in future as well; so do check back if current combainations expire)

Eset Nod32 Username Passwords:

Username: EAV-26221722
Password: e5rkfj4h6a

Username: EAV-26221785
Password: 4h5uesr4je

Username: EAV-26221783
Password: ut52mxfdhk

Username: EAV-26221641
Password: pnxppu7m5c

Username: EAV-26221645
Password: 52xhcjt363

Username: EAV-26221653
Password: dcdhtmrjpe

We have earlier written a post on “Top 8 Best Free Antivirus Softwares” and in that we included Panda Cloud Antivirus beta edition. We also covered it in a separate post here.  Now Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.o Final edition has been released after 7 months of beta testing.

In version 1.0 Panda Cloud Antivirus developers have improved most of the issues submitted during the testing period. Some of the improvements it incorporates are:

* Supports Windows Vista and Windows 7 64bits.

* Ability to restore any neutralized file.

* Improved detection & protection against rootkits.

* Free Technical Support forums.

Remember that Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.0 is 100% FREE for home users and non-profit organizations and schools. In adition, you can install it in multiple PCs.

How to Install Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.0 free edition?

If you have a beta version of Panda Cloud Antivirus installed, you should download and install the final version. Simply follow these simple steps to upgrade to version 1.0:

1- Uninstall any previous version of Panda Cloud Antivirus Beta or any other AV you might have installed from Start, Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs. Make sure to reboot after uninstalling.

2- Download and run the Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.0 installer directly from http://acs.pandasoftware.com/cloud/CloudAntivirus.exe.

If you are having problems installing Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.0 don’t hesitate to post your problem at our free technical support forum available here.

We hope you like Panda Cloud Antivirus and please feel free to give us your feedback and opinions.

Click here to Download Panda Cloud Antivirus 1.0 Final release

Mac was widely believed to be safe from Malware but it is no more the case. Since 2005, it has come under increasing threats from malware and viruses.  Therefore, Mac users can not stay away from the anti virus softwares. To cater to this increasing need of Mac users, Kaspersky has come out with its Mac version of anti virus. We have previously covered the Windows based version of Kaspersky Anti Virus 2010 in our blog post here. Today we will share the new Kaspersky AntiVirus for Mac.Kaspersky anti virus for Mac shields the Mac OS against viruses, worms and Trojan as well as similar problems on other operating systems such as Windows and Linux. According to PC World

It has been observed that the introduction of Mac OS X has made known on a wide scale the usefulness of multi-platform computers, and thus created a room for Mac in corporate and home networks.

The flipside of the coin, however, is that multi-platform feature also made the Mac, like any other computers in a network, prone to malware attack.

“Just because they have not been infected in the past does not mean they are safe now,” Gun said. “For example, a Mac machine may be compromised by Trojans or key loggers without the user being alerted to the presence of the threat.”

Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac has been developed to meet the specific security requirements of Mac users who know the value of the data stored on their computers, along with the need to keep them running smoothly. The Kaspersky anti virus for Mac performs real time scanning  of files, internet downloads and mail attachments. It is fast and non intrusive with only 1% CPU impact on Mac performance. This is a feature that really impress me since i hate the usual slowdown in my computer resulting from anti virus softwares.

Main Features of Kaspersky Anti Virus for Mac

Core Protection

* Kaspersky Anti-Virus offers signature-based protection from all known types of threats including viruses, worms, Trojans and bots.

* Files are scanned when opened, downloaded or saved, restricting access to suspicious files and disinfecting them whenever possible.

* Kaspersky Anti-Virus protection is not restricted to threats against files, music, photos and personal information on your Macintosh; it also defends against the 30,000 new threats that target other types of computers every day, preventing you from passing problems on to friends and colleagues.

Fully Automated Updates

* Kaspersky ensures your security is completely up to date without you having to lift a finger.

* Updates containing protection against newly identified threats are distributed daily (or more often if required) and your Kaspersky software is automatically updated to the latest versions as they are released.

Internet and Network Security

* All files downloaded from the Internet are checked against malware. All identified threats are blocked and accompanied by an alert.

Email Protection and Self Protection

* Your email messages and their attachments will be protected by real-time scanning. As threats are identified they will be blocked and you will receive an alert.

* It’s important to know that Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac is more than capable of protecting itself.

* Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac uses a variety of techniques to ensure that protection cannot be modified or deleted. Password protection also prevents people or malware from disabling or making changes to your antivirus settings that could leave your Mac more vulnerable to attack.

Ease of Use and High Performance with After sale support

* Familiar Mac-style interface makes Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac highly intuitive and user friendly.

* Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac delivers award-winning security levels while consuming less than 1% of processing power.

* Technical support from qualified technicians via telephone and email.

* “My Kaspersky Account” service for requests to technical support. FastTrack Support containing a FAQ database.

* Kaspersky Knowledge Base – an online database of detailed answers to questions about installing and using Kaspersky Lab products.

System Requirements of Kaspersky Anti Virus for Mac

Operating System: Mac OS 10.4.11 or higher

Hardware
* Mac system with Intel® processor
* 512 MB RAM
* 80 MB of available hard drive space
* Internet connection (for product activation and updates)

Price of Kaspersky Anti Virus for Mac

The Kaspersky Antivirus for Mac is available for $59.95 for 1 year

Click here to Download Kaspersky Anti Virus for Mac

Downloading pictures from Flickr has never been a problem as loads of tools are readily available on the internet. However, if you just want to download you favorite pictures from Flickr, you may not have a lot of tools to get the job done. Recently i came across a blog post that shared one such tool i.e FlickrFaves, which allow users to download items from their Flickr Favorites.

FlickrFaves may not be helpful to traditional users with just few pictures in their Flickr account. However, it will be a very useful tool for those users who have hundreds and thousands of pictures in Flickr Favorites.

How FlickrFaves Work:

Once installed, the user has to allow the app to access his flickr account by giving the relevant details.  Once the program has gained access to your account, select the folder where you want it to download all the Flickr Favourites, select the type of media you want to download, enter the minimum resolution of the downloaded photos, and select other options.  Since the software downloads the original pictures, this minimum dimension is just there to make sure that small photos are not downloaded. Not only this, the software will also download videos that are available in Flickr Favorites and hence makes it the first software of its kind to do both jobs through one platform i.e downloading photos and videos from Flickr Favorites.

Click here to Download FlickrFaves

System Requirements for FlickrFaves

It is developed on Java and works on both Windows and Mac provided you have a minimum Java Runtime Environment 5.0 installed. It works fine with the latest operating system of Microsoft Windows 7. If you have tested the software, do give us your feedback.

If you are planning to switch to the Windows 7 or have already installed it on your computer or laptop, its time you better start tweaking its settings, supplement its features or smooth the transition from the old XP to Windows 7. Below is the list of software’s that can help you with all the above and much more. Below is the brief description of the Ten Best and Essential Software’s for Windows 7. Let us know if you think we can add any other software to the list.  The list is originally compiled by PC World.

1) Microsoft Security Essentials

Like its predecessors, Windows 7 doesn’t provide built-in protection against malware such as viruses and spyware. (It does have a firewall, however.) You could pay McAfee or Symantec for this service, but why bother with their protection racket when Redmond’s service does the same thing for free? Microsoft Security Essentials provides solid protection for home PCs, and it’s gratis. If you prefer third-party security, check out AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition instead.

2) Ninite – The Windows 7 Transfer Utility

Brave souls upgrading to Windows 7 from XP must do a clean install, a tedious process that includes, among other things, reinstalling all apps. Instead, why not load most of your free and open-source programs all at once? Ninite does just that. First, go to the Ninite site and pick the programs you want (for instance, Firefox, iTunes, and Skype). Next, download Ninite, which installs the apps on your PC without introducing additional crapware. Ninite is free for personal use.

3) Windows Live Photo Gallery for Windows 7

To keep Windows 7 slim and trim–and to avoid the code bloat that slowed Vista–Microsoft left a few utilities out of its new operating system.

One such app, Photo Gallery, is a free, easy-to-use photo manager/editor that’s worth a download, particularly if you aren’t already using Google Picasa to organize your pics and videos.

4) Windows Easy Transfer for Windows 7

If you are moving to Windows 7 from XP or Vista, you should check out this free download, which helps you copy files and settings from one PC to another. (Windows 7 comes with Easy Transfer.)

The new version of Windows Easy Transfer adds a file explorer, which simplifies the task of selecting the specific files you want to copy. Easy Transfer won’t hang if it comes across a file or setting it can’t move. Rather, it will complete the transfer and then provide a report detailing everything it couldn’t copy. The bad news: Easy Transfer won’t copy your programs. For a PC-to-PC connection, you’ll need an Easy Transfer Cable (about $20). Other transfer options include a USB flash drive, an external hard disk, or a network connection.

5) Ultimate Windows Tweaker v2 for Windows 7

This free customization tool detects whether you’re running Windows 7 or Vista, and offers only the tweaks relevant to your OS. “Ultimate” is a fitting description for this mega-tweaker, which provides dozens of configuration options for UI, network, security, and system settings. If you’re all about personalizing Windows 7, this app is for you.
WinZip 14 Standard

If Windows 7 has zip compression built in, you’re undoubtedly wondering, why do I need the latest version of WinZip? Well, if you seldom use zip archives, you probably don’t. But zip fans will appreciate the improvements in WinZip 14 Standard, which has simplified the process of zipping and mailing archives in Win 7.

The latest version offers better compression ratios too. WinZip 14 Standard costs $30.

6) EnhanceMySe7en Free for Windows 7

Windows 7 may be easier to use than Vista or XP, but diagnostic and maintenance chores remain tricky. EnhanceMySe7en is a handy utility for anyone interested in doing a little system housekeeping.

This free app conveniently helps you select which programs to permit to load at startup; lets monitor your hard drive’s performance, health, and temperature; and enables you to fiddle with the Registry–if you dare.

Image Resizer Powertoy Clone for Windows 7

Need to resize pictures in Windows 7? This free utility makes it easy. Simply right-click one or more image files in Windows Explorer. You can select one of four sizes: small (640 by 480); medium (800 by 600); large (1024 by 768); or handheld PC (240 by 320). You can create your own custom sizes, too.

9) Systerac Tools for Windows 7

This bundle of 16 tools from Systerac has everything you’ll need to keep Windows 7 running smoothly. You can tweak Windows’ performance and appearance, optimize memory, clean up the hard drive, cover your tracks by shredding files, and so on. The Systerac interface is aesthetically appealing, nicely organized, and a snap to learn. The $20 Windows 7 version runs on Vista as well.

10) Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

Don’t upgrade to Windows 7 before running this free utility from Microsoft. Upgrade Advisor scans your PC to see if it’s ready for Windows 7. If it detects any potential problems–from insufficient memory to incompatible hardware to outdated software–it’ll let you know in a summary report.

We have rated AVG as one of the best free anti virus software in our last review here. Now after the big success of AVG 8.5 version and its extensions, AVG has finally released its latest Free Antivirus system labelled AVG 9 Free Anti Virus Edition.  It has always been the philosophy of AVG to provide the basic security to the users free of cost  (80 million customers) and therefore, they actively maintain a free product line beside their premium versions of Anti virus software’s.

The AVG 9 provides all the basic features like protection while surfing the internet and browsing different websites, e mail scanner, protection from phishing attacks, protections against viruses, trojans and spy wares and basic rootkit protection beside the update manager.  Not only this, they also have an active forum to provide online support to their free version users. Check the AVG Free antivirus support forum here for details. The best thing about the AVG 9 version is that it is compatible with approximately all version of Windows including Windows 7 beside Linux and FreeBSD.  It supports Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer with multilingual support.

Click here to Download AVG 9 Free AntiVirus Software (70 Mb)

Writing a book, creating a personalized magazine or delivering a print magazine or zine has never been this easy but thanks to Zinepal, now even a kid can do it.

Creating a zine is simple. Add the URL to a blog or blog feeds, select the entries you wish to add to the zine, preview your content, customise to your heart’s content, and you’re all set.

Delivery options include having it emailed to you (with new stories added), reading it on the site itself (or on any ePub/Mobipocket compatible reader), or having it sent directly to your Kindle by adding your Kindle email address.

Looking for a zine to read? Zinepal.com also offers a search function of zines created by other users, ready to be downloaded and read.

Video presentation of the product is given below:

While trying Zinepal, i created a newsletter for TechNama and decided to make it a regular feature of our site and publish it on weekly basis for our readers. It will be delivered to their e mail address or Amazon kindle address as per their request. They can also print it to read it while being on the go or during their lunch breaks.  Check out TechNama first newsletter created with the help of ZinePal

TechNama Newsletter 20th September, 2009 (PDF Version)

TechNama Newsletter 20th September, 2009 (Kindle/MobiPocket Version)

To find TechNama page on Zinepal, click here.

Facebook has finally unveiled their super lite version titled “Facebook Lite“. Everyone has been awaiting its arrival and the site is now finally made public. I personally gave it a try and found it super fast and very lite for users who love sites with simple interface and easy to open with even slow internet connections. The Facebook Lite has made few changes in the traditional version to make it super light. According to Artuji:

“The news feed only includes a simple top toolbar and buttons for posting status updates and media uploads”

According to a Facebook Live, another dedicated blog for facebook:

There’s also no feed filters included in this more simple version. While I’m not sure about how this new version appears on mobile devices, there are numerous features which are absent from this new version. One interesting aspect of the Lite version of the homepage is that Facebook opted to display “People You May Know” over friends’ birthdays. While it doesn’t appear that Facebook will be promoting this new service domestically for now, it’s available for anybody that wants to use it.

The New Facebook Lite has got a very positive feedback from the users who gave it a try.  However, Artuji has raised a very well point that even though it is making the users happy with this super lite version of Facebook, the app developers are not happy at all as Facebook Lite don’t display any apps. The users switch over to the new version means loss of potential target base for  apps developers. According to Artuji:

A few days after its launch, many users are giving it positive reviews. The removal of third-party applications and the inclusion of only a handful of Facebook’s own applications made using the social network less complicated.

Those who are only there to take a quick look or is not really into apps but more into “socializing” finds the lite version more friendly. However, Facebook app developers seem to be not too happy about this.

When users fully transfer to Facebook Lite as their preferred platform, they could potentially lose the big income they’ve been enjoying since.

Do give it a try and let us know

TechNama has been regularly covering all the antiviruses available and we have made a lot of posts on this topic as well.  However, i personally use Norton AntiVirus and the main reason is that it is a beast even though a bulky one. I recently came across the latest Norton Antivirus 2010 and thought to share it with our readers. The Norton AntiVirus 2010 can be tried for free as it has a 30 day trial version. Below are the main features of Norton AntiVirus 2010.

Main Features of Norton Antivirus 2010

The following updates have been taken from their official site.  The “New” means that it is a new feature while “improved” means the feature has been improved in this latest version.

* NEW! Analyzes downloads, files and applications and tells you if they can be trusted before you install and use them.
* IMPROVED! Norton Protection System uses multiple layers of security that work together to proactively block attacks and detect and remove threats traditional virus scanning alone can’t stop.
* IMPROVED! Vulnerability Protection guards security holes in your operating system, applications, browsers and browser plug-ins.

* IMPROVED! Detects and gets rid of even the hardest to find Internet Explorer and Firefox cookies.
* IMPROVED! Norton Bootable Recovery Tool repairs, restores and boots severely infected, unbootable PCs.
* Automatically scan emails and IMs for threats.
* Finds and eliminates bots to prevent hackers from taking over your PC.
* Intrusion prevention technologies prevent fast-spreading Internet worms from getting on to your PC.

Engineered for Speed

* IMPROVED! Proven fastest, lightest antivirus solution for protection that won’t slow you down, get in your way, or swallow up system resources.*
* IMPROVED! Norton Insight scans only files at risk for fewer, shorter scans and the fastest scanning times in the industry. *
* Uses less memory than any other antivirus solution. *
* Won’t slow you down when you download, copy, or edit files, or install applications. *

Combats today’s rapid-fire attacks

* NEW! Norton Insight Network uses Symantec’s global security network to provide real-time proactive protection from the latest-breaking threats.
* NEW! SONAR 2 (Symantec Online Network for Advanced Response) uses real-time online intelligence and proactive monitoring to detect and stop new threats.
* Norton Pulse Updates provide rapid mini security updates every 5 to 15 minutes for up-to-the-minute local protection against the latest threats.
* Norton Bootable Recovery Tool provides a deep level of scanning and cleaning for heavily infected PCs.

Provides info on threats, downloads and files

* NEW! Norton Download Insight warns you of dangerous downloads before you install and use them.
* NEW! Norton Threat Insight tells you if threats were detected, what actions threats attempted to perform on your system, and how Norton AntiVirus eliminated those threats.
* NEW! Norton File Insight tells you where files and applications came from, if they’re trusted, and if they may be impacting your PC’s speed.
* Tells you which application processes currently running on your PC are safe and which are at risk.

Helps keep your PC running at top speed

* NEW! Helps you improve and maintain PC and application performance.
* NEW! Automatic and on-demand application optimization improves application performance.
* NEW! Norton System Insight gives you an overview of recent events on your PC such as installs, downloads, scans, and detected threats, so you can see how they may be impacting your PC’s performance.
* NEW! Norton System Insight resource usage graphs help you pinpoint what’s causing your PC to slow down.
* NEW! Tells you how files and applications impact your system’s performance by monitoring their CPU and memory usage on your PC.

Protection without disruption

* NEW! Automatically delays product updates and other tasks if you’re watching TV or burning CDs/DVDs.
* NEW! Power Saver Settings help extend portable PC battery life by putting off power-intensive activities until your computer is plugged in.
* Smart Scheduler conducts scans and other tasks only when your PC is idle.
* Automatically switches to Silent Mode (no alerts, scans or updates) when you watch movies or play games in full-screen mode.

Additional Features

* NEW! Monthly report tells you what Norton AntiVirus has done in the past month to protect you and your PC.
* Free 24×7 support by phone, email, live chat or online knowledge base.**
* Maps your home network so you can see every device that is using it.
* Automatically downloads protection updates and new product features as they become available during your service period.
* With the Norton Automatic Renewal Service your yearly subscription can be automatically renewed for uninterrupted protection

Download Norton Antivirus 2010 Free Trial  Version here

Being a blogger, i am sure everyone is well aware of the wordpress engine as almost 5317360 bloggers are using it to run their blog sites. Even TechNama is powered by WordPress engine and we are very much satisfied with their services. Recently, i came across a news at TechCrunch that Wordpress has been facing a serious security threat to its older versions and hence all users should immediately update their current version to any version above 2.8.4 since all versions uptil 2.8.4 are vulnerable to the said security threat.

Things that you should know about this attack are following as per lorelle:

1. Reports are that this attack impacts ALL versions of WordPress up to 2.8.4, the most recent release.

2. What Version Am I Using? If you are using a WordPress version after 2.7, the nag screen on the WordPress Administration Panels will alert you to upgrade. If you are using an older version, upgrade now.

3. Use a WordPress Plugin for Protection: Do not rely upon a WordPress Plugin to protect you. There are many reports of Plugins that will “help” in the comments. While they might help in other ways, please upgrade now. That is the only solution if your site has not been impacted.

4. WordPress is Not Secure: WordPress is incredibly secure and monitored constantly by experts in web security. This attack was well anticipated and so far, WordPress 2.8.4 is holding. If necessary, WordPress will immediately release a update with further security improvements. WordPress is used by governments, huge corporations, and me, around the world. Millions of bloggers are using WordPress.com. Have faith they are working overtime to monitor this situation and protect your blog.

5. Fear of Upgrading: This attack is serious enough to overcome all your fears of updating. If older WordPress Plugins are holding you back, update them to the latest version or replace them with new. If your Theme might break, contact the Theme author and update or replace it. There are thousands of free Themes to choose from, probably some better than what you are using. If you are using a recent version of WordPress, updating is as easy as clicking a couple buttons. If you are using an older version, download the most recent version and upgrade now.

6. Other Issues? Whatever your issue is that keeps you from updating WordPress, get over it and update now to protect your site.

To find out if your site has been attacked or not you can check for the following as mentioned by Lorelle:

There are two clues that your WordPress site has been attacked:

First, there are strange additions to permalinks, such as example.com/category/post-title/%&(%7B$%7Beval(base64_decode($_SERVER%5BHTTP_REFERER%5D))%7D%7D|.+)&%/. The keywords are “eval” and “base64_decode.”

The second clue is that a “back door” was created by a “hidden” Administrator. Check your site users for “Administrator (2)” or a name you do not recognize.

There is no other alternative to this problem so better update your version before you face much bigger problems or lose all your effort and data to some exploiters. We have done in our case and we hope our readers will also follow suite. Do give us your feedback and comments in case you have any further info on this case.

FortiClient has finally launched their first free version of antivirus software. It has received alot of attention in the media as well as on blogs.  The FortiClient Endpoint Security Suit is targeted at Home users and is expected to compete against the other free anti virus software available in the market. A detail list can be found here for Free AntiVirus softwares. Now coming back to FortiClient and the special features of this  free version as per their own site:

FortiClient™ standard edition offers one of the most comprehensive security suites for your PC available – including a full range of Fortinet threat protections for PCs and laptops, even when used on insecure public networks. This free download provides SSL and IPSec VPN, a personal firewall, antivirus/antispyware scanning, Intrusion Prevention and web filtering. FortiGate™ users complete their network security framework with Endpoint Control, Application Detection and WAN Optimization. Automatic updates from the FortiGuard™ subscription service ensure protection against the latest threats.

The best thing about the software is that it is just 11 MB and hence very easy to download and install. However, its first update takes a bit longer time then expected since it downloads most of the security updates later. So in case you don’t update it, you will end up having an anti virus system with obsolete definitions.

System Requirements for Free FortiClient Endpoint Security Suite
· Pentium processor or equivalent
· 100 MB hard disk space
· Compatible Operating System & Minimum RAM
- Windows 2000: 128 MB
- Windows XP 32-bit and 64-bit: 256 MB
- Windows Server 2003 32-bit and 64-bit: 384 MB
- Windows Server 2008 32-bit and 64-bit: 512 MB
- Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit: 512 MB
- Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit: 512 MB

Download Free FortiClient Endpoint Security Suite Standard Edition

Do give us your feedback. Below is the screenshot of the software and its control panel.

Google Maps keeps adding new things to its world class mapping software “Google Maps”. I never imagined that Google will integrate so many things into it that it will eventually become the world best detailed map. It has added so many features that it is hard to count them.

Today, Google has announced on its site an addition of a new feature i.e Traffic conditions on the back roads. Back Roads are generally the alternative roads which you can take to avoid the highways. Since highways tend to get the major chunk of the traffic, you can take the back roads to avoid it. Google will aid you in this by providing you with the traffic situation on those back roads.  This software can really come handy since its available on the mobile version of Google Maps.

The 100 million dollars question is that how Google collect this data? It seems Google has shared a bit of the answer to this questions as i found out on a blog post by Leena Rao on TechCrunch. Below is what she added:

Google says that this feature can also be accessed on Google Maps for Mobile, which is particularly useful when trying to figure out the best route on the go. Google also shed a little bit of light as to how they crowdsource traffic info via Google Maps on mobile phones. When you enable Google Maps with My Location, the phone sends anonymous bits of data back to Google describing how fast you’re moving. When Google combines your speed with the speed of other phones on the road, across thousands of phones moving around a city at any given time, they can get an idea of traffic live conditions. They continuously combine this data and send it back to you for free in the Google Maps traffic layers.

Google assures users that they only use anonymous speed and location information to calculate traffic conditions, and only do so when the user has opted to enable location services on his or her phone.

As a blogger and a person who would like to get maximum information about my blog site working, i keep using different tools to check my blog performance. For technical blog performance, i just came across a website that really helps you to get detail technical information of your blog sites. I won’t go into the details and will attach screen shots to give you an idea as to what you can get through it. I hope you like the service and give it a shot. And don’t forget to give us your feedback and comments. Also tell us if you think there is a better site for the same purpose.

Click here to check the Ismyblogworking

When i was searching for a domain name for our website, everything that made sense and used the word Tech were taken by someone and parked. I was wondering what  benefits they get from booking all logical domain names but now that i came across this news that domain name “server.com” has been sold for a huge sum of $770,000 by Sedo to an un disclosed buyer, i have understood the business model of buying domains and parking them to be sold later on at a much higher prices.

The DomainNameWire has issued a complete list of the websites that were auctioned yesterday and all grabbed a good sum of money for the companies owning them. According to TechCrunch,

“You’d think in the midst of a recession domain name sales would become less common and be negotiated for far less than the high-priced .com acquisitions we remember from the late nineties and during the dotcom boom.

The reality, however, is that we’ve been seen a remarkable amount of high-profile, generic domain names go at fairly high prices for the past 8 months or so (e.g. Toys.com, Candy.com, YP.com, Vibrators.com, etc.).

Maybe professional domainers and regular companies with an attractive portfolio are more willing to sell now that cash is in shorter supply than it was before the economy collapsed, or maybe these are all calculated bets made by companies that have the capital required to purchase / invest in quality domain names. Most likely, it’s a combination of both.”

The complete list of sites and the prices are give by DomainNameWire and listed below for the easy reference of our readers.

.COM
omg.com 80,000 USD
enlargement.com 56,000 USD
4a.com 24,000 USD
aileron.com 21,000 USD
flirten.com 20,620 EUR Flirt in German
weighttraining.com 18,751 USD
officeshoes.com 17,000 USD
libel.com 9,999 USD
118000.com 9,900 GBP
scco.com 7,500 USD
binu.com 7,000 EUR
myprotein.com 7,000 USD
teachwave.com 6,000 USD
beyondnature.com 5,900 USD
wikibaby.com 5,500 USD
iverified.com 5,500 USD
indiretta.com 5,316 USD
generalpants.com 5,000 USD

ccTLDs
loterie.fr 35,000 EUR Lottery in French
nextonline.de 12,000 EUR
yourmoney.ca 8,000 USD
tatry.eu 7,900 EUR
aud.io 6,750 USD
pokerregeln.de 5,600 EUR Poker rules in German
casinoonline.co.za 5,555 GBP
auditors.co.uk 5,261 GBP

Other
loteria.org 15,000 EUR Lottery in Spanish
create.net 10,000 USD
09.net 5,000 USD