Happy New Year

Heres Wishing all the readers of Ragatech a very happy new year.
For all the support rendered to keep the blog rolling. Really would have not been possible without you all.

Happy New Year, May this year bring all the success and prosperity you always wanted.

Check out the new Google CheckOut!

Google to expand E-Commerce Support

Well wat does one do to find a product and shop online
1) Find the sites selling the product via google
2) Add your product to the domain cart
3) Follow the tiring process of entering your details to confirm and submit the order

Well this can be quite painfull if one has to repeat this process again and again

Google has just found a solution to it with its google Checkout
with its intention of getting more revenue to itself google will offer stores to accept payment with google checkout. They will also be offered a package of Google Checkout along with Google Adwords toghether at a discounted rate.

So wats in it for users
One can register at Google Checkout and then you can shop quickly at all google supported eshops.
You just enter your details for once and then you never need to fill them again.
Other good things about this service are it provides you a detail purchase history to track your orders and purchases. Google promises not to reveal your full credit card to e shops so that u can be rest assured of the security.

Although is estimated to bring down Paypal's Revenue by far and large it is a question that remains unanswered at the moment....err...or is that really so??

View the Google presentation:

Whos Spamming You!

Google's way of tracing down spammers!
Havent you always wished to find out the the hell is spamming your mailbox even after you register at sites that appear so convincing to you for their supposedly no spamming policies.

Well if that is all you wished, Google has started a service that will help you do just that. Yahoo too has followed the trend and is apparently providing the service with a few alterations in the process.

Heres how it works (for google)

1. You need to have a gmail account.

2. Assuming that your address is xyz@gmail.com, whenever you log on to a website and u need to register your email there, just fill in the field with the address "xyz+sitename@gmail.com" (quotes not applied).

3.Whenever google recieves an email with a plus sign it will break the 2 parts of the username and the previous one will be identified as the original user name..hence the mail will thus reach your mailbox

4. Inorder to check the mails that have arrived from sitename. just check your gmail account for the address xyz+sitename@gmail.com. This will give a list of all the emails that were sent via that domain.

Thus proving a great deal of assisting us to know whom to trust and whom not to trust.

"Mail Fetcher" , New Feature in GMail's Kitty!

and the innovation continues...

With google's intense user friendly feature additions that keep on happening as each day passes, this one should not come as a surprise.
Everyone today has multiple emails, how convientient would it be if u could fetch your email at one account. Neattttttttttt!!!!! that too without the hassels of you populating the POP technicalities (mostly)
They call it the Mail Fetcher, but whats in the name as they always say. But a cool feature indeed, i say!
HOWEVER
This feature is currently only enabled for a limited number of users.

but then theres something thats available to ALL.
google has just extended this idea to even customise your from address (eg. sending ur yahoo address in the From: field instead of gmail). Neat yet again!!!!!! thats the only thing that comes to my mind


You can do Both These settings by following the below simple steps, which are quote unquote taken from gmail's help page!

Enjoy!!

How do I set up Mail Fetcher?

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=21288

How do I customize the 'From:' address on outgoing mail?

If you'd like your outgoing Gmail messages to display another one of your email addresses in the 'From:' field (instead of your Gmail address), just follow these easy steps:

1. Log in to your Gmail account.
2. Click Settings along the top of any page, and then select the Accounts tab.
3. Click Add another email address in the Send mail as section.
4. Enter your full name in the Name field, and the email address you'd like to send messages from in the Email address field.

   *Keep in mind that each time someone replies to a message you send using a custom 'From:' address, the reply will be delivered to the 'From:' address rather than your Gmail address. If you'd like replies to be delivered to another account, you'll need to enter a 'reply-to' address. Just click Specify a different reply-to address to enter this information.

5. Click Next Step >> and then click Send Verification to complete the process. Gmail will send a verification message to your other email address to confirm that you'd like to add it to your Gmail account. You'll need to click the link in that message, or enter the confirmation code in the Accounts section of your Gmail account, to complete the process. Once you've verified that you'd like to add the address to your account, you can start sending messages using your custom 'From:' address.

Are You Ready For Vista

Do it Yourself Test to test ur readiness to Windows Vista !

If you were still wondering with all the hype with vista as to will you be able to run it on your machine. Heres some good news for you. While most of it have already figured this out a lot many still dont know about this. That just makes it justified to blog up a post on it

Microsoft offers a Upgrade Check Utility specifically for Windows Vista
the application can be download from microsoft's site at the following link.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeadvisor/default.mspx

AMD QuadFX Platform: More Isn't Better

A review from PC Magazine lets it out on AMD QuadFX (Quad Core Processor)

Excerpts:
AMD's new dual-socket platform abounds with ironies. Once the purveyor of "Cool 'n' Quiet", the AMD reference system is one of the noisiest PCs we've had in our labs—and that's with Cool 'n' Quiet and BIOS fan control enabled. And until Intel shipped its Core 2 line of processors, AMD touted it's lower power capability, but the 4x4 (AMD's code-name for the platform) eats nearly 600W at full load—and that's with only one graphics card. AMD is launching new CPUs, including a new speed grade, but the underlying platform technology is more interesting than the processors. On top of that, AMD is touting QuadFX's capabilities under Windows Vista, for some good technical reasons. But those same reasons make it a somewhat anemic performer under Windows XP.


The twin CPUs—which will be shipped in pairs—are aggressively priced


Read the Entire Review and a Complete Comparison here!

Courtesy: ABC News

SiteAdvisor, McAffee - A Review by RagaTech

A true solution to malicious Domain threats

Ragatech Ratings : 4.5/5
Have you ever wished to know how dangerous is a web domain that you are using. How many phishing attacks have been made, how many spyware reports have been reported, and a lot more security related issues including spam, with respect to the website you are visiting

SiteAdvisor, by McAffee, is just the solution for you.
Its completely free and plus it has an extension for your firefox just incase you use it.
More than usefull, it is great at finding malicious sites and security threats that you need to be carefull of, that too even before you visit the site.

"McAfee SiteAdvisor is the 5-star rated Web safety tool that helps keep you safe from adware, spam and online scams as you search and browse the Web." - SiteAdvisor.com

Top rated by CNET and TopScience it also has featured in the Time "50 coolest websites" offers you features like:

Safe search ratings
SiteAdvisor ratings appear next to the results of popular search engines. Know in advance which search results are safe and which might cause adware, viruses, spam, or online scams. Mouse over any rating to see more info; click on any rating to see all the details.
Safe browse ratings
SiteAdvisor's browser plug-in changes color based on the safety of the sites you visit. Like a knowledgeable, experienced, tech-savvy friend, SiteAdvisor guides you with safety ratings based on tests of more than 95% of the trafficked Web.
Exploit protection
SiteAdvisor safely redirects you away from sites known to cause browser exploits. Exploits are one of the most serious security risks a site can pose to your PC. SiteAdvisor acts as a virtual safety net to keep you safe from them.
Link safety checking in e-mail & IM
SiteAdvisor Plus flags dangerous links in e-mail & instant messaging programs. Whether you receive a dangerous link or inadvertently send one, SiteAdvisor Plus informs you so that you can avoid danger before you even click.
Advanced phishing protection
SiteAdvisor Plus combines real-time scans and database checks to flag 'phishing' sites. Online scammers are using increasingly sophisticated fake sites to steal your identity and harm your PC. That's why advanced phishing protection is so important.
Protected mode
SiteAdvisor Plus offers password-controlled "Protected" mode to block dangerous sites. Actively shield your PC from dangerous sites, no matter where they appear: in search results, e-mails, instant messages, or through browsing. Great for shared PCs.
Automatic updates

Download the FireFox Extension here...
http://www.siteadvisor.com/download/ff.html

A Google Redesign???????

With incidences of many IPs being randomly selected by google for testing its beta have been increasing more and more ppl are encountering, what could be thought as a Google ReDesign Process.
What lies at the genious minds of the google entreprenuers is unknown but with possible evidences it does make sure that google is definitely trying to put a lot of reserach on to redesigning it.

http://www.searchmash.com
is google's very own test domain(search engine) which they have put to public. Here it is evident that googles really been into gettin in good features for its new generation search engine

For reports as to google's display of a "different" UI to random users, visit
http://www.jamesyu.org/archives/2006/03/possible_google.html

Mitul Surti

Admin
ragatech.blogspot.com

www.zamzar.com

Have you ever wanted to convert files without the need to download software ?

www.zamzar.com has just gone beyond this thinking. zamzar is an online file format conversion utility which converts, in four simple steps a file of any format to any related format. it is also good in sending mails to your friends who want a file and do not have the format support that your file needs, because converted files are emails at an account.

So try zamzar today!

RagaTech Ratings to Zamzar : 3.5 / 5

Mitul Surti
Admin
ragatech.blogspot.com

Guruji.com partners with Infomedia India

Guruji.com to use the business listings of Infomedia Yellow Pages as part of their city search

Guruji.com, backed by Sequoia Capital India, has announced a partnership with Infomedia India Ltd.

The partnership will allow Guruji.com to use the business listings of Infomedia Yellow Pages as part of their city search. The exact terms of the agreement were not released.

According to a Guruji.com statement, this partnership will help users find the phone numbers and address of the relevant businesses. This will add a huge value to the end consumer and also the customers of Infomedia who will see their reach widen as they become searchable on the search engine of Guruji.com.

Anurag Dod, co-founder and CEO, Guruji.com, said, “This is a great partnership for us and it is a win-win for both the companies. Infomedia is one of the leading media companies with the largest database of business listing and we will make this database searchable using our technology. This will deliver huge value to the consumers who have not had this service till now.”

Prakash Iyer, MD, Infomedia India, said, “We think Guruji.com has the technology and the passion to deliver the best search to the Indian consumer. As the leader in Yellow Pages in India, we wanted to partner with them to deliver our content aggregating experience easily to a wider audience.”

Indian IT firms fuel Qantas flight

Satyam Computer Services Ltd and Tata Consultancy Services today announced in separate statements that they have won multi-million seven-year contracts with Qantas.

The agreement between Satyam and Qantas covers application development and maintenance services for over 150 applications across a wide portfolio of technologies.
This follows the recent Oracle e-Business suite contract announced in August between Qantas and Satyam for the implemented elements of Qantas’ eBusiness systems. The transition of the IT support and service delivery of these applications to Satyam is already underway, the Satyam statement said.
The deal follows an extensive, 12-month review by Qantas of its information technology applications development, support and maintenance functions.
Commenting on this win, Rama Raju, co-founder and chief executive officer of Satyam, said, “We are very proud to partner with Qantas, Australia’s leading airline as one of their global service providers and we look forward to leveraging our global expertise towards achieving Qantas goals and objectives.”
TCS’ seven-year engagement with Qantas with an expected value of around AUD120 million (US$90 million) is to provide a range of IT application, transformation and maintenance services.
Under the contract, TCS will assume full responsibility for more than 75 per cent of the total scope of Qantas' (AST) program. TCS will provide support and maintenance to all of Qantas' key IT applications for airport operations and commercial systems TCS will be the lead partner for the transition phase of the entire Qantas AST program, overseeing activities of many of Qantas' internal and external groups involved in IT systems support and maintenance.

"The Qantas engagement is a significant milestone for TCS' airline business and is the result of our extensive investments in building domain expertise that has helped create innovative solutions for companies," said S Ramadorai, CEO and managing director. "We believe technology has a strong role to play in enabling the travel and hospitality sector companies to retain customers and build new business models," he added.

The TCS statement issued from Sydney said that Qantas will benefit from access to TCS' new Innovation Lab for Travel and Hospitality, located in Chennai. The Lab incubates, develops and pilots new solutions for emerging technologies such as RFID, wireless and digital asset management.

Microsoft buying $240 million worth of SUSE Linux

The agreement between Novell and Microsoft is actually three agreements, and one of them will see Microsoft buying $240 million of SUSE Linux certificates. New details about the deal surfaced yesterday in a Novell filing with the SEC, where the company spelled out the financial arrangements in detail.

The two companies have actually signed three separate agreements: a Business Collaboration Agreement, a Technical Collaboration Agreement, and a Patent Cooperation Agreement. All three deals are designed to make virtualization simpler, something we suspected when the announcement was first made. The agreement on technical collaboration requires both companies to make sure that their respective operating systems run well as guest systems, and both have agreed to make it easy for each operating system to "command, control, and configure" the other OS in a virtual machine environment. The two firms will also work on interoperability between the ODF and Office Open XML file formats.

Interesting, to be sure, but what about the money? The Business Collaboration Agreement is the one that will have Microsoft buying $240 million of SUSE subscription certificates, which the company can distribute as it sees fit. Microsoft will also spend the least $12 million a year marketing the Windows/Linux combination and will pump $34 million into developing a sales force for the combined offering.

The Patent Cooperation Agreement means that both Microsoft and Novell agree not to sue end-users of either SUSE or Windows for potential patent violations found in the respective operating systems. Microsoft will make a one-time payment of $108 million to Novell, and Novell will turn around and pay at least $40 million each year back to Microsoft for a minimum of five years (the exact amount depends on sales of certain Novell products).

This last agreement has raised questions within the open source community among users who are concerned that it might violate Novell's GPL obligations. The worry is that Novell has agreed to "license" patents from Microsoft that potentially cover certain aspects of Linux, but Novell stresses that is not the case. The agreement "does not include a patent license or covenant not to sue from Microsoft to Novell," Novell said in a statement. "Novell's customers receive a covenant not to sue directly from Microsoft. We have not agreed with Microsoft to any condition that would contradict the conditions of the GPL and we are in full compliance."

Novell further asserts that there was no threatened litigation from Microsoft that caused it to cut the deal.

Source : http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061108-8178.html

Google posts Kama Sutra worm

Google has admitted that three posts on the Google Video group blog on Tuesday evening were contaminated with the Kama Sutra worm. The offending posts have now been deleted.

It's unclear how many subscribers to the 50,000 member list became infected as a result of the SNAFU. Google advises cocerned subscribers to run an anti-virus check.

The Kama Sutra worm is a mass mailiing worm, discovered in January 20o6, which deletes the registry keys of anti-virus and P2P programs from infected PCs. The worm is also programed to delete system files on the third day of every month. The worm, which spreads in the guise of offering pornographic content, never spread very far and was never considered much of a threat.

Google has apologised over the incident and promised to take steps to make sure something similar doesn't happen again.

Source : http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/09/google_kam_sutra_worm_snafu/

Vista retail release date: 30 January 2007

Mark 30 January 2007 in your diary because that's when the average consumer will be able to get their hands on Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system.

Following months of speculation, Microsoft has revealed that Vista will be on shelves and pre-installed on new computers on the second-to-last day of January.
It was announced last week that Vista will be released to business users with volume license deals on 30 November but the retail customers will have to wait another two months.
The new operating system, which has been five years in the making, was recently signed off by Microsoft with Windows chief Jim Allchin saying the code was "rock solid" and ready for shipping.

Source: http://software.silicon.com/os/0,39024651,39163966,00.htm

MitzyBlog has just moved in Here!

mitzyblog has just moved to ragatech

With efforts to bring you sharper news and to satisfy your technology specific hunger, we have just moved our address from mitzyblog.blogspot.com to a more techspecific domain for content classification.