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Finally we have a Steam client for Mac for FREE from Valve

Valve has finally managed today to rather officially give us the Steam client for Mac. This is simply some superb news for Mac users since they get the 'free to play' Portal game and also a vast library of 63 games too for the Mac platform.

Valve says that in order to celebrate the Mac launch, it will be giving away free copies of Portal to anyone who downloads Steam between today and May 24, 2010. Here is the direct link to download your Steam for Mac. For all the existing steam users who don't still have a copy of the game yet they can simply click on the install button on the game's Store page to get it now!!.

Steam being pushed into the Mac platform will surely open loads of opportunities for Valve. Valve can now easily expand the current customer base for its games distribution service. This announcement is significant since most of the hardcore gamers on Mac used to play all the steam titles only by using Windows OS via Bootcamp, but that's not needed anymore.

Here's this week's titles which are available on Steam Play:

And Yet It Moves
Atlantis Sky Patrol
Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
Bob Came in Pieces
Bookworm Deluxe
Braid
Brainpipe
Chocolatier: Decadence by Design
Chuzzle Deluxe
City of Heroes: Architect Edition
Civilization IV: The Complete Edition
Cooking Dash
Diaper Dash
The Dig
Diner Dash: Hometown Hero
DinerTown Detective Agency
DinerTown Tycoon
Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child
Escape Rosecliff Island
Fairway Solitaire
Fitness Dash
Football Manager 10
Galcon Fusion
Gemini Lost
Guns of Icarus
Hotel Dash Suite Success
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
KrissX
Loom
Luxor
Luxor 3
Luxor: Mahjong
Machinarium
Mahjong Roadshow
Max and the Magic Marker
My Tribe
The Nightshift Code
Nightshift Legacy: The Jaguar's Eye
Parking Dash
Peggle Deluxe
Peggle Nights
Portal
Professor Fizzwizzle and the Molten Mystery
Quantz
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse
Tales of Monkey Island Season 1
Toki Tori
Torchlight
Trijinx: A Kristine Kross Mystery
Unwell Mel
Valarie Porter and the Scarlett Scandal
Wandering Willows
Wedding Dash 2: Rings Around the World
World of Goo
Zenerchi
Zuma Deluxe

iPhone 3G S Specs and Accessories

The iPhone 3G S was launched a couple of days ago and it has surely turned a lot of heads. Here is a comprehensive list of features that the iPhone 3G S has.

16GB or 32GB Storage
3 MP camera with auto focus, tap to focus, photo and video tagging
3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Assisted GPS
UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

There are also so many iPhone cell accessories like Faceplates, Covers, Chargers, Headsets, Hands Free, Batteries, Blings, Charms, Leather Cases, Leather Pouches, Data Cables, Antennas, Holsters and Keypads which will make your iPhone that much more better.

Most folks go for an additional Faceplate or Cover so that they can easily protect the original cover from scratches and also protect the phone when there is a fall from a high place. Scratch Guards are also turning out to be a very big hit - it is cheap and yet does it's job just so well. The PVC material of the scratch guards actually take all the scratches and the original screen remains so perfectly new.

Young Teens love to add Blings and Charms to their phones to make them look more hippy and trendy. Some even paste skins to their iPhone's backside which is easily prone to finger-prints.

iPhone OS 3.1 Beta And SDK out already!! Available for Free Download

iPhone SDK Logo iPhone OS 3.0 was released to the public barely 2-3 weeks back and already you have a next major update in the form of iPhone OS 3.1 being released in Beta. This has been the very first time in history that Apple has made such a major release in quick succession – though the new 3.1 version is in Beta, it surely does address some major issues that were reported by users of iPhone OS 3.0.

The new iPhone OS 3.1 addresses a major battery issue that many users had reported. The battery values were not getting displayed correctly, but it now seems that the issue is fixed with this Beta release. Also, another change that many users of iPhone OS 3.1 Beta have reported is that MMS has been switched ON by default – looks like the service providers have had their say with Apple. Since, MMS services are offered at a premium with almost all service providers – so turning it ON by default can rake in more usage and in-turn more profits.

Micro USB to connect most of our devices in future

Almost 10 leading mobile / mobility device manufacturers have formally signed a European Commission Memorandum of Understanding which curbs the creation of e-waste by making manufacturers of mobiles to use the standard (Micro USB) for charging the devices and also for connecting them to computers for data exchange.

Micro USB are not to be confused with Mini USB which is already available in many phones especially from Motorola and BlackBerry. Mini USB has a very super cool option that will seamlessly allow different mobile devices to be connected with each other without the actual need for a host computer. The Micro USB is already in use in the Amazon Kindle which has a craze following in the US market.

Some of the company’s that have signed the agreement include Apple, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Research in Motion, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Texas Instruments. These are the same company’s which are members of the OMTP Forum.

As per the commitment on the MoU signed the manufacturer’s need to roll out all their products with support to Micro USB from the year 2010. This is really a very exciting news since we don’t have to anymore worry about different sets of cables for charging or data transfer purposes. Currently, I have atleast 3-4 sets of chargers for my Sony Ericsson, BlackBerry and Nokia mobiles and another equal number of cables that are needed for syncing each of these devices with my PC / Laptop.

Once, we have the Micro USB standard we can have a single charger and data cable for most of our devices. Imagine using the same charger to charge ur Sony Ericsson mobile as well as your BlackBerry and also your iPod – now that’s gonna be super cool. But, you’ll need to purchase the new models that are released post 2010 (Now that’s a catch).

Easy to use Free iTunes alternative software for Windows Vista

Most of the folks will say that Apple’s iTunes software used for syncing and storing music/videos on your iPod is not a lightweight application - makes your system to run much slower.

I have been installing and testing iTunes release after release for quite sometime and I have noticed that the total over all installation does grow to include several hundred MB of temp files (much like Nero does). First of all, iTunes is a 80MB installable. One may argue that 80 MB is not much of disk space nowadays, but installing software isn’t like storing files. Software registers itself to thousands of places, adds many, many files to many, many different folders. Also, it may add services, which also run in the background, thus perhaps slowing down your computer. 80 MB may also be compressed. It might be much larger when installed and all files are taken in to account.

This is exactly where Free iTunes alternatives come into the picture and Froddle Pod is one such alternative. Froddle Pod is awesome. I was using iTunes and now I’ve tried out this app, I don’t think I’ll be going back to iTunes. Froddle Pod already has heaps of features iTunes doesn’t. I loved the normalization feature, just plugged my iPod in, clicked normalize iPod, went and got a bite to eat and came back to an iPod with completely normalized music. Froddle Pod is definitely worth the download!

It certainly is not as feature rich as iTunes but it has the essential stuff hat you need: It can copy music and videos from and to an iPod which is the most wanted feature for an iPod user. Froddle Pod can also backup and restore all data that is stored on an iPod. Go ahead and give Froddle Pod a spin!!

1 million plus Skype downloads on iPhones already

Looks like Skype has made a dent into the iPhone market too - tough it launched pretty late after a couple of years of the iPhone. But it sure looks like it is on the path for the numero Uno position on VOIP calls on the iPhone too. The Skype version for iPhone was launched on 1st April and till date it has recorded a million plus downloads already!!!

Skype blogger Peter Parkes posted a quick update on the official blog sharing this great news!! I suppose now that Skype is one of the fastest-downloaded apps of all time in the iTunes app store - it now accounts for an average of six downloads each passing second. Let's wait and watch if Skype has truly raised a storm in the iPhone VOIP market. You can download the Skype app for Iphone here for free.

BTW, as always Skype to Skype calls are free :)

How to easily install Adobe Photoshop CS4 11.0.1 Update on an existing Photoshop CS4 Installation

Adobe has recently released a new update called 11.0.1 for it's Photoshop CS4 - the most powerful photo editing software currently available. Photoshop CS4 is used by professionals around the world on both Mac and PC environments. But the Version 11.0.1 update has been giving many users a lot of issues in installing the update.

I have given a list of easy steps to install the Photoshop CS4 11.0.1 Update on your system without any issues. Follow the easy steps of installation below:

P.S: You can download the update 11.0.1 here.

First of all, Disable all the anti-virus softwares in your system.
Next, you will have to ensure that the folder on your hard drive which contains Photoshop is aptly named "Adobe Photoshop CS4".
Now go ahead and double-click the "Adobe Photoshop Updater" application.
Here's the challenge - If now, the updater throws a message saying that it cannot find the application to update. You have NO choice but to uninstall Photoshop CS4 and then reinstall Photoshop CS4 from scratch before trying to update again. (Note that the default folder is named as "Adobe Photoshop CS4"). On a Mac, to uninstall Photoshop, you'll have to navigate to the "Applications/Utilities/Adobe Installers" folder and run "Add or Remove Adobe Photoshop CS4" to remove the original installation of Photoshop. Once the removal is complete, reinstall Photoshop, and then try your luck again with the updater.
Your almost done now - Just follow all the instructions on the screen.
Finally to confirm that the updater has run successfully, launch Photoshop CS4 and verify that the version number on the splash screen shows 11.0.1 and not 11.0!!!

Well, according to Adobe development team - Photoshop CS4 11.0.1 will only work the retail version of Photoshop CS4 and not any pre-release (including the beta) versions.

What are NetBooks and NetTops really? - Demystified

Netbooks and Nettops are a a new category of simple and very much affordable computers(much like notebooks) for the Internet. Netbooks and Nettops offer both emerging and mature markets an easy-to-use device with simple interfaces and targeted performance for a good online experience.

The best thing is that Netbooks are very rugged and extremely compact in design, and offer the freedom and flexibility of wireless connectivity whereas nettops offer an affordable at-home experience on a reliable computing device.

As far as I know both these are simply Made for the Internet, Netbooks and Nettops are an affordable option for education, photo and video viewing, social networking, voice over IP, e-mail, messaging, browsing and other Internet activities as well as a whole host of basic applications.

But at the same time, Netbooks are not very powerful, and often do not have much storage space unless - you carry loads of removeable storage. I personally think they are way too small and also they do not have a very powerful processor or much of RAM. But again, if you are a Linux or basic XP user - you don't have to worry much about the RAM useable that will remain. The current offerings in the market usually offer Linux and a few variants offer Basic XP - which I feel is perfect. I know of some people who have personally considered them for the simple fact that they come with Linux.

Most NetBooks(atleast the ones currently in market) have a 7' inch diplay and sport a Intel ATOM processor with about 256MB RAM and 1-10GB of Hard Disk space. What I personally feel is that at present netbooks aren’t really touted as a complete replacement for most notebook users. These are extremely niche machines that are really only useful for those with specific needs(maybe my pal who does a lot of embedded coding on Linux). It also serves very well for those users that aren’t aware or simply not bothered by these machine’s limitations. But I suppose that one day they may become ready for business use, but unless you have a jet flying employee who travels a lot or someone who always has to have the neatest new gadget, you may be better wait for more features and add-ons.

Prices in India for the New Apple MacBooks

The prices of the new Apple MacBooks have been released in India too. Though the machines themselves will be released in India only later this month - for those who can't wait the temptation and also arrange finances to bring home some of the costly - mean looking - cosmetic machines , here we have a run down of the prices announced(unofficially for the moment) below:

The two MacBook 13.3' inch laptops with Core 2 Duo processors will be priced as follows:

MacBook MB466ZP/A (This has a 13.3' display with the Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz processor) - Price in India - Rs. 79,700 (USD $1600 approx)
MacBook MB467ZP/A (This is a smarter one with the same 13.3 ' display but sports an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz processor) - Price in India - Rs. 96,500 (USD $2000 approx)

Next we have the hyped MacBook Air, which I personally feel is only for creating style statements(sorry if I offend someone here):

MacBook Air MB543ZP/A ( This sports a 13.3' display with the Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6 GHz processor) - Price in India - Rs. 1,07,000 (USD $2200 approx)
MacBook Air MB940ZP/A (Again having a 13.3' display but has an Intel Core 2 Duo 1.86 GHz processor) - Price in India - Rs. 1,49,000 (USD $3000 approx)

Finally, the much sought after 15.4' display machines:

MacBook MB470LL/A (This has the huge and glossy 15.4' display and comes equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz processor) - Price in India - Rs. 1,19,600 (USD $2500 approx)
MacBook MB471LL/A (Again the same 15.4' glossy display but a much better Intel Core 2 Duo 2.53GHz processor) - Price in India - Rs. 1,49,000 (USD $3000 approx)

As far as I see it, the prices seem to be much on the higher end. But Mac still has it's own set of loyals who will swear by it. Let's see how the sales of these yet to be released machines will be - given that more and more Indian's travel abroad nowadays.

Prices calculated at 1 U.S. dollar = 48.6712742 Indian rupees

Apple updates iTunes 8 to fix Vista's blue screen of death

From the time Apple released the new iTunes version 8, some of the Windows Vista users are getting the most famed "Blue Screen of Death". I believe this problem is due to the extra software that is being installed along with iTunes. Coz, when you downgrade back to iTunes 7.7 - everything works fine again. But actually, in order to avoid errors you'll apparently have to uninstall all Apple software and doing this always result in some data loss.

Well, the problem was discovered to be caused due to an update to a driver known as "GEARAspiWDM.sys." Its used in Windows to help third-party applications(like iTunes) write to CD and DVD drives, but it also has a history of causing trouble in the form of system crashes (read - the Blue Screen of Death).

Well, there's also another driver being identified in crash reports. It is centered around an updated USB controller driver, which appears to be in use when the iPod device is connected. This is due to the fact that the crash happens as the iPod is recognized via USB.

The above crash problems are not the only issue for Apple as of now. Additional testing of the software on Windows computers by security experts indicate that Apple is still installing MobileMe(a crap software) without users' consent. you don't even have a choice with this crap software while installing. However, Apple appears to be giving users an option to uninstall the service through the Windows Control Panel with the new installer.

iTunes users running Vista are instructed to completely uninstall the application and re-download iTunes 8.

Apple unveils new iPod Nano and iPod Touch

The New iPod Nano

A new iPod Nano has been unveiled by Apple - the new one is the thinnest iPod Apple has made so far and one that has added curved glass over its screen, a new user interface and an accelerometer that puts the iPod into shuffle mode when it's shaken. The best of it all is that Apple has slashed the price too :)

With a newly added accelerometer, the iPod will now allow for a very cool and interesting functionality that was first unveiled with the launch of the famed Apple iPhone. How it works is : if you happen to lay the device on its side it will bring up the Cover Flow view, and shaking the device would shuffle the songs in the playlist automatically - now that's really cool.

The new iPod Nano will also be available in eight different colors: silver, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, Red, and black. The new prices for the iPod Nano are: iPod Nano will retail for $149 for the 8 GB model and a cool $199 for the 16 GB model. Both are available immediately online. It'll be available in the coming week in a retail store near you.

The New iPod Touch

Apple also unveiled a new and much improved iPod touch it's got a new design adjustment. I for once feel that the iPod Touch seems to follow along the same lines as the iPhone 3G, although the Touch's back is made of stainless steel (the iPhone's is plastic as I had pointed out in my earlier article "31 Reasons Why you Shouldn't Buy an iPhone 3G!"). The rest of the features of the Touch have stayed the same, except for the addition of an accelerometer in the Touch too.

Similarly like in the Nano, the new Touch will feature the shake-to-shuffle function, as well as the Genius functionality. Apple has also added new integrated volume controls. A speaker has also been added, though at the press conference Jobs cautioned that the audio quality would only be suited for "casual listeners".

The new prices for the iPod Touch are: the 8 GB is priced at $229, the 16 GB at $299, and the 32 GB at $399.

31 Reasons Why you Shouldn't Buy an iPhone 3G!

The much hyped iPhone 3G was launched in India a few weeks back and we have seen many issues and open security flaws in the new iPhone. Today, I have compiled a comprehensive list of 31 Issues - (yes 31 issues) with the new iPhone 3G. This is a must read for anyone planning to get this so called UberGizmo. The short comings of the new iPhone 3G are simply endless I suppose.

No 3G video calling even if you are over a 3G Network. (Though you maynot yet have 3G in India, but even at a later date it's not worth the 3G tag when you can't do video calls)
Blue Tooth functionality is only limited to headset use. (You can't do any file transfer over Blue Tooth)
Absolutely no camera settings - it's just like some ancient digital camera which does only point and shoot functionality.
The camera doesn't has autofocus and even doesnot have a flash. So it's more like a namesake camera.
The worst thing is that you cannot forward a SMS message!! Don't tell me I am foolish, but really your iPhone 3G can't forward a simple SMS. You'll have to retype an SMS and forward it.
There is NO copy / paste functionality. So you need to remember the texts and type again as you go.
A very Mediocre camera - it's just a 2Mega-Pixel camera. But it's been a very pathetic 2MP one to hit the market. Photos taken in the iPhone's camera look like they have been taken off a VGA camera. For a lesser price tag, Nokia N95/Sony Ericsson k850i sport a 5 Mega Pixel camera as also full screen video recording and TV-out(only in N95).
The iPhone 3G has a Plastic Outer Casing (Earlier it was Metallic casing - looks like inflation has hit iPhone too).
This piece has no FM RADIO. FM radio is even available in phones that just cost a fraction of the iPhone 3G's price.
The iPhone 3G has no option for video recording. So you can't record videos on it.
The iPhone 3G is simply overpriced in India (Costs almost twice the price as in US)
It's in built Safari web browser does not support Flash as well as Java. Yet it boasts to have a full screen browser. Most e-commerce sites aren't gonna work without Java and most entertainment sites without Flash.
There is No option to sync between Notes & To Do's. Guess Apple's engineer's haven't heard about Syncronization before.
There is No office document editor. Most Nokia's come with in-build editor's for Word / Excel.
The iPhone doesn't has AD2P on the Bluetooth - which means you can't get stereo sound via Blue Tooth headphones, that's a big damper for the music fans.
The iPhone doesn't has a Removable battery. Yes - you cannot change the battery yourself. Apple expects you to send the phone to an Apple Outlet to replace the battery. Now if you travel too much - what are you gonna do? Look for an Apple Store to interchange the travel battery? I simply can't resist my laughter being a Geek. Come'on apple for heaven's sake this is NOT an iPod - it is a phone and one cannot live without phone for 2-3 days, just to replace a battery.
iPhone doesn't has an option to send MMS. Forget about MMS.
You cannot use the iPhone as an external storage device (16 GB is of utter waste).
You can't share ANY (mp3, images,videos) files via Bluetooth.
You can't use the iPhone as a wireless modem. Though you'll end up paying ridiculous data charges to activate internet on your iPhone, but you simply can't connect it to your laptop and browse on the go.
Though you can't sent MMS - You can't receive MMS messages too!
The iPhone lacks proper support for Flash websites.
You can't set your personal songs as ring tones!
It only allows for a maximum of 1 picture to be attached to each e-mail you send!
You cannot save documents on it. The documents can only be viewed as attachments when they're sent to your e-mail address - but no option of saving onto phone.
No Voice Dialing on the iPhone 3G.
You can't send your contacts as a business card.
The iPhone's screen is not Finger Print Resistant. Since the iPhone is a touch screen phone so it is bound to get your finger print's each time you touch so it gets dirty very easily.
You can't pair it with a stereo Bluetooth headset. That's really funny inspite of the iPhone being touted as a music phone yet it does not support A2DP protocol needed by stereo headsets.
The iPhone doesn't has a built in file browser/organizer!
THE BIGGEST ONE - ONCE YOU ARE ON 3G NETWORK(Which I suppose will happen in a year in India), YOU CANNOT MAKE CALLS TO A PHONE ON 2G NETWORK. SO IF YOU WANT TO CALL A PERSON WHO IS NOT HAVING A 3G PHONE. SORRY, YOU'LL HAVE TO FIND A PCO and a 1RUPEE!!!

STILL WANT TO BUY AN iPHONE?
The only reason why Apple is selling the iPhone in india at the price range of Rs.31,000 - 36,000 is because they know that there are number of people in this country who move around with money bubbling in their pockets. These are the people who spend less time in earning money and spend more time in searching the new ways to spend it. For these people, SHOWOFF is everything ( USKI KAMEEZ MERI KAMEEZ SE SAFED KAISE?) So, the APPLE guys are simply targeting these maniacs along with the help of Airtel and Vodafone to get some more money out of their pockets.

We work hard for earning Money. So spend wisely on what you invest - do more Research before you buy these crap.

How to easily bypass iPhone 3G screen lock password

For all those who thought that the latest generation gadget would be less susceptible to security flaws. The iPhone has such a very simple way to By Pass and compromise on the Screen Protect lock.

Anyone can easily access all the iPhone’s functions without needing the password at all by following the simple steps below.

Lock your iPhone.
Now press of the “Emergency Call” key from the passcode entry screen.
Gently double-tap the home button.

Voila!! That's all it takes for anyone to get into your favourites, from which they can easily access the address book, from which they can get into the e-mail client (by tapping a contact’s e-mail address) or the browser (by tapping a URL) and you now know HOW PROTECTED your iPhone really is?

Seems like the engineers at Apple have miss judged the functionality of the Emergency Call feature and looks like the feature was there to help the crooks. I expect Apple to soon come out with a fix as it seems to be a simple programming mis-judgment. iPhone is already under fire from security experts for lacking important security features.

You can also tap the blue arrow next to a contact's name and you'll have full access to applications such as Safari, Maps, complete Contacts list, SMS, "complete" iPhone access, and Mail by accessing various entries on the Favorite's page, i.e. tapping their home page brings up Safari for a good browsing experience of the crooks at your expense.

Top 10 Best Applications for your iPhone 3G in India

The apple iPhone 3G was unveiled in India recently and there has been a lot of reviews in print / television / web about the new gadget of the town. I felt this was the right time to write a small article about the 10 Best Applications you ought to have in your iPhone 3G.

Do let me know if I have missed any of your favorite iPhone apps that should have made it to this list.

1.Twitterrific

This is a must have iphone app for all the geeks out there who spend considerable time on the Twitter Social Network. Twitterrific easily lets you post, reply and read the tweets on Twitter. Twitterrific also includes an in-build mini browser for showing links and also offers easy access to user profiles on Twitter.