First ban on all Japanese food over nuclear crisis

Tokyo (AFP) April 5, 2011
India banned all food imports from Japan Tuesday, the first country to impose a blanket block over radiation from a stricken nuclear plant, as shares in its operator plunged to an all-time low.

An Indian government statement said all food imports from Japan "stand suspended with immediate effect" for three months, or until "credible information is available that the radiation hazard has subsided to acceptable limits".

The move by India, which imports small amounts of fruits, vegetables and processed food, is the first nationwide ban, while several countries including China, Singapore and the United States have blocked food from some Japanese prefectures.

Source: seeddaily.com

How to Use SkyDrive’s 25 GB as a Mapped Drive for Easy Access

How to Use SkyDrive’s 25 GB as a Mapped Drive for Easy Access: "


SkyDrive is an online storage system included in Windows Live, which gives you 25 GB of space that you can sync to your desktop. Here’s how to connect it to your Windows 7 computer as a mapped drive.

First of all, you need to go to http://skydrive.live.com and use your Windows Live account (the same you use to access Hotmail, Messenger, Windows Live Mail or MSN) to log in and create the folders you want to use by using the New menu. You can create private and shared folders and customize the access for every one of them.



After your have created your folders, you will need to link your computer to your online ID so it can access them without asking for credentials every time.

HTG Explains: How Does Dynamic Range Compression Change Audio?	How to Remove Win 7 Anti-Spyware 2011 (Fake Anti-Virus Infections)	The 10 Most Ridiculously Awesome Geeky Computer Pranks

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Installing Ubuntu on your Motorola Xoom tablet

Installing Ubuntu on your Motorola Xoom tablet: "

There’s a stigma in the mobile world that hackers prefer Android systems because the SDK’s and software is open, therefore allowing users to customize how they please. Some hardware manufacturers on the other hand may not be totally supportive when it comes to users installing their own custom ROMs and OSs, like Motorola for example.

That isn’t stopping this user however, as he’s found a way to install another open source project onto the Motorola Xoom, and its not any variation of Android…it’s Linux Ubuntu 9.10. Looking at the instructions, I’d have to say that you would most likely completely void your warranty on the Xoom if you do this, but just make sure that if you try it, you have a good recovery ready for backup and restore, so you can get it back to factory condition if this goes south for any reason. The instructions are long, and not for the timid. Click the source link below for the full set of instructions if you’re an Ubuntu lover.

read more

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Dual-Booting Viewsonic ViewPad 10 Available Today, Not Even On Eclair

Dual-Booting Viewsonic ViewPad 10 Available Today, Not Even On Eclair: "

Viewsonic’s finally launched their dual-booting ViewPad 10 tablet. The 10-inch hand computer will run Windows 7 alongside – you guessed it – Android. There’s just one problem: it’s running Android 1.6 and there’s no telling if it’ll be upgraded (to even 2.1 or 2.2). Let’s hope some hackers will get their hands on this one and go to town. It’ll have a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom processor, 2GB of memory, a WSVGA resolution of 1,024×600 and more. Read on for full press details.

ViewSonic Delivers the Best of Both Worlds With Immediate Availability of Its ViewPad® 10 Tablet

10.1″ Dual-Boot Tablet Brings to Customers a New Level of Convenience

WALNUT, CA–(Marketwire – March 7, 2011) – ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions, today announced North American availability of the ViewPad 10. Giving users a choice between Windows® 7 and Google Android™ within the same device, this 10.1″ dual-boot tablet is ideal for maximizing business productivity alongside entertainment.

“The lines of professional and personal life are blurring, which creates a need for devices that are suited for both sides,” said Adam Hanin, vice president of marketing for ViewSonic Americas. “The ViewPad 10 delivers just that by enabling users to merge business productivity with personal enjoyment anywhere, anytime. We are proud of our 10-year tablet history and are dedicated to further extending our tablet product portfolio to meet every individual need.”

Packed with a high speed Intel® Atom™ 1.66GHz processor and integrated 2GB of memory, the ViewPad 10 is a powerhouse of mobile computing. Built with a 1024×600 panel with LED backlight technology partnered with capacitive multi-touch functionality, the device provides a crystal clear viewing experience, even when multitasking across several applications.

The ViewPad 10 enables consumers to take Windows on the road, allowing access to Flash-based content and programs like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat, wherever they are. Plus social media applications like Facebook and Twitter, sharing photos and surfing the Web through Google’s Android 1.6 platform are only a switch away, making this device the perfect companion for those looking to work, play and share on the go. Throw in the built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and 1.3 megapixel built-in front camera, the ViewPad 10 is fully optimized to keep users connected.

To ensure the ViewPad 10 grows with each person’s individual needs, the device offers expandable memory options via a micro SD card slot for up to 32GB of additional space. The dual-boot ViewPad 10 is now available — with Android 1.6 and either Windows 7 Home Premium (with a 16GB SSD hard drive) or Windows 7 Professional (with a 32GB SSD hard drive) for respective ESPs of $599 and $679.

For more information on ViewSonic’s products, please visit ViewSonic.com or follow ViewSonic on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About ViewSonic
ViewSonic® Corporation is a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions. ViewSonic develops, markets and supports a broad range of innovative products, including LCD TVs, computers, LCD monitors, projectors, digital photo frames, digital signage displays and digital media players. For further information, please contact ViewSonic Corporation at 800.888.8583 or 909.444.8888; or visit ViewSonic.com.

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Which Android Tablet is Right for You? [AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVES]

Which Android Tablet is Right for You? [AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVES]: "

With the tablet explosion that has occurred in the past year, some of you might be doing some tablet research for the first time. So, which device is right for you?

The Premium Tablets (XOOM, Galaxy Tab, Optimus Pad)

The Motorola XOOM 10.1″ tablet is the newest Android tablet while the Galaxy Tab is currently the reigning 7″ champion. In addition to these current offerings, Samsung has a new 10.1" tablet coming out soon along with an 8.9" tablet coming from LG called the Optimus Pad. While you are considering these “high end” devices, there are a slew of other Android tablets available of which many people may not even be aware.

If you want the Tablet to work right out of the box without any modding or hacking, your best options currently are the Xoom or the Galaxy Tab. The Xoom is a more capable device based on specs alone, but if you are looking for a 7″ screen, the Galaxy Tab may be more appealing to you. These devices get a lot of media attention, and rightfully so, but maybe they are a little out of your price range? Don’t worry...you don’t have to feel completely left out!

Aside from the premium tablets, there are several other devices available in a variety of sizes and at different price points. Archos has several tablets ranging in sizes from 3.2″ all the way up to 10″. The ViewSonic gTablet sports the same Tegra2, dual-core processor found in the Motorola Xoom and it has a 10.1" screen of its own. And let’s not to forget the unlikely competitor with the 7″ Android powered NOOKcolor by Barnes & Noble.

If you don’t mind performing some tweaks, you can pick up a very capable device at a fairly low price. While there are many "budget" tablets currently available, we will highlight a few of the most popular. Here is a basic rundown of some various tablets you might want to consider:

Archos Gen 8 Tablets (28, 32, 43, 70, and 101 models):

You will most likely want to install the Android Market on these devices as soon as you open the box. The tablets all come with a secondary market pre-installed from the manufacturer but the number of available apps is not comparable with Android Market. It is a very simple process and should not scare off even the most novice user. If you want to stop there, you can. You DO NOT have to root your device to add the Android market, this WILL NOT void your warranty, and you will be able to install future OTA firmware upgrades without worry.

Further community development for the Archos tablets is rather slow at this time. There aren’t any custom ROMs (aka "firmware" or "operating system") to speak of and the only real tweaks you can do just make the device run a little faster and remove the 256MB installed app storage limit. The 28 (2.8" screen) and 32 (3.2" screen) models are a little lacking with 800MHz processors and both have resistive touch screens. The 43 (4.3" screen), 70 (7" screen), and 101 (10.1" screen) models all sport a 1GHz processor and have the ever convenient kickstand (where is that on the high-end tablets?), and the latter two of those have a capacitive, multi-touch LCD screen.

The biggest downfall of these devices is the 256MB of RAM vs. the 512MB seen on the comparable devices listed below. But these Archos tablets are valued priced as shown here (all models expandable via micro USB):

• $199.99 – 43 internet tablet
• $249.99 – 8GB 70 internet tablet
• $299.99 – 250GB 70 internet tablet (yeah...that’s 250GB!)
• $299.99 – 8GB 101 internet tablet
• $349.99 – 16GB 101 internet tablet

Viewsonic gTablet:

It seems like this tablet had a pretty rocky start in the retail stores. The few retail stores that carried this device pulled them off the shelves initially because of the many software issues that plagued it. So why is it a viable choice? Because the Android developer community has turned out some excellent ROMs that rid the device of the custom firmware that ViewSonic implemented on this device.

To say ViewSonic missed the mark might be a bit of an understatement. But after doing a little modding, you will have a smoothly running, future proofed 10.1" tablet with a dual-core processor that will give you "high end" specs at a pretty reasonable price of about $399.99 (but if you shop around and you may find one for less than that).

The device has been criticized since its release for having poor viewing angles but most owners appear to say that is an issue that was blown slightly out of proportion. Fact is that this device has high-end specs at a mid level price. The NVIDIA Tegra2 1.0GHz processor, and 512MB of RAM set this apart from the other budget tablets. You won’t find 3G connectivity here, but an excellent choice if you are looking for a wifi only powerhouse and don’t mind installing one of the aftermarket ROMs to replace the factory installed operating system.

Barnes & Noble NOOKcolor:

So it is probably not new news to many of our readers that the NOOKcolor e-reader can transform into a functional Android tablet. This little powerhouse may not "wow" the people chasing down the high-end tablets, but it is quite possibly the best value of any device currently running the Android OS. For $250 (or less), you will have an 800MHz powered device capable of running Honeycomb (albeit, not perfected just yet) with a high resolution 1080×600 capacitive, 7" multi-touch LCD. The highest stable overclock is currently 1.1GHz and the 512MB of RAM is a nice touch that the Archos tablets are missing.

Bottom line...the NOOKcolor was born to be a tablet and not just an innocent little e-reader! The build quality of this device is stellar which makes it a tad on the heavy side but it is very thin and feels nice to hold. Once again, this device requires some modding but most users do not have problems with it. If you do run into problems, you can rest assured that your device is not "bricked" (meaning the device will not boot and there is NOTHING you can do to fix it). The NOOKcolor will always boot from SD card if you have a disk image loaded on it. So if you delete your recovery image, along with your firmware do not panic...just burn a disk image to a SD card and salvation is just minutes away. Because this device is almost completely unbrickable, that may offer beginners a little piece of mind. In reality, most devices are hard to completely foul up. But if we were going to crown a winner for being the hardest to brick, the NOOKcolor would get my vote.

What’s best for you?

So first, you should figure out what you are going to do with an Android tablet. Does the extent of your everyday use entail surfing the web, checking out Phandroid, watching YouTube videos, listening to music, watching movies, and checking out new music videos with the free VEVO app? If so, maybe you are better off with one of the surprisingly capable, yet surprisingly affordable tablets.

Every user needs to find a device that meets their specific requirements and budget. Don’t forget to head over to the tablet specific section of our forums to help you with your buying decision. There are many active conversations taking place right now that may just help you find the right device for you.

http://androidforums.com/android-tablets-mids/

And if you’ve already purchased an Android tablet, what device did you choose and why?

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While Nuclear Waste Piles Up in U.S., Billions in Fund to Handle It Sit Unused - ProPublica

In 1982, Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, and the federal government effectively struck a deal with the nuclear industry: Reactor operators and their customers would pay a tax on the waste they produced, and the government would use the money to create a safe place to store it for generations. The idea at the time was to build a repository inside volcanic rock on Yucca Mountain, about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. That plan proved to be wildly controversial and was eventually abandoned by the Obama administration in 2010. After 29 years, there are billions of dollars in the fund and no plan for the waste.

To compound the problem, the 1982 law only allows the money to be spent on a permanent solution, such as Yucca, and it can't be used for what many experts say is the best interim solution: taking spent fuel out of increasingly crowded cooling pools and encasing them in concrete and steel. So, nuclear companies have begun doing that themselves -- and have been suing the government for not holding up its side of the bargain. The companies have filed dozens of lawsuits, for $6.4 billion in total claims, according to figures maintained by the Department of Justice. The government has already paid out $956 million. It's also spent nearly $170 million simply defending itself against the claims.

Source:.propublica.org

Dell 10-Inch Android Tablet Might Arrive Early

Dell 10-Inch Android Tablet Might Arrive Early:

Yesterday we got a scare and thought the 10-inch Android tablet from Dell would be delayed. Today we are hearing a completely different story. According to Forbes, Dell’s 10-inch slate might actually launch ahead of schedule. We haven’t seen much of the tablet first teased earlier this year, though it could possibly end up in the Streak family, which currently includes 5 and 7-inch (seen above) models. The latest report says what might get tagged as the Streak 10 could launch as early as mid-June.

Not much can be said for the specs of the thing, but we can be hopeful for Honeycomb and a dual-core processor, as those items seem to be the norm for Android tablets these days.

[via CNET]

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