The scientists became curious and to know in detail about the age of the moon, hence, they researched and investigated the samples of moon rock. Their main object of study was ferroan anorthosites, which is known to be the oldest of lunar rocks. Initially they faced a problem in experimenting with these samples, however, Lars Borg of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California led a whole team to research on FAN (ferroan anorthosites) samples and implement new techniques to determine the age. The whole research was carried out in Nasa Johnson Space Centre, where the team examined neodymium and isotopes of FAN to find out it’s age to be 4.36 billion years. This figure clearly shows that the samples were nearly 200 million years younger than thought. Previously the scientists estimated the moon to be 4.5 billion years old.

Lars Borg, the lead researcher of this study said that after years of study and research, the team has finally found out “the ages of lunar crustal rocks with high precision”. He also added, “We can apply this technique to address many questions regarding the timing of ancient events on the moon”. Richard Carlson, who was also one of the researchers, said that the whole revelation suggests that either the scientists need to change their understanding about “Moon’s geochemical history” or it solidified much later than it was expected.

It is wrong to think that so called eco friendly gadgets are heavy on your wallet. They cost as much as conventional gadgets and the same can be said about their running costs. Sony which is a Japanese technology giant has come out with some eco friendly gadgets that have low running costs and as user friendly as any other device. It has some eco friendly phone models that are built from recycled plastic. Some of its Bravia HDTV models use human presence sensor. When there is no one present in the room the TVs detect the absence and switches off the display for the time. This results in significant energy saving over years.

Samsung the Korean technology giant has some entry level mobile phones that can be recharged using solar power. In fact the number of solar powered and hybrid power devices is rising with time. Using such devices at your home can cut down on electricity consumption to a large extent.

You may also consider buying hybrid or electric cars for your commuting needs, Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf are selling very well and they serve well as mid sized family cars. The other companies are expected to release their electric and hybrid car models soon.

First you need to know why you are buying a camera for. When you are buying the first digital camera of your life you may do well with an entry-level model. Honestly speaking the cheap models nowadays come with minimum 10 MP resolution and 4x to 5x optical zoom. This is ideal for casual users. You will not find much difference between two cameras sporting 10 MP and 14 MP resolution. In fact anything above 7 MP will give you great quality factors even for large printouts. However, resolution is not the only factor that affects the final quality of images.

If you are wildlife photographer or travel a lot you should buy a super zoom camera. There are a number of prosumer level digital cameras that offer 10x and more optical zoom. They are not much bulky either. Most cameras come with Auto mode which determines the best settings depending on the surroundings. If you want to tinker around with settings go for a camera that offers manual mode as well. Almost all cameras offer user convenient features like Face detection and Blink warning etc. They are useful indeed but some features like 3D recording may not be that much useful and require expensive accessories. The travellers can also consider buying the rugged cameras.

If you plan to shoot movies occasionally with your digital camera some factors also need to be considered. A lot of cameras offer HD video recording. Choose a model that offers dedicated movie record button. You should also check if the model allows the use of optical zoom and autofocus while you shoot video. It is nice if the camera has a HDMI port. That way you can watch the recorded footage on your HDTV without even needing a computer. Some cameras come with in-built photo editing software and some companies provide the software on optical media.

A number of cameras offer Touch screen control. This definitely sounds cool but you need to see the type of the display- is it resistive or capacitive. You will also have to check its resolution and readability in sunlight. If you are a traveller then you should look for a camera that offers GPS capability. This will help you to geo tag your photos. Some high end cameras also offer cool wireless connectivity features like WiFi and Bluetooth. Earlier cameras had AA batteries as power source but nowadays you can find them fitted with rechargeable Li Ion batteries.

Chrome now runs Flash in Sandbox mode so that no malware that is hidden in Flash can affect your computer. It gets separated from the OS and poses no threat to it under any circumstances. The browser does not look much different from the earlier versions but it now offers the settings under a tab rather than in a pop up. It looks more consistent and also gels with the way people use the browser.

Google updates Chrome much faster than its rivals. The new version of Chrome also makes use of hardware acceleration when playing flash video. Of course, the computer users with separate GPUs in their PCs will reap the benefit. The existing users of Chrome may not even know about the new version as it auto updates in the background. After the upgrading is complete the user may be asked to restart the browser- that’s all.

You also need to know what your requirement is. If you just need to take some snaps on occasions like birthday and post them on Facebook there is no need to but an expensive digital camera with super zoom. However, if you love to travel and take pictures of the places you visit or love wildlife then you can think about investing your money in a rugged digital camera. If you are among those who love stylish gadgets then you can opt for the touchscreen based digicams. Yes they are very much on the scene.

The first parameter you can consider before buying a digital camera is the resolution. However, it is a misconception that a higher resolution will result in better picture quality. Generally you will get good result with a camera with a resolution higher than 10 MP. You will get plenty of cameras in the market with 12 MP and higher resolutions these days. Another thing you need to consider is the level of optical zoom offered by the camera. Even two years back most compact digital cameras offered a standard 3x Optical zoom. Nowadays entry level digital cameras offer 4 to 5 x optical zoom. If you are a casual user you will do fine with a camera that offers 5x optical zoom. However, if you are into nature photography get a model that offers at least 10x optical zoom. There are quite a number of models that offer more than 10x optical zoom. Do not get fooled by digital zoom. It hampers the picture quality seriously.

If you are a gadget lover who loves exploring the various features of his devices go for a camera that offers plenty of manual settings to tinker around. The digital cameras offer plenty of scene modes and an auto mode that automatically determines the best settings depending on light and scene. However, you can get models that offer a plethora of control in areas like White Balance, ISO level and shutter control.

The digital cameras have a LCD screen at their back and make sure the screen is usable in bright daylight. Some cameras have a touch screen. It definitely looks cool but remember a capacitive type screen will be easier to deal with than a resistive type one. It is also good to have some dedicated hardware buttons in case the camera has a touch screen. The 3D bug has bitten the camera manufacturers the same way it has affected the TV industry. Some cameras offer 3D. Remember that for viewing 3D you need a 3D capable TV.

Nowadays cameras are evolving into multifunctional gadgets. Some digital cameras come with inbuilt WiFi and GPS. The latter feature will come in handy if you are a traveller. Connectivity wise many cameras offer HDMI and USB. HDMI is useful if you want to play back the snaps and footage on your large screen TV without a PC.

A lot of cameras nowadays offer features like Face detection, blink detection and smile shot. These are user friendly features but one more useful feature is image stabilization. It is useful when your hand shakes or you have to capture the image of a moving object. Always opt for a camera that offers electronic and optical image stabilization.

The digital cameras also offer movie recording. The high end models offer HD movie recording as well. Some of the models also let you use optical zoom when recording video. Of course, you will have to invest in storage media, in this case SD or SDXC cards. Nowadays most cameras offer built in Lithium ion batteries. They are faster to charge and lasts longer than conventional AA batteries.

At the much awaited event Steve Jobs made a surprise entry and he hogged the center stage during the unveiling of the iPad. He was not expected by all as he was on a medical leave but his illness could not hold back his excitement. During his boisterous presentation he boasted abut the compelling new features of the device and also elaborated why it will knock out the rivals by a large margin. He said “We’ve been working on this product for a while now and I just didn’t want to miss today.” He was excited to the extent that did not stop gushing about the product on stage.

The new version of iPad is going to be sold from this month in USA and UK as it has been reported. The iPad 2 features twin cameras which would be useful for taking snaps and shooting videos. Steve Jobs did not say anything about the resolution but mentioned that it will capture 720p HD video. The buyers of the new device will be able to make calls to the iPhone and iPod Touch users. The new iPad is thinner than the first one and in fact it is slimmer than most of its rivals. That makes holding the device easier. The new iPad will be available in both black and white.

Apple has played the price card very wisely. The competition will face the heat as the WiFi model starts at $499. If the claims made by Steve Jobs are true then the new iPad will be twice fast than the predecessor and its graphic capabilities are 9 times better. It has also got a new OS inside. Apple has also come up with a “smart” case for the new iPad 2 which not only protects the device but also serves as a stand. However, you have to buy the case separately.

The tech industry experts are divide din their opinions as to how well the new iPad do when pitted against the rivals. It is true that it has beefy hardware including a dual core CPU and twin cameras. But many of its rivals boast similar features including the Motorola Xoom. However, Apple always excels at redefining gadgets and present users with products that they have never seen before. It was the same with iPad and iPod. Whenever it does so the rivals wake up to the possibilities and come up with their products. In the majority of cases the Apple products carve a niche for themselves which cannot be attained by the rival products.

The light weight and ease of use is the USP of iPad 2. When it hits the shelves on March 11 the device is expected to be sold fast. The fact that it is launching the iPad 2 ahead of other tablets will help it to stay ahead in the race. The CEO of Apple lashed out at the rivals during the launch of iPad 2. He also mocked at the tablet PC a hybrid computer that was supposed to be the future of portable computing but was shunned by the users in general. He said “We sold almost 15 million iPads in 2010. And remember that’s just nine months. That’s April through September. “That’s more than every tablet PC ever sold. The tablet PC crashed and burned. The modern tablet PC is the iPad.” He sounded quite excited about iMovie and Garage Band two apps that can turn the iPad in to a small media editing powerhouse. The new iPad 2 will ship with these apps.

The interface is easy to navigate with big buttons for status updates on protection level, backup and parental control. If anything needs your attention the software alerts you and asks for actions. It installs without hiccups on malware infected PCs but the first update may take some time. Its virus and malware detection and clean rate is above average. On some infected systems the systems crashes but the software manages to clean the system after a reboot. If it detects virus in memory it asks for running special disinfection which requires reboot.

A full scan usually takes care of most threats and very rarely it requires user intervention. Kaspersky PURE Total Security’s web security blocks web borne malware from sneaking in the systems. Sometimes it gives false positives which mean it can detect valid apps as rogue ones. The Firewall of Kaspersky is top notch and it is better than the default windows Firewall. The Firewall does not pop up much except in cases of malwares trying to access system files etc. The suites Self Defense feature thwarts attacks on system vulnerabilities perfectly. The virtual keyboard is excellent for blocking the efforts of the keylogger malware that aim to steal personal data.

The unique Home network control make downloading updates and installing them on all PCS in a home network simplified. A lot of controls and settings can be monitored remotely. The spam email filtering feature is there in the suite but it is not very powerful. Kaspersky has packed in detailed parental control using which you can thoroughly monitor the web usage pattern of your kids at home. Kaspersky can block access to Web sites matching as many as 13 types including porn and social network. It also has heuristic analysis to determine if a site has unsafe contents for kids.

It is also possible to set a fixed internet usage time per day. The download of certain types of files can also be blocked by parental control. This forces Safe Search settings to remain unchanged on major search engines. The app also sports support for major IMs like Yahoo and AIM. Few other programs offer such a plethora of parental monitoring.

Backup is another prime feature in this software. Kaspersky’s backup wizard is easy to follow. It is possible to store backed up data on local as well as network drive. You can even save data on FTP sites. The suite also offers secure deletion facility to eradicate sensitive data. Kaspersky PURE Total Security is not much resource hungry and most of the users will not face any performance lag using this suite.

Feb 16, (PRINTWORDS NEWS) A new planet might soon be included in the list of planets in the universe taking the number to nine once again after Pluto was demoted few years ago. According to NASA scientists, wide evidences that have been gathered over the years suggest that a gas giant, almost four times the size of Jupiter might be present somewhere along the farthest periphery of the solar system. The claim which was made for the first time about 12 years ago is likely to get a major impetus when the data from WISE (Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer), a space telescope of NASA is made public in the month of April this year.

Astrophysicists John Matese and Daniel Whitmire, who are associated with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and have successfully created a model of the gas giant, nicknamed as Tyche, have confirmed that the data from WISE would be able to prove the existence of the new planet. In a paper that was published by the scientists in the journal Icarus last November, it was divulged that the infrared space telescope’s data would not only validate the existence of Tyche, it would also be able to shed light into its location within the next two years.

The existence of the gas giant in the outermost region of the Oort cloud, a round shell of cometary bodies, could also give revealing insights into the pattern of comets in that region of the sky, scientists say. The theoretical object is said to be 15,000 times farther from the sun than Earth with an atmosphere similar to that of Jupiter. Even if WISE confirms that Oort Cloud indeed has a planet in its hinges, it would not automatically mean that our solar system would have a new member. The International Astronomical Union would take the final decision about whether Tyche has all the attributes to be called a planet.

The latest version of Chrome, 9, continues the tradition of the predecessors in terms of speed and minimalistic interface. It also comes with a number of interesting new features that make things easier for the users. It is true that both Opera 11 and recently released IE9 RC have got positive reviews but Chrome 9 is also a hard to beat contender.

The superiority of Chrome 9 over other browsers is evident right from the time you run the setup. There is no need to restart the computer or follow a lengthy wizard. The upgradation from older versions of chrome gets over within a few minutes. Now Google has made the browsers available for Linux and Macintosh as well. The auto update feature of the browser is also ideal for the users who want minimal interference at work.

Chrome wins some brownie points for shipping with inbuilt Adobe Flash support and the flash version upgrades get done automatically with browser upgrade. The entire thing does not require user intervention. Another Boon is the inbuilt PDF support so that you can see PDF attachments without launching separate application. It is also possible to print the PDF. In terms of interface not much has changed. Version 9 carries the signature minimalistic interface.

Those users who are always looking for faster web browsing will appreciate the Chrome Instant feature. Tabbed browsing has always been strength of Chrome right from the beta version. They can be dragged top make new windows easily. In Version 9 Chrome shows a link to apps section and a shortcut to Chrome Web store as well. The Chrome extensions are aplenty and they generally work well in most of the cases.
When it comes to sheer performance and web page rendering it is very hard to beat Chrome 9, though IE 9RC and Opera 11 get very close. With version 9 Chrome brings in hardware acceleration as well as WebGL support. You can say that IE9 RC also has hardware acceleration but it is limited only to Windows 7 and vista. That is not the case with Chrome. It needs to be noted that Chrome 9 does not fare too well in the speed demos of Microsoft.

Chrome 9 edges ahead of its rivals in terms of security. Flash auto update is something that resolves a number of vulnerability issues. The novice users will appreciate the feature that Chrome warns them from entering potentially malicious site by displaying warnings. To stop crashes resulting from poorly coded sites and malicious ones, Chrome 9 separates each tab in an individual process. What it means is that if a tab goes down the others remains unaffected and you do not have to re launch the browser. It is also present in IE9 but Google’s approach is more robust and fail safe. Chrome’s Incognito mode is similar to IE’s InPrivate Mode. However Chrome lets you open one tab in Incognito while using others in normal mode.

The roaring success of Chrome by Google and Mozilla Firefox made Microsoft send its developers back to the drawing board and come up with a new and powerful browser. The result is IE9 and the release candidate of the software is out now. So how does the new version of IE stack up against the popular rivals? To begin with, it is far better than any other versions of IE you have used so far. Taking a cue from the rival Chrome, the IE9 sports a leaner and sleek interface which gives you more screen space. The first thing you notice about IE9 RC is the speed. It is much faster than IE8 and almost on par with Chrome.

Those who have IE9 beta installed in their PCs need not uninstall it. The RC version will remove the beta version during installation. The same is true for the PCs running IE8. Needless to say the application will ask you to restart the computer after the downloading and installation is done. The downer is that IE9 RC will run only on systems running Windows 7 and Vista, no luck for the millions of XP users! At the Microsoft site you get installers meant for both the operating systems supported. The installer is not fast and it may ask you get specific updates if your PC does not have automatic updates turned on.

The IE9 RC does a fine job of displaying web pages in general with a few sites looking out of order. The minimalistic interface looks better than ever and if you want you can display the menu bars and address bars. Microsoft has improved Tab handling in IE9 by a large margin. IE9’s one box is based on Chrome’s concept of integrating the address and search bar which simplifies usage. IE9 still does not have Chrome’s brilliant Instant feature though. Microsoft claims it has totally revamped the security in IE9 RC. The Inprivate Browsing mode was present in IE8 and it is also in the new version. To save users from annoying third-party site tracking Microsoft has implemented Tracking Protection feature in the browser.

For most of the users the speed of the browser matters the most over other features. This is particularly true for the users still stuck with slower connections. Chrome has trounced IE always in speed but IE9 aims to regain its lost glory. Its hardware acceleration does show its teeth while rendering web pages by using two or more cores of the CPU. In synthetic SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark IE9 beats all other browsers by a margin. When it comes to adhering with new and emerging web protocols IE9 comes out a winner! It supports HTML5, CSS3 among other standards. Even in the critical and taxing ACID 3 benchmark IE9 scores close to 100 which is a good show. Overall the RC of IE9 packs in a punch and for the first time performs on par with the more popular rivals. With the final release of the browser Microsoft aims to get its hand on the perfect weapon to rebuild its browser usesr base.