Microsoft to disable product activation over Net

Customers who find themselves reinstalling Windows XP should be ready for a headache: Microsoft will no longer support activating the product over the Internet.

Intended to curtail the stealing and selling of certificates of authenticity, the new security measure will start at the end of this month. At first, it will be limited to the Windows XP software preinstalled on systems shipped by the top 20 PC sellers.

"The main reason is to address piracy in this area," a Microsoft representative said on Thursday. "Microsoft has found various people selling the labels of authenticity that they have copied or have pulled off other PCs."

AhaView 3.10b beta

AhaView is a handy image viewer and converter. It displays images in the all popular formats: JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, ICO, CUR, ANI, WBMP, PSD. It has a thumbnail mode and you can quickly browse through numerous image files, open any of them to full size with a double click, and convert images to JPEG and Windows Bitmap formats. Simply click on the folder you wish to view, and all image files are immediately displayed as thumbnails. Highlighting the image will display a larger image, and double clicking it will show it in the fullscreen mode. You can check image properties in the taskbar. Also you can move, copy and rename files and copy images to the clipboard.

Browser Wars - - - - - Amazing.

Mozilla Foundations efforts with Firefox have started to show its effects. They have seen millions of downloads by the web users ever since the first final version was launched a couple of months back. Now the browser has taken up around 5% of the web browsers market and reports say that for the first time in many years, Microsoft Internet Explorer has seen its market share drop to below 90%.


The results are quite amazing. Microsoft has felt the pressure and have announced the plans to release an updated Internet Explorer which would be released as version 7 for current versions of Microsoft Windows. Opera is almost ready with the final version 8 of their browser, which comes with advanced features to knock off phishing attempts by malicious websites. In all, it all is creating a problem for Microsoft as the users are beginning to look towards alternative browsers.

Latest news in is even more interesting. It can be considered as a possible revival of the demised Netscape Browser as the parent company AOL has opened its doors to the public by releasing the first beta of the Netscape 8 Browser.



Source : Netscape Browser 8 beta

How to reply the Salary Question.

I have known through some reliable source that the salary question was asked to a person and he replied....


So, how do you answer the salary question if someone asked you during the job interview?


The first thing to do, before the interview, is to search the salary range for your position with similar companies. For help click on http://www.salary.com.


During the interview never bring up the salary first. Let them to bring it up.


When the time comes for the salary question, the interviewer will ask you How much pay you are expecting/wanting? The best way to answer this question is to ask, "What is the salary range for this position?" Or "What does the position pay?" Then let the interviewer answer the salary question for you.


Conclusion: Let the interviewer bring up the salary question FIRST. And then turn it around where the interviewer tells YOU the salary he/she is willing to pay you. This way, you don't end up getting paid less than what you're worth.

Cheap Business Cards Can Be A Marketing Powerhouse

Don't make the mistake of wasting the premium marketing space on your business cards.

What good can a cheap business card do when it comes to growing your business...maybe more than you think if used the right way. One of the most cost effective ways you can promote your business is through the use of a powerful business card.

Look, most people have them anyway so this will cost you nothing to implement.

Most people simply underutilize their business card. The typical business card states a name, company name, address phone, fax and perhaps e-mail.

A marketing business card states all of the above but also states at least one very powerful reason to do business with you and perhaps even an offer that helps the person who receives the card become interested right away.

The powerful reason is something that marketers call a USP or Unique Selling Proposition. It is simply a short statement of the biggest benefit of doing business with your firm. Like for Federal Express - On time every time or it's free. (Now this statement should appear on everything you do but the business card is a start)

A couple of examples:
Teague Electric - Wired Right On Time
Capitol Painting - We Can Do That

The second thing that a marketing business card will have is an offer. Offer a free subscription to your newsletter or a free seminar or trial subscription to a service. Use that business card to move your suspect to become a prospect.

Examples:
Kansas City Business Journal offers four free weeks. The offer is printed on the back of every employee's card

Lastly, when someone asks for a card or you find yourself in a situation where you are exchanging cards, always give away three at a time. (You can make more!) When you do this just mention that if they know anyone else who might need what you do they can pass the card along. I can't tell you how often this little tactic has resulted in a referral for me.
Try it.

For your Company Logo
Click in to : 0092-304-2814455
fahad_tabani@yahoo.com
CTO Griddex.

Eight Basic Steps to Marketing Your NonProfit Organization

Marketing is an unfamiliar concept for many nonprofit organizations. It's important that these organizations understand that marketing is more than just the old sense of making a sale or obtaining a donation. Marketing is a way to satisfying the consumer and donor needs, but where does the nonprofit organization start?

Below are eight steps that will get you started in brainstorming marketing ideas that could make a significant difference in the bottom-line of your organization.

1. Define your target, research similar organizations and associations.

2. Determine the desired outcome of your marketing efforts.

3. Using the information gathered in Step 1 and 2 develop brochures and marketing materials that describe the benefits, services, donation opportunities, and values of your organization.

4. Develop your public relations strategy. Be sure to use the media, other associations that are reaching out to the same target market that you are.

5. Develop and maintain a professional Internet presence by creating a web site. You can use a web site as a great resource to display useful information, news, monthly newsletters, events, create community, share alternatives to donating money, and showcase the benefits of your organization.

6. Research and maintain your prospect and customer databases. Do not let these resources be wasted. Use them for special mailings, follow-up telephone calls, event invitations, alliance development, research profiling, and market segmentation.

7. Show and advertise the results and objectives that your organization achieves. You fill find that it is effective to showcase those that are receiving benefits, inversions, activities, and projects.

8. Always actively search for alliances with other organizations, commerce, government, advertising media, and business. This step alone often brings the most benefit to nonprofit organizations.

Nokia may invest $300m in Pakistan

Finland's Nokia cellular company has indicated to invest $300 million to set up its production plant in Pakistan during 2005.However, informed sources said that Pakistan has been asked by Finland to early finalise a bilateral investment agreement to help Nokia phone company to invest $300 million within this year. Final round of talks between the two countries is expected to be held in Islamabad shortly to sign the agreement. Earlier, both side had met in Finland last year.

J2ME for the Next Five Years

J2ME Technology for the Next Five Years

Nokia'a first Mobile 3D Graphics(M3G) API handset, the Nokia 6255, was anounced 22 March 2004

First Series 40 Developer Platform 2.0 fir CDMA 1X/AMPS
MIDP 2.0 and CLDC1.1
WMA 1.1(JSR 120), MMA 1.1(JSR 135), and Bluetooth API(JSR 82)
FileConnection and PIM Optional Packages(JSR 75)
Mobile 3D Graphics API for J2Me(JSR 184)
Other features:
WAP 2.0 and XHTML over TCP/IP, SMS, MMS+SMIL
VGA calera w/flash; 128*160*16 main screen, 96*65*12 external
Vedio recorder; MP3, AAC playback; FM radio; MMC support; GPS

Other technologies appearing soon in MIDP-based devices:

Java Technology for the Wireless Industry(JSR 185) Wireless Messaging API 2.0(JSR 205) J2ME Web SErvices(JSR 172)
Location API for J2ME(JSR 179)
Increasing numbers of devices will implement CDC-based tech: Conected device Configuration (JSR 36, aka CDC), J2ME Foundation Profile (JSR 46, aka FP), Personal Basis Profile(JSE 129, aka PBP), Personal Profile (JSR 62, aka PP), and RMI(JSR 66) and JDBC(JSR 169) Optional Packages
JSRs 216-219: Updates to PP, PBP, CDC, and FP Mobile Operational Management(JSR 232)

J2ME TECHNOLOGY IN REAL WORLD DEVICES:

How Far We've Come

When the first price of J2Me technology was introduced in 1999:

Mobile phones were for talking and very little else(4812 greyscale displays, little programmability, very few with any browsing support)

Palm V was the hot new device (remenber the long lines to buy one with the pre-alpha KVM at the 1999 JavOne conference?)

People still used pagers

Five years later:

Most mobile users have a data-enabled next generation cell phone(color screens, built-in cameras, multimedia messaging, web browsers common)

Hundreds if millions of Java enabled mibile phones(J2ME proven by breath and dpth of device, operator, and consumer adoption) stanalone PDAs and pages are dead breeds.

Java API's for Bluetooth

Developing Applications with the Java APIs for Bluetooth (JSR-82)

This paper covers the Java API for Bluetooth (JSR-82) with respect to Sony Ericsson devices. It starts by introducing the Bluetooth technology, followed by the Java APIs for Bluetooth, and how to use them.

Currently, these APIs are currently available in the Sony Ericsson P900/P908 handsets.

Click here to view "Developing Applications with the Java APIs for Bluetooth (JSR-82)"

Not that far away from Afghanistan

Fahad and Arun went on a journey to the extreme corners of the nation in December to try and figure out what Griddex means to people all over the place. To date, Griddex marks over 4000 members listed and unlisted on the Griddex Community Glug List from all over Pakistan. Some enthusiasts from Nigeria and Wales visit often to our Yahoo! group. All of us at Griddex are trying to assemble a Photo-documentary on the trip to the North. It will be available on this blog soon.

The picture above was taken when we were at the Baran Dam in Bannu. In the far distance the mountains shown separates the Pakistani soil from the Afghan. Tensions and conflicts are a norm in the region.