Home Wi-Fi security tips – 5 things to check

 

Many people think that “no hacker would be interested in my home network.”

But everyone has something that’s valuable to attackers: personal information, bank details, financial data, perhaps even a webcam that could let criminals know when you aren’t at home, or that might let creeps spy on you when you are.

Review: Panasonic VIERA TH-P50ST60D - The Last Of The Plasmas Can Still Hold Its Own

Panasonic VIERA TH-P50ST60D

MRP: Rs 1,25,000 (market price starting at Rs 1,00,000)

Television technology has come a long way with LED-backlit TVs currently being the TV technology of popular choice. However, Plasma TV technology continues to hold its own purely because of its inherently superior image quality. Panasonic has been one of the main proponents of this ageing technology and is still one of the largest Plasma TV makers in the market. The company has got the VIERA TH-P50ST60D belonging to the ST60 series, which is its 2013 mid-range offering. However, the performance surprised me. Read on.

Mercury 3G Mifi Router Brings Real Portability To A Hotspot

Kobian has launched the Mercury 3G Mifi Router, which comes with inbuilt battery backup. The router has a SIM card slot that can accept a 3G card and easily start sharing internet by creating a Wi-Fi hotspot that can support up to 10 simultaneous users. It also supports 3G dongles, thanks to a USB port, and can share internet from a local network that it can receive via an Ethernet port. With a white plastic casing and blue indicator LEDs, it even looks good.

In Conversation With Mrunmaiy Abroal Of Opera Software

Opera has recently introduced a new browser - Coast, which is currently exclusively available for the iPad. The Norwegian company known for its synonymous browser had started off with desktop browsers, going on to make the famed Opera Mini browser that actually made feature phones smarter, and now is foraying into the TV segment. I recently had an opportunity to have a tête-à-tête with Mrunmaiy Abroal, Communications Manager - India for Opera Software. Read on for the interaction as we find out the big plans of this company.

Q. What was the need to make Coast? Was Opera Mobile not good enough for tablets?

People have been accessing the web from their computers since 1990. But with the evolution of devices and web technology, we wanted to bring about an evolution in the browser as well. Today’s websites and apps invite you to interact in new ways, but browsers have been stuck in a keyboard-and-mouse world. The web experience on tablets has been limited to browsers that are either scaled-up versions of mobile browsers or scaled-down desktop browsers.

At Opera, we are passionate about making the internet better. These outdated browsers bothered us. So we made Coast from the scratch and specifically designed for iPad. It has a minimalist and uncluttered user interface with a full canvas, large icons and attractive animations. It’s comfortable to use, looks great and is based on intuitive swipe gestures.

Q. What was the reason to make Coast only for the iPad?
When we started the Coast project iPad was the most popular tablet and Android had not yet made a big splash in the market. So it made sense to start with iPad.

Q. Will Coast also make an appearance on other platforms such as Android and Windows Phone?

As a rule, we don't comment on future road-maps. If we happen to do it, we'll let you know.

Q. Under the bonnet, does Coast use the same technologies as Opera Mini for iOS devices?
Coast is a native browser based on Web Kit.

Whereas Opera Mini uses Opera’s advanced compression technology to render webpages and reduces the amount of data downloaded on your device to a little as 10% of its original size.

Q. Tell me a bit more about Opera's foray into the TV segment.

At Opera our aim to build a seamless browsing experience for all types of connected devices.

Opera´s TV solutions allow TV OEMs to provide a superior, connected and interactive TV experience to their customers, combining full internet browsing with a cloud-based TV app store full of exciting web apps optimized for TV. For users, their TV viewing experience becomes more entertaining and connected.

Our product lineup for the TV segment is as follows:
- Opera Devices SDK, an extensible TV platform for developing connected, interactive TV solutions. We have more than 50 customers for the Opera Devices SDK, ranging from TV OEMs, middleware providers, silicon vendors and operators. Some of our major customers are Sony, Toshiba, Philips, Vestel, TCL, Loewe, Technisat, Hisense, Sharp, Panasonic and Pioneer.

- Opera TV Store, Opera's HTML 5 app platform for Smart TV devices
. It has already been shipped with Sony Bravia TVs and Blu-ray Disc players and later in 2013 will see the Opera TV Store in TVs by TCL, Humax and MediaTek.

- Opera TV Snap, a next-generation TV app technology with the ability to transform online video into apps for connected TV
. Since the launch of Opera TV Snap in July, over 100 content providers from Dailymotion, the world´s second-largest video site, have created and submitted Smart TV apps for the *Opera TV Store using the Opera TV Snap tool and their own video content. Among the brands to jump on board and bring their online video to the TV screen quickly, easily and at no extra cost is The North Face®.

- Opera TV Emulator, a solution which allows web developers to test HTML5 and CE-HTML content for TVs and other appliances running the Opera Devices SDK


- Opera TV browser, the full web-browsing experience for connected TVs

Q. Like Firefox, does Opera plan to introduce a mobile OS in the near future?

As a rule, we don't comment on future road-maps. If we happen to do it, we'll let you know.

Q. What is Opera's game plan to catch up with competing desktop browsers?

The increased competition in the browser market is positive for the consumers, as the browser makers are now fighting to provide the best and most innovative products.

Along those lines, Opera keeps reinventing itself and chose to adopt the WebKit engine, as well as Chromium, to focus on developing the new features and user-friendly solutions that are expected from a company that invented so many of the features used today by the browser industry at large.

Opera stays true to its goal of providing browsers that operate across devices, platforms and operating systems, while delivering a faster, more stable and flexible Internet experience than its competitors.

Q. When will Opera bring its popular mobile browser to the Windows Phone platform?

As a rule, we don't comment on future road-maps. If we happen to do it, we'll let you know.

Guide: How To Apply For Passport Online

A passport is an important document without which, you cannot travel outside the country. It is also important because it is accepted as a valid address and photo id proof almost everywhere. Getting a passport has usually been a hassle and people preferred to pay off middlemen to save the trouble. However, obtaining a new passport or renewing one is now really a child's play because the entire procedure happens online and is easier than you may assume. In this article, I will guide you through the steps involved.


1. The first step in this process involves visiting the Passport Seva website and registering your name. The registration is free and only requires your minimal personal details.

2. Next, download the e-Form from here passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/Resources/PassportApplicationForm_Main_English_V1.0.zip. Extract the contents of the ZIP file—a PDF file—to your desktop. This is the offline form that you are supposed to fill.

3. Open the PDF document. Choose "Fresh Passport" from the dropdown list in front of "Applying for". Select the type of application as Normal. In case you are wondering, you can also apply for Tatkaal if you need the passport urgently, by paying an additional amount over the normal application fee.

4. Select the radio button in front of "36 Pages" (or "60 Pages" if you are going to be a frequent traveller). Assuming that you are aged 18 years and above, select "Not Applicable" for "Validity Required".

5. Enter your name, middle name, and surname in the appropriate dialogue boxes. You needn't worry about capitalisation as the form automatically takes care of it. Fill in the rest of the details as appropriate by referring to the screenshot.

6. You must also fill in Family Details about at least one of the following: father, mother, or legal guardian. The rest of the details can be filled by referring to the screenshot.

7. In the Emergency Contact Details section, provide the contact details of the person who could be contacted in case of any problem. This can be a family member, relative, friend, or colleague.

8. There is also a References section in which you must furnish contact details of two people who reside near your residential address.

9. In case this application is for renewal of passport, you can fill in the required details about the previous passport under the Previous Passport/ Application Details

10. In most cases, you can safely mark No in all the answers to the queries under Other Details.

11. Check the checkbox near Agree, fill in the place of submission, the date, and click Validate & Save button. An XML file will now be created, which you must save to your computer.

12. You can now log into your account and upload this file to finish the application process.

13. Now that you are done with submitting the application, you are required to get an appointment to physically visit your Passport Seva Kendra (PSK). You can locate your PSK by visiting this hyperlink http://passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/locatePSK/locatePFCInp.

14. Before you get an appointment, you are required to pay the application fee. You can use internet banking, credit, or debit card. The fees can be calculated by clicking on this hyperlink http://passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/fee/feeInput.

15. Once the payment is made, select a convenient time slot from the ones provided on the screen to visit the PSK. You will receive a PDF file of the receipt, which you must print to take along to the PSK. Finish off the application process.

16. You are required to carry a photocopy set of documents along with the originals when you visit the PSK. The list of documents required when you visit can be checked at this hyperlink http://passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/docAdvisor/attachmentAdvFresh in case of a fresh application. The best address proof is a 1-year bank statement, which you can easily get from your bank. Other address proofs will require supporting documents. You will also need a documentary proof of your date of birth. This can be your birth certificate or any certificate such as SSC, HSC, or school leaving certificate from a recognised educational institution. For those who do not have any of these date of birth proofs and have not studied beyond 5th class, a sworn affidavit before a notary stating the date and place of birth as per Annexure A will be required.

17. The status of your application goes live just a couple of days after the application is submitted and you can track it from within your account.

18. Police verification of your physical address takes place after a few days. You may receive a phone call from your local police station to the number you had provided in the application and you must visit it along with the same set of documents as during the PSK visit. In case it takes too long to receive such a call, you can visit the local police station to enquire about whether the application has been forwarded over there from the PSK.

19. Once the police verification of your physical address is done, the application is sent back to the PSK, which sends it to the district police headquarters for final verification, and then it finally goes back to the PSK. After this stage, the passport is printed and couriered to the applicant.

20. The applicant will receive an SMS notification about the passport being sent to the residential address. It is advisable for the applicant to be physically present to receive the passport by providing any valid id proof to the courier. However, if this is not possible, the passport can be received by a blood relative after furnishing his/her id proof to the courier. If there is nobody to receive the passport at the said address, the passport is returned to the PSK and the applicant will have to collect it from there.