BRAHMOS SUPERSONIC MISSILE SUCCESSFULLY TEST FIRED

The latest version of BrahMos Supersonic cruise missile was today (March 4) successfully test-fired in Pokhran in Rajasthan desert.After failing to hit the target in the previous test, the Block II version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile today hit the target during the test.

The earlier test of the missile was carried out on January 20 where it took off successfully but deviated from its path and landed far away from its target.Speaking about the earlier problems with the missile, officials claimed that there was a "small defect" in the software of the homing device of the missile, which they claimed to have rectified for the test this week.

Officials claimed that the technology in the Block II missiles was "unparallelled" and would help them hit even "insignificant targets" hidden in cluster of buildings."The new seeker being developed is unique and would help us to hit our targets which are insignificant in terms of size in a cluster of large buildings. Once developed, we would be the only nation with this advanced technology," the officials claimed.

Army has already made it clear to BrahMos Aerospace Corporation that it will induct the supersonic missile's new version only after it proves its capabilities in a series of tests to be conducted in the near future.DRDO officials claimed that despite the failure of tests, BrahMos would be able to start deliveries of the 240 missiles order from the Army in two years from now as per the original schedule.Army has already inducted one regiment of the Block I version of the missile. BrahMos is an Indo-Russian joint venture company with its headquarters in Delhi.

QUAKE LIVE BROWSER VIDEO GAME RELEASED

Quake Live is a version of a PC game which was first launched in 1999.This Classic game is a re-release of Quake III for the web browser.This throws light the rapid development in web games.It runs inside browsers after the installation of a software plug-in.Michael French, editor of games industry magazine Develop,"It is a significant step which proves browser games can be sophisticated.A lot of the foundations of the mechanics of modern shooters were established by Quake. It makes a lot of sense for id to be trying new avenues for their intellectual property.One of the things id has always been known for is being cutting edge in graphics but also for finding new ways to get their games to gamers.It proves that consumers are willing to try these things. All kinds of people could now be exposed to games for the first time.There is no console or hardware in the way. This is gaming for people who are more used to using Facebook.You won't play this and be put off thinking it is old fashioned or ugly. It is very playable and watchable.However, he said browser games were not yet a substitute for a
dedicated piece of gaming hardware".

The game is being released free of charge for browsers by id Software, and is supported by advertising. It opens to the public as a beta later on Tuesday.Id Software is not the first company to offer browser versions of games that were once synonymous with physical formats: Garage Games offers web versions of games like Fallen Empire and Marble Blast Online, while there are also a number of online multiplayer titles such as PMOG.But Quake is the most high-profile PC franchise to branch out into the browser space.The games industry will be watching id software's browser developments very closely.Massively Multiplayer Online space is certainly the area most likely to move to browser. Some well-known role playing game franchises could also move to the browser and are probably already in development.

ANONYMOUS CALLERS BEWARE ! TRAPCALL IS HERE

Telephone users have been able to block personal information from showing up since the early 1990s, when Caller ID was introduced. In the past, people could rely on dialing either *-6-7 before placing a call or asking their phone company to always hide their number when they make outgoing calls to shield their identity. But thats all history now as a new technology called
TrapCall, which was launched Tuesday, enables us to unblock and reveal callers' identities and numbers even after individuals have tried to block the information and allows people to always see the phone number and even the home address of the person calling them, even if that person has blocked Caller ID, that has domestic abuse organizations upset. Abuse victims advocates argue that victims who routinely rely on blocking Caller ID when communiciating with abusers could be put in harm's way by TrapCall.

According to Cindy Southworth, the director of the Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence in Washington, D.C.,"I'm quite concerned about TrapCall,When Caller ID first came out, phone companies worked very closely with domestic violence advocates to make sure victims could make anonymous calls and this strips away that anonymity".But the president of the company that makes TrapCall said the technology was developed with domestic abuse victims in mind, to let them always see who is calling them. And if they are concerned about preserving their anonymity when they make calls, he said, the company has another product that can trick Caller ID. According to Southworth, anonymity is often very important to domestic abuse victims who, even though they have left their abusive partners, are still required by law to remain in contact with them in situations where child custody issues exist.

According to Meir Cohen, president of TelTech, the New Jersey-based company that manufactures TrapCall, the product works by sending a blocked number through a software system that then identifies the number. That number is then sent to the person receiving the call, who can then decide whether to answer. "If you get a call on your phone and the number is blocked, you hit 'decline' and while the caller hears ringing in the background and doesn't know anything has happened, a few seconds later your phone will start ringing again and this time it will show the phone number," Cohen said, explaining what happens when an incoming call is caught in TrapCall.

The free version of TrapCall reveals the name and number of the caller, while two other more expensive packages, priced at $9.95 and $24.95, offer more advanced features, such as voicemail transcription sent to your e-mail and the ability to record all your incoming calls at the touch of a button."You can decide you want to record a conversation and then retrieve it online and download it and do whatever you want with it," Cohen said. "That's a huge feature."So far, the service, which can be downloaded on the company's Web site, is only available to AT&T and T-Mobile customers, but Cohen said other carriers will be added soon.

Cohen said another feature he anticipates will become popular is blacklisting, by which phone numbers a user does not want to receive calls from are blocked. Instead of reaching the person they are calling, the caller hears a recording stating that the number has been disconnected.Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), said the primary drawbacks of products like TrapCall is that they do not distinguish between situations where it makes logical sense to provide anonymity and those that do not.