Friday, June 15, 2012

New MacBook Pro Aims for the Heart...



As Apple revealed its new slim-and-trim, Retina 15-inch MacBook professional on, I instantly wished it. The clean lines, the manner Apple style guru Jonathan Ive gushed regarding the painstaking care that went into each nook and cranny ... heck, even the photo of the heart of the factor -- it is a work of art.

And I like that kind of art. I appreciate it, and that i fancy using it. that kind of care creates an entire mindset of how a bloke like me works on things on my Mac. i feel that my MacBook helps me turn out a higher product, whether or not it's a commentary, review, or a home movie that may solely ever be seen by family and friends.

As Apple's execs were happy to indicate, the MacBook professional with Retina show would possibly o.k. be the simplest Mac the corporate has ever created.

In reality, this new generation of MacBook professional isn't a very sensible unit. It's simply not. It appeals to your heart, not your head. can|i will be able to|i'll} grant the argument that it's sensible for a really tiny set of {pros} -- true graphic execs who will have the benefit of the show quality and/or filmmakers and video pros who want the additional pixels to allow them to edit 1080p high-definition video to exacting standards and quality. Of course, i might additionally expect the bulk of those sorts of professionals to own terribly massive and calibrated external monitors for his or her daily work. But hey, a number of these execs travel all the time and wish this type of tool.

You can use Thunderbolt external exhausting drives for quick storage, right, however that require type of mitigates the svelte, .71-inch-thick body and pound of weight savings the re-creation offers you over the previous version of MacBook professional. 

While initial reviews have gushed over the clarity of the Retina show, thusme folks are stating that not all graphics end up so fantastic. Some Web-based graphics appear to induce a bit jaggy because the MacBook tries to scale them into one thing that works with such a huge screen with such a large amount of small pixels, and whereas Apple has optimized its key applications like Safari, Mail, iCal, Address Book, iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, Aperture, and Final Cut professional, alternative developers haven't created similar optimizations. a replacement iPad-using buddy of mine recently bemoaned, "If the app hasn't been developed for the Retina iPad, it will look worse than on my previous first-generation iPad."

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Monday, June 11, 2012

Top 5 Weird But Funny Android Apps....


Having an Android powered smartphone allows you to download and install as several apps you wish. a number of them are quite strange and should be categorized as downright weird. however that ought to not hamper you from downloading them as they're fun to use, addictive and smart time pass stuff.

Speaking sort of a pirate, owners of cars within the massive cities typically notice themselves parking within the street. those that work within the mall, as an example, have to be compelled to park their automotive in huge heap. It are often terribly straightforward to forget where you parked, that is where Carrr Matey comes in handy.

The latest Star Trek iteration has fully wiped the franchise and commenced it recent, which means it's okay to admit your Trekkie standing. In different words, it conjointly suggests that you'll swank your recently downloaded Android app known as Tricorder, that beeps rather like the “real” ones from the franchise. It even visually feels like a tool Scotty would have used to double-check the engines.


Flicking the lighter open is as straightforward as touching the screen, that includes the hidden flame beneath and a practical sound result to accompany it. Swaying your Android back and forth or left to right shows the acceptable movement by the flame so as to remain upright, similar to a true lighter.

Want differently to assist go back to the money spent for that new Android? Not a drag — simply use simple Metal Detector Lite to search out any lost coins floating around your neighborhood.

Yes, it very works. How? The compass feature of your Andriod phone functions because of a magnetometer inside the device, and if elementary college science has taught its students something, it’s that magnets will realize metal virtually.

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Saturday, June 2, 2012

Best Gadget Gifts For Men....



This handy radio permits integration of an Android Smartphone, car radio, MP3 player, Pandora and different apps, enabling the user to concentrate to no matter they require whereas traveling. The large, 7-inch touchscreen is straightforward to use and also the unit will handle hands-free calling via Bluetooth. The day and time show is conveniently located at front and center.

A cool-looking cube designed to resemble a light-weight switch full of 2 seasonings. merely flip the toggle to travel from salt to pepper and back once more. Not solely helpful, however conjointly a good conversation starter.

How convenient is this? merely lay the rechargeable devices on the mat, forget them for a minute, and after you come, they're charged. No additional attempting to find the proper connector or shopping for numerous adapters that you simply may well lose.

Does your man love his smartphone? If the solution is certainly yes, then he can love Liquipel. This product provides a nano-sized overall protecting film for phones that's invisible to the human eye. No additional voided warranties and ruined phones from an excessive amount of exposure to moisture!


Got a large amount of photos and videos on your iPhone 4S with no thanks to show them except via the phone’s own little screen? No problem! simply dock your phone into the Pocket Projector and show away at fifteen lumens, with a 640×360 native resolution and an integrated .5 W speaker. The unit recharges via USB.

This terribly clever invention could be a cork-topped icy flute of BPA-free plastic containing a gel. once being chilled in your freezer the Corkcicle can keep a bottle of white wine at precisely the right temperature. once you've got taken the bottle from the fridge you pour out the primary glass and then you just insert the Corkcicle into the bottle. it'll then keep the wine at the best temperature while not affecting it in the other means.

What produces a decent lightweight and might last a awfully long time? These cool lightweight bulbs, that’s what. Giving off a hotter lightweight than compact fluorescent while not the attendant safe-disposal issues – these bulbs promise concerning eighty,000 hours of illumination and solely use eleven watts of power.


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Thursday, May 3, 2012

How to Make Your Blog Stand Out?



There are some blogs that are so strongly branded that all you have to do is check out the logo on their Facebook page, and you’ll know exactly what website it represents. When you’re able to create that type of brand synchronicity in your blog niche, readers will automatically check out your blog whenever they have any questions related to your industry.

To begin branding your blog, start with the basics. Make sure that your blog has consistent design on each page, including all of your social media profiles. Even though using the same colors, font, and images may seem subtle, your readers will automatically recognize your style no matter where you post a link to your content.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that your logo needs to be elaborate and expensively designed. But you do need to choose a logo that will best represent the niche of your blog, using the same fonts and colors from your blog theme. When you use this logo on your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn profiles, people will soon begin to recognize your blog based on this icon alone.


One of the biggest problems I see for bloggers who are trying to monetize or business trying to start blogs to promote their products/services is the lack of a mission or goal.  It will be difficult to grow your blog and reach out to more followers if you don’t have a consistent vision or mission statement. You will likely try to put too many irons into the fire at once and will confuse your identity.

If you have an interior design blog to promote your company, then perhaps readers visit your blog to find insider design tips and do-it-yourself posts that they can’t find anywhere else. If your mission is to give readers easy tutorials in design that are hard to find online, stick with it. Readers will soon begin to recognize that you are living up to your claims and will become loyal visitors of your blog.

Branding” doesn’t have to lead to goals outside of your blog either. If you brand yourself well, it’s easier to find “your people” – the readers who really connect to you and your ideas. A well-branded blogger typically has more loyal fans who will, in turn, comment, subscribe, make purchases, share content, and more.

How to Enable Author Profile Snippet.........

I am not asking you to get into the number game, but there are fewer options left. However, if you do not like my casual and carefree approach, here is something diplomatic for them. Take it this way – you are writing great content and that means, large number of people will find it good and will give link back it and some even become your follower in Google + because of your creative prowess.

So, this will lead to more followers and the increase in followers can easily be equated in increase in visibility in SERP when searchers are logging in. If some of the posts of your website manages to get some Google +, it will do more good to your website and a visible difference in SERP is likely to be seen soon. So, produce great things, resources, info-graphics, images, videos and Google + users will start loving you.

Google’s latest authorship markup is making its search page look super hot with the images, names and followers of respective author incorporated. If you have a blog, you can claim your position in SERP with all the niceties added.
All you need to do is to create a profile in Google and once you are done with profile creation process, you can stage ahead with adding the link reference of your Author Page profile in your blog in the Contributor To section of your Google + page.
Now, it is time to do some work with your blog. Lets say, your blog page is: http: //www.example.com/blog/my-first-post/ and the author page is: http: //www.example.com/blog/author/My-author-page/
And from the author profile page, you need to add a link back to Google + profile page of yours. You need to use the below code for hyper-linking:
Google+
When you are done with it, make sure you have checked it against Google Rich Snippet Testing tool.
Google obsession with Google + is not anything unknown and that means, you need to have an impressive presence in Google + to see your website securing top ranking in Google. To make your Google Plus presence prominent, you need to place a small piece of code in the source code of your website that will form a cool Google + badge for your website.

This will make it easier for followers to follow your website in Google + and the more the number of followers, the greater the chances of securing top ranking in Search Plus Your World. Moreover, having a prominent position in Google + will certainly have positive impacts on your brand’s social presence.

View the original article here

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Twitter’s new aims to make networking



Twitter has unveiled a new main site re-design which is aimed at making the social networking site simpler and more engaging to use for it’s end users. New elements include the navigational section ”Home”, “Connect”, “Discover” and “Me” and also a more streamlined overall design across the site. The new changes make for a more modern looking Twitter, and they tie in nicely with the now over a month new activity view. For those of you who use Tweetdeck to manage your daily Twitter’ing.

Overall a website refresh for Twitter has been on the cards for over 6 months now because in the world of social media, Twitter’s current website is starting to look a little bit dated compared to the likes of Stumbleupon, Digg and Google+ all of which look very modern indeed. Over in san francisco social media marketing and amongst all social media marketers, I think you’ll agree that with Twitter updating their site 2012 will be a year for extremely clean and easily navigational websites.

View the original article here

The Tech Evolution of New World




A way of doing business that’s becoming increasingly popular with small-medium enterprises worldwide, good free conference call services enable companies to hold important remote meetings with employees and clients alike, completely negating the cost of travel and the time.

Recipients are given a number to dial that will connect them to what’s called a ‘conference bridge’. This then links the telephone lines of each of the participants, enabling the conference calls to go ahead.
In order to be able to host and participate in conference calls, companies must join conference call service provider, who will then provide the company with the dial-in phone and PIN numbers needed hold and participate in teleconferencing.

Back in 2010, the iPhone 4 brought us FaceTime. With the iPhone 4’s built-in dual camera system, one front-facing and on rear-facing, people can talk to another person with an iPhone 4 or 4S. Skype is another service that’s free and allows participation of up to 25 users on 25 different connections.
While the iPhone’s FaceTime app does allow video calling, it only enables participation of two connections, and while Skype does allow up to 25 connections, it doesn’t enable video conferencing, plus the fact that it’s free means that it can be unreliable, which is not conducive to smooth business operations.
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Sunday, March 25, 2012

The fastest remote-controlled car in the world

Everybody can afford or get a hold of a Bugatti Veyron or Koenigsegg Agera R. This naturally makes for an elite club of high flying golf club swinging middle aged men, but what if you could have just as much fun for just £700? Well now you can. Introducing the Traxxas XO-1, the world’s fastest remote-controlled car which will sprint from 0-60mph in 2.3 seconds and reach a ton in under 5. At 27 inches long, the car is far from as portable as your average catalogue product, but it has some neat technology lying beneath which allows it to be as fast as it is.


Essentially, the Traxxas XO-1 features a light weight aluminium frame and a high-output Traxxas/Castle Mamba Monster Extreme brushless motor which powers all four wheels booted up to two Power Cell 3S 5000mAh lithium-polymer batteries. On top of that, there are a few neat design considerations too, including a rear diffuser and front splitter to keep aerodynamics in check at high speed.

For a remote controlled car of this size, we reckon in order for the 0-60mph sprint to be achieved at 2.3 seconds the remote controlled car would need only around 80BHP and 110lbs/ft of torque, allowing for a HUGE power to weight ratio. Interested? Hit up the Traxxas source link below.

Source: Traxxas

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Basic Gimp Tools Introduction

Are you someone who is desperate for Photoshop but can’t afford to pay the hefty price tag? Don’t worry, if you have been looking longingly at your computer and hoping that a photo and graphics editing program will somehow magically appear, you may just have found the solution. Gimp is an open source program that has an amazing amount of functionality considering that it is completely free. It does take a bit of time to learn how it works but once you do it is an absolutely invaluable tool, and also used by event photographers and industry professionals alike.

Here are some basic tools:
Fuzzy Select & Colour Select:  You can use these tools to quickly select and edit certain parts of images. If there are certain colours that you want to change or parts that you want to cut out then you can use these tools to make the relevant selections as opposed to doing a freehand select which is much more time consuming.

Colour Picker: This is a great tool that allows you to add some colour continuity to your graphics and images. Select the colour picker tool and click on the colour in your image that you want to duplicate. It will store that colour for you and allow you to use it again for text and backgrounds.

Crop: This is a simple little tool that does exactly what it says; it crops images, layers and sections of layers.

Transform Tools: The transform tools are made up of flip, rotate, sheer, perspective and scale. These tools are very helpful when you are positioning text or images on to a flyer or piece of artwork. You can re-scale your layers and pasted sections to get them to the right size for your overall image and you can change the perspective of certain element too.

CloneTool: This is a really useful tool if you are editing images of people. If there are spots or other blemishes that you want to get rid of then select your clone tool and hover over a section of skin that is perfect. Press Ctrl + C and the clone tool will store a copy of that piece of skin as a paintbrush. You then click on the spot or problem area and the clone tool will use the clone it has just taken to cover over the blemish.

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The Hidden Crate of Top 5 Weird But Funny Android Apps


Perhaps you pretend that you bought your Android phone (or tablet) to work to track business calls or to have easy access to your work Gmail and business contacts, or to track your business’ mobile broadband bill. But the truth, of course, is playing with those strange but fun Android apps.

Having an Android powered smartphone enables you to download and install as many apps you want. Some of them are quite strange and deserve to be categorized as downright weird. But that should not hamper you from downloading them as they are fun to use, addictive and good time pass stuff. This article contains and reviews five strange but somewhat useful apps you can download to your Android for free.

Speaking like a pirate, owners of cars in the big cities often find themselves parking in the street. Those who work in the mall, for instance, have to park their car in a huge lot. It can be very easy to forget where you parked, which is where Carrr Matey comes in handy.
Indeed, other apps do exist, but this is arguably the best one on the Android market. Not only does the GPS allow you to mark and locate your car, but it speaks like a rough, sailing pirate. Don’t park your car — drop your anchor, and let Carrr Matey find your dock again. You can even set a timer to remind you when your parking meter is about to run out.

The latest Star Trek iteration has completely wiped the franchise and started it fresh, meaning it is okay to admit your Trekkie status. In other words, it also means you can show off your recently downloaded Android app called Tricorder, which beeps just like the “real” ones from the franchise. It even visually looks like a device Scotty would have used to double-check the engines.
However, Tricorder does actually come with some practical use. For instance, it can measure how strong your Wi-Fi and cellular signals are wherever you are, as well as the acoustical levels of your surrounding area — such as if you are about to record your voice for a podcast.
It also informs you the nearest satellites and GPS signal, which helps if you ever want to know why your GPS service is being a bit erratic. In other words, it has a little something for every technology nerd, all with the added bonus of the single most interesting interfaces on this side of the Neutral Zone.
You remember the times when you saw your favorite band perform at a concert. You jumped crazily and burst out the lyrics in perfect sync with the singer. Back in the day, all it took to show you were having a great time was taking out your lighter and flicking it on, waving it back and forth — unfortunately, management and health codes of the concert hall alike have both decided that thousands of lit lighters are a bit of a fire hazard. What else can you do?
Take out that Android and open your lighter; that is, your Bic Concert Lighter app. What this app offers is a full-screen image of one of many Bic lighters — you can pick the design in the Settings option, which include Tattoos, Geometrics, Flick my BIC and Astrology.

Flicking the lighter open is as simple as touching the screen, featuring the hidden flame underneath and a realistic sound effect to accompany it. Swaying your Android back and forth or left to right shows the appropriate movement by the flame in order to stay upright, just like a real lighter.
Want another way to help get back the money spent for that new Android? Not a problem — just use Easy Metal Detector Lite to find any lost coins floating around your neighborhood.

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Top 5 Shocking Revelations From Steve Jobs FBI File

A secret FBI file on Steve Jobs is revealing new details about the late Apple co-founder and chief executive officer. FBI has released a 191-page dossier that the agency compiled on former Apple CEO Steve Jobs in 1991. The agency’s lengthy document on Jobs has more than 30 interviews of friends, neighbors, family, former business associates and Jobs himself.

The interviews were part of a background check for an appointment to the President George HW Bush’s Export Council.  From the file, it seems Jobs spent some time working for the government, reportedly on satellite and software-related programs. In fact, in 1988, Steve Jobs held a “Top Secret” clearance. He lost that clearance  in 1990.
It’s not known if Steve Jobs was aware of his FBI file, but he was interviewed during the background check and cooperated. Here are some interesting revelations from the FBI’s dossier.
“Several individuals questioned Mr Jobs’s honesty stating that Mr Jobs will twist the truth and distort reality in order to achieve his goals,” according to the materials released by the FBI. One worker at Apple Computer called Jobs, “A deceptive individual who is not completely forthright and honest.”

One of the person interviewed by FBI said that Jobs alienated a lot of people at Apple Computer Inc as a result of his ambition.  Two people associated with Jobs at Apple told the FBI that Jobs possessed integrity as long as he got his way. They did not elaborate, the FBI agent wrote.
So much so that, another individual “believed the appointee has what it takes to assume a high level political position within the government, which in his opinion, honesty and integrity are NOT prerequisites to assume such a position.” This was no compliment, but a hint at his level of deceit.
The dossier which actually shows the enormous lengths to which the FBI went to in their investigation, also has Steve Job’s school records.
The records show that Jobs received an average grade of 2.65 out of 4 during his days at Homestead High School in California between 1968 to 1972.
But here is a note of caution for mediocre students who are ready to take heart from Jobs’ grades that along with the unimpressive grades, he was already fooling around with computers and computer-oriented friends in a manner that in retrospect showed great promise. Comparatively, Bill Gates also dropped out of college but only after his genius with computers was already proved.

Both Steve Jobs and Apple Computer are notorious for their obsession with secrecy. For instance it is no secret how Apple Banned Gizmodo after they leaked iPhone 4 pics prior to its release.
Documents reveal that they were not particularly helpful to FBI officials as well. In fact, according to document, FBI officials complained that Jobs’ secretary made them wait three weeks to interview him.
Jobs was also the victim of an extortion attempt, according to the FBI’s report. The agency investigated a 1985 bomb threat against Jobs, in which an unidentified male made a series of calls and said that “devices” had been placed in homes of certain individuals and “one million dollars must be paid”.
Did You Know? Steve Jobs Threatened ‘Thermonuclear War’ on Google’s Android OS
The caller left instructions that one of the victims should go to the San Francisco Hilton hotel in order to pick up a note left under a table near a candy machine. The call-back number left by the would-be extortionist was traced to a public telephone in a parking garage at San Francisco International Airport. Law enforcement officials cordoned off the areas where the caller said that he has placed the bombs but found nothing.
And for those who are curious about the result of all these Steve Jobs interviews – he did eventually serve in capacity for which these interviews were conducted.

View the original article here

Saturday, March 24, 2012

How to Make Your Blog Stand Out?

Branding your blog sounds like a great concept to make your blog stand out and gain traffic. Right? But how is it done exactly? How can you use branding to make your blog stand out among the crowd? What does branding mean? Read on if you are looking for answers to some of these questions…


There are some blogs that are so strongly branded that all you have to do is check out the logo on their Facebook page, and you’ll know exactly what website it represents. When you’re able to create that type of brand synchronicity in your blog niche, readers will automatically check out your blog whenever they have any questions related to your industry.

To begin branding your blog, start with the basics. Make sure that your blog has consistent design on each page, including all of your social media profiles. Even though using the same colors, font, and images may seem subtle, your readers will automatically recognize your style no matter where you post a link to your content.

In many cases, your blog’s strength may be something intangible, like creating a community full of stimulating reader comments or posting unique interviews with leaders in your industry. Whatever your blog does best, continue to do it and do it well.

View the original article here

Friday, March 23, 2012

Best Gadget Gifts For Him (Men)

Looking for that perfect gadget gift for the man in your life or another male acquaintance? One of these interesting gadgets is sure to please him. In some cases voucher codes are available on the internet that will save you money when making a purchase. Check out a few of our top 10 best gifts for men that will help you think outside the tie box to find gifts as distinctive as your guy. From pocket projector for iPhone 4S to techie tools and beyond, we’ll make him feel like a king — even if it’s a very small kingdom
.

Whether it’s for Christmas, New Year, Father’s Day, Valentine’s day or just because you love your guy so much, here’s our top suggestions that will bring a smile to his cheeky face.
This handy radio allows integration of an Android Smartphone, car radio, MP3 player, Pandora and other apps, enabling the user to listen to whatever they want while traveling. The large, 7-inch touchscreen is easy to use and the unit can handle hands-free calling via Bluetooth. The day and time display is conveniently located at front and center.

How convenient is this? Simply lay the rechargeable devices on the mat, forget them for a while, and when you come back, they are charged. No more hunting for the right connector or buying various adapters that you might well lose.
Five blades, three speeds and one ergonomic handle. Add to that a gel strip that protects your skin with aloe vera and vitamin E and a trimmer for nice straight lines, and you have a winner of a razor. Battery-operated, there is even an indicator so your man will know when he is getting low on power to help him take better care of this gadget.
That’s right, all 22 James Bond movies, plus additional content, are packaged together by MGM and 20th Century Fox in a collection called, for some reason, Bond 50. Get this collection and you can relax with movies and a drink – shaken, not stirred of course.
Does your man love his smartphone? If the answer is definitely yes, then he will love Liquipel. This product provides a nano-sized overall protective film for phones that is invisible to the human eye. No more voided warranties and ruined phones from too much exposure to moisture!
Got a ton of photos and videos on your iPhone 4S with no way to show them except via the phone’s own small screen? No problem! Just dock your phone into the Pocket Projector and display away at 15 lumens, with a 640×360 native resolution and an integrated .5 W speaker. The unit recharges via USB.


This very clever invention is a cork-topped icy flute of BPA-free plastic containing a gel. After being chilled in your freezer the Corkcicle will keep a bottle of white wine at exactly the right temperature. After you have taken the bottle from the fridge you pour out the first glass and then you simply insert the Corkcicle into the bottle. It will then keep the wine at the ideal temperature without affecting it in any other way.
What produces a good light and can last a very long time? These cool light bulbs, that’s what. Giving off a warmer light than compact fluorescent without the attendant safe-disposal problems – these bulbs promise about 80,000 hours of illumination and only use 11 watts of power.

View the original article here

Features We Wish to See on iPad 3 Release Date

The internet is already buzzing with iPad3 release date rumor mills starting from its retina display-like high resolution, A6 quad-core processor, and support for 4G LTE networks. Unless there’s a drastic change to Apple’s release cycle for the iPad, we will see the iPad 3 released in the first 3-4 months of the new year – most likely in February or March 2012.

In addition to these what if Apple surprises us with a host of other killer features. Below are some of the items that are on top of the wish lists of iPad users.
Apple’s Siri personal assistant — the darlingof all iPhone 4 S users, could use a bigger living room. Imagine dictating Siri to send a mail for you!
Needless to mention, Siri on iPad 3 can attract bloggers and enterprise customers. Recently some references were discovered showing ‘Siri Dictation’ in the iOS 5.1 Beta update. A new section labeled ‘About Privacy and Dictation’ in the keyboard menu raises further hopes on Siri featuring in iPad3.
The back facing camera on iPhone 4S delivers 8 MP and 1020p HD video. With the current 720p .7 MP iPad 2 camera it leaves us with lot to wish for. Hope Apple comes up with a much better resolution camera in iPad 3 that also delivers 1020p high definition video output.


We would love a flash to be put on the iPad 3 camera — right now on iPad 2, if you are not in bright light the pics don’t come out all that great. How about a much better better camera with a xenon flash?
Rumors have already been suggesting that the upcoming iPad 3 will be blessed with a super-fast quad-core A6 processor. However, it won’t be self defrosting like the Intel processors.
And considering the other Android tablets around, the quad-core processor on iPad 3 is hardly a stretch to believe.

View the original article here

Best Twitter Tips & Tricks

Twitter is one of the most popular social networking sites today. Unlike its counterparts, Facebook and LinkedIn; Twitter, the micro-blogging platform restricts its users by only allowing them 140 characters of space for their updates.

People are using Twitter, not only for personal and entertainment uses, but also for business use. This is a great way to reach millions of new customers every single day. When you are a member of Twitter, you are able to have followers and you are able to subscribe to other’s Twitter updates as well.
You don’t have to be a Twitter maniac to be able to use Twitter like a pro. If you are new to Twitter, or if you are looking to find useful tips and tricks for using Twitter so that you can make your experience easier, this article will help you do just that.
Anyone that has a Twitter account is able to leave a message that other people can see, but then the people who see these messages are able to “re-tweet” them to their followers and even reply to your messages.


If you respond to someone’s message, your Twitter name will be shown with a @ preceding it. Anyone can view these responses unless you choose to respond via private direct message instead. You can use Twitter on your computer, laptop and even your mobile phone, and you can do it any time, in any location you may be.
It is important to know why you are planning on using Twitter. Some people use Twitter for entertainment purposes only, some use it to catch up with family and friends, and others use it as a blog or even to help promote their business. If you plan on promoting your business, keep your two worlds separate by having an account for personal use as well.

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Tips To Write Successful Guest Posting

Here are some of the best tips and guidelines that increase the acceptance rate of guest posts and help guest bloggers not only promote their clients’ websites, but also help them create a reputation online.



A strategic guest-post campaign is not about submitting the maximum number of posts to all kinds of sites and blogs. As a guest blogger, you need to make sure that you post content only on websites that have a good reputation and solid readership. Authority blogs and sites in niche and unique topic areas that accept only those posts that are relevant to you as well as your clients are a good place to begin. Start with the archives and then go through the current content to get a good idea of the look and feel of the blog.
Finding the right blog is only the first step in the process. A successful guest post that is unique and interesting always draws user attention. Even if you have the required credentials and provide links to blog samples and other relevant writing samples online, this guest post is the only way to prove to the audience that you have something that they should definitely pay close attention to.
One way of going about this is to take a look at the posts on other authority sites that have topics related to what you would like to write about.


Coherent and compelling blog content always grabs eyeballs and garners the attention that it truly deserves. Your content has to be the best if you would like to increase your chances of being asked to post more content as a guest blogger.
The posts should never have any spelling and grammatical errors. Include a short bio along with one or two links to a website or page that you would like to share with the readers. Too many links make the post appear like spam and webmasters will reject your content right away. Always spend enough time and put in a lot of effort in writing informative and interesting content.
Providing inaccurate and false blog stats (page views, ranking, unique visitors), credentials, and other information is a foolish thing to do. Even if you start your guest blogging efforts on small blogs, you will get caught sooner or later, which will spoil your chances of gaining an entry into the big league.
Learn the ropes of the process, build your online reputation, attract your own blog traffic, and gain more exposure; even it means that you have to start afresh.
To drive valid traffic to your post, make sure that you promote it. Even new visitors leave comments and join the conversation if they find the content relevant and useful. Bloggers are busy people, and you can save a lot of time by emailing your guest post across to them, so they get a good idea of what you can offer.

.View the original article here

Microsoft Office 365, Hotmail and SkyDrive hit

Thousands of Microsoft cloud users across Australia fell victim to a Microsoft Office 365 outage on March 16 that left them without access for nearly three hours.  The outage affected everything from Office 365 and Hotmail to SkyDrive and other Live cloud-based products.


During the outage, users reported inabilities to access their inboxes or even, in an extreme case, that mailboxes ceased to exist.  As Office 365 users waited, frustrated, during this near three-hour window they received only vague status updates.
Microsoft responded to the issue like it has in the past – by announcing resolutions via Twitter, even when the problems were clearly not resolved.  The first outage reports came in at 2:45 AEST and an hour later Chris Jones, Microsoft’s senior vice president for Windows Live, announced a restoration of Microsoft services.
But only an hour after that, Jones announced that customers were still reporting problems with their service.  Microsoft continued to respond with Twitter announcements about ongoing investigations into the issues, and credited DNS issues as the cause of the outage.

The Microsoft corporate vice president of the server and cloud division, Bill Laing, also responded to the issue in a blog post in which he wrote “The three truths of cloud computing are: hardware fails, software has bugs and people make mistakes.”
But this comment is interesting in light of the fact that other cloud computing platforms, such as Google Apps, do not use hardware that has even one point-of-failure, constantly update software, and make any bugs well-known through the Apps Status Dashboard.  Most convincingly, Google exceeds its 99.9% uptime guarantee on a regular basis.

While no one is perfect, this outage isn’t the first for Microsoft, who has yet to perform outage-free for any significant number of months (Microsoft’s last outage before this was in February and affected Microsoft CRM Online and Office 365, according to ZDNet).
This most recent outage simply furthers the idea that Microsoft’s Office 365 is a significantly less reliable cloud platform than many other established cloud services.
Guest Author: Cloud Sherpas is a leading cloud service provider and was named the “Google Enterprise 2011 Partner of the Year.” As one of the first Google Enterprise partners, Cloud Sherpas has migrated over one million users across a variety of industries from legacy, on-premise messaging systems to Google Apps, helping organizations adopt cloud computing to innovate and dramatically reduce their IT expenses.

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Thursday, March 22, 2012

Why The Apple Patent War Must End


A vast number of people on earth have technological items which are based on one or more patents. Patents are a form of intellectual property. For the term of the patent, the patent’s owner has the full right to control its use as he sees fit. Sometimes companies will devise their own technology as a way of getting around having to license a patent. Sometimes the patent holder will refuse to license the use of the patent in order to keep the technology to themselves and stifle competition. Nonetheless, it is common business practice for companies to license their patents. After all if you devised a technology that billions of people might want, wouldn’t it be logical to benefit from that want through licensing and cross-licensing?  In addition to receiving compensation for the investment in research and development in creating the technology, the company will often have an eye out to improve the product or create new products.
Beginning in April 2011, there has been an ongoing “Patent War” between Apple and Samsung.  Apple started this War, by using the courts in the United States and the European Union to block the importation and sale of Samsung’s latest flagship Smartphones and Tablets. Samsung in turn has countersued Apple and has also tried a similar tactic against Apple’s phones and tablets throughout Asia the  European Union and the United States.
Currently, the Patent War between Apple and Samsung encompasses 19 active cases in twelve courts spanning four continents and 12 countries.


One might logically ask, which critical proprietary technology did Samsung allegedly misappropriate to warrant this international imbroglio?  Surely it must be something vital to Apple’s existence!  Perhaps it is the patent that makes every apple device “magical”? Perhaps Samsung has moles in Cupertino that leaked top secret technology back to the Samsung offices in South Korea? Perhaps Samsung’s CEO Lee Kun-Hee once defeated the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a round of golf, and Apple is now seeking revenge?
If one thought that there is a reasonable basis for Apple’s vendetta against Samsung, one would be mistaken. (The aforesaid golf suggestion would have made a lot more sense). Unfortunately, the critical matter at issue, seems so inane, that I am surprised that the respective judges have not laughed the Apple lawyers out of court.
The main issue is over (1) the physical design (although there is ongoing litigation regarding 3G connectivity and multitouch screen technology) – and (2) the user interface (UI) of the Samsung Android powered Galaxy, Galaxy S, and Galaxy SII line of the Smartphones featuring 4 and 4.3 inch screens respectively and the Android powered Galaxy Tab family of Tablets that come in screen sizes of 7, 8.9 and 10.1 inches respectively. That’s it folks!

The Samsung Smartphones and Tablets listed above, all bear a physical (shape) similarity to Apple’s  iPhone and iPad. The iPhone is rectangular in shape with a screen size of 3.5 inches. The iPad is square in shape and features a 9.7 inch display. The Galaxy family of Smartphones are all rectangular in shape, and so is the Galaxy Tab family of Tablet products.
Until I heard about the Apple litigation in April, I had not been aware that one could patent universal shapes.  If one is using a Smartphone other than the ones listed, take a good look at it. Odds are that it is rectangular. With exceptions, most mainstream Smartphones are, although often manufactures like to toy around with different designs.

If the reader is reading this on a computer, take a look at the monitor in front of you. What shape is it? Odds are it is one with a rectangular 16:9 aspect ratio that is now used on virtually every laptop. In fact most monitors manufactured over the last half decade all use this particular design. If it is not a rectangular 16:9 monitor, than then the other possibility is that it is one of the square varieties featuring a 4:3 aspect ratio. These are both universal shapes used in many products today.  The reader can appreciate that it would be absurd for someone to claim a patent on the square or rectangular shaped monitor.
When Apple introduced the iPhone back in June 2007, save for the lack of a physical keyboard, they were not introducing a new physical phone design never before seen. However, some of the technology that made the phone so unique was new. Most significantly, the operating system, iOS was new.  When Apple introduced the iPad in January of 2010 they were not introducing a completely new product that no one had ever seen or conceived. Tablet computers became popular in approximately 2002, although pen tablets were introduced in the 80’s and 90’s. Although, some of the technology was new, what was truly unique was that the rush to buy tablets was new!  That was about it.
Despite the market success of the Apple iPhone and iPad family of products, Apple seems to view its closest direct competitors as a major financial threat that clearly must be eliminated through any legal means possible, similar to how Bill Gates viewed Microsoft’s direct competitors, before the Justice Department decided that its behavior was a violation of anti-trust and involved in the restraint of trade. As a company, Apple has stroked itself over its claim to be innovative. The company’s long standing slogan “Think Different”,  now comes off sounding like an oxymoron as the practice of suing to have the products of other companies from being sold seems to be ‘old style’ restraint of trade.  Instead of continuing to innovate, they are now concentrating on protecting their bottom line, through engaging an army of Ivy League lawyers ready for worldwide combat against the competition.
This does not just hurt Samsung, it hurts electronics retailers, it hurts cell phone service providers, and most importantly, it hurts the consumer.

Competition is good. It makes new products more affordable for consumers and forces manufacturers to innovate. Consumers have more choices to pick the product they feel will benefit them the most. Darwin’s theory of evolution and the idea of “survival of the fittest” applies directly to the Tablet and Smartphone market. In the end it needs to be the consumer who decides which products they feel to be superior and those are the ones that will thrive. It should not be a court-mandated determination merely because a particular product looks vaguely like its competition.
Sources:
Technologyblogged (1,2,3,4)
Huffingtonpost
Fudzilla (1,2)

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Some More Top Money Saving Smartphone Apps


To follow on from an article we wrote not long back featuring some fantastic money saving apps which you can download to your smartphone, I thought I’d search the depths of the App Store to find some more which you may or may not have heard of. Read on to find out about some great money saving apps.
Car insurance is an ever increasing cost on the UK’s roads as more and more people get their license, so naturally the rise of the car insurance comparison site has been huge over the last 2 years. These websites however aren’t exactly perfect to use on your iPhone, so a car insurance app would be perfect, right? Right. This car insurance app from Money Supermarket allows you to search and compare car insurance deals based around the same criteria as the full blow web page, but of course it’s much more efficient with thanks to being ideally optimized for a 3.5? display. This app is free to download.


Train fares are set to rise year on year, and for those who commute or travel a lot during any given week, the TrainLine app could be your new best friend. The app allows you to search location-based criteria to find you the next train train home and order your ticket online. The TrainLine app will save you money by allowing you to plan your journey on the move effectively, helping you miss out on any unwanted fares which could pop up.
MyGas is a fantastic money saving iPhone app. Basically, it works via location services and will find all your nearest petrol stations as well as tell you exactly how much money per litre petrol or diesel costs. The results of each station are maintained by people like you, the users, and it allows for some seriously easy money saving which over the space of 6 – 12 months, could allow you to buy that gadget you’ve been lusting after for so long.
The Music MagPie app doesn’t so much as save you money but it lets you earn money. If you essentially have any old or unwanted CD’s, DVD’s or games, Music Magpie will take them off your hands and also pay for them. With the Music MagPie app, you can scan each CD, DVD or game bar code using your smartphone’s camera and it will automatically give you the price they will pay you for it. If you have 50 – 100 unwanted items, then, you could get some handy cash. Available on Android or iPhone.
The City Index iPhone app is a pretty neat affair, and has won some pretty decent titles, including the Shares Magazine ‘Best Online Trading Application’ Award for 2011

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