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New: Save your Message Attachments on Google Drive via your Gmail Interface

Ebenezer Obasi
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New: Save your Message Attachments on Google Drive via your Gmail Interface

Today, Google officially announced the release of a new update for Gmail users. The new update is set to allow users to view and save attachments to Google Drive directly from their mailbox.

For those of you who are yet to use  Google Drive: It is a product that grants Google account owners free cloud service, that allows you to store upto 5GB data(s) in your free Google account and unlimited data for premium Google accounts.

According to a statement by Scott Johnston in the Google official blog ” The next time you open an email with attachments, you’ll see new previews of the files at the bottom of the email, from photos and videos to spreadsheets and PDFs.”
image
With the new Gmail interface, you can now access your email attachments from any device such as your mobile phone and tablets and save them in your Google Drive, hence, making them accessible via any other device, anywhere, anytime.

The new Gmail also let you navigate through multiple attachments right through your inbox and of-course read and even search for a particular phrase.

How to Save your Attachments to Google Drive

To save your attachments:

  • Hover on the attachment preview
  • Click on the Google Drive icon that appears when you hover on the attachment.
  • Choose or create a folder for your attachment and click done
image

If you wish to save the attachment directly to your device, simply click the arrow icon (See image above).

“This new attachment experience is available on desktop and will be rolling out over the next week. If you’re one of the more than 120 million active Drive users, you know that saving your files to Drive lets you get to them from any computer, phone or tablet. And if you aren’t taking advantage of Drive just yet, give it a try with your next Gmail attachment.” Scott added.

Say Hello to Google Helpouts

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Say Hello to Google Helpouts
It’s been a long time coming, we have always known that somewhere at the middle, Google is just going to introduce a freelancing site. And yes! Google, yesterday officially announced their latest product called “Helpouts” .

 

Helpout according to Emily Wood, is the new way people can get help from anywhere at anytime from real people at their own convenience.

He wrote on Google official blog: “Help might be a quick answer to a problem you’re having right now, like how to fix your garage door, or how to remove a computer virus; or it might be guidance completing a project, like building a deck. It might be learning a new skill, like how to speak conversational French or how to draw cartoons; or it might be general advice on how to improve your fitness or your writing (I could use this right now).”

Google Helpouts, is believed to be another freelancing site to find professionals with adequate qualifications to help you out with any problem you are having at the moment. “With Helpouts, you can choose who you get help from based on their qualifications, their availability, their price, their ratings and reviews. You can connect instantly or book in advance. You can get help from individuals or from brands you already know and trust, like Sephora, One Medical, Weight Watchers, Redbeacon (a Home Depot company), and Rosetta Stone. Once you’re in a Helpout, you can do more than just talk—you can share your computer screen, collaboratively edit a presentation, or record your Helpout. And if the experience doesn’t meet your expectations, we offer a full money back guarantee.” Emily Wood added.

You can watch the video above, to see how Google Helpouts works.

It’s been a long time coming, we have always known that somewhere at the middle, Google is just going to introduce a freelancing site. And yes! Google, yesterday officially announced their latest product called “Helpouts” .

 

Helpout according to Emily Wood, is the new way people can get help from anywhere at anytime from real people at their own convenience.

He wrote on Google official blog: “Help might be a quick answer to a problem you’re having right now, like how to fix your garage door, or how to remove a computer virus; or it might be guidance completing a project, like building a deck. It might be learning a new skill, like how to speak conversational French or how to draw cartoons; or it might be general advice on how to improve your fitness or your writing (I could use this right now).”

Google Helpouts, is believed to be another freelancing site to find professionals with adequate qualifications to help you out with any problem you are having at the moment. “With Helpouts, you can choose who you get help from based on their qualifications, their availability, their price, their ratings and reviews. You can connect instantly or book in advance. You can get help from individuals or from brands you already know and trust, like Sephora, One Medical, Weight Watchers, Redbeacon (a Home Depot company), and Rosetta Stone. Once you’re in a Helpout, you can do more than just talk—you can share your computer screen, collaboratively edit a presentation, or record your Helpout. And if the experience doesn’t meet your expectations, we offer a full money back guarantee.” Emily Wood added.

You can watch the video above, to see how Google Helpouts works.

It’s been a long time coming, we have always known that somewhere at the middle, Google is just going to introduce a freelancing site. And yes! Google, yesterday officially announced their latest product called “Helpouts” .

 

Helpout according to Emily Wood, is the new way people can get help from anywhere at anytime from real people at their own convenience.

He wrote on Google official blog: “Help might be a quick answer to a problem you’re having right now, like how to fix your garage door, or how to remove a computer virus; or it might be guidance completing a project, like building a deck. It might be learning a new skill, like how to speak conversational French or how to draw cartoons; or it might be general advice on how to improve your fitness or your writing (I could use this right now).”

Google Helpouts, is believed to be another freelancing site to find professionals with adequate qualifications to help you out with any problem you are having at the moment. “With Helpouts, you can choose who you get help from based on their qualifications, their availability, their price, their ratings and reviews. You can connect instantly or book in advance. You can get help from individuals or from brands you already know and trust, like Sephora, One Medical, Weight Watchers, Redbeacon (a Home Depot company), and Rosetta Stone. Once you’re in a Helpout, you can do more than just talk—you can share your computer screen, collaboratively edit a presentation, or record your Helpout. And if the experience doesn’t meet your expectations, we offer a full money back guarantee.” Emily Wood added.

You can watch the video above, to see how Google Helpouts works.

It’s been a long time coming, we have always known that somewhere at the middle, Google is just going to introduce a freelancing site. And yes! Google, yesterday officially announced their latest product called “Helpouts” .

 

Helpout according to Emily Wood, is the new way people can get help from anywhere at anytime from real people at their own convenience.

He wrote on Google official blog: “Help might be a quick answer to a problem you’re having right now, like how to fix your garage door, or how to remove a computer virus; or it might be guidance completing a project, like building a deck. It might be learning a new skill, like how to speak conversational French or how to draw cartoons; or it might be general advice on how to improve your fitness or your writing (I could use this right now).”

Google Helpouts, is believed to be another freelancing site to find professionals with adequate qualifications to help you out with any problem you are having at the moment. “With Helpouts, you can choose who you get help from based on their qualifications, their availability, their price, their ratings and reviews. You can connect instantly or book in advance. You can get help from individuals or from brands you already know and trust, like Sephora, One Medical, Weight Watchers, Redbeacon (a Home Depot company), and Rosetta Stone. Once you’re in a Helpout, you can do more than just talk—you can share your computer screen, collaboratively edit a presentation, or record your Helpout. And if the experience doesn’t meet your expectations, we offer a full money back guarantee.” Emily Wood added.

You can watch the video above, to see how Google Helpouts works.

It’s been a long time coming, we have always known that somewhere at the middle, Google is just going to introduce a freelancing site. And yes! Google, yesterday officially announced their latest product called “Helpouts” .

 

Helpout according to Emily Wood, is the new way people can get help from anywhere at anytime from real people at their own convenience.

He wrote on Google official blog: “Help might be a quick answer to a problem you’re having right now, like how to fix your garage door, or how to remove a computer virus; or it might be guidance completing a project, like building a deck. It might be learning a new skill, like how to speak conversational French or how to draw cartoons; or it might be general advice on how to improve your fitness or your writing (I could use this right now).”

Google Helpouts, is believed to be another freelancing site to find professionals with adequate qualifications to help you out with any problem you are having at the moment. “With Helpouts, you can choose who you get help from based on their qualifications, their availability, their price, their ratings and reviews. You can connect instantly or book in advance. You can get help from individuals or from brands you already know and trust, like Sephora, One Medical, Weight Watchers, Redbeacon (a Home Depot company), and Rosetta Stone. Once you’re in a Helpout, you can do more than just talk—you can share your computer screen, collaboratively edit a presentation, or record your Helpout. And if the experience doesn’t meet your expectations, we offer a full money back guarantee.” Emily Wood added.

You can watch the video above, to see how Google Helpouts works.

It’s been a long time coming, we have always known that somewhere at the middle, Google is just going to introduce a freelancing site. And yes! Google, yesterday officially announced their latest product called “Helpouts” .

 

Helpout according to Emily Wood, is the new way people can get help from anywhere at anytime from real people at their own convenience.

He wrote on Google official blog: “Help might be a quick answer to a problem you’re having right now, like how to fix your garage door, or how to remove a computer virus; or it might be guidance completing a project, like building a deck. It might be learning a new skill, like how to speak conversational French or how to draw cartoons; or it might be general advice on how to improve your fitness or your writing (I could use this right now).”

Google Helpouts, is believed to be another freelancing site to find professionals with adequate qualifications to help you out with any problem you are having at the moment. “With Helpouts, you can choose who you get help from based on their qualifications, their availability, their price, their ratings and reviews. You can connect instantly or book in advance. You can get help from individuals or from brands you already know and trust, like Sephora, One Medical, Weight Watchers, Redbeacon (a Home Depot company), and Rosetta Stone. Once you’re in a Helpout, you can do more than just talk—you can share your computer screen, collaboratively edit a presentation, or record your Helpout. And if the experience doesn’t meet your expectations, we offer a full money back guarantee.” Emily Wood added.

You can watch the video above, to see how Google Helpouts works.

It’s been a long time coming, we have always known that somewhere at the middle, Google is just going to introduce a freelancing site. And yes! Google, yesterday officially announced their latest product called “Helpouts” .

 

Helpout according to Emily Wood, is the new way people can get help from anywhere at anytime from real people at their own convenience.

He wrote on Google official blog: “Help might be a quick answer to a problem you’re having right now, like how to fix your garage door, or how to remove a computer virus; or it might be guidance completing a project, like building a deck. It might be learning a new skill, like how to speak conversational French or how to draw cartoons; or it might be general advice on how to improve your fitness or your writing (I could use this right now).”

Google Helpouts, is believed to be another freelancing site to find professionals with adequate qualifications to help you out with any problem you are having at the moment. “With Helpouts, you can choose who you get help from based on their qualifications, their availability, their price, their ratings and reviews. You can connect instantly or book in advance. You can get help from individuals or from brands you already know and trust, like Sephora, One Medical, Weight Watchers, Redbeacon (a Home Depot company), and Rosetta Stone. Once you’re in a Helpout, you can do more than just talk—you can share your computer screen, collaboratively edit a presentation, or record your Helpout. And if the experience doesn’t meet your expectations, we offer a full money back guarantee.” Emily Wood added.

You can watch the video above, to see how Google Helpouts works.

It’s been a long time coming, we have always known that somewhere at the middle, Google is just going to introduce a freelancing site. And yes! Google, yesterday officially announced their latest product called “Helpouts” .

 

Helpout according to Emily Wood, is the new way people can get help from anywhere at anytime from real people at their own convenience.

He wrote on Google official blog: “Help might be a quick answer to a problem you’re having right now, like how to fix your garage door, or how to remove a computer virus; or it might be guidance completing a project, like building a deck. It might be learning a new skill, like how to speak conversational French or how to draw cartoons; or it might be general advice on how to improve your fitness or your writing (I could use this right now).”

Google Helpouts, is believed to be another freelancing site to find professionals with adequate qualifications to help you out with any problem you are having at the moment. “With Helpouts, you can choose who you get help from based on their qualifications, their availability, their price, their ratings and reviews. You can connect instantly or book in advance. You can get help from individuals or from brands you already know and trust, like Sephora, One Medical, Weight Watchers, Redbeacon (a Home Depot company), and Rosetta Stone. Once you’re in a Helpout, you can do more than just talk—you can share your computer screen, collaboratively edit a presentation, or record your Helpout. And if the experience doesn’t meet your expectations, we offer a full money back guarantee.” Emily Wood added.

You can watch the video above, to see how Google Helpouts works.

It’s been a long time coming, we have always known that somewhere at the middle, Google is just going to introduce a freelancing site. And yes! Google, yesterday officially announced their latest product called “Helpouts” .

 

Helpout according to Emily Wood, is the new way people can get help from anywhere at anytime from real people at their own convenience.

He wrote on Google official blog: “Help might be a quick answer to a problem you’re having right now, like how to fix your garage door, or how to remove a computer virus; or it might be guidance completing a project, like building a deck. It might be learning a new skill, like how to speak conversational French or how to draw cartoons; or it might be general advice on how to improve your fitness or your writing (I could use this right now).”

Google Helpouts, is believed to be another freelancing site to find professionals with adequate qualifications to help you out with any problem you are having at the moment. “With Helpouts, you can choose who you get help from based on their qualifications, their availability, their price, their ratings and reviews. You can connect instantly or book in advance. You can get help from individuals or from brands you already know and trust, like Sephora, One Medical, Weight Watchers, Redbeacon (a Home Depot company), and Rosetta Stone. Once you’re in a Helpout, you can do more than just talk—you can share your computer screen, collaboratively edit a presentation, or record your Helpout. And if the experience doesn’t meet your expectations, we offer a full money back guarantee.” Emily Wood added.

You can watch the video above, to see how Google Helpouts works.

Ultimate Guide to Jailbreak iPad, iPhone and iPod with Sprint

Ebenezer Obasi
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Ultimate Guide to Jailbreak iPad, iPhone and iPod with Sprint

Before we proceed to this topic proper, I will like to explain what jailbreaking your device means.Naturally, Apple’s rules for AppStore are way too limiting. Some apps are not allowed to be listed in the AppStore since they break one or more of Apple’s rules. These rules keep control of the device platform in Apple’s control. Some of these rules include: patching system files such as SpringBoard, allowing apps to run in the background, running apps out of the “sandbox”, and simply doing things Apple decided that they don’t want you to do often for reasons to their benefit, not yours (such as tethering).

Jailbreaking is not unlocking! It is risk free and totally legal. Everything that works before jailbreaking continues to work after. Jailbreaking only adds features. Jailbreaking is risk free and cannot void your warranty. You can simply restore in iTunes at anytime to get back to a factory state. You are not alone, many people are doing it.

If you ever consider jailbreaking your Apple’s iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch then Sprint should be your prominent choice. It offer the most easiest and quickest jailbreak  ever as Sprint takes the process to a whole new level compare to what other software like JailbreakMe has to offered. After you follow the step below to jailbreak your iDevice you will have the ability to install unapproved, third-party applications which are unavailable in the Apple’s iTunes App Store.

What You Need to Know about Spirit Before Jailbreak

Spirit is an untethered jailbreak for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch on firmware 3.1.2, 3.1.3, and 3.2.
Your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad must be activated.
Your device must not be stuck on the Connect to iTunes logo or emergency call screen.
It will work on any version of iTunes 9 (including 9.1.1).
Spirit will not unlock your iPhone.
If you are currently using a tethered jailbreak, you have to restore in order to use Spirit.
Do not upgrade if you unlocked your iPhone 3G or 3GS (if you have the SHSH blobs for 3.1.2, you can restore to it).
While Spirit is stable for all devices, your iPad may act a little funny due to packages that have not been updated for it yet.

Step by Step Jailbreak Instruction

  • Download the jailbreak application from Sprint.
  • Connect your iPad / iPhone / iPod Touch to your PC using USB cable.
  • Back up your iDevice to your iTunes library, and sync it. (make sure that your iTunes revision is at least version 9)
  • If you are using Windows 7, Right Click on Spirit.exe and Select Compatibility mode to “Windows 98/ME”.
  • Now double click the Spirit.exe and click on “Jailbreak”.
  • In a few seconds your iDevice will reboot and you will be presented with jailbroken “Cydia” icon on your springboard, See Screenshot below. From here, you have access to all the unapproved, third-party applications.

Congrats, you have just jailbroke your iPad / iPhone / iPod Touch using Spirit.

Error and Troubleshooting

Windows Vista or Windows 7 users may get the error code c0000005 while performing the action. To avoid this error, you have to run Spirit.exe in compatibility mode. Follow the step as below:

  1. Right click on Spirit.exe and select Properties
  2. Select the compatibility tab
  3. Check the “Run this program in compatibility mode for” box and select Windows 98 / Windows ME

Note: Spirit is not a “carrier unlock” which allows the iPhone to be used with carriers other than AT&T. It is a jailbreak only. Source: iPhone Download Blog

How LG Pimped Motorola in Building Nexus 5

Ebenezer Obasi
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How LG Pimped Motorola in Building Nexus 5

Google’s Nexus phones have become irrelevant for all but the most ardent Android fanboys. Although the Nexus program was launched three years ago to show off the very best that Android has to offer, Google’s newly announced Nexus 5 doesn’t push the envelope as much as earlier Nexus phones.

Google is stuck between a rock and a hard place: Its hardware partners don’t want to innovate when building the company’s Nexus phones; they want to save all the cool stuff for their own brands. But Google can’t just use its Motorola division to build cutting-edge phones with exciting new features without burning bridges with Samsung, LG, Sony, and HTC. Those guys are already trying to build their own ecosystems and Google doesn’t want to push them even further over the edge.

More of the same

In terms of hardware alone, Nexus 5 doesn’t seem like a bad phone—its high-end specs ensure it will be relevant for at least a year. But it’s essentially identical to recent phones released by Samsung and LG. In some ways the Nexus 5 is an inferior product because LG, which built the handset for Google, released its own phone with all the same hardware but more software enhancements. Under the hood, the Nexus 5 is a stripped-down version of the LG G2, just like the Galaxy Nexus was a stripped-down version of the Samsung Galaxy S III.

Nexus 5 (left) and LG G2 (right)

The biggest draw of Nexus phones is that they get timely Android updates directly from Google, but the market has shown that most people don’t really care about that. Ever since Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, most of the updates to Android have been minor tweaks that don’t deliver much in the way of new, consumer-facing features. Instead, Google has slowly started spinning off key components of the OS to the Google Play Store as standalone apps. So, as long as you bought your Android phone in the last year or two, you’ll still have access to the latest version of Gmail, Maps, and Google Now.

Indeed, without any killer, exclusive features, you have very few reasons to buy a Nexus 5. Unless you’re a developer who needs constant access to the latest version of Android, or insist on buying an unlocked phone, the Nexus 5 is no better than any of the other high-end phones already released this year. In many ways it’s just another Android phone, and would fade into obscurity if it weren’t for the big, bold NEXUS on its back.

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that the companies Google partners with to make Nexus phones are reserving all the coolest features and innovations for their own branded handsets. Of course Google owns Motorola, but has held back on using its acquisition to build its Nexus devices for fear of upsetting its hardware partners. But maybe it’s time to start playing favorites.

Time to use Motorola

Motorola and Google collaborated on the Moto X, one of the most innovative phones available. Note that it’s not a “Nexus,” even though the OS bloatware and customizations are minimal—it’s rocking nearly stock Android. The kicker? You can get it on pretty much any carrier and there’s a developer version available for people who want it. The Moto X deserves the title of Nexus more than the Nexus 5, as it introduced a lot of the Nexus 5’s ostensible innovations first. (Take, for instance, touchless controls.)

The Moto X is one of the most innovative phones ever released.

In releasing Nexus devices via its Motorola arm, Google could more directly shape the Android experience. It could dictate all aspects of the phone, creating cutting-edge new hardware features to go hand in hand with new Android software features. KitKat introduces a lot of under-the-hood improvements that allow it to run better on low-end hardware, but manufacturers will continue to cram as many processing cores as they possibly can into their phones in an effort to win an imaginary specs war, making the optimizations almost meaningless. So Google could build a phone showing that you don’t need a quad-core processor and 2GB or RAM to run simple apps without lag. And your battery wouldn’t be eaten up due to poorly written radio drivers.

It would essentially be the Apple approach to making smartphones, an approach that’s proven to work and often leads to a better device. And if Google decided to compete directly with Samsung and others via Motorola, it would push the other Android manufacturers to make better phones and set the bar for Android devices—just like the Nexus One was originally intended to do. Microsoft is trying a similar tactic by purchasing the devices division of Nokia, while Google lets its $12 billion Motorola purchase go to waste.

We’re never going to see a truly revolutionary Nexus phone again until Google decides to take a stand against the other Android smartphone manufacturers. The more the company attempts to placate Samsung, HTC, LG, and Sony, the more meaningless the term “Nexus” becomes. It’s time for Google to drive Android forward with a more holistic hardware-and-software approach, and make Nexus mean something again.Adapted from PC WORLD

Apple & Microsoft-Backed Rockstar Consortium Battles Google and Samsung Over 7 Nortel Patents

Ebenezer Obasi
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Apple & Microsoft-Backed Rockstar Consortium Battles Google and Samsung Over 7 Nortel Patents

Well, at the moment, it does look like a ‘never ending’ war between this two parties. “The Rockstar consortium is an organization backed by Apple, Microsoft, BlackBerry, Ericsson and Sony. It purchased patents off of the defunct telecommunications company Nortel in 2011, in a bidding war with Google.

Now, the consortium has filed suit against Google, ASUSTek, HTC, Huawei, LG, Pantech and ZTE over those patents. The suit was filed in a U.S. District Court of Eastern Texas today.

“Google placed an initial bid of $900,000,000 for the patents-in-suit and the rest of the Nortel portfolio. Google subsequently increased its bid multiple times, ultimately bidding as high as $4.4 billion,” the filing states. “That price was insufficient to win the auction, as a group led by the current shareholders of Rockstar purchased the portfolio for $4.5 billion. Despite losing in its attempt to acquire the patents-in-suit at auction, Google has infringed and continues to infringe the patents-in-suit.”

Google famously bid some not-so-random numbers before the end, including ‘pi’. The suit also involves a licensee of the ‘Associative Search Engine’ 6,098,065 patent, NetStar, Inc.

The other patents are US 7,236,969, 7,469,245, 7,672,970, 7,895,178, 7,895,183 and 7,933,883. They’re mostly fairly dry stuff related to database searches, relevance in advertising presentation and data sorting, but exactly the kind of stuff that makes Google’s special sauce work. We can’t speak to the strength of the patents, but they certainly appear to be relevant.” said techcrunch on their website, “Google lost out in a heated bidding war against Rockstar and went on to acquire Motorola, a move that many attributed to a patent grab, but that was also about hardware in a lot of ways.

Notably, HTC has a cross-licensing agreement with Apple on some patents, but apparently not these. News of the suit was first reported by Reuters today.”

Google App Indexing Can Improve your Search Results -Tech Crunch

Ebenezer Obasi
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Google App Indexing Can Improve your Search Results -Tech Crunch
A report ot techcrunch has explained how Google’s Search Results Can Deep-Link To Your Android Apps. Read the details below:

 

“It should be clear by now that there’s much more at play in Android 4.4 KitKat than some early reports alluded to, and one of the more interesting (to me, anyway) tidbits managed to escape the early leak treatment.

Tucked away toward the tail-end of Google’s Nexus 5/KitKat presentation was a mention of a feature called App Indexing that should get companies (and the Android app developers that work for them) a little worked up. That’s because Google has developed a way to deep-link to the contents of an app from within a user’s Google search results with a feature it calls App Indexing.

Tucked away toward the tail-end of Google’s Nexus 5/KitKat presentation was a mention of a feature called App Indexing that should get companies (and the Android app developers that work for them) a little worked up. That’s because Google has developed a way to deep-link to the contents of an app from within a user’s Google search results with a feature it calls App Indexing.

Here’s how it works. Say you’re using the Google Search app to dig up some dirt on that Ender’s Game movie that doesn’t look very good. If you happen to have the IMDb app installed on your device while you search, you’ll be treated to an info card in that results stream that includes an “Open in app” button. Give it a quick tap and the IMDb app will spring to life and immediately direct you to its Ender’s Game listing.

Naturally, the feature isn’t just limited to showing off movie details — so far the full list of supporters includes Allthecooks, AllTrails, Beautylish, Etsy, Expedia, Flixster, Healthtap, IMDb, Moviefone, Newegg (yes!), OpenTable, and Trulia.

The way Google sees it, the move is all about providing these companies with a choice. If they think their mobile interfaces are enough to keep users engaged, they can simple go about their business. But if they already have an Android app (or are in the process of building one) that can do a better job of engaging with its users, a little extra work to implement those deep links may be well worth it.

It’s not hard to look at this as a move to bolster Android app development, either. There’s little doubting that Android is a global force — which may be only compounded by the fact that Android 4.4 KitKat may drive device sales in developing markets by bringing a more advanced feature set to cheap hardware — and in many cases the Google Search app is going along for the ride. That means that with any luck, huge swaths of the global Android community will be searching for stuff using the Google search app and seeing those deep-linked “Open in app” buttons when they’ve got the right apps installed. Tell me that’s not a compelling reason for a company to develop an Android app if they haven’t already.

Despite the buy-in from all those app partners, it’ll be some time before users like me will actually start getting those results in the wild. Google is testing the feature with those previously listed partners, but the updated cards that will display that information won’t actually roll out until some time in November.”

A report ot techcrunch has explained how Google’s Search Results Can Deep-Link To Your Android Apps. Read the details below:

 

“It should be clear by now that there’s much more at play in Android 4.4 KitKat than some early reports alluded to, and one of the more interesting (to me, anyway) tidbits managed to escape the early leak treatment.

Tucked away toward the tail-end of Google’s Nexus 5/KitKat presentation was a mention of a feature called App Indexing that should get companies (and the Android app developers that work for them) a little worked up. That’s because Google has developed a way to deep-link to the contents of an app from within a user’s Google search results with a feature it calls App Indexing.

Tucked away toward the tail-end of Google’s Nexus 5/KitKat presentation was a mention of a feature called App Indexing that should get companies (and the Android app developers that work for them) a little worked up. That’s because Google has developed a way to deep-link to the contents of an app from within a user’s Google search results with a feature it calls App Indexing.

Here’s how it works. Say you’re using the Google Search app to dig up some dirt on that Ender’s Game movie that doesn’t look very good. If you happen to have the IMDb app installed on your device while you search, you’ll be treated to an info card in that results stream that includes an “Open in app” button. Give it a quick tap and the IMDb app will spring to life and immediately direct you to its Ender’s Game listing.

Naturally, the feature isn’t just limited to showing off movie details — so far the full list of supporters includes Allthecooks, AllTrails, Beautylish, Etsy, Expedia, Flixster, Healthtap, IMDb, Moviefone, Newegg (yes!), OpenTable, and Trulia.

The way Google sees it, the move is all about providing these companies with a choice. If they think their mobile interfaces are enough to keep users engaged, they can simple go about their business. But if they already have an Android app (or are in the process of building one) that can do a better job of engaging with its users, a little extra work to implement those deep links may be well worth it.

It’s not hard to look at this as a move to bolster Android app development, either. There’s little doubting that Android is a global force — which may be only compounded by the fact that Android 4.4 KitKat may drive device sales in developing markets by bringing a more advanced feature set to cheap hardware — and in many cases the Google Search app is going along for the ride. That means that with any luck, huge swaths of the global Android community will be searching for stuff using the Google search app and seeing those deep-linked “Open in app” buttons when they’ve got the right apps installed. Tell me that’s not a compelling reason for a company to develop an Android app if they haven’t already.

Despite the buy-in from all those app partners, it’ll be some time before users like me will actually start getting those results in the wild. Google is testing the feature with those previously listed partners, but the updated cards that will display that information won’t actually roll out until some time in November.”

A report ot techcrunch has explained how Google’s Search Results Can Deep-Link To Your Android Apps. Read the details below:

 

“It should be clear by now that there’s much more at play in Android 4.4 KitKat than some early reports alluded to, and one of the more interesting (to me, anyway) tidbits managed to escape the early leak treatment.

Tucked away toward the tail-end of Google’s Nexus 5/KitKat presentation was a mention of a feature called App Indexing that should get companies (and the Android app developers that work for them) a little worked up. That’s because Google has developed a way to deep-link to the contents of an app from within a user’s Google search results with a feature it calls App Indexing.

Tucked away toward the tail-end of Google’s Nexus 5/KitKat presentation was a mention of a feature called App Indexing that should get companies (and the Android app developers that work for them) a little worked up. That’s because Google has developed a way to deep-link to the contents of an app from within a user’s Google search results with a feature it calls App Indexing.

Here’s how it works. Say you’re using the Google Search app to dig up some dirt on that Ender’s Game movie that doesn’t look very good. If you happen to have the IMDb app installed on your device while you search, you’ll be treated to an info card in that results stream that includes an “Open in app” button. Give it a quick tap and the IMDb app will spring to life and immediately direct you to its Ender’s Game listing.

Naturally, the feature isn’t just limited to showing off movie details — so far the full list of supporters includes Allthecooks, AllTrails, Beautylish, Etsy, Expedia, Flixster, Healthtap, IMDb, Moviefone, Newegg (yes!), OpenTable, and Trulia.

The way Google sees it, the move is all about providing these companies with a choice. If they think their mobile interfaces are enough to keep users engaged, they can simple go about their business. But if they already have an Android app (or are in the process of building one) that can do a better job of engaging with its users, a little extra work to implement those deep links may be well worth it.

It’s not hard to look at this as a move to bolster Android app development, either. There’s little doubting that Android is a global force — which may be only compounded by the fact that Android 4.4 KitKat may drive device sales in developing markets by bringing a more advanced feature set to cheap hardware — and in many cases the Google Search app is going along for the ride. That means that with any luck, huge swaths of the global Android community will be searching for stuff using the Google search app and seeing those deep-linked “Open in app” buttons when they’ve got the right apps installed. Tell me that’s not a compelling reason for a company to develop an Android app if they haven’t already.

Despite the buy-in from all those app partners, it’ll be some time before users like me will actually start getting those results in the wild. Google is testing the feature with those previously listed partners, but the updated cards that will display that information won’t actually roll out until some time in November.”

Review: Android 4.4 KitKat & Why it Matters

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Review: Android 4.4 KitKat & Why it Matters

The speculation sourounding  Android 4.4 KitKat can finally be put to rest. While users and developers are allowed to have their  opinion, you need to base your criticism or appluas on a good ground and the contents below could prove an avenue for such ground.

Just incase you haven’t heard, Google has pulled the curtain on Android 4.4 KitKat on Thursday, announcing the new mobile OS will appear first on the forthcoming Nexus 5 handset, which goes on sale for $349.

While we weren’t expecting a hefty update, some of the features announced in KitKat—like the newly revamped interface and new messaging features in the Hangouts app—were on our wish list. Other features, like optimization updates to help KitKat run on low-end phones, simply remind us that Google is still battling all the issues that lead to device fragmentation.

Regardless, let’s walk through some of the key features of KitKat and what you can expect when you finally get your hands on the new OS (whenever that is, because as we know, Android updates can take a long time to roll out).

A better phone dialer

No more surprises: Google will provide info to let you know who is calling you.

You wouldn’t expect an overhaul of a dialer application to be a marquee feature, but Google has achieved the near impossible. When you’re in the dialer interface, now you can type just the first few letters of who or what you’re looking for—whether it’s a business or a friend—and the dialer will immediately bring it up. You won’t have to venture into Contacts for this essential information.   If this search functionality sounds familiar, that’s because some manufacturers already offer this feature in their own version of the Android dialer. Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, for example, helps you find the name of the person you want to call by letting you key in the first few letters of his or her name on the number pad. So perhaps the bigger news isn’t that Google overhauled its dialer applications, but that it’s looking to what third-parties are doing to give consumers what they want.   KitKat also provides a novel form of caller ID, fetching the location information of unknown numbers that call you to provide a better glimpse into who might be calling and where they’re located. This is an especially helpful addition when you consider the number of telemarketer calls that aren’t routed through an 800 number.

Fabulous interface makeover

That navigation bar will look translucent, which should prettify the slightly doldrum Android interface.

Stock Android doesn’t have to be plain and simple. As some developers posited in our Android retrospective, KitKat includes a slightly revamped interface design. You’ll see better use of screen real-estate in applications that utilize the new “immersive” full-screen abilities, like Google Music and Books. And the new navigation bar is now translucent, so your wallpaper won’t be cropped by a colored menu bar. KitKat also sports a new condensed font.   Unfortunately, these interface changes won’t necessarily be exposed on non Nexus devices—meaning pretty much the entire universe of Android hardware. You’ll still be held hostage to whatever interface the manufacturer wants you to look at if you’re not using the developer edition of a phone.   It’s unclear how these design changes could affect interfaces like HTC’s Sense or Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, but we’re not holding our breath for substantial KitKat additions to those UIs. Third-party manufacturers will likely continue to push interfaces that match their brand, and for companies like Samsung that means gaudy icons and blue everything.

Never carry cash again

As leaks suggested, Android 4.4. KitKat will enable Google Wallet right off the bat—without the need for your carrier’s approval. And because Android is actually storing your payment information within KitKat, you won’t have to rely on NFC security elements to make a transaction.   But that’s not all: Not only will you be able to manage your credit card information from within the Settings panel and more easily pay for items anywhere NFC and Wallet is supported, but you’ll also be able to send money to friends without annoying transaction fees.   Google enabled the payment settings from within the OS to help people on Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T take advantage of its Wallet offerings, as those three carriers have banded together to use Isis as the default NFC-payment platform. We won’t know more about how Wallet works in KitKat until we physically have an Android 4.4 device in our hands, but at first glance the update looks like a win.

Okay, Google Now

Launch Google Now any which way.

How you access Google Now varies from phone to phone. Do you hold down the home button? Do you swipe up from the bottom of the screen? Do you shake your phone vigorously while shouting at it? Hoping to simplify things a bit, Google has put Google Now front and center by adding it to the Home screen. Now, instead of entering in some variable command, you can just swipe from left to right to quickly access Google’s handy service.   The new OS also supports launching Google Now by saying, “Ok Google” while on the homescreen. It should be a helpful feature if your hands are tied up, or you would rather dictate than type. It’s kind of like the Touchless Controls on the Moto X, but with a few more hoops to jump through. Unfortunately the functionality is currently limited to the Nexus 5, so your current phone probably won’t get the feature. (But your next phone might!)

Also, Google Now can now access apps when it exposes information in its search results. Let’s say you’re looking for a particular restaraunt. Not only will you get the usual Google results, you could also get an invitation to book a reservation via, say, the OpenTable app. This function has to be supported on the app level, but suggests an exciting new expansion of Google’s digital assistant.   Indeed, by enabling easier access to Google Now, third-party manufacturers like Samsung won’t be able to hide it behind its own proprietary services. (Ever try to get to Google Now on a Galaxy S 4, only to be defaulted to S-Voice?) Google just wants you to stick with it for all of your queries.

Hangouts

You can chat with your friends through SMS in the Hangouts app.

Finally! A few days ago, Google updated its Hangouts app to let you send both SMS, MMS, and chat messages from one application. It’s the right idea, but Google is merely playing catch-up, since Apple released the all-encompassing Messages application in iOS 6 over a year ago. Google wrote in its official blog post that its intention for combining all the communication functionality into one was for added convenience.

Faster Android for aging phones

Okay, so maybe your hardware isn’t exactly top tier compared to the ones running quad-core Snapdragon processors and massive amounts of memory. Google understands your plight and has introduced a new way for manufacturers to take advantage of all the latest Android features without the typical slow downs that plague most aging hardware.   It’s called Project Svelte and it’s designed to make KitKat run smoothly and efficiently even on low-end devices with as little as 512MB of RAM. As a result, Kit Kat uses 16 percent less memory than its predecessor, Jelly Bean, and there are additional features that allow developer to disable any features that use up more memory than needed.   This may help developers make apps for low-end devices, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that all old hardware will be able to run KitKat. Not even the Galaxy Nexus will be eligible for an update, and that device is barely a year and a half old. However, the under-the-hood improvements should help the current generation of devices handle applications a bit better, like the now-aging Nexus 7 and Nexus 4. This means an overall smoother Android experience if you’re running those devices.

Under-the-hood enhancements

You may not reap the benefits of some of the other features just yet, but that’s because they’re intended for developers to embed into applications.

There’s some weird irony in the phrase “Stay fit with KitKat.”

If you walk to work everyday, you might appreciate that Google introduced a nifty new low-power step detector that enables you to track the number of steps you walk in a day without having to leave the screen on. Developers can also take advantage of system-wide captioning abilities that can display closed captions for various content, which is a nice enhancement for the hearing impaired—and when you want to watch a video but don’t headphones nearby.   As for that printer collecting dust in the corner, if it’s Google Print-compatible you can now send documents directly to it with the built-in cloud print functionality. Android apps can print anything over Wi-Fi or from cloud-hosted services. You can also discover any available printers, change paper sizes, and choose specific pages to print.   Article Credit: PC World

Native MySQL Connection Using Google Cloud SQL

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Native MySQL Connection Using Google Cloud SQL
The article published about hosting your files on google drive prompted a mix reaction between webmasters and app developers, a few of the readers hinted at the lack of MySQL support in Google cloud server.

A report on tech crunch has confirmed that Google Cloud SQL now supports native MySQL connections, a move that is intended to make it easier to integrate third-party applications. With the support, native MySQL apps can be plugged into Cloud SQL, allowing the customer to leave system administration and management for Google.

Through MySQL Wire Protocol, the standard connection protocol for MySQL databases, Google maintains that CloudSQL allows for low latency connections for applications running on Google Compute Engine and Google App Engine. Customers can use popular tools such as MySQL Workbench, Toad and the MySQL command-line tool to manage Cloud SQL instances. It also supports standard drivers, such as Connector/J, Connector/ODBC, and Connector/NET.

The native connectivity also means that data can be replicated with control over managing and deploying cloud databases. For example, Google notes in its post that data can be replicated between Cloud SQL and on-premise databases — including Oracle, SQL Server, and DB2.

The support demonstrates how connectors like MySQL Wire Protocol will help create transparency between cloud services and any on-premise application. It’s a service that should attract those looking for the level of managed services that Google provides.

Google is starting to offer features that Amazon Web Services (AWS) has had for a few years. While Google launched the core of its CloudSQL service in June, AWS launched its MySQL service in 2009 and in 2012 began offering support for Oracle Database.

Then there is the pricing. According to the InfoQ blog, AWS RDS is “cheaper than corresponding Google Cloud SQL pay-per-hour options, but one needs to consider other costs such as data storage and transfer fees, etc.”

The article published about hosting your files on google drive prompted a mix reaction between webmasters and app developers, a few of the readers hinted at the lack of MySQL support in Google cloud server.

A report on tech crunch has confirmed that Google Cloud SQL now supports native MySQL connections, a move that is intended to make it easier to integrate third-party applications. With the support, native MySQL apps can be plugged into Cloud SQL, allowing the customer to leave system administration and management for Google.

Through MySQL Wire Protocol, the standard connection protocol for MySQL databases, Google maintains that CloudSQL allows for low latency connections for applications running on Google Compute Engine and Google App Engine. Customers can use popular tools such as MySQL Workbench, Toad and the MySQL command-line tool to manage Cloud SQL instances. It also supports standard drivers, such as Connector/J, Connector/ODBC, and Connector/NET.

The native connectivity also means that data can be replicated with control over managing and deploying cloud databases. For example, Google notes in its post that data can be replicated between Cloud SQL and on-premise databases — including Oracle, SQL Server, and DB2.

The support demonstrates how connectors like MySQL Wire Protocol will help create transparency between cloud services and any on-premise application. It’s a service that should attract those looking for the level of managed services that Google provides.

Google is starting to offer features that Amazon Web Services (AWS) has had for a few years. While Google launched the core of its CloudSQL service in June, AWS launched its MySQL service in 2009 and in 2012 began offering support for Oracle Database.

Then there is the pricing. According to the InfoQ blog, AWS RDS is “cheaper than corresponding Google Cloud SQL pay-per-hour options, but one needs to consider other costs such as data storage and transfer fees, etc.”

The article published about hosting your files on google drive prompted a mix reaction between webmasters and app developers, a few of the readers hinted at the lack of MySQL support in Google cloud server.

 

A report on tech crunch has confirmed that Google Cloud SQL now supports native MySQL connections, a move that is intended to make it easier to integrate third-party applications. With the support, native MySQL apps can be plugged into Cloud SQL, allowing the customer to leave system administration and management for Google.

Through MySQL Wire Protocol, the standard connection protocol for MySQL databases, Google maintains that CloudSQL allows for low latency connections for applications running on Google Compute Engine and Google App Engine. Customers can use popular tools such as MySQL Workbench, Toad and the MySQL command-line tool to manage Cloud SQL instances. It also supports standard drivers, such as Connector/J, Connector/ODBC, and Connector/NET.

The native connectivity also means that data can be replicated with control over managing and deploying cloud databases. For example, Google notes in its post that data can be replicated between Cloud SQL and on-premise databases — including Oracle, SQL Server, and DB2.

The support demonstrates how connectors like MySQL Wire Protocol will help create transparency between cloud services and any on-premise application. It’s a service that should attract those looking for the level of managed services that Google provides.

Google is starting to offer features that Amazon Web Services (AWS) has had for a few years. While Google launched the core of its CloudSQL service in June, AWS launched its MySQL service in 2009 and in 2012 began offering support for Oracle Database.

Then there is the pricing. According to the InfoQ blog, AWS RDS is “cheaper than corresponding Google Cloud SQL pay-per-hour options, but one needs to consider other costs such as data storage and transfer fees, etc.”

Get Ready for 10-Gbit Cable modems connections with new specs

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Get Ready for 10-Gbit Cable modems connections with new specs

Your 16-Mbit cable connection is going to look awfully puny when a new generation of 10-Gbit cable modems enters the scene—whenever that turns out to be.

On the other hand, there’s good reason to believe that eventually you and your family will be able to simultaneously download multiple 4K streams. CableLabs, the testing and interoperability arm of the cable industry, released the DOCSIS 3.1 specifications this week, implying that its member companies will eventually support it.

Technically, the new specification allows for 10 Gbps downstream and 1 Gbps upstream, back to the provider. Additional features include Active Queue Management, a sort of quality-of-service protocol that CableLabs promises will minimize delays inside the home and help out with tasks such as online gaming.

“Based on the significant contributions from our members and technology suppliers, CableLabs has developed the technology foundation for the delivery of next generation broadband services over HFC networks,” said Dan Rice, senior vice president of access network technologies at CableLabs, in a statement.

Most of the world’s cable companies—Atlantic Broadband, Cox, Comcast, Rogers, and others—are members of CableLabs. But unfortunately, the dream of downloading more than 98 terabytes per day will have to wait a bit.

Faster download speeds may necessitate wired networking, at least until wireless catches up.

Since the specification is just a paper document at this point, for example, we’ll have to wait until semiconductor manufacturers begin implementing the technology inside their own components. Then modem manufacturers will have to build the modems themselves. Finally, the cable companies themselves will have to support the increased bandwidth tiers.

The DOCSIS 3.0 rollout provides some measure of comparison—and hope. DOCSIS 3.0 was announced in 2006, with support for 160 Mbps down, and 120 Mbps up. But six years after the launch, in 2011, Comcast began offering its 105-Mbps “Extreme” tier, for customers with compatible modems. Other localized cable companies like Shaw and Videotron began offering similar services.

Regardless of when the new DOCSIS technology rolls out, however, it’s up to you to make sure that you’re up to date. It’s possible that your cable provider will alert you of new services and the need to upgrade your modem—or perhaps not.

Most cable customers lease their modems, which mean that if you signed up with a cable company long ago, your modem is likely out of date. And if a DOCSIS 1.0 modem is serving as the gateway for your home services, the stream of bits you’re paying for may be dammed up behind your cable modem, unable to flow at its full capacity.

How can you tell? Comcast offers this page that asks you for your Internet speed tier and then allows you to check to see whether your modem is in fact compatible. Cox offers a similar page. Comcast will ship you an upgraded modem for a fee (and probably try to upsell you in the process) or else you can swap your modem for free at a local shop.

Another option is to simply buy your own modem, eliminating rental or lease charges altogether; Comcast charges several dollars per month, but you can buy a compatible Motorola SURFboard 6121 modem for $70 online. The savings can add up quickly.

Regardless, faster broadband is en route. We’ll just have to wait a bit—something we won’t have to do after the speedier standard arrives.Source: Tech Hive

How to turn off inline images using Twitter’s mobile app

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How to turn off inline images using Twitter’s mobile app

For those of you who feel like ripping of twitter’s head, well, here are some Tech Hive solution that may help cool things down.

For some Twitter power users, the day of reckoning has come: On Tuesday, Twitter updated its mobile app and website to show inline previews of photos and videos in tweets instead of requiring you to click a link or expand the tweet. And lo, Twitter erupted with anger and, well, the obligatory snark.

If you view tweets using the Twitter website, you’re pretty much stuck with the inline image previews: As of this writing, there’s no way to turn them off through Twitter.com. But you do have a couple options at your disposal.

Just say no. No no no. Turning off Image
Previews in Twitter’s mobile app is just a swipe away.

Disable inline images in Twitter’s mobile app

If you use Twitter’s official client app for iOS and Android, you can easily turn off the inline image previews. iOS, it’s represented by a toggle switch; on Android, it’s a checkbox).

Open the app, tap Me in the toolbar, then tap the gear icon. Tap it, then tap Settings from the menu that appears. Scroll down to Image Previews, and tap the toggle to turn it off (on

Once you do this, you should no longer see the inline image previews in Twitter’s app from the Home tab. Unfortunately, this setting only applies to the mobile app—if you go to Twitter’s website, you’ll still get the image previews in your timeline.

Use a third-party client

Countless Twitter clients exist for just about every major platform out there—Mac OS X, Windows, iOS, Android, Windows Phone—and they usually don’t show large inline image previews (though some may show small thumbnails). Do a search on your operating system’s app store for Twitter apps to get an idea of what’s out there.

Take a look at TweetDeck and Hootsuite for OS X and Windows. We also like Tweetbot, a fun, easy-to-use app for Mac OS X ($20) and iOS ($5).

If Twitter’s inline content still grinds you gears—even if you can’t see it—maybe it’s time to jump ship to another social network. We hear Google+ has some very nice features…

Twitter Users Discontent with the New Twitter’s photo previews

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Twitter Users Discontent with the New Twitter’s photo previews

Change they said, is difficult to accept and twitter users are no exception to this true saying: An extract from Tech Hive has confirmed that Some Twitter users are complaining about a change that puts photo previews front and center in their streams, and offering advice to others on how to turn it off.

Apparently some users like viewing photos on Twitter but don’t want image previews appearing automatically in their stream, which is what happens with a change to the service rolled out Tuesday.

“I was perfectly happy with that one extra step of ‘show picture’ for the ability to see a picture that I want to see,” one user wrote on Twitter’s developer forum.

“I do not necessarily want to see every picture that every person I follow posts, right on my timeline,” the person wrote.

Another Twitter user wondered if he had “ticked something somewhere” without realizing it.

“Wow, Twitter is suddenly unscannable. What is this crap in the feed and how do I turn if off?” asked another.

The update means users no longer have to click a link to view the photos, so scrolling through Twitter can now mean scrolling past a lot of photos. It’s been activated on the desktop version of Twitter and is included with an update for the iOS and Android apps. It only works with images posted on Twitter itself, or videos posted on Twitter’s Vine service, however.

Twitter is apparently keen for users to see a lot more images in their Twitter streams. Photography is a key service for social networks, and Google updated its photo features on Google+ Tuesday as well.

Showing photos in Twitter without needing to click on them can have unintended consequences, though. A search for “twitter photo previews” on Twitter Tuesday revealed at least one explicit pornographic image.

Some users provided advice on how to disable the feature, posting screenshots of how to turn it off within the Twitter app on mobile devices. The image previews can’t be disabled on the desktop, however. (Here’s an advice on turning off online images in the mobile version of Twitter.)

It’s not uncommon for users to complain about changes to online services, as Facebook, Yahoo and others know too well.

One user suggested this is a fight Twitter can’t win. “Y’all complained when Twitter wasn’t visual. Today, y’all are complaining it has photos in your stream?”

Samsung ridiculous plan to convert you to its mobile app theology

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Samsung ridiculous plan to convert you to its mobile app theology

Tech Hive – Don’t be alarmed. Samsung’s leadership is launching a religious movement, but its goal isn’t to change everything you believe about good, evil or the meaning of life. It simply wants control of all your mobile platform needs.

It’s an ambitious plan, and Samsung needs true believers—an army of street soldiers who can evangelize the mission, and indoctrinate new converts. The company began assembling the ranks when it introduced Samsung Apps, its own Android app store, with the release of the Galaxy S4 Smartphone earlier this year. And to further increase its headcount, the company held its first annual Samsung Developers Conference this week in San Francisco to entice startups and indie developers to build apps specifically for Samsung devices.

The goal wasn’t just to evangelize and showcase what the company has accomplished with its partnerships, but also to demonstrate that Samsung is serious about building its own full-fledged app ecosystem—a marketplace it wants you to visit before you drop into Google Play.

The world has gone app store crazy, and Samsung would be damned if it has to play second fiddle to anyone. And it really doesn’t have to, since it already has a solid hardware foundation built on every imaginable phone and tablet screen size from the 4.3-inch Galaxy S4 Mini to the 6.3-inch Galaxy Mega to the 10.1-inch Galaxy Note 10.1. At this point, Samsung really only needs to increase its flock of developers.

Hence the recruiting drive at the Samsung Developers Conference. It’s the one true path to mobile salvation.

Enticing devs with carrots

Samsung launched its Mobile SDK to get developers to make apps specifically for its mobile devices.

In its conference keynote, Samsung hit developers with two compelling arguments in support of native app development: The company has tremendous reach around the world, including footholds in China, Southeast Asia, Japan, and Australia, and it’s also the number one Smartphone maker in most of those markets.

The message resonated with Matt Nutt, VP of Business Development and Operations of Cie Games, an independent mobile game company that was featured as a part of an introductory video during the keynote. “They do have many devices, but they’re doing a lot to reduce the fragmentation of devices in terms of share on the Android marketplace,” Nutt told TechHive. “[We can’t ignore] any opportunities to leverage the marketing prowess of somebody like Samsung.”

But before you can get developers to populate your app store, you have to give them something to work with. So during its keynote, Samsung introduced five new APIs. These include a multi-screen gaming API that puts mobile games on TV screens; a Smart TV SDK that helps share mobile device content with Samsung TVs; and an SDK that supports more S-Pen controls, better handwriting recognition, and an improved multi-window feature.

If developers take advantage of the SDKs, it means you’ll find more features and apps for your Samsung devices—along with more incentive for you, the consumer, to stick with Samsung hardware. And it’s all a blueprint for ecosystem propagation, where software boosts hardware sales, and hardware sales give life to more software downloads. Connect all the dots, and it begins to seem amazing that Samsung is only holding its first developer’s conference in 2013.

A leg up on Google with the little things

To help show would-be converts all the benefits of playing on Team Samsung, the company has been busy making native apps of its own. And some of them are ahead of native Android features, at least in terms of introducing new tricks to the mobile game.

Samsung Wallet has all the
functionality that Google Wallet doesn’t.

Take Samsung’s ChatON messaging applications, which let users chat with one another across all mobile and desktop platforms, send group messages, and chat in other languages with an auto-translate function. While Google has added features like SMS messaging to its Hangouts app, Android is still behind in features when compared to iOS’s iMessage, and Hangouts is only usable between the web and Android devices.

Google Wallet must also play catch-up to match Samsung’s Wallet 2.0, which borrows much of its aesthetic and functionality from Apple’s Passbook. Samsung’s mobile payments app was released earlier this year on the Google Play store with features like the ability to store loyalty and gift cards (which Google just recently took out of its Wallet app). Samsung’s wallet app also enables geo-fencing for coupons to pop up when you’re near a store. Samsung’s app is also available to users overseas, while Google’s services are still limited to the United States, and only from specific carriers, like Sprint and US Cellular (which aren’t a part of the Isis mobile payment alliance formed by AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile).

While Samsung’s in-house app development team may not match Google’s in size, it can still get developers with great ideas to work on features that Google doesn’t offer. Case in point: Samsung has partnered with Rabbit, an online video platform that lets you not only video chat with friends, but also watch video with them on external services like Hulu—all in real-time from your computer and (in due time) mobile devices. The upshot is that Rabbit will be featured front-and-center on Samsung hardware, and its neat features might make you consider it over Google’s own video-chat services on Android. Rabbit also trumps Google Hangouts in group conversations by allowing up to 20 people to chat in a room.

And from ecosystem success flows… money

Samsung to devs: Stick with us and we’ll get your app far.

At the beginning of his Monday keynote, Gregory Lee, President of Samsung Telecommunications of America, was excited. “We never expected a big crowd,” he told the audience. “We expected a small one.”

According to Nicholas Reichenbach, co-founder and president of Rabbit, there’s a reason for the positive turnout. “Samsung’s marketshare had a lot to do with the attendance,” he said in a phone call. “Whatever Samsung is doing is very attractive to developers.”

And what can be more “attractive” to an up-and-coming app developers than sales revenue? As Smartphone users, we often scoff at the apps that device manufacturers load on our phones. And we often bristle when we’re asked to visit yet another app marketplace, when we already have Google Play. But Reichenbach says one of the key attractions of Samsung Apps is that developers are seeing better monetization through Samsung’s mobile products.

”It’s always been difficult to monetize [on the Android] platform,” he says, “but with Samsung devices, we’re starting to see the monetization equal to other platforms.” And since Samsung’s high unit sales means it has more marketshare, app developers have more chances to make more money. “It’s starting to grow—potentially even greater than other platforms that are leading the market,” Reichenbach says.

How much disruption makes sense?

With more than 1,300 attendees at this week’s conference, it’s obvious there are at least a few developers who are interested in building for Samsung’s ecosystem. Indeed, Samsung can offer small, independent developers something that Google can’t right now: Prominent positioning in an app store that’s a lot less crowded than Google Play. So one can see why so many lost souls are interested in joining the Samsung effort.

But where Samsung could really have a winning hand is not in courting small, independent developers, but in striking exclusive deals with big-name app powerhouses. It’s already teamed up with triple-A app developers like Twitter and Flipboard, and similar deals could compel you to buy the next Galaxy phone instead of a handset from HTC.

Samsung is clearly forging full-steam ahead in its effort to become more than a device manufacturer, but it needs to figure out how to do so without continually disrupting the current Android marketplace. It may be helping to reduce friction within its own device family, but by branching off into its own ecosystem, it will just make fragmentation worse for Android as a whole.

But maybe that’s the point. You can only have one religion—and Samsung wants to be yours.

Basic Privacy Tips for Internet & Social Media

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Basic Privacy Tips for Internet & Social Media
PC WORLD – Recent headlines about shadowy government agencies, high-profile hack attacks, and your face in Google ads drive home a crucial point: Your online privacy is best protected when you keep an iron grip on the information you’re handing out. If your info is on a server somewhere, it’s not truly yours.

So many core aspects of our lives have shifted to the cloud, mostly to our great benefit: Gmail and Outlook.com maintain our email archives. Dropbox and SkyDrive make your files available anywhere, anytime. Windows 8.1 searches include Bing results by default. Google Now dishes out the information you need before you even know you need it.

But every gain in convenience comes with a loss of control, and that loss of control all too often comes bundled with privacy or security woes.

You can take some simple precautions to minimize the amount of personal information that you have online. But before we get started, remember that this data checkup is about what you’re comfortable with. You could follow all the tips in this post, tighten up on just a few of the practices mentioned below, or go even farther down the rabbit hole than the suggestions offered here. Digital privacy is not a zero-sum or a one-size-fits-all proposition. If nothing else, this article can help you make better decisions about the information you share with the services you love.

Giving Google the cold shoulder

When it comes to minimizing your digital footprint, we have to start with Google. Just imagine the dossier the company has on you: search history, sites you visit, Google Play purchases, location data from Android and Chrome and Maps, your Google Drive documents…it looks like a lot when it’s all spelled out like that, doesn’t it?
To its credit, Google takes data security seriously, receiving fairly good marks in the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s annual “Who has your back?” survey. But Google also makes heavy in-house use of your data, a point that touched a nerve with announcements of the company’s plans to use your real name and face in online advertising (not to mention Microsoft’s “Scroogled” campaign).
Divorcing Google isn’t a realistic option for most people, though, given its superior services and sheer ubiquity. Switching to Microsoft’s services still leaves your information in the cloud. So what can you do if you want to reduce the amount of data you’re sharing with either online monolith?
Firefox’s private browsing mode kills cookies dead.
To start, you can keep Google from collecting and sharing your data as much as possible. Using your browser’s private/incognito mode will erase tracking cookies, including Google’s, when you close it. You can also tell Google to stop trailing you in your account’s Web History page (at the expense of Google Now features) and take a minute to tweak your general Google privacy settings.
Another solution is to replace what Google services you can with more private alternatives. Do you use Google Docs but don’t really need its online capabilities? Try the open-source Libre Office suite. If you need only basic image-editing capabilities, skip Picasa and stick to Paint.net. What about Google Drive’s on-the-go docs? We’ll talk more about cloud storage later.
And if you can cut the Google cord completely, there’s always the nuclear option. (Here’s how to shutter your Microsoft account for good measure.)

Facebook

Google may have a wide reach, but when it comes to mapping your social connections, no company knows more than Facebook. And just like Google, Facebook is practically impossible to shut out of your life. You need it to sign in to your favorite services, play games, chat, and keep in touch with pals.
Tweaking your Facebook profile’s privacy settings can keep other people’s eyes at bay—but Facebook itself has a reputation for questionable user data decisions. How to give Zuck the cold shoulder without divorcing Facebook completely?
You don’t want to be among the first Graph Search results for “Males in New York that like Drugs and Marijuana” or anything similar. Mind those Likes, and those privacy preferences.
Easy: Stop hitting that “Like” button so much and consider removing past thumbs-ups. Don’t add extra information to your profile such as life events, places you’ve lived, and so on. (Below’s a video on deleting life events.)
Finally, decide whether you want to continue sharing your photo library online. Is anybody really looking at them, or are they just fodder for Facebook’s face-detection algorithms?
Facebook also tracks you as you travel from site to site, using the Like buttons embedded on each. Make sure you’re signed out of Facebook to prevent that from happening, or use your browser’s private mode.
You can delete your Facebook account if you’re able (and willing) to cut the socialite cord completely.

Cloud storage

If you slap your files in a cloud-storage locker for anytime, anywhere access, you probably don’t want to give up that convenience. You can, however, seize control of your cloud documents by encrypting them, which helps protect against the data breaches (such as two that happened to Dropbox and Apple) and government information requests faced by many cloud providers.
Note that while many services (such as Dropbox) encrypt your data on their servers, they control the encryption keys in most cases. That means you are not in control of when or for whom that encrypted data is unlocked, but it also makes using the service easier—just enter your login information and go!
A truly “zero-knowledge” cloud provider such as SpiderOak or Wuala, on the other hand, never has access to your encryption key, meaning that only you can unlock your data. (Don’t lose the key!) Alternatively, you could manually encrypt files bound for SkyDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, SugarSync, or any other cloud service, using a tool like TrueCrypt or the cloud-focused BoxCryptor.
Western Digital’s My Cloud connected storage drive lets you build your own private cloud.
Or, if you want anytime, anywhere access to your files but don’t want to entrust your stuff to anyone else, you could use a Net-connected storage drive like Western Digital’s My Cloud to create your own personal cloud-storage solution.

All the rest

We’ve taken care of your major online accounts, but what about all those random accounts you have connected to your social networks? Go through the settings of your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts to see the list of apps and services connected to them. Then simply remove access permissions for the ones you no longer use.
Speaking of apps and services, part of good data hygiene is regularly deleting accounts you’ve left by the wayside. Go ahead: Close that MySpace profile and kill your Klout score if you’re not using them.

The tip of the iceberg

Now that you have at least some of your data under control, you could look at numerous other things, as well.
We briefly touched on restricting who can track your browsing while online. For a real eye-opener, try using Abine’s DoNotTrackMe add-on for a week and see how many tracking cookies the add-on blocks. You could also use a stand-alone email program configured using the POP3 protocol to save your email locally and wipe your messages from your provider’s servers. (Here’s the info you need to do just that with Outlook.com, Gmail, and Mozilla’s Thunderbird client.)
For an even more comprehensive look at the topic, check out Macworld’s seven-part series on protecting your online privacy—but note that some of the tips apply only to Apple’s ecosystem.
Going off-grid online is borderline impossible these days, but taking just a short time to tidy up your online footprint can pay big dividends for your security and your privacy. And remember: It’s up to you just how far down the rabbit hole you go. Happy deleting!

Beginner’s Guide While Learning PHP

Alicia Margretha
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Beginner’s Guide While Learning PHP

Is back to the classroom, as we take a look at the five ‘most’ basic tips that will help you in your PHP lessons.

Hypertext Preprocessor or PHP is one of the most commonly used programming languages on the web, PHP is a valuable skill for any young developers to posses. Most popular content management systems such as Oxwall, WordPress and Drupal use PHP as their framework, which means that developers who are skilled in the language can customize code through these programs.

Of-course, it is very essential that you keep your head down, while attending to your PHP lessons. Other than that, here are five tips that will prepare you for your PHP class.

1. Prepare in Advance

Before you get started, make sure that you have a basic understanding of programming. Prior experience and knowledge in programming will help you with basic procedures such as building, testing and troubleshooting. Additionally, many developers find it helpful to work with two or more monitors. With dual monitors in front of you, it’s easy to keep your code on one screen and a tutorial readily available on the other.

2. Use Your Own Code

Though some developers recommend working with code templates, you’ll have an easier time learning with your own code. It might take you more time at first to piece the code together, but you’ll ultimately learn PHP more thoroughly by creating all of your own coding. This will save you time when you move on to more advanced projects.

3. Practice Makes Perfect

For many new developers, PHP is fairly simple to learn because it is similar to other server-side scripting languages. It’s important to allow yourself enough time for practice, as even small errors in your code can throw off your entire project. If you find yourself confusing PHP syntax with codes from other programming languages, rest assured that you’ll make fewer mistakes with more practice.

4. Ask for Help

The official PHP website offers a free online manual with answers to many questions you might have along the way. I don’t know what you think about Stack Overflow? Seem pretty much to me like a place where you can ask lots of PHP questions and get answers and ideas from other PHP users. The PHP Group also has several mailing lists that allow you to ask questions of other users. Additionally, check out online forums where you can ask experienced developers for advice about PHP. Many developers are willing to assist new programmers, particularly if you can clearly explain what type of problem you’re having.

5. Employ Error Reporting Codes

As you develop in PHP, it’s always a great idea to use error reporting codes to speed up the process. An error reporting code will help you determine where your errors are if you make a mistake, saving you time and the headache of going through the code line by line. An error reporting code can be the PHP student’s best friend.

If you haven’t found a school yet, w3schools sounds like a place you might want to visit: A whole loads of PHP step to step guides, live demo and practicals for both beginners and masters.

Lenovo Android laptop confirmed after user manuals leak online

Alicia Margretha
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Lenovo Android laptop confirmed after user manuals leak online

PCWORLD – A story posted on pcworld today has confirmed that we are likely to see a new generation of PC anytime soon. With microsoft paying more interest in the production of windows 8 smartphones, it is now clear to everyone that windows are likely to swap places with the android OS in the technology world.

Accidentally leaked user manuals from PC maker Lenovo show that the company is preparing a new laptop that runs Android instead of Windows.

Called the IdeaPad A10, the laptop has a 10.1 inch HD screen and is listed as an Android device, according to the manuals uploaded on Lenovo’s site.

The laptop’s 10-inch display also functions as a touchscreen. It can be opened up to 300 degrees, supporting the screen for reading or touching while the keyboard rests face down. In addition, the keyboard has signature Android buttons for “home screen”, “previous” and “apps screen”, found on the bottom of many phones and tablets running the Google OS.

Lenovo had planned on making an official announcement for the device, said Chris Millward, a spokesman for the company, on Thursday. But somehow, Lenovo unintentionally leaked the user manuals online, he added.

“The product has not been canceled. It will be going out to the market,” he said. Lenovo will later announce launch dates and pricing information.

The laptop’s specs show that it could be a budget product. It has an Arm quad-core 1.6GHz processor from Chinese firm Rockchip, 1GB or 2GB of RAM, and 16GB or 32GB of storage. There is also a 0.3 megapixel camera, a microSD card slot and an HDMI port.

Tech vendors are increasingly experimenting with Android at a time when demand for traditional Windows PCs has been waning. Earlier this year, Acer and Hewlett-Packard showed all-in-one desktops using the Google operating system. HP’s product, called the Slate 21, has a price of $399.

On the convertible PC side, Asus has shown a hybrid device that can run both Windows and Android. Called the Transformer Book Trio, the product operates as a stand-alone Android tablet, but when attached to its keyboard it can also boot up Windows.

Hackers Bully the vBulletin Internet Community Software Vulnerability

Alicia Margretha
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Hackers Bully the vBulletin Internet Community Software Vulnerability

Hackers are exploiting a vulnerability in the popular vBulletin Internet Community software in order to inject rogue administrator accounts into websites using it.

After the recent success of hackers exploring the WordPress CMS through a vulnerable end of the software, PC World has yet again announced the recent potential threat to web development. In a press release this morning, pcworld explained how hackers exploited the vBulletin internet community software vulnerability. Details are below:

The exploit was found by researchers from security firm Imperva on underground hacker forums and targets versions 4.x.x and 5.x.x of vBulletin.
The vulnerability allows attackers to abuse the vBulletin configuration mechanism to create a secondary administrative account, the researchers said Wednesday in a blog post.

At the end of August, vBulletin Solutions, the company that develops the forum software, advised users to delete the “install” directories from their vBulletin deployments because of an unspecified exploit vector.

The company declined to release any additional information about the issue at that time, but Imperva’s researchers believe it’s the same vulnerability targeted by the exploit script they found.

How the attack can happen

In order to exploit the vulnerability, attackers need to know the exact URL for the upgrade.php script from the install directories of the targeted vBulletin deployments and the vBulletin customer IDs associated with those deployments.

To obtain this information, hackers created a separate PHP script that scans vBulletin sites for the vulnerable path and extracts the customer IDs from the source code of the upgrade.php pages, the researchers said.

Once they have those details, attackers only need to choose a username and password for the rogue administrator account that will be created and the exploit will do the rest.

Company response
VBulletin Solutions declined to confirm whether the exploit identified by Imperva is the one they warned about in August.

“We’ve released updates to vBulletin 4 and vBulletin 5,” said Wayne Luke, technical support lead at vBulletin Solutions, Wednesday via email. “These are vBulletin 4.2.2 and vBulletin 5.0.5. We recommend customers delete their install directories when not in use maintaining their software.”

“I cannot provide any further information on the issue,” Luke said.

Notes accompanying the exploit script found by Imperva claim the vulnerability was discovered on Aug. 22.

The Imperva researchers have seen traffic from an attack that successfully exploited a forum powered by vBulletin 4.2.0 and there are also reports about successful attacks against others using version 4.2.1, said Tal Be’ery, security research team leader at Imperva, Thursday via email. However, the company hasn’t tested whether the latest 4.2.2 and 5.0.5 versions are vulnerable to the exploit, he said.

The directories that vBulletin users should delete in order to protect their deployments are “/install” for vBulletin 4.1.x versions and “/core/install” for the 5.x versions.

Users who, for some reason, are unable to delete these directories, can use the web server access configuration mechanism or a web-application firewall to block requests or redirects for upgrade.php, the Imperva researchers said.

Top 5 Sites for Freelancers and Buyers

Ebenezer Obasi
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Top 5 Sites for Freelancers and Buyers

Over the years doing some spare time job has been a very good way of financing  your education or buying a cup of coffee for your troubles, exploring the web for business exposure has become a second nature to most of us, so the need of having an avenue for such exposure becomes a must. Discover the secret of how I scaled through my limitation as a student/passionate blogger and earn quite handsomely through freelancing.

As a student, I didn’t have so many options to earn online; most  ‘part time’ job I came across online are a whole bunch of scam, so I decided to ride my luck, viz.. Monetize my skills.

Freelancing is the act of rendering a particular service to individuals or group of individuals as a ‘free man’ (not committed to any employer long term). This service may include article writing, web design, health solutions, graphic, SEO help or any skill you feel you can deliver online.

If you a free man just like me: Self employed (student) and not committed to any employer long term, looking for where to showcase your products and services or you are just an individual/organization looking for where to acquire the product/services of an expert . Whichever you are here is the list of the top 5 of such sites.

Top Five Sites For Business Exposures

1. SEOClerks

SeoClerks is probably the cheapest place to get any job done. Just recently, I purchased 1,000 US human visitors for just $2, the seller provided me with a google analytics url as a prove to confirm that they were real human. The delivery was quite on time and enjoy the level of interaction allowed between buyers and sellers on this site. The website functions are pretty much like fiverr’s but there is no limit for a range of prices charged for gigs. Sellers are either online, then you will get the work within 8 hours, or offline, then you will get the work in 48 hours. Release the cash and await the job. You are also given an option to place a guarantee on your gig and create discount coupon codes for gigs.

2. Fiverr

For the past few years fiverr gigs have represented an icon for freelancers. Though sites with more features has arisen, no-one has really surpassed the credibility and originality that fiverr has always boasted of. Dealings in fiverr are called gig i.e. 1gig = $5.

3. Onedollarr

Task in onedollarr is called gig and is best for buyers who want to acquire services at a very cheap rate.    Do not let the $1 fool you, as you can as well add extras to your gig without a specified amount.

4. Gigbucks

  Sell or purchase products/services rate between $5-$50

5. Fourerr

Is always nice to some do something different and that’s exactly what fourerr has done. They have got a very good track record over the past two years and seems pretty much like the next big thing. I really recommend every freelancer try out this site and give your testimonies.

Introducing PhotoScape: Image Editing Software (Download)

Alicia Margretha
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Introducing PhotoScape: Image Editing Software (Download)

The Image Editing becomes the trend in digital photography and image editing software have helped a lot either in increasing the resolution or to give many amazing effects to the photographs. The latest technology digital photography becomes most popular due to the high quality of image, a soft-copy of result after just make of click, easy to use for a common man and the ability to convert an image in the amazing effects quickly and boundless. There are hundreds of image editing software applications are available in market like Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, Picasa and many others, even you can convert you image On-Line, there are many Online Photo Editing Tools available. Last days we write about the Top 10 Free Adobe Photoshop Alternatives, today writing the review about the one of the best alternative for Adobe Photoshop, The PhotoScape.

PhotoScape is a free graphics editing program, developed by MOOII Tech, from Korea. PhotoScape is built up with the concept of easy to edit and make ultimate fun with your images. It’s Light, Fast and a Powerful image editing program which is packed with the features as follows:-

  • Photo Viewer: Browse and organize your photos
  • Photo Editor: Enhance and balance color, Re-size, add effects and clip-arts.
  • Photo Batch-Editor: Process multiple photos at same time, rename multiple photos at same time.
  • Page Creator: Joins multiple photos into poster-like single page or into one final photo.
  • GIF Animation: You can make multiple images into GIF-animated image.
  • Screen Capture: You can save monitor screen into an image file or we can the print-screen is here.
  • Color Picker: You can choose and pick color from  screen pixel as font color, design or erase.
  • RAW Convert: It can also convert RAW format picture into JPEG format.
  • Face Finder: Find similar faces automatically through internet.
  • Featured Printer: Print photos for particular occasions, such as Passport photo, or lined page such as graph, calendar or music paper.

Means a complete set even if you are a professional image editor. It also offers to make your image much better with some other options like brightness/color/white-balance adjustment, back-light correction, frames, balloons, text, drawing pictures, cropping, filters, red-eye removal and blooming. It has been used for two years and is expanding its features continuously. Its latest version supports 34 languages: English, Korean, Chinese, Traditional Chinese, German, Dutch, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Mexico, Latin America), French, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Italian, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Colombian), Thai, Hungarian, Turkish, Catalan, Slovak, Czech, Norwegian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Swedish, Estonian, Danish, Romanian, Hebrew, Galician, Finnish, Indonesian and Arabic.Click Here to Download PhotoScape

Common-Sense While Using WI-FI Hot Spots

Alicia Margretha
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1
Common-Sense While Using WI-FI Hot Spots

Wi-Fi hotspots are nothing more than just a wireless access point, which grants internet accessibility to network devices in various public locations, such as cafes, restaurants, hotels and airports. Schools and businesses are also opting for the Wi-Fi hotspots and using them for their intranet or internet networks.
Same Wi-Fi technology is utilized in wireless networks at home. Devices get connected to Wi-Fi hotspots via the use of a Wi-Fi network adapter. In fact, today the latest laptops and computers are designed with built-in adapters. The hotspots that are used in public locations usually require paid subscriptions and credit cards.

Neighborhood cafes, universities and similar places are opting to use the free Wi-Fi hotspots. With this, more and more users are connecting to the public Wi-Fi networks. As a result, security risks are increasing. In fact, Wi-fi hotspots are more like unsecured networks, which provide opportunities for hackers to take complete advantage of the technology. Your personal information is under threat if you access personal account information and passwords while using a public Wi-Fi hotspot.
So, prior to using the local internet or WiFi hotspots from a restaurant or a café, do make sure to follow the following rules:

  • Always keep in mind that these networks are not secured and safe. They are always unsecured network connections. If you have to provide passwords or log onto something, do think twice and keep your guard on. 
  • Make use of built-in security tools, Windows and Mac OS X have. They come with inbuilt features that enable firewall of a user and keep a check of the incoming traffic. The feature only helps to keep the hackers or unethical entities away from your system and personal information.
  • Disable file sharing.
  • Keep a tab on padlock. The sites that make use of HTTPS are capable of encrypting your activities. Users doing anything on the sites are confidential. Opt for the padlock, which is present on the address bar. You can also download and install HTTPS Everywhere.
  • Hackers are capable of retrieving even saved passwords that from your installed keyloggers or Registry. Therefore, try to protect and secure your passwords. Install features like LastPass or similar add-ons, whereby you can store your passwords safely in the cloud.
  • Hackers use different techniques and gimmicks to lure their victims. They might also use fake networks and grab hold of their victims online. Therefore, check the name of the network or better, ask and confirm the same with the employees of the concerning place.

Bottom line, it is always required to make use of your common sense whenever opting for public Wi-Fi hotspots or networks. If you sense any threat to security, immediately keep your guard on and avoid shopping or doing online activities where sharing personal details is a mandatory.

How to Make the Most of Google Maps

Alicia Margretha
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How to Make the Most of Google Maps

Everyone knows that Google Maps is the ruler when it comes to mapping services (Nokia map lies just somewhere by the side). There is no doubt about that whatsoever. You can use it in your mobile phone as an app or in a browser. Although Google Maps is loaded with tons of effective features, few of these useful features are widely veiled.  

Here are some tips and tricks on how to make the most of Google Maps:

  1. View live traffic. It is a feature in which Google Maps displays live traffic feed on maps. This enables users to go by the current rate of traffic and plan their routes accordingly. In order to view live traffic, simply click on the ‘Satellite’ icon and then on the ‘Traffic’ option. This particular feature is operational through mobile apps.
  2. Google Now. This is yet another feature of Google Maps. Its integration enables the Google Maps Sync to function in a more enhanced manner than before. Searching for directions enables the feature to predict the desired location based on your web history. If Google is aware of your work or home locations, it will calculate and display the route and estimated time it will take to reach home or work.
  3. Route change. If Google Maps suggested routes are not according to your liking or convenience, you can click a point (it can be any point) present on the map and then drag it to some other place. By doing so, you can change your route.
  4. Mode of transit. Directions, whether for walking or driving, are available from whatever your current location. You can also access directions if traveling by bicycle or public transit. Whatever the case, Google Maps will provide you with three different routes. Varied directions help in selecting the best and most convenient route for you, whatever you’re preferred mode of transit.
  5. Routes with numerous destinations. If you want to stop on multiple destinations, you can make use of the ‘Add Destination’ feature. Through this link, you can add each of your desired destinations to your list. Google will then provide you with the most efficient and convenient route.
  6. Make maps for yourself. If there are vital locations available with you, you can create and make customized maps for yourself only. Visit Google Maps and go to ‘My Places’. Right under it, you will find the link ‘Create Map’.
  7. Locating places of interest. Try out the Tourist Path. Through this feature, you can get a display of historical sites, parks and restaurants on a customized Google Maps view.

Using Google Maps is simply easy. All you need to do is fiddle with its many features and work with them until you get the desired results!

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