Saturday, January 30, 2010

Dell Mini 5 Gets Mini Demo from Michael Dell

Dell has been giving hints about the upcoming handheld Android tablet, previously called the Streak, for some time. TechCrunch spotted CEO Michael Dell in the street and he pulled out what he now calls the Mini 5 and gave a very brief demo. I must say the Mini 5 is much thinner than I expected, and the 5 MP camera is a benefit. Dell stated the Mini 5 will be available in a “couple of months”, so it’s no longer a concept device but a product.


Source:http://jkontherun.com/2010/01/29/dell-mini-5-spotted-in-the-street/

Friday, January 29, 2010

iPad Review on Price, Display and Specs

Steve Jobs amazed the world with the all-new Apple iPad. Thinking of the possibilities with this gadget, it’s almost limitless. If you are really curious, check out the iPad review for its prices, display and specs details. It’s going to be a quick review on the specifications or the specs of the iPad. Anyway, the details of the new iPad is right below. The prices for the new iPad are as follows: 16GB Wi-Fi only: $499; 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $629; 32GB Wi-Fi only: $599; 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $729; 64GB Wi-Fi only: $699; and 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $829. Go on below for the fullspecs and display details.


iPad Display and Specs list:


The iPad comes in a display: 9.7 inch IPS, weighs around 1.5 lbs and 0.5 inches thin. It comes with a 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip, 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi), fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously, digital compass, Wi-Fi model: Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology,Wi-Fi + 3G model: UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM/EDGE (850, 900,1800, 1900 MHz), data only, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology. These are some of the great specifications of the Apple iPad. For more specs details, you can check out more source lists for the iPad Review on price, display and specs.


Source:
http://www.buzzybloggers.com

BlackBerry Magnum hands-on video review

The BlackBerry Magnum has now gain a hands-on video review and we bring you that video review for your viewing pleasure which can be located below courtesy of the guys over at fonefrenzy.

The BlackBerry Magnum video lasts just under the tow minute mark and the reviewer emphasises the BlackBerry Magnum is a real BlackBerry with a clicking screen for any doubters out there, and that RIM has tried to keep the style of the BlackBerry Magnum similar to the old style BlackBerry Bold.

He then compares the BlackBerry Magnum up against the BlackBerry Bold 9000 and BlackBerry Bold 9700 noting the Magnum is similar to the 9000 whereas the 9700 has a changed up keyboard.

Anyway enough of me babbling on, you just want to hit up that BlackBerry Magnum video for yourselves and make up your own minds, so get to it and enjoy.

Source:http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Google Nexus One


Google is the new contender in the hot smartphone market. With the release of its much awaited Nexus One, it has entered into the smartphone arena with a bang. Google Nexus One has gone ahead of Apple iPhone and Motion's BlackBerry in terms of the touch sensitivity, features and applications. With its super successful attempt, Google phone has, undeniably become the best Android mobile phone today.

Google decided to unleash its beautiful and sleek device in an anomalous manner. The phone is available to the customers on the web directly and unlocked. In addition, Google has invited infinite carriers to compete with their plans and hardware's subsidized versions in different parts of the world.

The display feature of Nexus One is its biggest highlight. The mobile phone has incorporated huge 3.7 inches wide screen, which is a WVGA AMOLED touch screen. The display resolution of the touch screen is 800 x 480 pixels, and it offers 100,000:1 typical contrast ratio. There are four major keys at the bottom of the display screen to control search, home, menu and back functionalities. There is a trackball at the bottom center position of Nexus One, which will enable you to enjoy smooth navigation of the features and application. The device is available in the market in gorgeous brown color with Teflon coating and its live wallpapers lets the users enjoy an awesome experience.

Apart from bringing in immaculate touch screen display with 119 x 59.8 x 11.5 mm dimensions, the Nexus One embodies the high-end camera features as well. This Google phone comes loaded with a 5 mega pixel camera including LED flash and auto focus along with geo-tagging and smile detections features. The Nexus One also has a suite of photo editing software so that the user can manipulate pictures right there on the device and upload them to social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.

Nexus One is a really attractive device, and the Android Marketplace is arguably more 'extensible' for both users and developers than Apple's App Store. It is an alluring proposition for the users who want to experiment with the new gadget and new trends in the market.

Apple's iPad :A Revolution in Personalize Computing


Apple Inc. unveiled a tablet computer named 'iPad' to revolutionized personal computing. Priced at $499, the device features a 10-inch touchscreen, with 3G data and a custom ARM processor instead of the previously considered Intel Atom processor. It will be positioned in that empty spot between smartphone and laptop in Apple's product line.

Similar to modern netbooks in design and scope, the iPad is projected to enter the same bloated netbook market with Apple’s high end design (it’s expected appearance looks like a large iPhone), functionality (OS X for its operating system).

According to Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs,”The iPad can display full Web pages, books and iPhone applications, and has a touch-screen keyboard that’s almost full size.” A 16-gigabyte version will sell for $499, while a 32-gigabyte model costs $599.

With its "communication enabled" operating system, the data can be faxed, e-mailed, beamed via infrared or sent to a desktop computer or printer. It is also convenient for voice, video and other advanced technologies when they become available.

Its price is 50 percent lower than the other netbooks. “At that price, they’ll sell millions,” said Hakim Kriout, a portfolio manager at New York-based Grigsby & Associates, which owns Apple shares. “It’s very, very affordable for what it does. This is going to add a huge revenue stream for Apple.”



The device, made of aluminum and glass, can display maps from Google Inc., and has calendar and address-book functions. It also lets users display thumbnail views of photos. The iPad has a 1-gigahertz chip that was custom designed by Apple and battery life of 10 hours, Jobs said.

The device supports Wi-Fi communications and runs the more than 140,000 applications already available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It also works with wireless service from AT&T Inc., the U.S. carrier for the iPhone, though no contract is required.

Apple said there will be two iPad wireless data plans from AT&T in the U.S. One will cost $14.99 and give users up to 250 megabytes of data downloads. The other will have unlimited data and cost $29.99. The company is also working on international wireless plans.

Twitter: Local Trends Go Live!

More and more people around the world are signing up to Twitter. The service is constantly updating and releasing new features. ‘Lists’ which launched towards the end of 2009 hasn’t really taken off that much but I think Local Trends might just.

Basically, you have the option to take the current trending topics and make it more localised. So if there’s something happening in America which is of no relevance to your area, it won’t be displayed in your Trending Topics because people from your area won’t be tweeting about it. Obviously, big global events such as the Haiti disaster or G8 meetings will attract attention from all over the world, but localised Trending topics can get quite annoying.


Twitter sums it up as follows:

“Twitter trends began as a way to shed light on popular conversations. It’s interesting to know that one topic can now spread across the world in real-time, and Trends help us discover which of those topics are paramount on a global scale.”

“The big events that come up around the world will always become a global conversation, but what about the big events that only happen in your world that only matter to those around you?


Source: http://www.mediapost.com

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Verizon to offer prepaid BlackBerry service?

Verizon will offer a prepaid BlackBerry data plan within the next three months, according to an unnamed source that is said to be historically reliable. The plan will cost $35 on top of a voice plan, though no other details are known at this time. It is likely that only certain BlackBerry devices will be eligible for the prepaid data plan, but this is again unconfirmed.

Thus far, Verizon offer only four handsets in its prepaid scheme, with none of them true smartphones. Three are flips, while one is a candybar, and the prepaid plans are based on daily access rather than a monthly one, as at many other carriers.

Prepaid BlackBerries are increasingly common at other carriers worldwide, most recently Wind Mobile in Canada, but are rare in the US. Most American carriers typically encourage more lucrative monthly smartphone plans that often cost about $70 per month.

Source:
http://www.electronista.com/

Google Voice comes to iPhone and Palm WebOS

A few weeks ago, Alex Nicolaou, Engineering Manager, wrote about the benefits of the fast and feature-rich iterative web app. Delivering Google services via mobile browsers has worked well for the Gmail team, so we decided to follow the same approach with Google Voice.

Today, we're excited to introduce the Google Voice web app for the iPhone and Palm WebOS devices. This HTML5 application provides you with a fast and versatile mobile experience for Google Voice because it uses the latest advancements in web technologies. For example, AppCache lets you interact with web apps without a network connection and local databases allow you to store data locally on the device, so you don't lose data even when you close the browser.

One of the great benefits of web applications is that you don't need to download and install an app on your phone. Instead, simply point your mobile browser to m.google.com/voice and sign in to your Google Voice account.

Then you can make calls from your phone that show your Google Voice number as the caller ID. You can also listen to voicemail and read voicemail transcripts, send and receive text messages for free, and take advantage of the low international call rates offered by Google Voice.

For quick access to the most important features like "Dialer", "Compose SMS", "Inbox" or "Contacts," you can add shortcuts to your iPhone home screen or Palm Launcher -- so cheap calls and messaging will be just a single click away. And because the Google Voice web app uses advanced features of modern HTML5 browsers, it offers native app-like performance and speed.

Official Google Mobile Blog: Google Voice comes to iPhone and Palm WebOS

Monday, January 25, 2010

New features: Read-only and Restore

This week, we're launching two new features to help you manage the waves you create: making participants read-only and restoring a wave to an earlier state.

Read-Only Participants -
The creator of a wave can now change other participants on the wave between full access and read-only by clicking on their picture at the top of the wave panel, and selecting the access level in the drop-down:



As the name implies, read-only participants are prevented from making any changes to the wave, including adding new participants. They can, however, view live changes to the wave, and look at the history in playback.

You can make entire groups read-only as well, including the "public" group, which includes all Google Wave users. Note that individual permissions take precedence over group permissions, so even if a group has full access, an individual can be given read-only access, and vice versa.

Restore from Playback
Anyone with full access to a wave can now restore that wave to any previous state visible in playback:


Restoring does not delete anything from the playback history, but adds the restored state to the end of the history. That way you can use the new restore function to correct mistakes you or others make in a wave (including restoring the the wrong state!).

New features: Read-only and Restore - Google Wave Blog

Amazon opens Kindle to third party developers

Amazon has announced the availability of a software development kit for third party developers to build new applications that work on its popular Kindle eBook reader. This is happening just before the rumored launch of a new tablet device by Apple next week.

To be made available as a limited beta in February, the Kindle Development Kit (KDK) will include sample code, documentation and a simulator to help developers test on the 6-inch Kindle, as well as the 9.7-inch Kindle DX.

Anticipated programs might range from word games, to travel guides, and will be made available at the Kindle Store later in the year. An important piece of information here would be how revenue would be split. In the case of the KDK, revenue share is expected to follow a 70:30 formula, with the larger component going toward the developer.

Where data transferred by the application is concerned, the bandwidth comes free if the application uses less than 100KB per month. Anything beyond that will be charged at $0.15 per MB, to be passed on to the customer as a monthly charge.

Read more
: http://www.fiercecio.com/

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus on Verizon

Palm revived back in the smartphone market with the announcement of the Palm Pre and web-OS a year ago. Also during the same time period, Palm unveiled a shrimp sized Pixi, unleashed nine over-the-air updates to its OS, fabricated and radiated a cluster of developer tools, including frequent releases of its SDK and an innovative web-based development environment.

Throughout the fluxes in the last months Palm make a comeback with a bang, constituting Sprint as its stag carrier ally in the US. Therefore, while the company was engrossed in tweaking and inventing its groundbreaking platform and devices, the third place accomplice has kept it from the larger audiences AT&T or Verizon. But now after almost a year Palm has exposed its innovative devices up to the country's giant carrier along with revealing the specifications and other attributes of its offerings. You will be amazed to know that now Pre offers an additional 8GB of storage and double the RAM, whereas Pixi comes equipped with WiFi.



Though there are not much physical differences in the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus from their sprint counterparts, both the devices offer amazing experiences to the users. In addition, compare to Pixi, the Palm Pre Plus has twice the RAM and storage capacity, a fast processor, a bigger and brighter screen.

In the Pre, the most noticeable is the removal of the "home" button from the front of the device, and a slender change to its keyboard making the keys a bit clickier and less gel-like. According to Palm, the users will be benefited from its hinge mechanism and the updated build quality of the phone. It will ensure that there are no issues to be found in the device. The Pixi Plus is a look-alike to its Sprint cousin.

Both the devices will be available next week with the Pre Plus selling for $149.99 after $100 rebate and 2-year contract and the Pixi Plus selling for $99 after $100 rebate and 2-year contract. Verizon also will charge you an additional $9.99 per month if you have selected the Verizon Navigator GPS service on your Palm Pre Plus or Pixi Plus. Sprint definitely offers an intelligible deal on the Palm Pre and Pixi when it comes to monthly service fees and provided services such as free navigation, NFL Mobile, and more.

The Palm Pre Plus has enhanced the Palm Pre with all the unique features and software updates. It won't be wrong to assert that the Palm Pre Plus is the best phone Palm has ever introduced because of its quality. It offers an excellent platform with enormous potential to change the way you work with your phone.

Google Founders Selling Shares

Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the founders of Google, will sell off 10 million of their shares in Google.

This trade, revealed in a Google SEC filing, is to take place over the next five years. Brin and Page will be selling approximately 17% of their Google holdings, reducing their voting rights in the company from 59% to 48%. While this does mean that Page and Brin are giving up majority control in the company, in reality, they’re not ceding much. Although they will not have the majority voting rights, barring some bizarre unforeseen circumstance that splits their votes, they maintain enough voting rights to make it nearly impossible to vote against them.

Google, seeking to downplay the significance of this trade plan, stated that this was a regular occurrence among the founders of publicly traded companiesIndeed, Bill Gates has followed a similar procedure with his stake in Microsoft, selling predetermined amounts of shares every year. In an emailed statement, Google said “They are both as committed as ever to Google and are integrally involved in our day-to-day management and product strategy. The majority of their net worth remains with Google.”

The question is, how should Google shareholders read into this divestment by the founders of the company? Is it a lack of confidence in the company’s future? Is it prompted by board politics? Is it simply Brin and Page deciding that they could each use an extra $2.75 billion (to buy matching fleets of yachts?)? It seems that the most correct explanation is the third. They’re still keeping the majority of their money in the company, so a relatively (percentage-wise, not in terms of real dollars) small sale shouldn’t inspire fear in the shareholders.

Source:http://thenextweb.com/us/2010/01/23/google-founders-selling-shares/

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Foursquare BlackBerry Client Launches to the Public


We had a chance to check it out in private beta, but today sees the official public launch of Foursquare’s mobile client for BlackBerry users.

The client will work on any BlackBerry device with a trackball — essentially 8000 and 9000 series handsets, plus the Storm — although a special client built for its touchscreen is separately in the works as well.

It’s still officially considered a beta version, so be prepared for perhaps a few rough edges here and there. But as we saw in the private beta, the app is generally stable and provides the typical expected functionality Foursquare (Foursquare) users on iPhone (iPhone) and Android (Android) have come to know and love. Still, Foursquare says new features for the BlackBerry client are still in the works, so if you’re a BB user keep an eye on snagging the latest builds as they come out.

Have you checked out Foursquare for BlackBerry yet? What are your impressions of the app?

Source:http://mashable.com/2010/01/21/foursquare-blackberry-launches/

Introducing YouTube HTML5 Supported Videos

A while ago, YouTube launched a simple demo of an HTML5-based video player. Recently, we published a blog post on our pre-spring cleaning effort and your number one request was that YouTube do more with HTML5. Today, we're introducing an experimental version of an HTML5-supported player.

HTML5 is a new web standard that is gaining popularity rapidly and adds many new features to your web experience. Most notably for YouTube users, HTML5 includes support for video and audio playback. This means that users with an HTML5 compatible browser, and support for the proper audio and video codecs can watch a video without needing to download a browser plugin.

Our support for HTML5 is an early experiment, and there are some limitations. HTML5 on YouTube doesn't support videos with ads, captions, or annotations and it requires a browser that supports both the video tag and h.264 encoded video (currently that means Chrome, Safari, and ChromeFrame on Internet Explorer). We will be expanding the capabilities of the player in the future, so get ready for new and improved versions in the months to come.

To try it out, go to the HTML5 page via TestTube or visit this page and join the experiment. This will enable HTML5 video for your browser, provided that it's one of the browsers mentioned above and fits in with the parameters we already referenced. (If you've opted in to other experiments, you may not get the HTML5 player.) You can also enable Feather watch (visit http://www.youtube.com/feather_beta) along with HTML5 video for an even simpler, faster YouTube experience.

We are very excited about HTML5 as an open standard and want to be part of moving HTML5 forward on the web.


Source:
http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Comparison Nexus One vs. Palm Pre vs. Android vs. iPhone

With the Launch of Google's Nexus One,(currently the best Android phone on the market) the war in the smartphone market has heated up. Apple's iphone is the torch bearer in the smartphone market followed by Droid of Verizon. Palm Pre is the least expensive and then came the Google's Nexus One. Here is a comprehensive guidebook of all the smartphones Nexus One vs. iPhone vs.Droid vs.Palm Pre explaining their best features, pricing stats and availability in the market.



Image By:[BillShrink.com]

Zune Phone aka Microsoft Pink Coming At MWC


Microsoft’s Windows Mobile OS has already lost its market share due to Google’s Android OS and Apple’s iPhone OS. Now the company is trying to regain its market share by launching their own smartphones. The rumored Microsoft Pink aka Zune phone is expected to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona next month or during CTIA event in March.

Zune Phone is rumored to come with Microsoft’s next-generation mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 7. Zune video store will be integrated in Windows Mobile 7. It will let the users to buy songs and music subscription with a single click. Zune phone may also provide easy access to social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gaming service.

It is also been said that Windows Mobile 7 will come in 2 different editions, i.e Business Edition (BE) and Media Edition (ME). The Windows 7 Business Edition will support cloud syncing with multiple devices and the Media Edition will come with features much similar Zune devices.

What do you think of Zune Phone? Will it regain its market share after launching this phone and its next-gen OS?. Please share your views regarding the Zune phone and Windows Mobile 7 in the comments.

Source:http://techie-buzz.com/mobile-news/microsoft-pink-zune-phone.html

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Google postpones Android phone launches in China

Google has decided to delay the planned release in China of two smartphones based on its Android platform, a sign the company's handset operations could be affected by its dispute with China over cyber security.

The company made the announcement a day before China Unicom was set to release Android phones from Motorola and Samsung. According to the New York Times, a source close to the situation said that given the uncertainty over Google's operations in China, the company decided the devices should not be released. Additionally, another unnamed source told the Wall Street Journal that it would be "irresponsible" to release the phones, given the current atmosphere.

Last week, Google said it had been the target of cyber security attacks originating in China, and that it would no longer censor the Chinese version of its search engine--even if that led to Google shutting down its operations in China.

Google had worked closely with the handset makers and China Unicom on the design of the devices, which were to come packaged with several Google applications. Google did not provide any further information on the delay.

Read more: http://www.fiercewireless.com/

What does Ribbon Hero say about Microsoft Office?

Microsoft has released a tutorial game called Ribbon Hero in its Office Labs. This installs an Office add-in for Word and Excel which watches you work. It has several features. When you perform an action such as Copy and Paste for the first time, it awards you points. You get further points by performing “challenges”, where Ribbon Hero generates a document and sets you a task, like removing duplicates from a table. Finally, you can upload your score to Facebook to share with friends.

Ribbon Hero is easily impressed, and on a quick look the tasks are mostly basic ones, though I guess they could be expanded if the idea proves popular.

Irritating and patronising, or a brilliant training tool? Well, learning by doing is a good principle so I don’t dismiss it, even if my own reaction is more the former one.

The interesting aspect is what the existence of this tool says about Office. Not everyone gets on with the Ribbon; some miss the old menus. Further, Office is so bloated feature-rich that knowing it in depth is a formidable task. I have often been told that the majority of wish-list requests are for features that already exist.



In consequence, a large part of the challenge for Microsoft’s Office team lies in enabling users to operate the product successfully. This is not a new problem; the notorious “it looks like you’re writing a letter” Office Assistant, or Clippy, was another attempt. The Ribbon itself was also meant to address it, though I am convinced that Microsoft also intended to differentiate itself from the competition and to devise a user interface it had some hope of protecting, if necessary, in the courts.


Source:
http://www.itwriting.com/

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Apple Announcement On for January 27th

In what comes as no surprise to many of us, Apple made it official today announcing to thr press that it will be unveiling its newest offering live on January 27th in San Francisco.

It is not yet clear that what Apple has in mind for the event .Whether the device will be a tablet, a new iPhone, new iPod Touch or something completely different remains to be seen, and Apple’s still being very tight lipped about it.



According to report on Wall Street Journal that device will come with 10 or 11 inch touch screen with wireless access and the price tag may range up to $1,000. The other rumors are still in the air that device would 22 inch wide.

The announcement about the January 27th event came in the form of an e-mail to journalists.

Let’s start counting the days.

Via:http://www.geardiary.com

MOTOROI Coming to Korea with Android 2.0


Motorola is pushing their Android efforts into Korea after making something of a splash in North America with the droid. The motoroi is a touchscreen slate with 3.6” WVGA display, 8 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, HDMI-out, TMB mobile TV, pinch-zooming, and Android 2.1. It doesn’t look like blur is on there, or any other real significant custom work on the user interface, but the motoroi does include an OCR app to translate business cards to address book entries and a docking station.

Android is widely recognized as the most exciting mobile platform in part because of its unequaled openness. Anyone can develop Android applications and make them available through Android Market, and you can download them on MOTOROI™.

There are still rumblings that a little something codenamed Shadow or Mirage will be coming to Asia, boasting an even bigger screen, but until (if) that pans out, the motoroi will remain the king of the Android hill, so to speak. For those interested and in the area, SK Telecom will begin offering the motoroi starting early February. Now, who do have to talk to at Motorola to get them to fix their damned caps lock key?

Source:http://www.intomobile.com/

Monday, January 18, 2010

Send Word Now CEO opens-up on Fox Business News Interview


Tony Schmitz, Chief Executive Officer of Send Word Now, speaks with Fox Business about how organizations are using the Send Word Now instant alert notification system to message during emergencies and ensure business continuity.

Main News:http://www.sendwordnow.com/FoxNewsInterviewsTonySchmitz.aspx

Google Confirms New Discounted Nexus One Pricing

Google has made some changes to the pricing structures for the Nexus One. A Google spokesperson told Phone Scoop in an email, "Previously there were two price points for those fully eligible for T-Mobile upgrades. Those without data plans were paying $279 for the Nexus One, and those with data plans were being charged $379. We worked with T-Mobile and are now able to offer the higher upgrade discount to all existing fully eligible T-Mobile subscribers.

This price is now $279. Refunds will be granted to all eligible subscribers who previously purchased the Nexus One at $379. This doesn't affect any eligible customers who bought the phone for $279." The Nexus One remains $529 for those who choose to buy it with no contract, and $179 for new T-Mobile customers.

Source:http://www.phonescoop.com/

Symbian^4 UI Concept Proposal

Momentum behind the evolution of the Symbian open eco-system continues to gather pace. Yesterday the Foundation placed its web run time tools into open source. Today Nokia, market leader in mobile devices, put forward proposals for a new framework for Symbian-powered UIs, to the Symbian open community. The proposals will undergo open evaluation and critique.

The UI Concept Proposal for Symbian^4 provides additional details on the Orbit and Direct UI major contribution proposals that are currently being voted by the Symbian Foundation councils.


The document highlights how the Symbian^4 UI will benefit from Nokia’s contribution and will introduce important usability-focused improvements, for example by providing interaction and layout patterns that apply to all applications, for a unified and more consistent user experience.

The proposal also contains a list of features and a number of screenshots that give us a glance of how the UI will benefit from new layouts, user-facing libraries for Contacts, Music, Photos and Applications and many other features that deliver a fresh user interaction: my attention was caught by the proposed removal of a number of prompts to the user, a redesigned control panel and the elimination of tunneling Options commands, which seems to be a great response to what the community has been asking for!

Nokia have clearly focused on providing a highly competitive UI framework proposal that will place the Symbian User Experience into the race with the Android, PalmOS and iPhone.

But, for me, the most positive of all that puts this proposal beyond competition is the open approach they are taking: by publicizing the concept proposal so early so that they get valuable community feedback to take into account for the final proposal, they are taking openness a step beyond just code-openness.

Source:http://blog.symbian.org/

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Amazon expands Kindle DTP platform worldwide

Amazon has made two important changes to its Digital Text Publishing platform today -

1. Authors and Publishers outside the US can now publish their books for the Kindle. Before this only US based authors could use the DTP platform.
2. English, German, and French language books can be published.

Amazon have also said that additional language options will be added to the Kindle DTP platform in future months.

Pieces of Amazon’s global Kindle strategy coming together

There have now been three important international kindle moves in the last 3 months -

1. Kindle 2 Global - Available in 173 countries, and now with WhisperNet in 100+ countries.
2. Kindle DX Global - Also available in the same countries.
3. Kindle DTP goes worldwide and supports French and German in addition to English.

Amazon is making it clear that -

1. They intend to sell Kindles and eBooks worldwide.
2. They intend to let people from all over the world publish to their platform.

We’re on the verge of the first Publishing paradigm in which there is no concept of territorial rights.

What’s next for Kindle DTP?


That’s a good question.

1. There are still a lot of languages left.
2. There are various features that could be added to the DTP website itself.
3. There must be other things that can be done to enrich the platform.

Kindle DTP is just going to keep growing. When Blogs were allowed in using Kindle Publishing for Blogs there was a deluge of Blogs.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a similar uptick in number of self-published titles now that we have two additional languages and the rest of the world’s authors and small publishers allowed in.

There are currently 408,963 books in the Kindle Store. Look for it to grow by 50,000 or more books over the next few weeks.

More At:http://ireaderreview.com/

Get Optimized Google Search Suggestions on Android and iPhone

Typing on cellphones is more difficult than it is on computers. While the computer keyboard offers us a place to rest our hands to type and keys large enough to easily press, in a cellphone the tiny keys often make typing rather time consuming.

Google has recognized this difficulty faced by mobile phone users and has now introduced a new feature to save our time while running Google Search on our cellphones.



When we type some characters in the search bar of Google, some suggestions automatically appear. These suggestions might seem random to the average user and might be useless. But at times the suggestion is exactly what we need and occasionally even better than what we about to originally search for.

Google has now improved their search suggestions for cellphone users by presenting search suggestions based on the current or recent location of the cellphone user. For instance, typing ‘muse’ in the search bar while a user is in Boston will present suggestions like “Museums in Boston.”

Source: http://techcityinc.com

Friday, January 15, 2010

BlackBerry Curve 8910 Phone To Be Launched Soon

BlackBerry Curve 8910 phone would be the next line-up with BlackBerry OS 5. This is certainly a refreshing change for the Blackberry users. Hopefully, this brand new set carries much prospect for the users.

This Blackberry handset is said to be the successor to the Curve 8900. The set sports a stylish look with new trackpad. And, the BlackBerry OS 5 would make it more interesting to play with.

Though, the exact look and features are yet to be released, but it is expected to be a CDMA version or like the Samsung Omnia HD i8910. However, nothing much is known about this Blackberry set.

Blackberry has also kept mum on the leaked news and most probably there are lots of surprises in the store for the users till it is unveiled. And, we can expect the fresh news in the coming days.

Source:http://www.india-server.com/

Apple intros new MobileMe app - Gallery

Apple has introduced a new MobileMe-related App for the iPhone and iPod touch, dubbed Gallery (App Store -Free).

This lets MobileMe users access their image galleries, including those that are password protected and also hidden albums, lets users view friends’ gallery photos and movies, access previously viewed photos offline, and share links to albums directly from the iPhone. It supports flick and pinch-to-zoom gestures though it requires a MobileMe account.

“You can create a new album or make changes to your gallery at me.com from virtually anywhere. Easily upload new photos, rearrange them, edit titles, and more. Your changes are instantly reflected in your gallery for friends to see. Have a Mac? You can upload photos directly from iPhoto ’09 or Aperture 2 with just a few clicks. And if you snap a picture on the road or capture video using your iPhone 3GS, you can post it directly to your gallery with a few taps,” Apple explains.



The company adds: “The free MobileMe Gallery app lets you view all the photos and movies published in your gallery with a tap. All your albums are beautifully displayed and easy to browse using simple pinch and flick gestures. If there's a photo you want to share, tap to email a link. The MobileMe Gallery app lets you enjoy friends' photos, too. Just add other MobileMe members to your Friends list and view their galleries as easily as you view your own.”

It is also possible to allow friends to contribute their photos using a browser or via email.

The Gallery app is free for MobileMe members and available now on the App Store in iTunes. MobileMe Gallery also works with Apple TV.

Source:http://www.9to5mac.com/gallery_mobileme

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Facebook Teams Up with McAFee to Offer Free Security Software

Facebook just announced that it has signed-up a year-long deal with McAfee to offer free download of its security software. That’s putting McAfee’s software available for download to 350 million people, although not all of them might be PC users.

The deal would allow Facebook members to download and use the security software for a free six-month subscription after which those who opt to continue using it can renew the subscription at a discounted cost. Again, thanks to Facebook’s deal.

And the reason why Facebook is doing this? To help its members protect themselves against security threats that could otherwise hamper them from using their computers which might include accessing Facebook.



It’s a nobel effort from Facebook. Although we could not discount the fact that it’s also a marketing ploy for McAfee and Facebook. Either way, there’s no harm in getting the free security software even if you can use it only for six months.

And in case you’re computer is already compromised even before you got the McAfee software, Facebook will detect it once you try accessing its site. It will then ask you to go through several processes which include running the McAfee virus scan procedure. Again, another one-of-a-kind service from the world’s no.1 social networking site.

To get the free McAfee security software, simply head over to the Protect Your PC tab on the McAfee Page on Facebook.

Source:http://www.dailybits.com/facebook-teams-up-with-mcafee-to-offer-free-security-software/

Apple App Store Has Lost $450 Million To Piracy

Apple and the companies that sell software for the iPhone and iPod touch at the App Store have lost over $450 million to piracy since the store opened in July 2008 according to an analysis by 24/7 Wall St. There have been over 3 billion applications downloaded since the App program began. Bernstein analyst, Toni Sacconaghi, estimated that between 13% and 21% of those downloads are from paid applications. According to this analysis, the average price of an application purchased at the App Store is $3. Sacconaghi estimated that Apple’s revenue from the App Store is between $60 million and $110 million per quarter. That amount has certainly increased since this research report was published because of the rapid growth of the number of applications.

However, behind all this success lies an insidious force that has plagued the music, software, and movie industry for decades. Developers of iPhone applications have reported alarming piracy rates for their software, and the ease with which users may obtain pirated versions of paid applications for free is only increasing. The total number of applications available at the store, including those which are free and those which require payment, is in excess of 100,000.

Anyone who is familiar with the iPhone is likely to know that these phones can be “jailbroken” or, to use the more common term “unlocked”. Jailbreaking an iPhone modifies the OEM Apple iPhone OS. This allows the user to circumvent the limitations put on the phone by Apple. Apart from the ability to modify the OS itself to allow for customizing of icons, backgrounds, functionality and processes, a jailbroken iPhone permits the installation of applications from sources other than the iTunes store. It is even possible to use an unlocked phone for access to carrier services other than AT&T and the Apple-assigned retailers outside the US. The great majority of iPhones sold in China are unlocked and Apple partner, China Unicom , have only begun to sell locked phones in the last three months

Most iPhone users have not jailbroken their phones. This is likely a result of the perception that this process is incredibly technical for many non-tech savvy owners. Others may fear that Apple might retaliate. No rabid Apple fanatic would risk being placed on a DO NOT SELL list! However, the technical barriers to jailbreaking an iPhone or iPod touch are rapidly decreasing. The original process required at least some programming ability. The most recent jailbreak software makes the process accessible to even most Luddites, so the number of jailbroken iPhones will only increase.

Read More At:http://247wallst.com

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

How to Buy Nexus One Google Phone, plans and price

If you have not bought yourself the Nexus One Google Phone yet then please read the quick guide on how to buy it below.

All you need to do is visit google.com/phone and then click the “Get your phone”, which will get the whole purchase process started. You can buy this smartphone without a service plan for $529 USD, you can also buy obtain this device with a T-Mobile US service plan at a discounted price, whatever one you choose both phones are unlocked.

You will have to sign into your Google Account and provide your credit card number/billing address/shipping address, and then you will need to use the Google Checkout to complete the purchase. If your existing Google Account is not associated with Checkout, you will also be asked to sign up for Google Checkout before completing your purchase.

Do you want the Google Nexus One with the T-Mobile service? If you do you will need to have this information to hand: Where you will use the phone, Your Social Security number, your existing mobile phone number (if porting your number from another mobile provider) and Your T-Mobile account number (existing T-Mobile customers only).

A little about the T-Mobile service plan: This plan is called “T-Mobile 500 Even More individual service plan” and features 500 Whenever Minutes, Unlimited T-Mobile to T-Mobile calling, Unlimited nights and weekends, Unlimited web access and Unlimited text. This plan will cost $79.99 per month.

Source:http://www.phonesreview.co.uk

Upload your files and access them anywhere with Google Docs

Over the next few weeks, we’re rolling out the ability to upload all file types to the cloud through Google Docs, giving you one place where you can upload and access your key files online. Because Google Docs now supports files up to 250 MB in size, which is larger than the attachment limit on most email applications, you’ll be able to backup large graphics files, RAW photos, ZIP archives and much more to the cloud. More importantly, instead of carrying a USB drive, you can now use Google Docs as a more convenient option for accessing your files on different computers.

This feature can also help you work with teams to organize and collaborate on information online. For example, an architect can share large schematic files with her construction firm, while a P.T.A. member can share large graphic files for posters with other members. You can even add these files to the same shared project folder your team has already been using to collaborate on documents and spreadsheets.

In addition to uploading any file into Google Docs, our Google Apps Premier Edition customers will be able to seamlessly upload many files at once and sync them with their desktop in real time using third party applications. You can read more about how the ability to upload any file will help businesses on theGoogle Enterprise blog.

This feature will be enabled for your account over the next couple of weeks — look for the bubble notification when you sign in to Google Docs. For more information, check out our post on the Google Docs blog.

Official Google Blog: Upload your files and access them anywhere with Google Docs

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Android 2.1 SDK Released

Today, we are releasing the SDK component for Android 2.1, so that developers can take advantage of the new features introduced in Android 2.1. Please read the Android 2.1 release notes for more details. You can download the Android 2.1 component through the SDK Manager.

In addition to the new SDK, a new USB driver that supports Nexus One is also available today through the SDK Manager. The USB driver page contains more information.

Android Developers Blog: Android 2.1 SDK

Yahoo Puts Shopping API on the Clearance Rack

It’s time to start shopping around for another API to search for deals, prices and reviews. That it, if you use the Yahoo Shopping API (our Yahoo Shopping API profile). On March 11 Yahoo’s service will be discontinued, replaced by a “strategic partnership” that will leave developers sniffing for deals elsewhere.

The Yahoo Shopping team, to its credit, posted the news to developers with plenty of notice:

    After careful consideration, we have decided to enter into a strategic partnership with PriceGrabber to power the Product Submit functionality of Yahoo! Shopping as of March 11, 2010. As a result of these changes, Yahoo! will no longer provide the Shopping Web Services API, including Shopping Results (the “Yahoo! Shopping Syndication Services”) to you as of March 11, 2010.


There is no way to even browse the API methods available to developers without contacting the PriceGrabber business development team. And, without a price listing, developers are left assuming the service is out of their price range. We have an email into the PriceGrabber team and will update if we hear back.


Source:
http://blog.programmableweb.com/2010/01/11/yahoo-puts-shopping-api-on-the-clearance-rack/

Monday, January 11, 2010

Nexus One Gets Android 2.1 Custom ROM


In just under a week of official release, Nexus One has already got custom cooked ROMs waiting to be flashed on the said handset. Paul over at the Modaco forums has released one of the first custom ROM for Nexus One which packs a custom kernel, and includes busybox, nano 2.09, parted and sqlite tools, Wireless Tethering option (Yay!), titanium backup and more.

This ROM already includes the tethering hack which was first available as a part of add-ons pack for Nexus One. To install this ROM, simply follow the step by step guide posted below. Make sure you make a backup first using Nandroid. We are not to be held responsible if you end up bricking your Google phone.

    Step 1: First up, you will have to unlock the bootloader, and then root your Nexus One for full file system access on Android 2.1. Follow the guide posted here to unlock the bootloader, and here to Root Nexus One if you haven’t already.

    Step 2: Download the patched recovery image from the source and install it.

    Step 3: Download the custom ROM from the source link and copy it to over to the SD card on the phone.

    Step 4: Enter the recovery image (if you’re not in it already) by powering on while pressing ‘Home’.

    Step 5: Select ‘Nandroid backup’ from the menu to do a backup.

    Step 6: If you copied the custom ROM as update.zip, select ‘apply sdcard:update.zip’, else select the option below.


Source:http://www.redmondpie.com/nexus-one-custom-rom-9140331/

Fast Flip in Google News

Google News homepage added a new section for Fast Flip, the innovative service from Google Labs that lets you quickly scan news articles. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you'll see a list of the most viewed articles and some articles about popular topics.

So far we've found that the speed and visual nature of the service encourages readers to look at many articles and, for the ones that catch their interest, click through to the story publishers' websites," explains the Google News blog.



Unlike Google News, which only shows a small snippet from the article, Fast Flip displays a screenshot that includes the first paragraphs of the article. That means Google needs to get permission from each news site before adding it to Fast Flip. If the experiment is successful and Fast Flip makes news articles more discoverable, it could replace Google News image view.

Source:http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2010/01/fast-flip-in-google-news.html

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Google Nexus One Review Round Up


Google certainly made a splash with their launch of the newest Android phone, the Google Nexus One. Google made the phone available for sale unlocked directly from them, at google.com/phone. Google explained their different approach to selling the phone on their own blog, saying that they “want to make the overall user experience simple: a simple purchasing process, simple service plans from operators, simple and worry-free delivery and start-up.”

Let’s have a look at what people are saying about the new Google Nexus One phone.

Google Nexus One: The TechCrunch Review

“It’s Google’s vision of the perfect Android device, from the huge and beautiful screen and massively fast Snapdragon processor to the software elegance of Google Navigation, Live Wallpaper and the Voice Keyboard. When combined with Google Voice there is no phone on the market today that can touch the Nexus One … the Nexus One has no obvious flaws or compromises. The phone is the state of the art in mobile”.

Engadget : Nexus One review

“This is precisely the right phone at the right time: class-leading processor, vibrant display, sexy shell, and just a sprinkling of geekiness that only Google could pull off this effortlessly.” However, (while) “it’s a good Android phone, but not the last word”. Engadget says that the Motorola Droid is probably the better phone.


Gizmodo : Nexus One Review

“The Nexus One is an over-hyped Android phone. But that doesn’t stop it from being the best Android phone”

Nexus One Blog : Nexus One Review
On a 3G network, there is no reason to stray to any other device … because of its hi-res display, speed, and it’s extremely attractive UI … it makes browsing the web a truly unique and visually stimulating experience.”

Android Central : Google Nexus One Hands On (Video)

Google Nexus One Specifications

Physical Dimensions:


* Height: 119mm
* Width: 59.8mm
* Depth: 11.5mm
* Weight: 130g with battery; 100g without battery

Storage:

* Flash: 512MB
* RAM: 512MB
* SD card: 4GB Micro SD card included (expandable to 32 GB)

Camera, photos, videos:


* 5 MP camera
* Mechanical autofocus
* 2x digital zoom
* LED flash
* Geotagging capable

Cellular & wireless:

* 3G T-Mobile and EDGE on AT&T
* Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n)
* Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
* A2DP stereo Bluetooth

Source : http://www.treotoday.net/2010/01/09/google-nexus-review/

Friday, January 08, 2010

Palm introduces 3D games for webOS phones

Palm’s announced that game titles from EA, Gameloft, Glu Mobile and Laminar are now available for the Palm Pre webOS platform via its Palm App Catalog.

“We are very excited about the potential of webOS as a platform for mobile 3D gaming,” said Katie Mitic, senior vice president of marketing. “This is a key application category, and we’ve worked closely with some of the leading game developers to deliver a great game experience for our customers.”

Seven 3D games were introduced today for Palm Pre at CES, which include: Need for Speed Undercover, The Sims 3, Monopoly, Asphalt 5: Elite Racing, Let’s Golf!, Glyder 2, and X-Plane along with the introduction of Tetris, Sudoku, Scrabble, Bran Challenge and The Oregon Trail.

“Recent improvements to Palm webOS represent major advancements in enabling world-class mobile gaming,” said Travis Boatman, VP for EA Mobile. “These innovations have allowed us to quickly bring our best IP to the platform.”

The Palm webOS Plug-in Development Kit, which extends the Palm webOS SDK with a set of tools, documentation and APIs will go into public Beta version in March.

The Palm App Catalog currently offers more than 1,000 webOS applications for download.

Source:http://www.vg247.com/2010/01/07/palm-introduces-3d-games-for-webos-phones/

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Apple’s App Store Downloads Top Three Billion

Apple® announced that more than three billion apps have been downloaded from its revolutionary App Store by iPhone® and iPod touch® users worldwide.

“Three billion applications downloaded in less than 18 months—this is like nothing we’ve ever seen before,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “The revolutionary App Store offers iPhone and iPod touch users an experience unlike anything else available on other mobile devices, and we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon.”

iPhone and iPod touch customers in 77 countries worldwide can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

Source:http://www.apple.com/

AT&T plans five Android devices from Dell, HTC and Motorola

AT&T today announced plans to launch five new devices from Dell, HTC and Motorola based on the Android platform. The company also announced a major initiative to expand the universe of mobile applications beyond smartphones to more mobile phones – and spur future app development for emerging consumer electronics devices, its U-verse TV platform, and enterprise and small business workplaces.



At the 4th annual AT&T Developer Summit in Las Vegas, executives outlined details including:

  • * New devices that will give customers the most robust choices of major operating systems (OS), including Android™, in the U.S.

  • * A goal to offer all major smartphone OS app stores.

  • * An agreement with Qualcomm to standardize apps development for mid-range Quick Messaging Devices using BREW Mobile Platform. These devices are used by millions of customers who historically have not had the same convenient access as smartphone customers to the market’s hottest apps.

  • * A new AT&T SDK (software developer kit) to help developers immediately begin to develop apps for these devices.

  • * A significantly enhanced developer program and new relationships with global carriers that are intended to make it easier for developers to distribute apps in markets outside the U.S.

  • * Future initiatives to enable developers to create more apps for AT&T’s U-verse TV, emerging consumer electronics devices, and businesses.

  • * A new AT&T Virtual Innovation Lab and two new Innovation Centers, which will help developers and spur apps development


More On:http://www.att.com/

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Sprint and Skiff To Unveil Speediest and Thinnest eReader at CES


2010 will definitely be a year to fancy some of the best and more improved e-book readers. Come CES and we’ll be head-on with a newly developed Skiff reader. Based on the service provider Sprint’s wireless service, the device measures only a quarter of an inch thick and is almost 11.5-inches diagonally. That’s a really big display for your content, which is displayed at 1,200 x 1,600 pixels resolution.

Featuring an e-ink-based touchscreen display with scroll wheel for easier navigation, the Skiff reader as in the words of Skiff President, Gil Fuchsberg, “is the speediest reader yet.”

Also being possibly the thinnest, the Skiff reader’s vitals include 4GB of internal memory extendable by SD card, a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB and Wi-Fi with optional 3G. There’s no word on what price the device would be marketed at, but Fuchsberg says “It will be competitively priced.” Does that ring bells in Amazon’s ear?

Source:http://www.impactlab.com/

Our new approach to buying a mobile phone

Android was developed with one simple idea: Open up mobile devices to enable greater innovation that will benefit users everywhere.

We first executed on this vision a little over a year ago, when we launched Android on one device with one operator in one country. Today, we have 20 devices with 59 operators in 48 countries and 19 languages. And because Android is free and open source, it continues to flourish. Android allows devices to be built faster, and at lower cost. And anyone can build anything on top of the platform. This ultimately benefits users.

To help adapt Android to the needs of consumers, we apply our engineering resources to selected projects with handset makers and operators. Together we have improved the rate and pace of innovation in mobile phones. The volume and variety of Android devices today has exceeded even our most optimistic expectations. And we believe we can accelerate the pace of innovation further. So we thought: What if we work even more closely with our partners to create devices which showcase some of the great software technology we've been working on? And what if we make those devices available for purchase through a new, simple online web store from Google?

Well, today we're pleased to announce a new way for consumers to purchase a mobile phone through a Google hosted web store. The goal of this new consumer channel is to provide an efficient way to connect Google's online users with selected Android devices. We also want to make the overall user experience simple: a simple purchasing process, simple service plans from operators, simple and worry-free delivery and start-up.

The first phone we'll be selling through this new web store is the Nexus One — a convergence point for mobile technology, apps and the Internet. Nexus One is an exemplar of what's possible on mobile devices through Android — when cool apps meet a fast, bright and connected computer that fits in your pocket. The Nexus One belongs in the emerging class of devices which we call "superphones." It's the first in what we expect to be a series of products which we will bring to market with our operator and hardware partners and sell through our online store.


Official Google Blog: Our new approach to buying a mobile phone

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Paid Applications Coming to webOS in Europe

Following the launch of the e-commerce program in the U.S., we are excited to announce that the European e-commerce program is planned to go live in March 2010. The e-commerce program has been tremendously successful in the U.S., with about 600 new paid apps available in just 2 months, and the extension to Europe gives developers a compelling new opportunity to distribute and monetize their apps. In Europe, Palm Pre is currently available in the UK, Ireland, Spain and Germany, providing excellent opportunities for developers to do business in multiple large markets.

The general app catalog model is not new, but what we’re doing with it is. The Palm developer program extends the unique web orientation of the Palm webOS platform, providing developers innovative opportunities to leverage the web as a promotional channel for applications. We offer greater freedom and choice of how to get your applications to market and unparalleled control to promote and grow your business.

For developers looking to make money, it’s all about speed, promotion, and reacting to customer feedback. Our platform gives you greater access to customers and faster cycle times to make higher-quality, compelling applications.

Read Palm Developer Network Blog For More

Monday, January 04, 2010

Google Chrome now third most popular browser

Google's Chrome browser has overtaken Apple's Safari browser to become the world's third most popular browser behind Firefox and Internet Explorer.

The feat, which has been achieved in just 16 months since its launch in 2008, comes as Microsoft's IE browsers continue to lose market share.



According to net measurement firm, Net Applications, Apple's Safari browser dropped into fourth place for the first time with 4.46% of usage compared to Chrome's 4.63%.

The uplift, no doubt thanks to the release of the Google created browser on the Mac and a big advertising campaign including on the search engines home page shows that Apple's Safari browser is still struggling to gain traction outside of the Mac Operating System.

The two browsers are still a long way off Mozilla's Firefox and Microsoft's IE offerings however.

Firefox sits currently at 24.6% while IE has fallen from an all time high of just over 90% to 62.7% with the company suggesting many defectors leaving in the last couple of months.

Opera Software's flagship browser also gained ground in December, and accounted for 2.4% of all browsers used in the month.

Source & Image:http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/30450/google-chrome-browser-third-popular

Saturday, January 02, 2010

How to Make SMART New Year Resolutions

What an amazing time to be alive! This year has been so full of changes, challenges and openings. This is the time when many make resolutions and set goals about their health, finances, careers, family and spiritual life. It is our wish that, whatever your resolutions or goals, that you will all enjoy the success to which you aim.

Everyone love the week between Christmas and New Year's. It is always a time when things slow down. One can reflect on the past year and look forward to the new year. And all of us enjoy the time with our families and reconnecting with what's really important. It is quintessential to do this planning after reaching a considerable milestone. Otherwise, you end up procrastinating your incomplete tasks in to the next year.

New Year's resolutions can provide a powerful catalyst for change if they are done right. The problem with most resolutions is that they are little more than aspirations or wishes.

In order to make your resolutions stick, you need to employ four strategies:

  1. Keep them few in number. Productivity studies show that you really can’t focus on more than 5-7 items at any one time. And don’t try to cheat by including sections with several resolutions under each section. This is a recipe for losing focus and accomplishing very little. Instead, focus on a handful of resolutions that you can almost repeat from memory. Mine fit on one 4″ x 6″ card.

  2. Make them "smart." Resolutions are really just annual goals. But like all goals, they should be s-m-a-r-t:
    • Specific—your goals just identify exactly what you want to accomplish in as much specificity as you can muster.

    • Measurable—as the old adage says, "you can’t manage what you can’t measure."
      Actionable—every resolution should start with a verb (e.g., "quit," "run," "finish," "eliminate," etc.)

    • Realistic—you have to be careful here. A good resolution should stretch you, but you have to add a dose of common sense.

    • Time-bound—every resolution needs a date associated with it. When do you plan to deliver on that resolution. It could be by year-end (December 31) or it could be more near-term (March 31).

  3. Write them down. This is critical. There is a huge power in writing your resolutions on paper even if you never develop an action plan or do anything else. Write It Down and Make It Happen.

  4. Go public. Tell your family and friends what you are committed to achieving. You can also post your resolutions on your blog. Going public creates accountability and leverage.

Chrome Netbook OS; Tablet PCs; LBS; Open Source

2010 will undoubtedly be a year of technology innovation. In 2009, Twitter revolutionized the way we get news, it brought us closer to those who were a part of the news, almost making traditional media irrelevant. We don’t know who (or what) will be the Twitter of 2010, but below are a few predictions for the coming year.

Google’s Chrome Netbook OS will be a hit- Their OS will mostly be dependent on a Google Account. A Google Account opens up their full Google Apps suite, which includes email, calendar, word processing, and MS Office like functions. Google’s renditions of their current OS have been well received by the “blogosphere” especially it’s ability to fit on a 1GB flash drive. An OS that small is perfect for Netbooks and tablet PCs. The smaller footprint also gives the user more capabilities. A key part of the Chrome OS will be the Chrome brower (my browser of choice) and one that is noted for its speed and security. Google rarely has missteps and I don’t foresee that Chrome OS will be one of them.

Tablet PCs will dethrone the Kindle and the Nook – Recently, Barnes and Noble stated that they expected to ship 60k Nook handsets this year. Amazon stated that the Kindle was the largest gift ever sold this holiday season. Both devices are great at one thing – reading e-books. But who will be satisfied with a $250 E-reader, when a full fledged tablet PC can be had for $300? Many tablets on their way are going to be “subsidized” devices with 3G services. They will be capable of reading B&N e-books, Amazon e-books, and .pdf/.txt/.doc documents. Tablet PCs can offer the reading package side by side with Web-browsing, video and music playback, and video output to HDTVs/Monitors, or even use it as a full fledge PC when docked.

There will be no great Smartphone leaps in 2010 – Smartphones (iPhone/BlackBerry/Android/Windows Mobile devices) are in a bit of a rut. As telecom providers are rushing to roll out 4G/LTE (long term evolution) networks, there is not too much a cellular phone can do in the future that it cannot now. In my mind, the most limiting factor for mobile phones is bandwidth. Already they can be hacked to provide Wireless Access Points, use Google Voice, and be tethered to provide your computer w/ access. We already have Multi-Touch, OLED, 5MP, and other capabilities. Improved touchscreen interactions, standardizing tethering and VoIP will all be nice, but these are merely hacks, not innovations.

By :Bob Gourley

Source: http://web2.sys-con.com/node/1233371

Palm App Catalog is About to Reach 1000 Apps

The Palm App Catalog had about 800 applications by mid-December, those of us using a webOS phone were pleased, but wanted more. So Palm is giving us more, so far we have reached 946 applications, my guess is that we might get to 1000 before the end of this year.

There are a lot of people, like small business owners, that would like to get more specialized apps on their Palm Pre or Pixi handsets. So let’s hope Palm is paying attention about that, so we can all get more apps. Now, not all the apps on the Catalog are for all the webOS devices, some of those apps work only on the Pre.



Also, the webOS users outside the US, don’t have access to all the 946 apps that we have, so it’s going to be a while before they can get as much apps as we have. But don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of useful apps in the Catalog already, as well as many free and paid games to get you by while waiting for the bus or subway. Thanks Palm developers, and please, keep them coming!

Source: http://mypre.com/palm-app-catalog-about-to-reach-1000-apps-2009314121/