After much hype the curtain on the 55 inch OLED TV by LG the LGEM9600 was finally lifted at the 2012 CES in Las Vegas in January. Sleek, smart, stylish and skinny, LG EM9600 is a winner already. Currently it is the largest OLED TV in the world and also the best as the LG EM9600 was declared the “best product of the year 2012”.LG EM9600 is not just a 3D TV, it is an OLED TV meaning that LG has finally got rid of the shortcomings of both plasma and LCD TV. Though OLED technology is not new as it was already being used in the displays of smartphones and monitors and small screen TVs it has only recently been incorporated in large screen TVs. The LG EM9600 will be available for sale in the second half of 2012.

What is OLED?

OLED or Organic Light Emitting Diode as the name implies comprises of organic (carbon) compounds and give off light when electricity is passed through them. OLED has an edge over the LCDs as unlike LCD display; they do not need LED backlights and offer great off axis viewing angles. Similarly the OLED is more power efficient making it better than the plasma display. A perfect picture is not the only advantage of the flat panel OLED TV, its other benefits include fast response rate, infinite contrast (the contrast ratio is 1 billion to 1), wider viewing angle, immersing blacks and vibrant lively colors. Another advantage of the OLED is that the displays can be made extra thin; a fact evident from the 4 mm depth size and the super thin bezel of the LG EM9600 TV.

Vivid Colors

The exceptional colors and the wide range of hues of the EM9600 would put an artist’s palette to shame and are due to the 4 color pixel and the color refiner. The four color pixel includes the fourth color white along with the traditional blue, red and green. The result is a more colorful and wider palette visible to the human eye. The color refiner has been added for improving and refining the shades and tones. Color refiner also ensures color consistency when the screen is viewed off axis. The 1080 p resolution performs the rest of the magic in recreating brilliant true to life colors on the screen.

Passive 3D

LG has retained its passive 3D technology in the new EM9600. This type of 3D requires the use of polarized glasses when watching 3D content. However the glasses are relatively inexpensive and lighter and do not require batteries or synchronization or charging as compared to their active shutter counter parts.

The LG EM9600 is a complete package as it includes Smart TV connectivity, a built in mic and the Magic Motion remote which operates in four modes.

Drawbacks of OLED TV

It is quite costly to manufacture OLED panels and so price is the biggest drawback of the OLED TV. The price of LG EM9600 is stated to be US $8,000 but the manufacturers are hinting that the price is most likely to slash down to half ($ 4,000) by the end of 2013.

Conclusion

Referring to it as the technology of the future, LG unveild its 55 inch OLED TV the LG EM9600 on 6^th January 2012 in Las Vegas. Winning the best product of the CES 2012 title the LG EM9600 is all set to revolutionize home TV viewing. This super thin TV can be adjusted in narrow places and is stunning enough to compliment any décor. The best feature of the EM 9600 is its true to life image quality together with an array of amazing colors and a wide viewing angle. This super thin and super cool state of the art TV comes with a super expensive price tag and will be available in the market by September 2012. However LG promises to cut down the price by fifty percent by the end of 2013.

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Apple has embarked finally with the iPhone 4S- the latest iPhone. Though this hottest device might disappoint its fan since it doesn’t carry the aura of mythical iPhone 5, however, it comes with great sophistication and innovation which is going to surprise people all across the world.

Even the current users of iPhone 4 would be lured to upgrade to this new device. The following are the four important reasons to upgrade from any device or iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S, let’s try to find what makes it different from the previous version:

The Siri responds in whatever you demand

Do you feel like having any helping hand or assistant reading out your text messages or weather forecast, gets for you a list of good food joint near your place, sets your alarm, tell you the time in any foreign language, checks your schedule and appointments and anything you would require to have. And if you want this to happen in your life, these all things are made possible with Siri, a personal assistant which comes in iPhone 4S. You can seek any help from this assistant as said above as it remains your handy helper for anything posed at any now and then. Siri is capable of understanding your needs and its context in a right way and hence respond in the same fashion as you expect from your assistant.

The camera competent in all point and shoots

Apple is known to claim using the best cameras in its iPhone devices. However, at this point of time the hype which we hear about the camera used in iPhone 4S seems to be coming true. The device promises a camera having 8 megapixel sensor, an enlarged aperture, new fifth lens, face detection with low motion blur which means that it is capable of handling the specs of point and shoot. Besides, the camera also permits you for some of the basic photo editing requirements, wherein you can crop and rotate the image, enhance the photo automatically and even remove the red eye. Furthermore, the iPhone 4S is equally competent in video shooting as well, wherein it shoots the HD video with 1080p.

iPhone 4S comes with more power

The device has the A5 chip which is the same dual core chip used in the iPad 2. This means that it is capable of carrying the workload with efficiency and power. So whatever you do, you get things in pace, for instance web pages can load much faster or with double speed. The applications runs fast and smooth, data which you will download gets fast with a speed of 14.4 Mbps and graphics has amazing speed. With such speed the battery has nothing to compromise in its life, you will find a nonstop eight hours talk time or 14 hours for the 2G, and while in 3G browsing you will get a six hour life and lastly with WiFi the browsing time comes to nine hours.

All time compatible phone

You don’t have to worry whether you use a GSM or CDMA, since the phone is competent in handling both. So wherever you travel in the world, you do not have to worry about these constraints. An excellent choice for business class people who travel abroad on a frequent basis for their business needs. With this competence, the iPhone 4S can move around on a GSM networks in about 200 countries making an ideal choice for business community people. Now you do not have to worry about your carrier, anyone is compatible over this new device.

Final Word

Certainly with these above four factors as discussed above in the article you have enough reason to upgrade to the latest device of Apple – the iPhone 4S. So with double power, great camera of 8 Megapixels and feature like the Siri, no one can afford losing this device for sure. So have it and enjoy the incredible things which comes in built in this latest device of Apple.

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“Computers have a lot of memory but no imagination in itself as the fantasy part is taken over by PC Games”.

Talk to any dedicated gamer and you will realize what it means. True, gamers have a world of their own. You may call them addicts, you may call them freaks or you may call it madness. However, one cannot deny the fact that most of these computer games have dominated the world of entertainment for kids and adults in the past 15 years.

Here, let us review some of the most expected PC games scheduled for release in 2012-

Half life 2 Episode 3

Half life 2 Episode 3 tops the list of the most anticipated computer games of 2012. The Half-Life series of video games are science fictions that have an alternate history. This one is the third and final instalment in the series of episodes with Half-Life 2 being the former version.

Developed by Valve Corporation, the series of games released so far were massive hits and the speculations revolving around the upcoming series is equally hot. It is extremely hard to silence or even turn a blind eye towards these rumours on the upcoming game, thanks to the success of the past episodes.

And of course, as gamers we have the right to expect and dream for more. So keep your fingers crossed as you may be playing the game of your life.

Diablo 3

Diablo 3 is yet another much awaited game that features dark fantasy and horror themed action role-play. Developed by Blizzard and his team, Diablo 3 makes its third edition debut by early 2012. The game was first announced in June 28, 2008 and very few know that it was a fantastic mix of thrill, horror, miseries, excitement and full of entertainment. It is a perfect blend of action and adventure with music and sound effects complimenting the game’s thrill.

The Diablo 3 is expected to have a feel that is similar or better to that of the earlier games in the series with innovative slots for armour and weaponry. As a game lover, you may expect a treat for your new year.

StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm

Another action-packed game is on the way-

StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm. The theme of the event is a military science fiction nature and real-time strategy. The game spans approximately twenty missions and is more likely to be released by April 2012.

With different characters casting different powers, the game calls for a lot of intelligence and swift actions, making it more thrilling. With a strong story line up that is revolving around the game, every scene or action here has a meaningful touch to it.

For those who have played the earlier series of the game, this version promises to be a convincing update with even better improvisations.

Battle field 3

Battle Field 3 game is purely a depiction of the 21st century action cinema. It is a catastrophic event of destruction and gunfire in the remotely located cityscapes around the world. The Modern Warfare 3 is the most recent among the long range of first-person shooters. This game is also more likely to make a lot of money than any other blockbuster movie-based games. The Cold War – Call of Duty, an earlier version of the game last year, became the biggest selling American game ever.

The series of games have been based on bomb blasts and bullets and the upcoming game is also expected to be a huge paean in the art of computer generated destructions.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Launched as early as 2000, the very first version of Deus Ex is still considered to be one of the greatest games of all times by many gaming extremists and experts. The changes brought about in this game’s revolution saw huge changes starting from a collection of first-person shooters to an array of choices and customizations to create one’s own game-play styles and weapons.

The toughness of the game and its difficulty level can at times test your will power. Human Revolution is a worthy update to the original game and is definitely one that will stay long in your mind.

BioShock: Infinite

An expected first person shooting game, BioShock Infinite is the third game in the BioShock series. It is developed by Irrational Games and is slated for a 2012 release. It will be compatible with the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Interestingly, this game shows no imitation of its earlier version as it is equipped with different settings of the earlier age.

As the waiting time gets lesser and lesser, speculations and expectations on the game became more and more. Die-hard-fans of the game would have a short wait for a long-time gaming pleasure. With early reviews of the game promising a lot, the game is almost certain to be a huge hit.

Saints Row 3

Saints Row 3, developed by Volition Inc. is a sandbox styled action-packed adventurous game. The game may be released late this year or early next year. It will be compatible with Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. The game will be the third title in the series after the launch of the Saints Row 2 in 2008. In the previous series of the games, the player controls the head of the Third Street Saints. The whole theme revolves around the gang war between the rival criminal group called the Syndicate and the Saints.

BioShock Infinite is arguably one of the best story-based video games in the last 10 years. As always and as in the case of most of the games, Saints Row 3 would be easier to play on knowing the theme, the story behind the theme and the best way to play them.

As all of the above games are a big hit in the past, there is hardly any doubt about their success in the future. Either way, it’s going to be a breathtaking year for the gamers around. As former player and American Football coach, Jim Coule quotes, “Love is all fun and games until someone loses an eye or gets pregnant“.

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Television watchers have a new way to enjoy their favourite shows, which is Internet protocol television, or IPTV for short. Essentially, IPTV is any service which plays television shows as streaming video files through an Internet connection. Some IPTV services work as applications that you must download and install. However, there are many services that will allow you to enjoy online streaming television by simply visiting a web site. Some IPTV services include BT Vision and Virgin Media, though even popular video-on-demand sites like Netflix and Hulu fit into the category.

The best part about IPTV services is that users can decide what TV shows they want to watch and when they want to watch them, while traditional TV broadcasts are stuck to a rigid schedule that may not fit into the busy lives of their target audiences.

As any broadband expert can tell you, a large percentage of the world’s Internet traffic is currently being devoted to watching streaming videos through IPTV services. During the early days of IPTV, users would have to access these services through their computer. Video could be transferred to a television by connecting the computer with an HDMI cable, but these cables are very costly and not very convenient for desktop computer users.

However, the advent of web-enabled televisions has allowed IPTV users to conveniently watch the service right in their living room, providing stiff competition to traditional over-the-air and cable TV broadcasts. Some television manufacturers that have begun to embrace the growing IPTV trend include Samsung, Philips, LG, Sony, Vizio, Panasonic and Toshiba. Unfortunately, users who want to watch IPTV from a web-enabled TV will also be limited to specific services chosen by the manufacturer. Users who watch IPTV from their desktop or laptop computer will not face such limitations.

Another highlight of IPTV is that the growing popularity of these services are allowing companies to produce TV shows specifically for Internet audiences. Netflix and Hulu have both already began producing their own original content. For example, Netflix recent outbid major cable networks, including HBO and AMC, for the rights for the show “House of Cards,” which is set to star Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey.

It is worth noting that IPTV services will also require a significant amount of Internet bandwidth to work properly. Currently, it requires a broadband connection with a download rate between 500 to 1,500 kilobytes per second to access a standard definition video stream over an IPTV network. To watch a high definition stream, connection speeds must be over 3,500 kilobytes for second. But it does not take a broadband expert to realize that most broadband Internet connections will have no trouble handling at least a standard definition video stream.

Overall, IPTV is a great way to enjoy TV without the restrictions placed by normal TV broadcast methods. The technology is still being developed and quality is being improved with each upgrade. In fact, IPTV may soon become the standard for TV watchers around the world.

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In a world where cell phones are becoming more and more technologically advanced, the Android and iPhones are two of the most popular cell phones on the market. There are many things to consider when deciding if an Android or an iPhone will best suit your needs.

While there are many applications for both kinds of phones, the iPhone blows the Android out of the market in terms of available apps.  iPhone offers more than 230,000 apps, compared to about 70,000 available for the Android. Many preloaded apps on the Android have been found to cause problems for users. It has gotten so bad that Motorola’s support forums contain a petition from Android users to have those preloaded apps removed from all new Android phones. One of the biggest complaints Android users have is that the phones are loaded with bugs that cause some users to have problems with their phone every day.

Android users have also reported problems viewing pictures on their phone. Oftentimes, trying to view pictures taken by the Android or imported to it results in an error message. Users report the only way to solve the problem is to restart the application or reboot the entire phone. Watching videos on the Android has also been an issue for many users. Some common problems reported when trying to watch a video on an Android are the picture is choppy and the audio is not in sync with the video.

iPhones have more internal memory than the Android does. When it comes to external memory, the Android is the winner. However, for many people, the internal memory of the iPhone is enough to suit their needs.

Both the Android and the iPhone offer SIM only deals. These deals will save users money on their monthly cell phone bill, making phone calls, text messaging and mobile Internet cheaper than they would be if the user did not have the SIM only deal. For iPhone users these deals are customised for anyone who is not currently under contract with them to receive cell phone service. iPhone users receive cheaper service through SIM only contracts because the offers meet the user’s needs. These users are generally most interested in downloading apps and surfing the Internet on their phone. iPhone users who receive a SIM only deal are not being charged for the phone itself or their daily use of it.

The SIM only deal for Android works pretty much the same as the deal for the iPhone. SIM only deals are beneficial to anyone looking to save money on their cell phone bill. SIM only deals for both phones are growing in popularity with today’s cell phone users.

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One of the most difficult aspects of professional blogging is remaining on task and focused on your work. As a freelance blogger, you tend to work from home and on your own schedule. While this is one of the major ploys for making a living as a blogger, it can also be the downfall for the easily distracted. Much of successful and therefore profitable blogging is about self-discipline and motivation. However, when the heart of your work relies on the use of the internet and a computer, it can be fairly easy to be under focused and highly distracted. As writers, we need quite, calm, and minimal platforms that are inspiring and motivating in which we work. Using a busy and complicated platform to produce our work can be frustrating and time wasting.

So many individuals enter the world of professional or hobby blogging thinking they can succeed with only their computer and mouse. While this is true to an extent, it can become difficult to stay on task and productive after a long period of time using distracting tools. Blogging is a difficult task to perform truly successfully. For this reason, blogging hopefuls should utilize every helpful tool they have available to them. Try one of these three blogging applications aimed to help bloggers stay focused on their writing process without too many distracting bells and whistles.

QuietWrite

QuiteWrite is a free web app that allows users to have a full screen writing experience. Easily eliminating any distracting buttons, backgrounds, colors, and more, QuietWrite enables writers and bloggers to fully focus on their writing without having to worry about setting templates, using formatting, and styling text. This application is one of the more minimal writing platforms available and comes at the right price free. You can access QuiteWrite as an online workspace or download it for regular use. If you find that you become easily distracted with other elements of your computer or you are wasting your time trying to carefully format your writing before you actually finish writing it, QuietWrite helps de-clutter your writing experience.

Ommwriter

Available only for Macs, Ommwriter is one of the strongest writing platform tools available. Focusing not only on distraction-less writing, Ommwriter also seeks to calm and relax you as you work. With several different fonts, sizes, colors, and backgrounds, Ommwriter allows each individual to personalize their workspace while still keeping it minimal. So, if staring at a completely blank screen is a daunting task, try personalizing your space with Ommwriter. With a consistent and soothing typing sound, Ommwriter enables bloggers to create a rhythm with their typing and become immersed in the flow of their work. You can also choose to play music gently in the background as you work. This app is perfect for the individual who seeks some sort of inspiration and interest in their work station, but still wishes for a clean and uncluttered space.

Pages App

Every individual has a different preference for their writing environment. While some may prefer the soothing and inspiring environment that Ommwriter offers, others may find the sounds, colors, and fonts too distracting to be worthwhile. For the individual that truly wishes for a blank slate, the Pages App is for you. This application provides a full screen experience, where the background of your computer is black and the page you are writing on is white. There are no buttons, font choices, colors, or sounds. This application cuts out all distraction and leaves the writer to just his mind and his page.

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By now, just about everybody knows that using social plugins from Facebook and allowing Opengraph lets your data be mined and used.

On the one hand we have to accept that Facebook is a public platform and that privacy is a very subjective term. On the other hand, some people feel there are limits to everything – including the regular changes in Facebook’s privacy policy.

On a positive note:

• By being able to study your behavior, likes and dislikes advertisers are able to provide more targeted adverts – which are more likely to be something you may want. Your history is taken into account in order to provide less irrelevant ads. Quite the contrary in fact – you are likely to be served with tailored offers based on your unique behavior.
• The fact that the information is shared, allows you to see what your friends are interested in. To many people, this could be important – especially for someone who wants to buy an item, but has no clue about making a good choice, and needs to rely on the judgment of others.
• If you have already decided you like a product or company, you would probably welcome the benefits brought about by the targeted applications.

On the negative side:

• Knowing that your data is going to be used and possibly abused could create a psychological barrier. As human beings, we tend to be selective about what we share with whom. As such, knowing the potential consequences of allowing any application is likely to be a deterrent for many folks.
• Wherever any private information is being collected, there is always the possibility of abuse. Your information could be sold by unscrupulous companies – and you have no control over that. You may sign up for something which is taken over by another company with different views. Additionally, it is possible that you can be sent excessive information – it happened with email, and Facebook is just another medium open to abuse.
• Living in a bubble – while it might be nice to only see things you are interested in, could also cut you off from being exposed to new things that may be of interest to you. If your activities on Facebook do not include all your interests, you will undoubtedly not be served with ads relating to all of your interests.
• For some, the lack of privacy may really become an issue – not everybody wants everybody to know what they just bought or did (at least not all of the time).

How these will affect you is likely to be a matter of personal preference. For some it may be a problem, and for some it won’t. As the average user becomes better informed however, we may just very well see a reduction in the numbers of people allowing Opengraph.

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Our exposure to technology has not been incremental. We interact with it on an increasingly personal level and it seemed, that with the invention of the computer and Internet, things would only get faster, not stranger. We can now surf the web from practically any point on the globe and stay connected with anyone, anywhere. We can do everything from a little reverse phone lookup to compiling terabytes of data in an instant. Changes in the field of technology have been quick and noticeable as well as exceedingly smaller. It appears that this trend will continue and, in order to notice the changes to our technology in the coming years, one will require the assistance of a microscope to see it.

Nanotechnolgoy is likely to be a benchmark of our collective future. If you’re not familiar with nanotechnology it is, in essence, the science of very small things. Usually smaller than a hundred nanometers, which is really small. A hundred nanometers is the about the equivalent to a thousand atoms across. It appears that bigger isn’t always better and scientists are still trying to understand how pervasive this front in tech development will be. Nanotechnology is a very new science but once it starts to be applied it will evolve fast and will likely affect every aspect of our lives. Whether it is the medial field, to science research, to computers and cars, a new world is about to break through and many people don’t even realize it.

The process behind it is actually simple. It works on the premise that carbon is one of the most versatile particles in the universe. When you get small and take them down to the atomic level, very interesting things start to happen. If you take atomic carbon particles and arrange them in different ways, you get extremely different outcomes. Arranging carbon one way will give you diamonds. Another will give you graphite. The possibilities are limitless and through the use of nanotechnology we’ll, soon be able to alter the atomic ordering of things. In essence, reshaping the very foundation of creation.

It seems that the application process is starting small with a simple battery approach. Apple is currently devising a way to introduce nanotechnology into its power source for future iPhones. Apple hopes to completely get rid of the need to replace batteries. It works by taking the granules inside a battery that are a nanometer in scale, and use nanotechnology to recharge your battery using nothing more than kinetic energy. Scientists also hope to make a battery charge faster and last longer, if not indefinitely. You might even be able to charge your iPhone with as little as the heat/vibrations that comes from the users heartbeat.

This isn’t just for phones and will likely replace older computer systems in a mater of a decade or so. The silicon transistors in your computer will probably be replaced by carbon nanotubes. They will likely power, run, and process your computer and it’s information on a microscopic scale. Eventually everything’s just going to get smaller and smaller and rarely ever need to be recharged.

Eventually, scientists are hoping to develop a way to make nanotechnology self-replicating. This means that, in essence, this would create a self-sustaining mechanism built around cloning itself over and over again towards achieving a specific task. This is likely to be used to great success in diagnosing and operating on patents in the future and will probably extend our life spans by several years if not decades. This isn’t to mention how different the world is likely to look in the next 20 years.

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A personal information manager ( PIM) is a type of application software that functions as a personal organizer. As an information management tool, a PIM tool’s purpose is to facilitate the recording, tracking, and management of certain types of “personal information”.

Golden Rules Organizer

If you need a ell-structured personal organizer and goal system, then look at this program . It sSupports three planning levels: mission & values, projects, recurring and one-time activities. What else? It includes a planner facility, and provides diary, time tracking, contact list, hierarchical notes/bookmarks on any subject.  If you have data, it can be extracted to spreadsheets, printed, reported, exported/imported. And for those that worry about losing information, it provides backup and recovery facilities. This program is designed for professionals, yet suitable for novices.

GoldenRule Organizer

[Download Link]

Typhoeus Stickies

One way to organize you personal information is with a set of sticky notes. That’s what Typhoeus Stickies does for you. It is an application designed to run by its icon on your taskbar, in seconds you can create or edit rich text notes utilizing colour, formatting or images. You can create lists or just create beautiful documents.  It  allows more than just the creation of useful stickies, you can organize your views, however you want, and store little pieces of information or fully fledged documents.

[Download Link]

myPortablePIM

Desktop calendar with many functions.Day’s event,tasks with alarm,GMail checker,image viewer,notes,feed RSS,launcher,password manager,image viewer,weather and address book. This program is designed to be portable; it can be used from a USB stick to always have your data with you. There is no installation. Just unzip the downloaded package and you’re ready: no key and no log file written by myPortablePIM outside of it’s installation folder.

[Download Link]

Summary

We’ve looked at three personal information managers that give you different ways of organizing you personal index book.  The one with the highest user rating is myPortablePIM; but the others may be more functional for your needs.

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Here are a group of programming tools that you may want to put in your development library.

Start with a SQL development analysis program.

MSSQL.SchemaDiff

Developing databases is an intriquite job. Especially if you are taxed with trying to compare databases. But this is where MSSQL. SchemaDiff can help. You can use MSSQL Schema Diff to compare database schemas.  Start with the schema’s because that is where you will see the organizational structure of the databases. So this program quickly locates  structural differences between two SQL Server databases.  When the operation is complete, the results are displayed with MSSQL objects in a familiar SQL Management Studio tree layout with property comparisons in a matching data grid. What is more, you get intuitive icons and color codes, which make it easy to spot differences.  Filter buttons then make it easy to narrow down just what is different or missing from one or the other database.  To put this in context try this simply select two MSSQL databases, click Compare, then browse the  differences.

Screen_Database Selection

[Download Link]

Game Develop

Now a different programming tools set is on game development.  So if you want to try your hand at game development here is a gaming develop program that you can use to start programming in that environment. Game Develop, the free game development software, allowing to create any kind of 2D game. Easy to learn and to use, powerful, with help file and examples included. The creation under Game Develop is entirely visual : Creation of objects, image insertion, objects positioning. The user interface allows you to preview your game and test it inside the editor, by simply clicking on a single button.  No line of code has to be written, Game Develop uses indeed a event system based on conditions, which have to been filled so as to execute actions. As for examples of programs developed by Game Develop see this link.

[Download Link]

Install Simple

Finally, after you have developed your application, you need to create an installation package. With Install Simple you can create installation package easily and quickly. You can give the steps for the installation, system requirements,  you can also provide the name and description of your software.

[Download Link]

These three programs, one for database, one for gaming, and one for the installation process can give you good insight about the different aspects of programming development or analysis.

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Didn’t Peter Crouch play like a robot last night? Stick to dancing Peter.

Tonight we see the two remaining English teams meeting in the champions league quarter finals, and I feel Chelsea V Man Utd is going to be a classic.  I’m tempted to put money on Torres scoring his first goal for Chelsea.

If you want to watch tonight’s match on your PC for free, then follow this guide to Sopcast and you’ll be watching tonight’s quarter final within minutes.   The guide can also be used to setup Sopcast to  watch matches from other tournaments, even those that are not being broadcast live in your country.  This includes tonight’s other game featuring Barcelona V Shakhtar Donetsk.

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The time has come for another major challenge for my team Spurs, when we face the mighty Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter finals.

If you’re not lucky enough to be able to watch the game on TV then you can watch the Real Madrid V Tottenham Champions League quarter final match for free by following this guide within minutes using Sopcast.  The guide can also be used to watch tonight’s other game featuring Inter Milan V Schalke 04, and tomorrow’s games:

• Barcelona V Shakhtar Donetsk
• Chelsea V Man Utd

I think we might just nip this one, as so far we’ve shown no fear in matches.  I’ve got the place to myself, so there’ll be no interruptions from my wife or daughter.  Let’s hope that tottenham’s defence can shackle Ronaldo and Co, letting Gareth Bale and Van der Vaart to do their damage at the other end.

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Researchers do an awful lot of work and it’s thanks to them that we have most of the major advancements in technology, medicine and many other aspects of our daily lives. But I must congratulate the researchers at physorg.com who went and took on one of the biggest challenges. To calculate just how much information there is in the world!

Why don’t you go and take a wild/educated guess first yourself as to how much you think there is? A couple of million gigabytes? Billion or two? Well according to these guys there’s an incredible 295 Exabytes of data out there. That’s 316 753 838 080 gigabytes! They got that figure by looking at both digital memory and analog devices.

Still trying to wrap your head around that figure? Well I’ve got a few more for you. To put that immense number into perspective, the researchers contrasted it with things we can relate to.

Put another way, if a single star is a bit of information, that’s a whole galaxy of information for every person in the world. Which is 315 times the number of grains of sand in the world. Think that’s alot? Well it’s still less than one percent of the information that is stored in all the DNA molecules of a human being.

The researchers took 2002 as the beginning of the digital age since it was the first year worldwide digital storage capacity overtook total analog capacity. As of 2007, almost 94 percent of our memory is in digital form.

In 2007 alone, humankind managed to successfully send 1.9 zettabytes of information through broadcast technology like  televisions, satellites and GPS. That’s equivalent to every person in the world reading 174 newspapers every day.

On two-way communications technology, such as cell phones, humankind shared 65 exabytes of information through telecommunications in 2007, that’s the equivalent of every person in the world sharing the contents of six newspapers with each other every day.

In 2007, all the general-purpose computers in the world computed 6.4 x 10^18 instructions per second, that’s roughly the same number of nerve impulses executed by a single human brain. Doing these instructions by hand would take 2,200 times the period since the Big Bang.

From 1986 to 2007, the period of time examined in the study, worldwide computing capacity grew 58 percent a year, ten times faster than the United States’ GDP.

I think you will agree that these numbers are pretty phenomenal but they are nothing compared with the amount of information that is present in nature. As you can see from some of the above stats, humans still far over achieve the computing abilities of technology. However the level of information in technology is constantly growing, while it’s remained fairly constant in nature.

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Control is the name of the game; control of your home, your environment, like the thermostat, the heating and cooling, and lighting. As electronics goes green, here is a company Control 4 that is offering hardware and software solutions to make that control, realistic and affordable.

But now, Cisco, the routing and switching company, has made an arrangement with Control4 to help provide some technology and marketing assistance to make the control more universal.

Cisco will sell Control4 products, such as the home energy management dashboard, under the Cisco brand. Control 4 software is like an operating system for connected devices in a home, including consumer electronics, home appliances, lights, and thermostats. For Control4, having access to Cisco’s sales force and relationships with cities and utilities will accelerate the move to the connected home and home automation.

The devices on high-end home media systems use Control4′s software and touch-screen controllers to stream video and audio to different rooms. This is part of the home energy management system, which in turn is part of a smart-grid program. It is a small dashboard device tied to a utility meter.

How does this work for Cisco? Cisco intends to tie Control4′s software to its consumer products, such as its home networking gear, consumer videoconferencing, and voice over IP phones.

The Cisco Move

This move for Cisco may be one where they are trying to move in a new direction, not away from their traditional one, but looking at new avenues to use their technology. Since energy control and efficiency are beginning to be part of the social fabric, it would make sense for a company with the technology wherewithal to get involved. So for Cisco, the goal is to have a full suite of products when selling home automation to utilities. It also ties into Cisco’s “smart and connected communities” strategy for urban development through which  cities invest in a modern technology infrastructure, including connected devices and broadband access.

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LiveStand

Since the Internet took off, many publishers, newspapers, magazines, and network news organizations have seen their numbers decline. You can get news anytime, from anywhere. So Yahoo announced LiveStand as a way to help some publishers.

Specifically, it is a way for magazines to inject some new content into their magazines. The platform isn’t ready for distribution yet, but Yahoo is looking at helping content providers and advertisers to begin placing their content on Yahoo’s home page or within the Yahoo email inbox.

The idea behind LiveStand is about personalization. One potential magazine client that they are looking at helping is the one that has a niche product, like cooking, or workouts, or tattoos, football junkies. Because the publication has a focus in one area, potential consumers might not feel ready to use the product.

By using LiveStand,  the publisher would be able to put new and differentiated content onto the site, enough to garner the attention of potential customers and bring them to the regular magazine. For publishers, they wouldn’t be doing this on their own. So, their initial cost would be less than starting up their own website.

Here is how Yahoo sees the effect on publishers:

• “Transforms one-size fits-all approach into a highly personalized experience.
• Drive increased engagement with dynamically personalized content.
• Develop your publication once and easily deploy it on the most popular tablet devices.
• Amplify your distribution by accessing Yahoo’s massive audience as they adopt tablets.”

Here is how Yahoo sees the benefits for advertisers:

• “Engage your audience within a highly personalized digital newsstand.
• Create personalized brand experiences with ads that adapt and respond to user interaction.
• Combine the interactivity of a tablet with a brand building, TV-like, ad experience.
• Bring fun and excitement with tactile Magazine-style ad formats.
• Access Yahoo’s massive audience as they adopt tablets.”

That is the future; for now, most of the content is Yahoo based. But that is sure to change if this model takes off. It could help publishers, advertisers, but most importantly Yahoo, which seems to be in the doldrums lately with not showing any new products or features.

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Google yesterday showed off its forthcoming Android (Honeycomb) OS for tablets.  It’s been specifically designed with the larger screens on tablets in mind and the advantages are clear and obvious.

There are better widgets that allow you to see your email or calendar properly along with other things such as the weather.  Google are also taking advantage of the larger screen sizes available to offer better multi-tasking.  Gizmodo are reporting that the tablet version of the OS also provides better notification reporting.  To help with this Google are including a new set of APIs which can include sounds, icons, music controls and… frankly… everything that Microsoft have worked hard to hide from users in Windows 7.

The OS will allow for split panel applications which will be a boon to email in particular and the OS includes new 3D rendering frameworks which will allow better gaming and coverflow-style displays.

This is all backed up by a new and improved web store for apps.  The current store in Android has been heavily criticised for its usability.

It’s excellent that Android has been updated for tablets as, while currently it’s significantly better than Windows 7 in the devices, it has still been criticised by reviewers and users alike.

Overall, this new version of Android seems to address many of the criticisms of earlier versions, and demonstrates that Google is indeed listening to its customers and acting quickly to resolve issues.  This could help ease the OS ahead of the iPad on tablets and keep it in the top spot for many tears to come.

There’s no word yet on when Honeycomb will be available and whether existing tablets, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, will get an update.  We’ll keep you informed on the progress of this new tablet OS.

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It looks like the end is near for the humble paperback book, the digital e-book has taken over Amazon.com, the worlds leading retailer.

After Amazon reported its latest earnings, they said they were selling more Kindle books than paperback books. However the gap isn’t huge, but it’s a significant milestone for the e-book. Since January 1, for every 100 paperbacks that were sold on Amazon, 115 Kindle books were. To add Amazon said that since the beginning of the year, they’ve sold 3 times as many e-books for the Kindle than they have hardcover books.

This information is from across the entire Amazon.com US site and includes sales of books where there isn’t even a Kindle edition, it doesn’t however include all the free e-books available. It would be interesting to see if e-books are outselling paperbacks in Europe on the other Amazon stores. Somehow I don’t think they are since the Kindle isn’t half as popular over here in Europe, but it’s becoming more prominent by the day.

It was previously known that Kindle e-book sales were well ahead of the hardcover sales which are generally more expensive, but this is the first time that e-book sales have beaten paperback ones.

Reports suggest that Amazon have sold more than 8 million Kindles in 2010 but Amazon have declined to give any specific figures. What also gave e-book sales a big boost for Amazon were the millions of iPads,iPhones and iPod Touches which have been purchased, not to mention the Android devices which all have access to Amazons store for e-books.

This news doesn’t bode well for traditional brick and mortar book shops which will start to suffer big time. It’s estimated that consumers spent $1 Billion on e-book sales in 2010 and it’s expected to reach $1.3 billion in 2011 and by 2014, e-books would make up 50% of all book sales.

I wouldn’t be surprised if many brick and mortar book stores start downsizing now, 53 % of them expect print sales to decrease this year.

Source:

Cnet

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Hulu, the free Internet TV service may be losing more content. The reason is that Hulu’s owners are fighting among themselves and the company’s management over how much free content the online video service should offer.

Hulu

Currently, Hulu offers free television shows service that are ad-supported, which competes with traditional TV broadcasts. At this time, Hulu is owned by three media conglomerates that operate their own broadcast networks: Disney (ABC), News Corp. (Fox), and NBC Universal; and that is the problem.

Both Fox and ABC have considered pulling their content  from the service offered to Hulu users free of charge. And the problem gets more ominous for Hulu.  Netflix, Apple, and other Web TV services, Hulu’s backers may also offer the company’s competitors more of their content; this indeed may be good news for them.

If that happens Hulu many have to make some serious readjustments to its delivery format. In fact, Hulu could try to transform itself into something that looks more like a cable company. Here, Hulu, as an online cable operator, would use the Web to send live TV channels and video-on-demand content to subscribers.

Friction among Hulu’s owners and also between them and company managers over the direction of the service has been building for a while now. Some reports became available over the past year that some Hulu partners were unhappy with their financial returns from Hulu; moreover, there were disagreements about who would sell ads for the some of the content on the service.

When the service launched in 2007, the only online video entertainment was YouTube and user-generated content. In that regard, Hulu was a pioneer. Their site proved that traditional media companies could build their own successful video service. Furthermore, big audiences would watch full-length hit TV shows delivered over the Web.

So who is the big competitor? Well, the dominant one is Netflix. The company pays cash to license content, and recently it reported that it now has over 20 million subscribers. They also announced that they were acquiring rights to TV shows, and it is one of their priorities.

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In an effort to build greater transparency between producer and purchaser, Airbiquity and Hitachi Automotive Systems have introduced a revolutionary connected services technology system that would enable electric vehicles (EVs) to operate more efficiently. The infrastructure for EVs such as the electric Leaf that is run by Nissan’s Information and Communication Technology system, (ICT) is provided by this collaborative solution. Nissan’s technological system offers drivers the benefit of tracking down battery charging stations and reaching destinations through routes that would cut down on electric consumption. The system also uses a global cloud maintained by Airbiquity for Nissan that ensures connectivity between drivers and Nissan operators. The ICT that the Leaf uses functions through a data mobilization process that ensures efficiency and makes entertainment available through their cloud-generated technology.

In order to build an effective system of communication, the new technology promises an absolute relationship of trust between the consumers and the manufacturers. The data-dependent system allows for instant information exchanges regarding a car’s battery status, efficiency, tire conditions and other such vital details. This system keeps the automobile producers on their toes so that they may keep a tab on the rate of functionality of their vehicles and make the necessary changes for the next line of cars to be manufactured. On the other hand, the drivers receive constant warnings about low batteries and tire pressures.

The technological revolution that has made access to vital knowledge easy and fast has been tapped by the automobile engineers to enable this project of constant information exchange between consumer and manufacturer. Ford has built its Sync computer system which ensures entertainment for its customers through a voice command-mobilization process that is both easy and state-of-the-art. This computer system also provides security measures such as the 911 operator connection which is highly effective during emergencies.

General Motors (GM) has proposed to inaugurate its new creation, a Buick that would enable video chatting, home surveillance and testing for any damages done to the car. This has been made possible through a collaboration of GM’s Onstar Service and Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Also, Nissan, Ford and GM have built smartphone applications that would operate with their respective Information and Communication Technology systems (ICT.).

The advent of the electric car is a relatively new phenomenon. Therefore, it comes with a price tag that might not be too purse-friendly. The accessories that automobiles like the Leaf or the Chevrolet Volt display, speak of a hard-to-ignore lifestyle cost. This display factor actually works towards fashioning the customer’s taste buds so that he may know what he is looking for and also, what the car is offering him. The car in turn promises to reflect the personality of its owner.

The one problem which arises in a digital era of surveillance is that of compromising one’s privacy. To this problem, the vice president of marketing at Airbiquity, Leo McCloskey offers the solution of cancelling one’s subscription to the ICT service that the automobile companies offer.

So over all, three of the largest car manufacturers in the US have started taking definitive steps towards the betterment of their new age cars. But the transition has not been a smooth one. Most of the car drivers are not avid readers of blogs like Connnected Internet and hence have hardly a clur about all this cloud and connectivity jargon. So in a funny turn of events, some Ford dealers are actually holding quick classes for new owners to explain all the hi-tech features of their new cars. So now, even your car will come with a thick and hard to understand programming manual.

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Ever since the iPad was laucnhed, it has been in the middle of this prolonged debate about whether it is the end of the print industry as we know it. A lot of people see it as the inception of a new age of digital media. Opinions are still divided though and there’s a lot left to be seen before passing such sweeping verdicts. However, it is hard to deny that it caused a new wave of devices to appear almost overnight and has changed the face of mobile computing forever. And slowly, it seems like that some parts of the media world are finally understanding its design as a predominantly content consumption device (as opposed to  content creation).

This year NBC has decided to join hands with DC Comics to launch a new TV show that will be especially made for the iPad. The media giant teamed up with DC Comics premiering ‘The Cape Warrior’ as its first ever TV show on the iPad. It premiered on the 9^th of January on the TV but the special one hour pilot episode was available to all iPad owners from the 5^th via the DC comics app for the iPad.

‘The Cape’ is a story about a cop who tries to fight crime and who is unjustly accused under criminal charges. Being the hero of course, he continues to fight as a disguised crime fighter.. The lead is played David Lyons as Vince Faraday.

The protagonist learns various forms of self-defense under the guidance of a circus owner. He trains in the art of using cloth to protect one-self. He is seen to want to return to his wife and son but he is so involved with fighting injustice and crime that he hardly gets time to show up. But even if he wants to see his son, he does it in disguise. Covering himself from head to toe with a black drape, he shows up as ‘The Cape’. If all of that sounded familiar, it’s probably because it is based on a comic character of the same name from the DC comics stable.

This premiere is the first of its kind in the US and it created quite the hype about the TV show amongst the iPad owners and the general media alike. This was a very good marketing strategy on NBC’s part and is probably the first of many more such campaigns to come on the iOS platform. iPads sales have been steadily growing ever since it was released early last year. US schools alone have ordered over 2000 iPads for trying out in classrooms, restaurants have decided to use them as menu card replacements and even the famous US band Gorillaz have decided to release an album on the iPad and give all 15 tracks away for free. Although such feats have already been done on the internet before but the iPad is the first handheld device to be used to do the same.

Also, releasing things on the iPad can also be tied up with the social media campaign for the same release. Leveraging content release through social media has taken its place right alongside the traditional forms of promotion through broadcast and print media. It only goes to show that the iPad is finally living up to the potential that most pundits talked about a year back when it was first released.

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Silicon has been the workhorse of every PC since the inception of the market. Reports last year came out that a new chemical, Graphine, a variant of Carbon, was set to become the new basis for CPU’s. At least that is what IBM thought.

Graphene consists of only one plain layer of atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice. It exhibits high conductivity and other intriguing properties and has been widely popularized as the successor to silicon.

Graphene - 1 atom thick and a potential replacement for Silicon

But as far as CPU’s go, there is one problem. You can’t turn a graphene transistor completely off. For CPU operations, this is a big problem since processes are dependent on a clear enunciation of the 1 and 0 bit. 1 is on and 0 is off.

However, IBM demonstrated last year a radio-frequency graphene transistor with a breakthrough frequency of 100 GigaHertz. In some ways, it looked promising. Last year in Science, IBM published a paper that said:

“The high carrier mobility in graphene makes it a promising candidate for high-speed electronic devices. This is the thinnest possible electronic material of merely one atom thick, graphene offers great potential to create the smallest and fastest transistors among all semiconductor materials. So where is the research heading? It may complement silicon in the form of a hybrid circuit to enrich the functionality of computer chips such as those used in RF circuits since they aren’t dependent on a large on/off ratio.

Most experts agree that silicon’s properties make it a nearly ideal material, with a large technology market in place to keep manufacturing in place. Graphene, in its current research state, may not replace silicon as the main material for building CPUs, but continued research should eventually lead it to a strong foothold in the future of nanoelectronics.

Source: Zdnet

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With the Internet constantly growing , and more users actively pursuing a variety of network, and social media communication forums, the bandwidth problem will get bigger as time goes on. To remedy that in part, MCSI, a Canadian satellite maker plans a network of 78 small, relatively low-flying satellites designed to help relieve network congestion. Apparently that is significantly dampening smartphone enthusiasm, if not in Canada, then in areas around the world where there is not a high technology base.

MSCI, (Microsat Systems Canada Inc.) is initiating this project, called CommStellation. The approach is to use small, inexpensive satellites about 620 miles above the Earth which will provide better coverage of the world’s population, quicker launch, and better network capacity.

Direct competition may come from the O3b, a Google-backed satellite project to improve Net access for the 3 billion people who live outside of wealthy, well-wired areas. However, realistically, MSCI’s competition is more down to Earth involving fiber optic lines and perhaps femto cells built to ease network congestion. (A femto cell is a device used to improve mobile network coverage in small areas. Femto cells connect locally to mobile phones through their normal GSM, CDMA, or UMTS connections. Next they route the connections over a broadband internet connection back to the carrier; this bypasses the normal cell towers that are arrayed across the countryside.)

Nevertheless, MSCI considers the use of rugged but relatively ordinary terrestrial electronics means it can move fast enough to make entry into new satellite communications markets a success.

By using a lower orbit, the company is able to use more ordinary electronics. In contrast, medium orbit satellites, those that are about 5,000 miles above Earth, like the O3b, need special components with higher reliability because they have to withstand the temperature and radiation rigors of space. Another thing that results from this is MSCI’s satellites are relatively small, so up to 14 can be packed into a single launch rocket compared with O3b’s 4 satellites. And much less power is required to transmit data to and from the MSCI’s satellites since they’re closer to Earth.

The launch date starts in 2014 and it should reach full network capability in 2015.

Source: MSCI

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The British government is to offer low-cost computers to low-income households as part of a scheme to help encourage millions of people in the UK to get online.

The scheme will see refurbished computers available to buy from just £98 with subsidised Internet connections available for £9 a month.

The scheme, which was reported by the BBC, is part of the Race Online 2012 project, this aims to reach out to the 9.2 million adults who aren’t online yet in the country.

“Motivation and inspiration are still two of the biggest barriers [to using the internet], but clearly perception of price is another big deal for people,” Martha Lane Fox, the UK’s digital champion, told the Financial Times. “A good price point is certainly part of what helps people get online.”

Race Online 2012 aims to “make the UK the first nation in the world where everyone can use the web”.

The refurbished computers will run open-source software such as Linux but will come with a flat screen monitor, keyboard, mouse, dedicated telephone helpline and free delivery.  They will be sold through UK Online centres.  These are training establishments that offer basic computer and Internet courses to help people who have not used computers or the Internet before.

The £9 a month subsidised broadband has been negotiated by Race Online 2012 and will be provided through USB broadband dongles, so there is no requirement for people to have to pay extra for a telephone line.  More money can be saved by paying £18 for a three month subscription.

The organisation’s research suggests that people can save up to £560 a year by shopping online and having access to websites such as uSwitch.com.  You can find out where you local UK Online centres are here.

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IBM have been working hard over the last number of years and now they’ve got “Watson” to show for it. Former Jeopardy champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter lost by $1000 to IBM’s Watson DeepQA-based supercomputer during a three-category Jeopardy practice round on Thursday night.

Watson is IBM’s supercomputer which is based on the companies DeepQA software, which combines natural language processing, machine learning and information retrieval. Now this is no ordinary high end computer, it’s packed with 15 terabytes of RAM, around 2,880 processor cores which have the ability to perform 80 trillion operations a second. It’s approximately the size of 10 refrigerators and relies on its self-contained database for answers to Jeopardy.

IBM held a practice round of the Jeopardy show in a studio that they spent $1 million to build in preparation of the real show to be held on February 14-16 with a grand prize of $1 million to be won. The three contestants are former champions Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and IBM’s supercomputer named “Watson” after IBM’s founder.

On stage, a computer monitor is the only part of Watson that you can see, and just like his competitors “Watson” has to trigger the buzzer before he can answer the question. When Watson is called on he answers in a computer generated voice that sounds very like HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey

IBM have had a supercomputer before “Deep Blue” who was able to play chess, but Watson has a much bigger challenge ahead of him. In chess there are only so many possible moves that you can make to respond to your opponent, and they’re all defined by clear rules. In Jeopardy you have to try and understand the whole English language and interpret all the various different meanings it can have.

It should be interesting to see how IBM’s Supercomputer fairs on the live show, but either way it’s an incredible machine. You can have a look at some footage from the friendly show courtesy of Engadget below

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O Google, there always seems to be somebody trying to sue you for something or another, but I guess that’s the norm when your companies worth over $150 billion. Then again there is also the European Commission who feel like they should get their nose into everyones business. They today announced that they are investigating Google over complaints of alleged antitrust practices in the European Union.

The probe has been triggered by complaints from 3 search providers, who are claiming that Google have treated them unfairly by manipulating certain factors that are related to both paid and unpaid search results.

The search providers in question are Foundem, a UK price comparison site, ejustice.fr, A French legal search engine and Ciao a UK search engine owned by Microsoft.

To put it to you simply, the companies are complaining that Google is ranking them unfairly in search results and favoring its own services over them. These three websites provide users with specific online information such as price comparisons.

They are claiming that Google has lowered their “Quality Score” which determines how much they pay to Google to advertise. If two advertisers use the same keywords, the one with the lower Quality Score has to pay more to rank evenly with the one that has the higher score.

Google has defended itself saying that it’s search results are based on algorithms that try to take into account what people find useful. Higher quality, relevant sites are always going to rank higher and sites unhappy with their search ranking have tried to sue Google in the past, and failed.

If we look at the sites causing this investigation, you will see that they are of lower quality than competing ones, and a lot of the content is duplicated,  a factor which causes sites to rank low. What’s more Ejustice.fr uses Googles own search results to provide its results which is another factor that ranks sites low.

Of course Google did say that these companies are free to use any other web advertisement services and aren’t just restricted to using Google adsense or similar products. Another interesting thing that they added is that they’ve had a very good relationship with Ciao over the years, that was until Microsoft bought them over, ever since things have gone sour between them.

So it will be interesting to see how this turns out, will it just be yet another failed law suit against Googles mighty lawyers?

Source:

Cnet

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Everything seems grand, you could be one of many people sitting there at home or at work reading this article and you haven’t a care in the world. But have you ever thought about all those poor trees that your harming??

While many people have questioned theadverse side affects of wireless networks, nobody has really found any evidence that it affects humans at all. However, scientists from the Dutch city Alphen aan den Rijn have been getting worried about the trees in their area and decided to commission a study to see what was going on.

In their study, they found that over the last 5 years, deciduous trees in the western world have been affected by radiation from Mobile Phones and also wireless LAN’s.

In fact, over 70 percent of trees in urban areas of the Netherlands were showing signs of “Wi-Fi sickness”. The symptoms include variations in growth, bleeding and fissures in the bark. If look back to 5 years ago, only a mere 10 percent were showing signs on the illness. Scientists conducted this study after they noticed some abnormalities on trees that couldn’t be explained by known viral or bacterial infections.

Meanwhile, out of the urban areas, the trees seem to be fine and not suffering from any signs of “Wi-Fi sickness”

So while our trees may be feeling the affects of all this wireless radiation floating about the place, what affect does it have on us humans? The Health Protection Agency states that “there is no consistent evidence to date that exposure to radio signals from Wi-Fi and WLANs adversely affects the health of the general population”.

Really the only signs that people are showing from exposure to these technologies is some mild headaches and cases of nausea.

Generally speaking, Wi-Fi isn’t really going to cause us any trouble, is the mobile phone radiation which is a lot more powerful, but still nothing has proven that it’s bad for you. You’d have to live in a Wi-Fi hotspot for a year to absorb the same amount of radio waves as you would from a 20-minute phone call!

So really the trees are the only ones suffering at the moment

Source:

Cnet

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As dopey as some of us seem sometimes, it turns out our brains really are truly awesome. So awesome in fact that they are many times better than the power of all the computers in the world combined.

Generally that thing on top of your head is home to 200 billion nerve cells, which are all connected by hundreds of trillions of synapses which act as microprocessors. There are roughly, 125 trillion synapses which is about the same number of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy…..1500 times over!

Of course these synapses are very very small indeed, each one is less than a thousandth of a millimeter in diameter. We’ve had trouble at getting a clear look at them since there so small, but researchers of Stanford University have been working hard at it for the last couple of years. They’ve managed to come up with a clever piece of software which stitches the brain all together and allows us to get a good look at it.

Now we all knew that our brains are very complex things, but even they were surprised when they got a proper look at it for the first time, Stephen Smith, a professor of molecular and cellular physiology had this to say:

One synapse, by itself, is more like a microprocessor–with both memory-storage and information-processing elements–than a mere on/off switch. In fact, one synapse may contain on the order of 1,000 molecular-scale switches. A single human brain has more switches than all the computers and routers and Internet connections on Earth.

It’s quite incredible what they are able to do these days with all the advancements in technology, but it’s clear the most advanced piece of technology is still sitting there on top of us all along!

Here’s a video below which shows you how complex a section of a mouses brain is, the human one is even more complex

Source:

Cnet

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Thanks to sales of it’s new flagship products, Windows 7 and Office 2010, Microsoft has released Q1 sales figures for the year that show a huge 51% rise in profits.

Net profit for the three months to September came in at $5.4bn (£3.4bn) and revenues increased by 25% to $16.2bn which makes this last quarter a record breaker for the company.

High sales of Windows 7, which has been extremely well received by business and consumers alike, accounts for much of the increase according to the BBC.  Windows sales rose by 66% on the year before, earning $4.8bn.  Office and other business software accounts for $5.1bn of the figure, a 14% increase on the year before.

“This was an exceptional quarter, combining solid enterprise growth and continued strong consumer demand for Office 2010, Windows 7, and Xbox 360 consoles and games,” said Peter Klein, chief financial officer at Microsoft.

Microsoft shares rose 2.8% on the news though its stock overall has fallen 14% this year.

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Nowadays it seems like everyones online, your mum,dad, brother,sister,auntie, uncle and sometimes even your grandparents. But have you ever wondered just how many people are actually on the web? What is the population of the internet? It seems like it’s an impossible thing to work out with so many people constantly logging on and off from various locations, but somebody’s done the math and worked it out.

In celebration of world statistics day on October 20th, the Geneva- based US body released “The World in 2010: ICT Facts and figures” which worked out that there is nearly 2 Billion people online.

It also revealed that 1.2 billion of that 2 billion is from developed countries. In 2010, there is estimated to be 226 million internet users, 162 million of them are expected to come from developing countries.

While developing countries have high levels of growth, 71 per cent of the internet is going to be occupied by developed countries with developing countries only getting 21 per cent.

Image Credit: Caribwebdev.com

China remains the largest internet market in the world with more than 420 million internet users, but then again they do also have the largest population in the world.

It’s also interesting to look at the numbers of who uses private access vs public access. By the end of 2010, it’s estimated that the number of users who can access the internet from home will grow from 1.4 billion to 1.6 billion, especially in developed countries where most people have access to broadband internet.

In developing countries, the majority of users access the internet through schools, offices and public locations.

So who has the highest percentage of the population using the internet?

Europe is said to have the highest penetration with 64 in 100 habitants said to be online, followed be America. The Arabic region has 24.9 in 100, with the Asia Pacific region expected to reach 21.9 in 100 and finally Africa with 9.6 in every 100.

It’s strange to think that with a world population just shy of 7 billion, less than 30% of us are actually online, here in Europe and it’s the same in the States, everyone seems to be online.

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Most of the readers of this site, and actually, any site connected with technology know how important it is to develop new technologies for the future. In fact, going back 100 years, almost all of the technology advancements that took place in the second half of the 20^th century came about because of fundamental science and engineering research that occurred in the first half. Could the economic dole drums that the US is experiencing, and for that matter, the rest of the world, be alleviated if governments went out and invested their economic recovery dollars in areas of science and engineering research? Think about that.

Nehalem - Design

In any event, something like that is happening with Intel. They recently announced that the company would invest somewhere between 6 and $8 billion on future generations of manufacturing technology at its American facilities. The action will fund the deployment of what will be Intel’s next-generation 22- nanometer (nm) manufacturing process. They plan to make this available across several existing U.S. factories. They will also follow this with the construction of a new development fabrication plant in Oregon. These projects will certainly support the economy by creating between 6,000 to 8,000 construction jobs. In addition to that, it will result in the creation of 800 to 1,000 new permanent high-tech jobs.

The new investments continue to attest to Intel’s leadership in the area of the most advanced semiconductor engineering and manufacturing in the world. Intel’s new development fabrication plant in Oregon, (D1X) Will be deployed in 2013 for startup; it will focus in R&D. But Intel is not stopping there. There are upgrades planned in four existing factories, two which are in Arizona (known as Fab 12 and Fab 32) and two others in Oregon (known as D1C and D1D).

How important is the manufacturing industry for Intel, and for the US?  Here is what Brian Krzanich, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s Manufacturing and Supply Chain said:

“Intel makes approximately 10 billion transistors per second. Our factories produce the most advanced computer technology in the world and these investments will create capacity for innovation we haven’t yet imagined. Intel and the world of technology lie at the heart of this future. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we can retain a vibrant manufacturing economy here in the United States by focusing on the industries of the future.”

R and D; indeed what a good way to improve the economy.

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Sometimes you wonder what technology and some websites would have looked and felt like twenty five years ago.  No?!  Well Mark Penney from Melbourne, Australia did and he’s created Facebook, circa 1984 which he’s displayed on a Motorola DynaTAC 8000x.

Click on the image to view it full size.  It’s quite clever.  Penney describes it as “using a pixelated DOS-style font and a heavy use of texture, lighting and reflection. The ‘Home’ screen displays various updates from users which relate to the time period”.

Penney is a graphic artist who creates brand identity, business cards, CD artwork and flyers.  Somehow, I think that with work like this he’ll be receiving a great deal of publicity and can have a prosperous 2011 

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How does Google TV work? Like Nexus One, which is a piece of hardware by HTC that runs the Android OS by Google. So that’s how Google TV will work. At its heart, Google TV is a platform. It is software; and hardware makers will need to step up to use it in their devices. It works with existing cable and satellite, and it also functions like Google search.

What else?

It supports Flash, it runs Apps, it combines your TV with your phone. It can make Pizza and a Martini. No wait. It doesn’t do that. But it can make your TV viewing experience more interesting since you are not locked down to just the network TV shows presentations. It will come pre-loaded with Netflix, Twitter, CNBC, Pandora, Napster, NBA Game Time, Amazon Video On Demand and Gallery.

Price

Behind the software is the hardware, and Sony is one of the manufacturers of the Google TV, so is Logitech which makes the Revue. For Sony, the starting price is $599. But, included are a keyboard and navigation controls, WiFi, and a variety of inputs and outputs.

Other Google partners are making a contribution to this TV format including:

• Turner Broadcasting has included TBS, TNT, CNN, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim in it repertoire for Google TV.
• NBC Universal has collaborated with Google TV to bring CNBC Real-Time, to track stocks and access news feeds with CNBC.
• HBO will begin programming to Google TV with HBO GO.
• NBA has built NBA Game Time,  to let you follow game scores in real-time .

There are also several new sites that will be on Google TV. The New York Times and USA Today; plus music sites like VEVO, Pandora and Napster; and information social networks like Twitter; and online networks like blip.tv.

Google TV adds a new dimension to the Google vs Apple crossfire. It should be interesting to see what happens next.

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The BIOS system that is used on computer systems, is over 28 years old. It was first developed by IBM for their PC and released in 1981. Since then there have been advances to it, from many computer manufacturers but the essential BIOS system has not changed. But that looks like the past because the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface is in development at Intel, and should make significant changes to the “BIOS” system. One of the major changes expected from this is booting up in less than 10 seconds.

The traditional BIOS serves to initialize and identify system devices such as the  DVD/CD drive, keyboard, networking components, USB ports, hard-disk drive, the video card,  and mouse.  It reports to the PC: “you have this hardware in your system.” But the big hangup is the time it takes from the initial power charge to the time that the OS is ready to load and start the PC. But that is expected to change.

The End of Assembly Code

While PC users would welcome a faster boot up, tThe real reason for the development of UEFI was to move away from assembly code. One reason that BIOS was difficult to change was the assembly code it was written in. That was what the bring-up process used to be coded in,  machine-level coding.  However, now the C language is being used to write the firmware code. You can do it at an abstracted layer that’s built on APIs [application programming interfaces]. From a programmers perspective the UEFI allows developers to standardize things, and use multi-threading; even parallel initialization is possible so users can boot extremely fast.

Another aspect in the quick boot time experience is the use of the solid state hard drive, instead of the standard one. The technology is already available, but it has to become available in greater quantities, and also compete with the extremely large drives that now handle 2 terabytes of drive space.  However, once these technologies are ready, the new hardware will look very different than it does now.

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The technology is here; it is in operation, but why Google? We are talking about the self-driving car. Google announced that it has self-driving cars in operation and they have logged over 140,000 miles, in and around California.

Great.

But what is it for? No doubt, this would be coming; self-driving cars are a technology that can free up drivers, turning them into passengers. This would allow them to concentrate on other things, like work or family or some other recreation. The question is, what is Google up to? Aren’t they a search company? How does a self-driving car fit into their corporate vision?

According to Google’s Sebastian Thrun,

“Our goal is to help prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time and reduce carbon emissions by fundamentally changing car use.

So we have developed technology for cars that can drive themselves. Our automated cars, manned by trained operators, just drove from our Mountain View campus to our Santa Monica office and on to Hollywood Boulevard. They’ve driven down Lombard Street, crossed the Golden Gate bridge, navigated the Pacific Coast Highway, and even made it all the way around Lake Tahoe.”

OK. But that is a far cry from Ad sales and search engines. However, Google may have other things in mind. Like robotic research. Right now, Google is spending a lot of capital on Google maps by going around the world and mapping locations, roads, intersections and the like. All of this is done so that their search engines can provide an overwhelming amount of information to consumers.

If they are at the beginnings of robot research, they may be looking at developing a branch of research that will allow them to change their focus from search to artificial intelligence. Can a smart robot be their next goal? Perhaps they feel that they can help develop an new line for their search engine result, one where a smart robot has all of the answers.

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Google recently announced Google Instant which is fairly impressive, but in their quest to remain the number 1 search engine they’re implementing more and more features to their Google search. Users around the world are reporting that Google is now showing them full-page previews when they hover over search results, something already available in Bing.

There is already extensions available that will perform this function for you, but it’s the first time Google appear to be implementing it automatically. It’s very handy for establishing whether or not you really want to go onto that site.

Google are publicly testing out this new feature at the moment. Now you may be asking why you haven’t got this feature in your search results, and don’t worry, I don’t either! Google tend to test out these new features with a small group of web users initially to see how it works before rolling them out to the masses

Google seem to be copying more and more of Bing’s features these days, even though Google hold the vast majority of the market, they still recognise that Bing is doing a fairly good job at providing search results and is copying a trick or two off them.

It will be interesting to see if and when Google roll out this service to the masses, I’m sure it will add to the whole web experience, but do you really need to see a preview of the website before you click through?

Let me know what you think in the comments

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Laptop users, beware. I know the name “Toasted Skin Syndrome” doesn’t sound like it came from an advanced medical crowd, but unfortunately it’s very real. You know all about exposure of your skin to the sun, but I bet you don’t think twice about having your laptop resting on your laptop.

Image: Engadget

While your sitting there happily gaming away, or “studying” your laptop is brewing up a mini inferno right on your lap. These laptops are threatening the very existence of mankind and the future! Thanks to a study from Pediatrics, the researchers have confirmed that the biggest risk to us all is not global warming, or the banking crisis, but in fact it’s that laptop resting on your lap.

Researchers have collected and analyzed various reports from youngsters who have been treated for exposure to extreme laptop heat. What they discovered is that prolonged use of laptops can lead to a condition that’s now known as “Toasted Skin Syndrome” lovely!

By using your laptop on your lap in can’t cool itself efficiently, and after long periods of intense gaming your laptop will become very hot, on your lap. This heat can leave the skin in a mottled, sponge like state and possible cause permanent skin darkening in that particular region. Try explaining that one to the opposite sex…..

Closer examination of the damaged areas reveal that the prolonged exposure to the heat causes damage similar to that of long term sun exposure.

So next time, suit up in your heat resistant trousers and use a laptop cooling mat for extra protection. Alternatively you could always put your laptop on the desk?!

Source:

Pediatrics

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India has launched a scheme to compile the world’s largest national identity database aimed at cutting fraud, and improving access to state services and benefits, as reported by the BBC.

The system will use biometric data including iris scans to compile data on every one of the country’s 1 billion inhabitants.

Launched by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi, the UID (Unique Identifier) programme will aim to “help those in poor, marginalised countries who find it difficult to access public services and benefits because they do not have official records.”

There can be no doubt that the scheme will be watched carefully around the world both for its success in achieving its aims, but also for security.  News stories about data breaches continue despite the general availability of better security software such as new features in Windows 7 and Windows Server and a data breach on a database of this size would be calamitous.

Indians will all be issued with a 12-digit ID number which they will use to receive welfare payouts and to apply for official documents such as passports.  They would inevitably also be used by companies such as financial institutions to confirm identity too.

The aim is to drastically cut or even eliminate completely fraud by corrupt officials who fake the names of people seeking welfare benefits, which could save the country billions of dollars.

Elsewhere in the world such schemes are either being considered very carefully or have already been scrapped, such as the ID card scheme in the UK which was cancelled by the country’s new coalition government as being unaffordable in the current economic climate when the country is facing huge public-service cuts.

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Dangerous Websites

From time to time, everyone reading this has come across a website that caused them some problems. The site infected their computer, or they were asked to pay for a virus remover program (which the site put on), and so on.

Here is a short list of websites or activities you should avoid.

Watch Sites that use Flash

Adobe’s Flash software, while entertaining, has become a malware target in recent years, forcing Adobe to push out frequent security patches. The solution: keep your updates current.

Watch Shortened Links – Twitter

Anyone who has used Twitter knows about the 140 character limit. There are ways to shorten up the links in Twitter so you can write something and attach the link. This can pose a problem, because hackers can hide their site using the shortened link. But if you must go there then use TweetDeck or Tweetie for Mac that will allow you to see the link before you go there.

Watch for install malware or give up personal info via e-mail or attachments

Infected e-mail attachments and phishing and are nothing new, the lures that cyber hacks use are keep changing. Sometimes phony messages are becoming more difficult to distinguish from legitimate ones. So watch your inbox, and don’t click anything that you’re are not sure off.

Watch the torrent sites

Torrent sites, like BTJunkie, or PirateBay are a source for downloading videos, music, and software. But many times the files are creeping with malware. Avoid them as best as possible.

Watch out for photos or videos of nude or near nude women

Yes, I’m talking about porn sites. Some are running legitimate businesses hoping to attract and retain customers, but others are scamming sites. Moreover, it is hard to tell which is which. So be careful about what you download. You can use LinkScanner or SiteAdvisor to weed out malicious sites.

Watch for Video codecs, infecting your PC with malware

Many times videos online may need support from a video codec. This is a small piece of software, which provides support for a video file. Many are quite legitimate, but others can cause problems because they expect you to download them. Avoid video download sites, and peer-to-peer networks

See: TrendMicro for a detailed description.

Watch Your Smartphone

Making calls can alert others about where you are. Because many mobile phones now carry Apps, they can be subjects of malware, or spyware, getting information about you. Watch what you say, and what you download. Make sure you have encryption turned on.

Watch for poisoned search engine results.

Sometimes a search engine result may take you to a malware-carrying website, even if the results look legitimate. It may be tougher to identify valid search results from invalid ones, but look at what they are displaying.

Watch for PDFs that try to get you into installing malware

While Microsoft is more serious about Windows security would-be attackers have had to look for new ways to infect PCs. So attacking flaws in Adobe Acrobat has become one of these newer techniques.

Watch for video files using flaws in player software to hijack PCs

Attackers have exploited flaws in video players such as QuickTime Player to attack PCs. The threats originate from “malformed” video files that, like malicious PDFs, trigger bugs in the player software. They let the attackers in to spy on you, plant other malware, and cause more problems.

Watch for drive-by downloads that could install malware when you visit a site

Most of the time we are aware of the files that we download; even updates or security patches from Microsoft come with notifications. But, a drive-by download occurs when a file downloads and worse installs to your PC without you realizing it. Such downloads can happen just about anywhere.

This is the end of Part 1; tomorrow I will finish with Part 2.

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Imagine a company bigger than Microsoft, more profitable than Apple, more innovative than Intel and Google combined. The name of such a company. Well there isn’t one. But Xerox could have been that company, 40 years ago. The Palo Alto Research Center was a part of Xerox, and their contributions to the computer industry are legend. Think of the Ethernet, the mouse, the Graphical User Interface, and email. These are just some of the innovations that came out of that center. Even Steve Jobs went there took the GUI and well…the rest is history.

This week PARC is celebrating its 40 Birthday and several luminaries were there. Bob Metcalf, the inventor of Ethernet reflected on his time there, and as the founder of 3COM.

Another figure the was prominent at PARC and the most mentioned was John Seely Brown, or JSB, as he’s known throughout the world of technology. He was the chief scientist at Xerox and the director of PARC. Brown was a major figure in the institution’s history since almost every story seemed to include him.

Future Innovations

Eight years ago, PARC spinned off from Xerox and serves as a research hub for other companies. It is still very much in the middle of the future of technology. PARC is deep into clean tech, biomedical engineering, and natural language processing. It counts Microsoft, Dai Nippon Printing, Sun/Oracle, Samsung, NEC, and Fujitsu among its clients. Many of its other high-profile clients prefer to keep their relationship with PARC secret so as not to tip of competitors.

What made PARC such a success was the non-bottom line oriented approach that it took to research. Researchers were there to solve problems, not to produce products that would be profitable. When you think of it, how odd, that theoretical research was the golden goose and it laid many golden eggs.

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A recent article in ZDNet “Is the American tech industry oiling its own guillotine?” discussed in detail what Andy Grove, former president and CEO of Intel had to say about the decline of American manufacturing.

The upshot of the argument is something that has been said for the last 20 years, that many manufacturing jobs have been transferred overseas where labor costs are cheaper, (not only payrolls but also benefits…no health insurance, or social security to pony up, or time off, like vacations, and corporate taxes are less.)

The question is, are manufacturing costs too high in the US, and also countries like Great Britain or other western countries?

The jury is no longer out on this, because yes they are too high. So many companies, like Apple, and Dell, and others have raced to the low cost countries to keep their stock value high by having high production at low cost and yielding high profit margins.

But like anything else, the chickens will come home to roost. When manufacturing costs are high in foreign countries, then what? Will the manufacturing come back to the US or other western countries? Not if these countries have lost their manufacturing backbone, which is what Andy Grove is suggesting.

Perhaps this tendency might not happen. I mean the manufacturing may not come back to the US, and it will abandon Asia; but not all of it.

With a world population of 6 billion people, there are still many countries that can be the low-cost bottom-end totem pole country that will benefit for a few years with new factories and plants to make the next next next next generation of iPhone, or iPad or the like. This could continue for another 50 years, where companies keep moving their manufacturing facilities around the world trying to find the lowest cost location to build their immensely popular gadget sold to drooling Americans.

This sounds cynical, but it is true. The problem is that companies must be aware of what their shareholders will do, where quarterly reports and daily Wall Street stock prices reflect how the company is doing. One solution is that companies will abandon quarterly reports and the like and look to something like a “5 year” plan like in the old communist days (boy that didn’t work, did it). That doesn’t sound very promising.

So what is the solution? Business can’t fix the problem because they work in an environment that dictates how they have to behave on a daily, and quarterly basis. The solution is having a responsible government that changes the environment and provides quiet but viable alternatives for   business to operate in.

We’re talking about a new model of business in a different environment. So are there any economists, finance people, or investors, or professors of business that know how to do that, or make it happen?

See: Is the American tech industry oiling its own guillotine?

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AMD is dropping the ATI Technologies name from it’s graphic products, which it picked up 4 years ago for the sum of $5.4 Billion. AMD hoped that the ATI brand name would help in gain traction in the graphics card and chipset market, and for the most part it did, but now after its purchase in 2006,AMD are dropping it.

ATI was a popular name among gamers and video junkies and to be honest I knew about ATI before AMD. However based on some market research and looking towards some future products, AMD reckon that consumers now know the AMD name well enough that it will succeed on its own. Specifically AMD have found 3 reasons in its research.

According to Anand Tech

1. AMD brand preference triples when the person surveyed is aware of ATI-AMD merger.
2. AMD brand stronger than ATI vs. graphics competitors.
3. Radeon and Fire Pro brand awareness and consideration very high.

So these 3 points are why AMD feel that ATI is no longer needed. They feel that customers will recognise the AMD brand more than the ATI one. Then again, only two of AMD’s proudcts are still tagged with the ATI name, Radeon and Firepro, and AMD as well as myself feel that these brand names are strong enough and popular enough on their own that they don’t need the ATI name to be tagged along with them.

AMD are said to start the switch from ATI later this year in some upcoming new products that it has in store for us. To go along with the new brand, AMD have also got some new logos in store for us as well if OEM’s want to use them on their hardware.

What do you think about the change? Will it make much of a difference?

Let us know in the comments

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Google are constantly amazing me with all of these small un-heard companies that they snatch up and buy for huge sums of money. Of course to Google it’s all really just loose change and I’ve yet to find another company that acquires so many companies so frequently. Every month it seems a new start up has been bought over by the giant, but you also hear of the odd major player being bought out.

Of course, it’s very hard to keep track of Google and all of their acquisitions, so we’ve got an easier way for you to follow where their spending their money. Scores.org has an interesting infographic that showsGoogle’s acquisitions through the past 10 years, starting with their purchase of Deja, which became Google Groups, right up until their most recent purchase of Like.

From looking at it, you can see how as Google as grown, so have the number of acquisitions, dramatically. Last month they got their hands on 3 more companies, and so far this month they’ve added another 3 under their belt.

This infographic can be a bit complicated to look at the first time, but if you take time to just read and understand the legend it becomes much easier and all begins to make sense.

Source:

Scores.org

Click image to see full size

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Despite the global economic downturn one group of companies who seem to have remained largely unaffected is PC makers and those around them.  Dell have now released their annual figures and have shown a 16% increase in net revenue and a 22% increase in revenue overall to $15.5 Bn.

Fiscal-Year 2011 Second Quarter Highlights

• Total revenue in the quarter ended July 30 was $15.5 billion, a 22-percent increase from a year ago.
• Dell’s commercial business continues to benefit from improved demand across all products and services, and in all geographies as Dell expands its enterprise solutions portfolio. Recently, Dell acquired Scalent, developer of virtual infrastructure management technology, and Ocarina Networks, a leading developer of storage optimization technology. The company also announced an agreement to acquire 3PAR, the leading global provider of utility storage for cloud computing. These moves illustrate Dell’s commitment to build its capabilities for open and affordable enterprise solutions.
• Dell’s business in emerging countries continued to grow rapidly, with total revenue from Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) up 52 percent to account for 12 percent of Dell’s overall revenue.

 
                                                                                      Second Quarter

(in millions)	FY11	FY10	Change
Revenue	$15,534	$12,764	22%
Operating Income (GAAP)	$745	$671	11%
Net Income (GAAP)	$545	$472	16%
EPS (GAAP)	$0.28	$0.24	17%
Operating Income (non-GAAP)	$872	$798	9%
Net Income (non-GAAP)	$629	$575	9%
EPS (non-GAAP	$0.32	$0.29	10%

You only have to look at the number of companies currently innovating, and frankly gambling, on new devices such as tablets to see how these companies are managing to prosper despite tough economic conditions.

One reason for this could be Windows 7 which finally gives IT managers and computer users reason to upgrade their ageing XP hardware.

Michael Dell, CEO said of the results “We continue to strengthen our portfolio of data center solutions at an aggressive pace with the addition of key IP, talent and technology. This quarter’s results are a strong reflection of the progress we’ve made, and we remain very focused on delivering the best possible solutions and services to meet our customers’ IT needs.”

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I’m sure most of you are already jealous just after reading the headline of this story, I know I am and i’m 17. Well first things first his name in Christian Owens from Corby, Northamptonshire, England he is just 16 and made his first million in just two short years. Here’s how he did it.

At the age of 7 he got his first PC, then 3 years later he got himself a Mac and taught himself web design at the age of 10. Then 4 years later in 2008, he started his first company at the age of 14! It was just a simple very Appleish site which he used to sell bundled applications for the Mac OS. He says he was inspired by Apples CEO Steve Jobs, and hence his loyalty to Apple products.

His site, “Mac Bundle Box” sold a package of handy little Mac OS X apps for a discounted price for a limited time. He would contact and negotiate with developers to try and get a discounted deal on their apps. The resulting bundle that he sold would normally retail at around $400, be he was selling it off for a tenth of that price.

What’s more, if enough people bought the package, a new application would get unlocked for all buyers, so this pretty much guaranteed good promotion via word of mouth for him, and led to more and more sales. And to really top it off, he donated a percentage of the sales to charity.

His idea did very well, so well in fact that Mac Bundle Box made $100,000,000 (£700,000) in it’s first two years. So by the age of 16 he was already a millionaire.

But of course as any great entrepreneur is, he wasn’t happy with his success and since then has started up a new venture called Branchr. a pay-per click advertising company which distributes 300 million ads per month on over 17,500 websites, iPhones and Android apps. The company, which claims to deliver “contextual, behavioral, publisher-defined, and geographically” targeted ads in those platforms, has already made $800,000 in its first year and currently employs eight adults one of which is his 43-year-old mother, Alison! Can you imagine being employed by your own son!

So where does he see himself in 10 years? Well he’s not really sure but what he wants to do next is make 100 million pounds with Branchr! Ambitious but he already seems to be on his way there. Branchr is growing strong, and has already bought out another company.

The secret to his success?

There is no magical formula to business, it takes hard work, determination and the drive to do something great.

So there’s something for this teenage generation to live up to.

Source:

SWNS

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Recently I’ve been looking around at the different laptop models available on the market for someone interested in buying one, and it really struck me, how laptops and netbooks have kind of merged into one and another somewhat. So it got me thinking, if you were buying yourself a new PC today, what do you go for, a desktop,laptop,netbook or tablet?

For me I think it’s pretty clear when you need a desktop. Generally these are power houses and are used as gaming rigs, media servers or for crunching heavy numbers. Obviously you can’t move them around too handy, but now a days it seems people have a desktop and either a laptop,netbook or tablet as well. And a lot of the time, you will find the desktop can be left there sitting idle because it’s just handier to use your portable device instead.

There’s also another option which I went for, buy a desktop replacement laptop. These kind of laptops are high performers,high spec and not designed with portability in mind. They generally have larger displays 15″ +, bigger processors, graphics cards etc…. They weren’t built for those interested in bringing their laptop everywhere with them, they can weigh quite a bit and aren’t exactly slimline. But when the need arises, it’s simple to just unplug the power cable and you can bring them around with you no problem.

But it’s when you get away from these desktop replacement laptops that things start to get confusing. The other “budget” laptops will suit most people who are just interested in surfing the web and watching movies etc…. but laptops are being made smaller, thinner and lighter all the time. Some laptops have screens of only 11″ or so, and for me that’s netbook territory. However manufacturers will tell you different and insist that they are in fact laptops, or mini-laptops.

Then you have your netbooks, which have screens ranging from 12″ down to a  tiny 4.8″ inches. So there’s a bit of an overlap with laptop and netbooks when it comes to screen size. And the difference in there specs isn’t always exactly a mile wide. While netbooks are small and light, they then lack the performance of laptops, or mini-laptops.

Finally, we then have the Tablet butting in and making a new market of it’s own, mainly caused by Steve Jobs and his beloved iPad. Where are tablets trying to fit in? I don’t think it’s below the netbook, (we have smartphones for there) and it’s not above the laptop, so it must be either in between the netbook and laptop, or trying to push out the netbook.

So as you can see it’s pretty difficult to try and pick a PC these days, but at the end of the day I guess it’s up to what each individual is looking for. Performance,portability,style or practicality.

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Now I’m sure most of you know all about these affiliate schemes, advertising networks and paid reviews that are available to us all. They all require hard work and dedication and there’s a lot of competition, but this post isn’t about that sort of stuff. For more on that check out our Guide To Making Money Online

So I’m taking a slightly different angle on this post this time, here are some weird ways to make money online.

1. Sell your hair

No, I’m not joking here. Honestly, some people will pay good money for a nice set of locks, as strange as it may seem. Sites like TheHairTrader.com, will let you post a listing for free, of your hair. And then it’s kind of like Ebay, potential hair-buyers can then bid on your mop of hair and then once it’s been sold, you chop it off and send it away. Personally I haven’t tried this service out, but apparently the average mop can go for $500 with the best ones going for thousands!

2. Become Part Of A Virtual Jury

Every think of becoming a judge? Well maybe now’s your chance, while you wont get paid as much as real judges do, you can actually take part in a virtual online jury and get paid for it. A growing number of sites are offering cash if you help lawyers simulate a trial so they can practice and train.

“Attorneys for years have thought they’re kind of psychologists when it comes to picking juries,” explains Chris Bagby, founder of eJury.com. “The more demographic background we can get them about each juror, the better off they are.”

Now you won’t be racking in millions with this, but the average case can earn you around $5 to $10

3. Send Text Messages

I say some of you are sitting right up now that you’ve read the title. Yes you can in fact make money sending text messages online. How? Well this applies to users in the states only I’m afraid, but a service called ChaCha lets you text in a question and get an answer back in a few minutes. But who do you think texts back the answers? Well it could be you!

There called ChaCha guides, and they simply sign in and answer as many questions as they like, whenever they want to and get paid between 10 and 20 cents for each one. You won’t make a living out of it, but it can help cover the day to day cost of living, or let you save up for that special something you’ve always wanted.

4. Become A Virtual Gold Miner

While real gold may be more valuable, you’d be surprised how much hardcore gamers are prepared to spend to succeed in their virtual worlds. Over half a million Chinese now earn an income by acquiring and selling World Of Warcraft Gold to gamers in other countries. People are even making money from Second Life and other MMORPG games as well.

So there you go, 4 odd ways to make a bit of extra cash online. Let me know if you’ve ever tried any of them out, or are planning to in the comments below

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The Chip wars are heating up. Intel has now released a second set of 6 core chips to its family of high end processors. This is the Core i7-970 and it is priced at $885. It follows the six-core i7 980X ($999) which was released earlier this year.

Like the 980X, it comes with 12MB L3 cache memory. It is made using Intel’s most current 32-nanometer manufacturing process.

Intel i7-970 6 Core Chip

The 32 nm process (also referred to as 32 nanometer node) is the follow up after the 45 nanometer process in CMOS semiconductor device fabrication. The 32 nm is a specification that refers to the expected average half-pitch process of a memory cell at this technology level.

It is different from the Extreme Edition 3.33GHz 980X. It is rated at 3.2GHz and comes with a “locked” CPU multiplier. This means that it is not intended to be a chip that is designed to perform overclocking; the process of increasing the clock speed of the chip.

Who is this chip intended for?

Gamers. Why? Although the difference between high-end six-core and four-core processors is not always that significant, but it all depends, on what the software is able to take advantage of. Background stuff, like sound and graphics, can always use the extra cores. More importantly Windows can take advantage of that, especially so when at the operating system has new features. Background tasks, for example, might include non-game-related applications running in the background, or downloading files, while simultaneously playing a game.

Gamers typically opt for more cores. In fact, the Core i7 980X is used in Falcon Northwest’s most popular systems.

The Competition With AMD

AMD released a twelve core chip a few months ago. This is the Opteron 6000 series. It is designed to support x86 processors. Note, however, that the processor is x86, not 64 bit. So while Intel is racking up the gamers chips, AMD is looking at a different market with its own.

Source: Intel Core i7-970 CPU Review

See Amd 12 Core Processor

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A couple of months ago YouTube made the news when they announced that they now supported full, 1080p HD video on its site. This was great news for many people, as nearly all PC’s and Laptops now a days come with HD screens and with YouTube being built into more and more HD TV’s it was welcomed by the masses.

But now, last Friday, YouTube announced that it’s player now supports 4k. Now most of you probably have no idea what that is. Well the resolution of full HD is 1920×1080 pixels, the resolution of a video shot in 4k is 4096×3072 pixels. So it’s nearly 4 times the size of standard HD videos. It’s even bigger than iMax, which projects films in 2k with a 2048×1080 resolution.

YouTube have even put up a special playlist of 5 videos that you can watch in their original 4k quality which you can watch here.

However I don’t think any of you will be able to enjoy the full experience of 4k just yet anyway. Firstly, you need a mega fast broadband connection to even consider streaming the video in the first place. I have a 7 mb connection and I couldn’t get decent playback when I tried to watch them. Secondly, how many of you have displays that support 4k resolution? Very, very few of you, I think would be the right answer.

In order to watch 4k video properly, you need a 4k compatible projector or a super large screen with a resolution of 4096×3072 pixels, neither of which will you find cheap, in fact you’ll struggle to find them in your local electronic store.

What’s more, streaming 4k video still means it has to be compressed like standard HD and since they’re so much larger, you’ll be watching playback at a much lower bit rate than the original. So once you blow up the video onto the big screen, you can notice compression artifacts fairly easy.

So it’s great that YouTube are looking to the future and gearing up for 4k, but could you give us a chance to all catch up to HD first? 4k videos are only going to choke up our bandwidth and nobody has the right gear to experience them properly. You wont notice any difference between them and standard HD unless you blow them up a million times and look at them through a magnifying glass!

The ideal screen size for a 4k video is 25 feet wide, and 4k cameras cost 100,000′s of dollars and so do the projectors which are the size of a refrigerator. I don’t think we’re ready to experience 4k just yet somehow.

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It is not like they didn’t see this coming. But illegal file sharing has passed its zenith. Too many people, private and public, are starting to go after illegal file sharing companies.  Furthermore, when governments start to get involved, it is only a matter of time that the joy ride will be over.

A little more than a week ago, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden announced that the government would begin cracking down on illegal file sharing.  So today (7/1) the feds swooped in and began seizing  assets belonging to operators of movie-pirating sites.

On Wednesday the government took control of at least seven of the sites: ThePirateCity.org, Now-Movies.com, Movies-Links.tv, Filespump.com, Movies.com, TVShack.net,  Planetmoviez.com,  Ninjavideo.net, ZML.com, and NinjaThis.net. As a result, more than a dozen investment, bank,  and advertising accounts were seized. Authorities also served search warrants on residences in several different states.

The investigation involved enforcement groups from multiple organizations, including the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and ICE, a unit of the Department of Homeland Security.

“We are committed to putting you out of business.”  That was the message that Biden and Victoria Espinel, the U.S. intellectual property enforcement coordinator, wanted to send a message to counterfeiters and movie pirates. This administration is intent on protecting the nation’s intellectual property. So says  Espinel, who directed a statement at those people who trafficked in phony goods or unauthorized movies and  music.

Considering that downloaders were recently sued by the producers of the move “The Hurt Locker”, and last year the Swedish government went after PiratBay for its download services, and Limewire is under legal challenge, the days seem to be numbered for these download sites. Indeed, in the US, the Department of Justice and ICE both suggested that these types of seizures and investigations are just the beginning.

Source: CNET

See Also:  New Law Suit Against LimeWire The Pirate Bay Keeps Sinking: Another Lawsuit Coming

‘Hurt Locker’ downloaders, you’ve been sued

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In the past David Beckham has been signed up by the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy for exuberant sums of money. Well now the latest “team” to sign the English superstar is Yahoo.

There’s no word on the sum that was paid, butYahoo has announced that Beckham will be its brand “ambassador” during the World Cup, which kicks off this Friday. It a statement to Reuters, Beckham said;

“Yahoo will allow me to interact one-on-one with as many football fans as possible talking about the game I love.”

Beckham will be featured on Yahoo websites and products exclusively before and after the world cup as well as in company marketing. The deal runs right through until the end of September to take advantage of the 2010-2011 European soccer season.

Due to Davids commitments to the English football team in the world cup (he’s not playing due to an injured Achilles tendon earlier this year) he will not comment on the 2010 World Cup during the tournament.

I think this is another step in the right direction for Yahoo’s sports offerings which are growing. Last April, Yahoo managed to get exclusive rights for online video highlights in Britain for English Premier League Soccer from 2010 until 2013. In the states it has similar deals with the National Basketball Association, National Hockey league as well as Major League Baseball.

Yahoo say the aim of this campaign is to “drive more people to search, use and talk about Yahoo”.

The three main components of the deal see a David Beckham page within Yahoo’s Sport coverage of the World Cup, on which Beckham will share his thoughts on what it’s like to play three consecutive World Cups. Soccer fans will also be able to ask Beckham their own questions through various Yahoo channels. And of course he will be taking part in the marketing campaign for Yahoo.

Source:

Reuters

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