simple thinks

What is the CSS3

2014-10-08T20:20:00.001-07:00

“CSS” is an acronym for Cascading Style Sheets, a web-based markup language used to describe the look and formatting of a website to the browser, most commonly used in HTML or XHTML web pages but also applicable to XML documents, including plain XML, SVG and XUL. “CSS3” simply refers to the latest incarnation of CSS, with additional capabilities far beyond the scope of the first two generations.

CSS3 offers some exciting new features to enhance the appearance of a website. Although these features might not be absolutely necessary to the functionality of a website, users are coming to expect a website to look awesome as well as operate cleanly. CSS3 makes it easier for designs that will make visitors “ooh and aah” over them to be implemented.

Some Use CSS3 Example :

Box-shadows – This could allow the main content to slide beneath another area, such as a footer, or cause the area to look as if it’s coming out of or sinking into the website. CSS3 makes this happen without requiring the coder to create a new image or use a Javascript plugin. Another technique is to cause the shadow to appear upon hover.

Text shadows – Sounds exactly like what it is: provide a drop shadow underneath HTML text elements.

HTML5:Design to Another Level

2014-10-08T20:08:00.002-07:00

HTML5 maybe is the latest version of HTML or Hypertext Markup Language. It is currently only fully supported by a handful of browsers but the next year should see a large increase in usage. It isn’t expected to be completed until 2014, but the features that are available now are a great way to become acquainted with HTML5 and add some cool elements to your website.

The idea behind HTML5 is that it’s not one large entity, but rather made up of smaller parts that work together to create something innovative and advanced. Each browser may support different features of HTML5, which makes it important for those interested in coding to figure out which features they need and which will be supported by different browsers.

HTML5 simply builds upon the widespread success of HTML4. That means a coder doesn’t have to throw away the existing markup, but rather build upon and improve the old one.

Qingyuau Guangdong

2013-12-08T00:41:00.001-08:00

The Landscape of Qingyuan.

4G

2013-10-28T22:01:00.001-07:00

"4G" is the term used to refer to the International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced (IMT-Advanced) technology family of mobile wireless services, which has been defined and ratified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). In an October 2010 meeting, The ITU's Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) Working Party 5D, which is responsible for defining the IMT-Advanced global 4G technologies, completed the assessment of six candidate technology submissions for the global 4G mobile wireless broadband technology. Of the proposals, two technologies, LTE-Advanced and WirelessMAN-Advanced, were each determined to have successfully met all of the criteria established by ITU-R for the first release of IMT-Advanced and were accorded the official designation of IMT-Advanced, qualifying them as 4G technologies. Final ratification of the full IMT-Advanced technology family took place at the ITU-R Study Group meeting on November 22 and 23, 2010, in Geneva, Switzerland.

As background for this IMT-Advanced project, ITU published a document, "Recommendation ITU-R M.1645: Framework and overall objectives of the future development of IMT-2000 and systems beyond IMT-2000."

These technologies will now move into the final stage of the IMT-Advanced process, which provides for the development in early 2012 of an ITU-R Recommendation specifying the in-depth technical standards for these radio technologies.

sunrise

2013-10-28T21:54:00.001-07:00

sunset

2013-10-28T20:53:00.003-07:00

LTE Technology

2013-10-28T20:41:00.001-07:00

Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a radio platform technology that will allow operators to achieve even higher peak throughputs than HSPA+ in higher spectrum bandwidth. Work on LTE began at 3GPP in 2004, with an official LTE work item started in 2006 and a completed 3GPP Release 8 specification in March 2009. Initial deployments of LTE began in late 2009.

LTE is part of the GSM evolutionary path for mobile broadband, following EDGE, UMTS, HSPA (HSDPA and HSUPA combined) and HSPA Evolution (HSPA+). Although HSPA and its evolution are strongly positioned to be the dominant mobile data technology for the next decade, the 3GPP family of standards must evolve toward the future. HSPA+ will provide the stepping-stone to LTE for many operators.

The overall objective for LTE is to provide an extremely high performance radio-access technology that offers full vehicular speed mobility and that can readily coexist with HSPA and earlier networks. Because of scalable bandwidth, operators will be able to easily migrate their networks and users from HSPA to LTE over time.

LTE assumes a full Internet Protocol (IP) network architecture and is designed to support voice in the packet domain. It incorporates top-of-the-line radio techniques to achieve performance levels beyond what will be practical with CDMA approaches, particularly in larger channel bandwidths. However, in the same way that 3G coexists with second generation (2G) systems in integrated networks, LTE systems will coexist with 3G and 2G systems. Multimode devices will function across LTE/3G or even LTE/3G/2G, depending on market circumstances.

Standards development for LTE continued with 3GPP Release 9 (Rel-9), which was functionally frozen in December 2009. 3GPP Rel-9 focuses on enhancements to HSPA+ and LTE while Rel-10 focuses on the next generation of LTE for the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) IMT-Advanced requirements and both were developed nearly simultaneously by 3GPP standards working groups. Several milestones have been achieved by vendors in recent years for both Rel-9 and Rel-10. Most significant was the final ratification by the ITU of LTE-Advanced (Rel-10) as IMT-Advanced in November 2010.

The first commercial LTE networks were launched by TeliaSonera in Norway and Sweden in December 2009; as of November 2012, there were 117 commercial LTE networks in various stages of commercial service. Many trials are underway with up to 130 LTE deployments expected in 2012.

For many years now, a true world cellular standard has been one of the industry’s goals. GSM dominated 2G technologies but there was still fragmentation with CDMA and TDMA as well as iDEN. With the move to 3G, nearly all TDMA operators migrated to the 3GPP technology path. Yet the historical divide remained between GSM and CDMA. It is with the next step of technology evolution that the opportunity has arisen for a global standard technology. Many operators have converged on the technology they believe will offer them and their customers the most benefits. That technology is Long Term Evolution. Most leading operators, device and infrastructure manufacturers, as well as content providers support LTE as the mobile technology of the future. Operators, including leading GSM-HSPA and CDMA EV-DO operators as well as newly licensed and WiMAX operators, are making strategic, long-term commitments to LTE networks. All roads lead to LTE.

In June of 2008, the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) selected LTE as the first technology that matched its requirements successfully. 4G Americas, GSMA, UMTS Forum, and other global organizations have reiterated their support of the 3GPP evolution to LTE. Additionally, the LSTI Trial Initiative has provided support through early co-development and testing of the entire ecosystem from chipset, device and infrastructure vendors.

LTE products have been tested, trialed and commercially announced in the market by manufacturers that are already part of a well-planned LTE eco-system. The LTE ecosystem will build upon the economies of scope and scale of the entire 3GPP family of technologies.

LTE uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) on the downlink, which is well suited to achieve high peak data rates in high spectrum bandwidth. WCDMA radio technology is, essentially, as efficient as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) for delivering peak data rates of about 10 Mbps in 5 MHz of bandwidth. Achieving peak rates in the 100 Mbps range with wider radio channels, however, would result in highly complex terminals and is not practical with current technology. This is where OFDM provides a practical implementation advantage.

The OFDMA approach is also highly flexible in channelization, and LTE will operate in various radio channel sizes ranging from 1.4 to 20 MHz. LTE also boosts spectral efficiency.

On the uplink, however, a pure OFDMA approach results in high Peak to Average Ratio (PAR) of the signal, which compromises power efficiency and, ultimately, battery life. Hence, LTE uses an approach for the uplink called Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), which is somewhat similar to OFDMA, but has a 2 to 6 dB PAR advantage over the OFDMA method used by other technologies such as WiMAX IEEE 802.16e.

LTE capabilities include:

Downlink peak data rates up to 326 Mbps with 20 MHz bandwidth

Uplink peak data rates up to 86.4 Mbps with 20 MHz bandwidth

Operation in both TDD and FDD modes

Scalable bandwidth up to 20 MHz, covering 1.4 MHz, 3 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, and 20 MHz in the study phase

Increased spectral efficiency over Release 6 HSPA by two to four times

Reduced latency, up to 10 milliseconds (ms) round-trip times between user equipment and the base station, and to less than 100 ms transition times from inactive to active

Ferrari 458

2013-08-28T00:50:00.000-07:00

A Ferrari Speciale for special emotions.

It’s called the 458 Speciale: it’s Ferrari’s new sportscar, the fruits of the innovation and extreme technological research that have gone into a car as outstanding as the 458 Italia.

The aerodynamic efficiency (an E index of 1.5), a more powerful aspirated V8 engine (605 cv) and the highest power density (135 cv/l) in the history of Ferrari road cars, an extraordinary weight/power ratio (2.13 kg/cv), electronic control of the slip angle (SSC): these are some – but not all – of the characteristics that make this car truly Speciale and that are destined to become standard for the Ferraris of the future. The aptness of the car’s name is easily shown by its performance figures: accelerating from 0-100km/h in 3s (or 9.1s for 0-200km/h) and a best lap time round Fiorano of 1m 23.5s.

The new 8-cylinder mid-engine berlinetta, which will be launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 10, was designed with the target of raising performance and driving emotion to the highest levels, while still guaranteeing ease of control in every situation.

Google Glass: what you need to know

2013-03-11T06:48:00.001-07:00

When Google Glass was unveiled, the tech world instantly fell into two camps. Camp one was excited: we're living in the sci-fi future! Camp two, though, wasn't so happy. It's vapourware! some said, while others worried that Google just wanted to plaster ads on the entire world. Is either camp correct? Let's find out.

What is Google's Project Glass?

Google Glass is the attempt to make wearable computing mainstream, and it's effectively a smart pair of glasses with an integrated heads-up display and a battery hidden inside the frame.

Wearable computing is not a new idea, but Google's enormous bank account and can-do attitude means that Project Glass could well be the first product to do significant numbers.

Originally Project Glass was mooted for a public release in 2014 at the earliest but the latest news on the Google Glass release date suggest it's beginning to look like we could seeconsumer units by the end of 2013.

When will it be released?

That's because the prototype Explorer units are becoming an increasingly common site around San Francisco - and Google is even allowing competition 'winners' to pay $1,500 to get these early offerings.

What does Google Glass do?

The core of Google Glass is its tiny prism display which sits not in your eyeline, but a little above it. You can see what is on the display by glancing up. The glasses also have an embedded camera, microphone, GPS and, reportedly, use bone induction to give you sound.

Voice control is used to control the device; you say 'ok glass' to get a range of options including taking pictures, videos, send messages using speech to text, 'hang out' with people or get directions to somewhere. You access these options by saying them out loud.

Most of this functionality is self explanatory; hang out is Google's video conferencing technology and allows you to talk to a people over web cam, and stream them what you are seeing and the directions use Google Maps and the inbuilt GPS to help you find your way.

The results are displayed on the prism - essentially putting data into your view like a head up display (HUD). It's potentially incredibly handy.

People are already developing some rather cool/scary apps for Google Glass - including one that allows you to identify your friends in a crowd.

What are the Google Glass specifications?

An FCC filing in the US revealed many potential details, suggesting that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth would be used to send pictures to the screen, whilst bone-induction may be used for sound, vibrating your skull to communicate the sound into your inner ear. It's not a new technology, but certainly does have critics who suggest that it falls short of traditional headphones.

We don't have a lot of the final details on specs just yet - but expect Google Glass to run modified Android, to sport a decent resolution camera with a decent lens and we'd be fairly certain that the microphone needs to be a good quality.

There will be a GPS chip, and the lightweight and flexible glasses design will come in five colours - Charcoal, Tangerine, Shale, Cotton, Sky. That's black, orange, grey, white and blue for anyone that prefers plain English over marketing speak.

I already wear glasses. Will Google Glasses work for me?

Yes. Google is experimenting with designs that will fit over existing glasses so you don't have to wear two lots of specs.

What is the Project Glass price?

The NYT again: according to "several Google employees familiar with the project who asked not to be named," the glasses are expected "to cost around the price of current smartphones." So that's around $750/£500, then, possibly with the help of a hefty Google subsidy.

The latest hints definitely suggest a price that will make them attractive to technophiles.

The developer versions - traditionally more expensive that the final consumer units - were made available for pre-order for $1,500 (c£966).

As to WHERE you can buy the specs; online will be a certainty, but don't rule out Glass making a debut in a all-new Google Store, with the search giant apparently considering actual shops to showcase the tech to those who haven't been following every development.

Is Project Glass evil?

It could be. Google's business is about making money from advertising, and some people worry that Google Glass is its attempt to monetise your eyeballs by blasting you with ads whenever you look at something.

If you think pop-ups are annoying in a web browser, imagine them in front of your face. The ADmented Reality spoof is one of very many parodies that made us laugh.

Some of the parodies actually make a good point by showing people bumping into stuff: heads-up displays can be distracting, and there may be safety issues too. Until Google ships its self-driving car, the thought of drivers being distracted by their glasses is fairly terrifying.

There are privacy implications too. Never mind your web history: Google Glass might record everything you see and do.

There is a red recording light, but the tech certainly raises some key debates that will become more relevant as this kind of technology surfaces. What are the repercussions from having everything you say potentially taped, turned into text and searchable? What are the repercussions for free speech.

All radically new tech brings new potential for evil. But you have to weigh that against the capacity for good and the progress it brings

Google Glass pre-order customers will get regular updates

Those people who paid Google $1,500 for the privilege of pre-ordering some Project Glass specs will be receiving "private updates" through Google+.

mysql启动时报错

2013-01-20T04:02:00.001-08:00

mysql启动时报错: [Note] Plugin 'FEDERATED' is disabled. Plugin 'ndbcluster' is disabled

通过innobackupex对mysql进行数据恢复时，恢复完成后导致mysql服务不能正常启动了。。。

innobackupex --defaults-file=/etc/my.cnf --copy-back /data/2012-04-09_00-05-09/

这两天在对mysql数据库进行迁移时，碰到一些小问题，导致恢复后mysql服务无法正常启动，错误日志如下：

120409 13:47:17 mysqld_safe Starting mysqld daemon with databases from /usr/local/mysql/data

120409 13:47:18 [Warning] '--skip-locking' is deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Please use '--skip-external-locking' instead.

120409 13:47:18 [Warning] '--default-character-set' is deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Please use '--character-set-server' instead.

120409 13:47:18 [Note] Plugin 'FEDERATED' is disabled.

120409 13:47:18 [Note] Plugin 'ndbcluster' is disabled.

InnoDB: The InnoDB memory heap is disabled

InnoDB: Mutexes and rw_locks use GCC atomic builtins

120409 13:47:19 InnoDB: Operating system error number 13 in a file operation.

InnoDB: The error means mysqld does not have the access rights to

InnoDB: the directory.

InnoDB: File name /usr/local/mysql/data/ibdata1

InnoDB: File operation call: 'open'.

InnoDB: Cannot continue operation.

120409 13:47:19 mysqld_safe mysqld from pid file /usr/local/mysql/data/mysql-db.pid ended

再看看，libdata1的文件大小：

# ls -lh /usr/local/mysql/data/

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1073741824 03-29 00:40 ibdata1

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 51287949312 03-29 00:40 ibdata2

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1073741824 03-29 00:40 ibdata3

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 5343543296 03-29 00:40 ibdata4

再看下/etc/my.cnf配置文件：

innodb_data_file_path = ibdata1:1000M:autoextend

问题原因，mysql/data目录下的ibdata1文件大小和配置文件里的文件大小不一致造成

原来配置文件里设置的libdata的二进制数据目录就一个，且数据大小也设置过低，需要做下改动(按恢复的数据文件大小来设置)，设置如下：

innodb_data_file_path = ibdata1:1024M;ibdata2:48912M;ibdata3:1024M;ibdata4:1024M:autoextend]

再次启动mysql服务，还是报错。。原来是属主权限不对：

120409 14:24:39 mysqld_safe Starting mysqld daemon with databases from /usr/local/mysql/data

120409 14:24:39 [Warning] '--skip-locking' is deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Please use '--skip-external-locking' instead.

120409 14:24:39 [Warning] '--default-character-set' is deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Please use '--character-set-server' instead.

120409 14:24:39 [Note] Plugin 'FEDERATED' is disabled.

120409 14:24:39 [Note] Plugin 'ndbcluster' is disabled.

InnoDB: The InnoDB memory heap is disabled

InnoDB: Mutexes and rw_locks use GCC atomic builtins

120409 14:24:40 InnoDB: Operating system error number 13 in a file operation.

InnoDB: The error means mysqld does not have the access rights to

InnoDB: the directory.

InnoDB: File name /usr/local/mysql/data/ibdata1

InnoDB: File operation call: 'open'.

InnoDB: Cannot continue operation.

120409 14:24:40 mysqld_safe mysqld from pid file /usr/local/mysql/data/mysql-db.pid ended

将数据目录权限改为mysql用户所有：

# chown -R mysql.mysql ../data

OK，再次启动，就可以了。。

flower

2012-12-28T06:02:00.001-08:00

beautiful

system.img.ext4 unpack

2012-12-19T18:45:00.001-08:00

system.img.ext4(system partition)
amss.bin(The device driver）
mdm.bin(base band）
recovery.img（recovery partition）
boot.img(core）

use file ext4_utils (genext4.sh，make_ext4fs，mkuserimg.sh ，pack.sh，simg2img）

copy the file(mkuserimg.sh，simg2img） to "bin" directory and Modify permissions

    sudo cp ~/dir/make_ext4fs /bin/
    sudo chmod 755 /bin/make_ext4fs
    sudo cp ~/dir/simg2img /bin/
    sudo chmod 755 /bin/simg2img
    simg2img system.img.ext4 system.img
    mkdir temp //create directory "temp" to moutn the "system partition"
    file system.img //dispaly the type of system.img
    mount -o loop system.img temp

choose

2012-04-13T00:54:00.001-07:00

It is the rest of your story,who you choose to be!

Apple iPad3

2012-03-08T05:06:00.001-08:00

As recent history has shown, though, even those relatively modest changes could be enough for the company to attract waves of new buyers for its tablet computer.

The company said the new iPad will go on sale March 16 for a starting price of $499, unchanged from the last generation of iPads. The product will have a screen that provides a comparable level of clarity to the iPhone’s “retina display,” with higher resolution than conventional high-definition televisions, according to Apple executives.

And in a sign that Apple intends to more seriously protect its market share in the tablet market, the company said it would continue to sell its second-generation iPad, dropping the price to $399 from $499.

At a company event here, Apple also introduced a new version of Apple TV, the company’s $99 set-top box for accessing Internet video, which streams movies in the sharpest of the high-definition video formats, called 1080p.

The new product, called simply the new iPad with no numbers or letters following the name, is an effort to keep growth chugging along in a 2-year-old business that has turned into a major technology franchise for the company. Apple’s $9.15 billion in iPad sales over the holiday quarter was almost double the amount of revenue Microsoft brought in from its Windows software and not far from Google’s total revenue as a company during the same period.

Speaking from the same stage where Steve Jobs, the company’s late chief executive, introduced the second-generation iPad almost exactly a year ago, the company’s new chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, said the iPad last quarter outsold the number of PCs sold by any individual manufacturer.

“In many ways, the iPad is reinventing portable computing and outstripping the wildest predictions,” Cook said.

The new iPad, the third generation of the device, looks virtually indistinguishable from its predecessor, without any of the bold outward design changes often associated with new products from the company.

It features a faster processor — an A5X quad-core chip — and a higher-resolution screen — 2,048 by 1,536 pixels, more than 3.1 million pixels, or four times more than the current iPad.

It will also operate on the fourth-generation cellphone network technology known as LTE. In the United States, the new iPad will work on AT&T’s and Verizon’s networks .

The iPad will also allow users to dictate emails, although Apple did not introduce an iPad version of Siri, an iPhone virtual assistant feature that can schedule appoints and perform other tasks using natural sounding commands.

Last fall, Apple disappointed some pundits and enthusiasts by making mostly incremental enhancements with its latest smartphone, the iPhone 4S. That product ended up defying doubts to become a smash hit, leading to record sales over the holidays. During that time, Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., solidified its lead as the most valuable company in the world, with a market capitalization of almost a half-trillion dollars, well ahead of its nearest rival, Exxon Mobil.

The new iPad may show how durable Apple’s hold on the tablet market is. For most of the two years the iPad has been on sale, Apple has faced competitors from Hewlett-Packard, Research In Motion, Samsung and Motorola, yet none has established a firm beachhead in the tablet business. A few of those competitors, like Hewlett, gave up.

The chief criticism that some stalwarts of the PC industry have leveled at the iPad is that the device is not well suited for creating content, even if it is good for consuming it. Apple, though, sought to undermine that argument with a number of new apps.

Those include a new version of its Mac software, iPhoto, for editing photographs. A new version of Apple’s Garage Band music software lets up to four people play in a virtual band together with four iPads that are connected together wirelessly.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/07/2681449/apple-unveils-its-new-sharper.html#storylink=cpy

JavaScript

2012-02-02T07:37:00.001-08:00

JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented,imperative, and functional programming styles.

      JavaScript was formalized in the ECMAScript language standard and is primarily used in the form of client-side JavaScript, implemented as part of a Web browser in order to provide enhanced user interfaces and dynamic websites. This enables programmatic access to computational objects within a host environment.

      JavaScript's use in applications outside Web pages — for example in PDF documents, site-specific browsers, and desktop widgets — is also significant. Newer and faster JavaScript VMs and frameworks built upon them (notably Node.js) have also increased the popularity of JavaScript for server-side web applications.

       JavaScript uses syntax influenced by that of C. JavaScript copies many names and naming conventions from Java, but the two languages are otherwise unrelated and have very different semantics. The key design principles within JavaScript are taken from the Self and Scheme programming languages.

What is Thunderbolt technology

2012-01-05T20:33:00.001-08:00

You may have heard that Apple has recently refreshed their Macbook Pro product line and the latest arrival comes with a new port, known as the Thunderbolt technology.

What is Thunderbolt technology

I am sure you must have heard of and used a USB port before (unless you are still using a 486MHz PC). A USB port allows you to plug in a device to your computer and instantly access it from the system. Each USB port only allows one device (while you can use a USB hub to extend it to support multiple devices, it is still theoretically a one-one connection) and everytime you buy a new laptop, you have to wonder how many USB ports it comes with. Thunderbolt eliminates all these problems and adds a new dimension to how you connect your external devices to your computer.

Thunderbolt technology is a new breakthrough technology that work like (much better than) the USB port, but allows you to daisy chain multiple devices (up to 6 devices) together. All Thunderbolt devices use the same connector (unlike USB technology that uses a male – female type of connection), so you can connect one device to another with interoperable cables. You just need one Thunderbolt port to chain them all, and you don’t have to worry how many USB ports your computer comes with, and whether you need a USB hub or not.

The true advantage of Thunderbolt technology

The ability to daisy chain multiple devices together is only a small part of what Thunderbolt can do. The true advantage of Thunderbolt technology is the communication speed between itself and the connected devices. The Thunderbolt technology can transfer data at the rate of 10Gbps (compared to USB 2.0 – 120MBps and USB 3.0 – 400MBps). To illustrate how fast it is:

it take a mere 30 seconds to transfer a full-length HD movies (around 1.5 – 2.5 GB in size), or
a mere 10 minutes to transfer a year of continuous MP3 playback.

That is how fast Thunderbolt technology is. What makes it even better is that it is bi-directional, which means that you can transfer and receive data at the same time, both with the same 10Gbps bandwidth. Best of all, the last device in the daisy chain will enjoy the full bandwidth as well. Imagine the massive library of music and videos you have in your computer, you can now transfer them in/out at lightning speed.

Using Thunderbolt port for your monitor?

In today’s technology, you still need a dedicated port to connect your monitor to the computer. Be it the obsolete VGA, or DVI or the latest HDMI connection, there is still no way you can connect your HD-capable monitor to the USB port.
The Thunderbolt port utilizes the DisplayPort protocol to deliver high display performance on your PC. With the use of adapter, it can also support the existing VGA, DVI, DisplayPort and HDMI interface. This means that you can now hook up your monitor onto the Thunderbolt port and enjoy HD performance.

How will the Thunderbolt Technology benefit you?

End user will definitely benefit from the fast transfer speed that comes with Thunderbolt. You can now backup your terabytes of data in seconds, or even do video editing and get it to sync on the fly.

In today’s technologies, the more powerful your computer is, the bigger is the size of the computer terminal. With Thunderbolt technology, a powerful computer can now come in small-form factor. You no longer need dedicated slots for graphic card, sound card or even a Gigabit ethernet card. All these hardware can now exist as external devices and hook up via the Thunderbolt port. Your next netbook, or mobile device could just be the most powerful computer in the world. Imagine a dual-core (or quad-core) iPad with a Thunderbolt port; you could hook it up with an external graphics card and HD-capable monitor and use it as a high end gaming machine. How does that sound to you?

Thunderbolt technology

2012-01-05T19:44:00.001-08:00

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Thunderbolt (codenamed Light Peak) is an interface for connecting peripheral devices to a computer via an expansion bus. Thunderbolt was developed by Intel and brought to market with technical collaboration from Apple. It was introduced commercially on Apple's updated MacBook Pro lineup on February 24, 2011, using the same port and connector as Mini DisplayPort. Though the Thunderbolt trademark was registered by Apple, full rights belong to Intel and subsequently led to the transfer of the registration from Apple to Intel.

Thunderbolt combines PCI Express and DisplayPort into a serial data interface that can be carried over longer and less costly cables. Thunderbolt driver chips fold the data from these two sources together, and split them back apart again for consumption within the devices. This makes the system backward compatible with existing DisplayPort hardware upstream of the driver.

The interface was originally intended to run on an optical physical layer using components and flexible optical fiber cabling developed by Intel partners and at Intel's Silicon Photonics lab. The Intel technology at the time was marketed under the name Light Peak,[6] today (2011) referred to as Silicon Photonics Link. However, it was revealed that conventional copper wiring could furnish the desired 10 Gbit/s Thunderbolt bandwidth per channel at lower cost. Later versions of Thunderbolt are still planned to introduce an optical physical layer based on Intel silicon photonics technology.

The Intel and Apple implementation of the port adapter integrates PCI Express data and DisplayPort data, allowing them to be carried over the same cable simultaneously. A single Thunderbolt port supports hubs as well as a daisy chain of up to seven Thunderbolt devices; up to two of these devices may be high-resolution displays using DisplayPort.

Apple sells existing DisplayPort adapters for DVI, dual-link DVI, HDMI, and VGA output from the Thunderbolt port, showing broad compatibility.

Private companies ratchet up lobbying to stay dark

2011-12-30T00:26:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two traditional retailers and a manufacturer have joined the ranks of hot tech companies like Facebook in the debate over a U.S. securities rule that can forceprivately held companies to disclose finances they'd rather keep secret.
The three companies - Wawa Inc, Wegmans Food Markets Inc, andW.L. Gore & Associates, best known as the maker of GORE-TEX clothing - have formed a loose coalition and retained a former U.S. congressman as their lobbyist.
They are lobbying for legislation that would increase the number of shareholders a company can have before it must make detailed disclosures to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and exempt employees from that cap.

The cap has stood at 500 for over four decades.

Unlike Facebook, which had to find a way around the rule to attract outside investors and still stay private, the older companies say the limit threatens their ability to offer stock-based compensation plans to senior managers.

"As we grow, we don't have the ability to retain and attract the number of people we'd like because of the restriction of this rule," said Paul Speranza, vice chairman and general counsel of Wegmans, a grocery chain based in Rochester, New York.

In an interview with Reuters, Speranza said Wegmans is "quite close" to the 500-shareholder limit.

Lobbying for the privately held companies is a team headed by Thomas Reynolds, who served in Congress for 10 years as a Republican representing the Buffalo, New York, area.

Now a lobbyist with the firm Nixon Peabody, Reynolds has lobbied for Wegmans since May, according to a registration he filed. This month, he filed paperwork for two other clients: Wawa, which sells gasoline and food at 600 stores along the East Coast, and W.L. Gore.

The involvement of the companies, with decades of history and established corporate cultures, may broaden a regulatory debate that has focused on tech companies like Facebook and Twitter, which want access to more investor cash but are not quite ready for initial public offerings.

"Wawa is not a high-growth, go-go, potential IPO that doesn't want SEC disclosure," said John Coffee, a Columbia University law professor.

Companies like Wawa "would get most of the protection they want through a provision that excludes employees" from the total tally of shareholders, Coffee said.

Still, Coffee voiced concern that the Senate bill, as written, would make investors vulnerable by exempting too many big companies from disclosing important information.

The debate is playing out at the SEC, which appointed an advisory committee to review possible changes to reporting requirements to make it easier for small, fast-growing companies to raise capital.

Congress is also considering loosening the rule.

A bill that passed a House committee in October would bump the shareholder limit up to 1,000, while a version in the Senate would raise it to 2,000. Both bills would exempt shares received as part of an employee compensation plan.

Lawmakers have promoted the changes as a way to boost capital raising and economic growth, but they are trying to ensure that the reforms don't erode investor protections.

In testimony at a Senate hearing earlier this month, Wawa's incoming chief executive and current chief financial officer, Christopher Gheysens, said the 500-shareholder limit will force the company to make a big decision in the not-so-distant future.

"We will be required to choose between becoming a public reporting company and initiating a costly, time-consuming corporate restructuring," Gheysens said.

Wawa would likely choose to restructure under a process such as a reverse stock split, rather than make public reports that may come with heavy compliance costs, Gheysens said.

(Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

Year 2012

2011-12-26T23:47:00.000-08:00

Year 2012 is a very mysterious year. Nobody knows for sure what will happen in year 2012. But, the year 2012 has been included in many prophecies and is very important spiritually. Here is the latest information and most informative articles and resources on the year 2012:

The Year 2012 by Adrian Cooper
Our Ultimate Reality

First and foremost we still do not know if anything at all will happen on December 21 2012, or at any time in 2012, or indeed at all. We will examine that more closely in just a moment.

But quite simply, if, and only if the prophesies are true, then one of three fundamental situations will likely result immediately before, during and after the 2012 event based upon what we know to date:

1. Human beings will undergo a massive Spiritual evolutionary transition whereby true, Divine, Spiritual reality will be realised and experienced. Focus and abilities will no longer be materially based, but rather Spiritually based.

If this comes to pass, humans will still inhabit a physical body, but the body will assume its true identity as a vehicle of learning. Material things will be seen for the illusion they truly are, and the emphasis will be on "service to others before service to self", and the building of the biblical "kingdom of heaven on Earth", a paradise where selfishness, war and disharmony will be a thing of the past.

2. The Planet Earth, a great, living planetary Spirit, will evolve or "graduate" to the 4th density, the next evolutionary level on His/Her own path of return to The Prime Creator. In this case all organic life on Earth will cease to exist, and will also transition to the 4th or 5th density, the Astral or Spiritual worlds, where life will continue as ever in the Astral or Spiritual body, depending on Spiritual progress.

3. Earth will experience some massive cataclysmic physical trauma which will destroy most if not everything on the planet. If this happens the result will be the same as in possibility 2. above but will happen in a different way. It is likely that all life will transition to the 4th or 5th densities, again depending on Spiritual evolution, before this cataclysm strikes, so there will be no suffering.

We are not intended by the Universe to suffer; all suffering is a direct result of the actions and thoughts of humans.

The most important potential outcome is the evolution of present day human beings; Homo Sapiens, to the next level: "Homo Spiritus".

So the big question is; will 2012 actually happen? Do we really only have just over 6 years left on this planet? If so, what do we need to do in those 6 years?

Regarding the "if"; I have personally carried out considerable and ongoing research into this.

My research has so far resulted in at least 50 significant to extremely compelling pieces of evidence that point to varying degrees to a major event in 2012, specifically December 21, 2012.

For more information on the year 2012 and 2012 prophecies read this article: 2012 Prophecies This powerful article explains everything about the year 2012 and how it relates to the Mayan Calendar. It explains various 2012 prophecies and the significance of the year 2012.

You may also enjoy the article "2012 Problem" by Ralph Miller. It is more of a shamanic view of the year 2012 and the 2012 prophecies. It combines the ancient wisdom of the sacred plant "ayahuasca". You can read this fascinating article on the year 2012 here: 2012 Problem

I will be continously adding more information to this page, as I accumulate more knowledge and am led to more resources on the year 2012. For regular updates when I add something to this page you can sign up below for my Free Metaphysics Information Package. I will include all updates on the year 2012 in the E-Zine Metaphysical Mind (which is a major part of the package). To learn more, click here: Year 2012 Updates

To return to the homepage click here: What Is Metaphysics?

Where is open source heading?

2011-12-17T19:09:00.000-08:00

What a difference time makes! Back in 2001 when I took the job as CEO of MySQL AB, free and open source software (FOSS) was an exciting escapade for the brave ones only. The FOSS movement had been around for some time already, and the communities were not insignificant. But from a perspective of industry, business and common citizens, open source was the brave new thing that many people admired but few were ready to support.

Looking back

Back in Finland, where both Linux and MySQL had originally been developed, a cautious and nervous pride was brewing. Open source was amazing, but would it mesh well with the orderly and institutional instincts of Finnish, and more broadly Nordic, society? Despite the modernity of the Nordic model, it took time for people to get used to the thought of full openness, unlimited participation and the freedom to use, modify and redistribute software code.
But we needed not worry. Open source became one of the leading IT trends of the first decade of this century. Red Hat's stellar growth paved the way for the rest of us, and soon JBoss and MySQL were not just household names among developers but household names among purchasing managers too. The disruption the LAMP stack and others caused to the incumbent players in the software industry was a perfect example of the Innovator's Dilemma as described by Professor Clayton Christensen. No wonder that large corporations were circling around the small and innovative open source companies - trying to figure whether to ignore them, love them, hate them, or try to swallow them.

What is open source?

It would have been easy in those days to mistake open source for an industry or a market. But that's not what free and open source software is. FOSS is a way to produce software, and thanks to its brilliant licensing, also a way to distribute software. That's it. It is not an industry, nor a market or a business model. A better way to produce the goods, and a better way to distribute them. That's why we always compared MySQL to IKEA and DELL. Those two companies disrupted their own markets with smarter manufacturing and smarter access to customers.
Today, ten years later, FOSS is again going through fundamental changes. The world is changing, and open source has to and will change too. Looking back, the good news is that open source is now permeating every major aspect of software and IT world. There is not a single market leader in the software space that does not have an open source aspect to its strategy - not a single one. The bad news, if you will, is that although we dreamt about it back in the early 2000s, open source did not take over the entire world. Despite FOSS being a superior way to produce software, there still are many organizations who prefer secrecy over openness. Well, we are only about a decade or two into this, so perhaps we should not expect full victory yet. Give us another 10 or 20 years and hopefully all code will be open.
Another major change for FOSS is that whereas previously most pieces of software were distributed and re-distributed, today with cloud computing this is many times not the case. In cloud computing scenarios, the software may never leave its home harbor. It may be developed in-house and installed on a server that provides a service to the world. No distribution of software happens. This lack of distribution also affects the reciprocal licenses. Many developers of free software want all modifications to their software to be open too, for why would some people develop open code just to see others using it in a closed fashion? For software that is distributed, the GPL license provides protection against closedness. For software that is not distributed, the AGPL license provides an analogous protection. Important is that what once was open shall always remain open.

Looking into the future

As we move forward on the evolutionary path of software - a path that points squarely at cloud computing - I can see free and open source software taking a variety of roles. Inspired by the disruptive effect of open source software in the last decade, others will try to do the same. One could argue that Google embarked on the Android project in order to disrupt existing players in the mobile handset market. Inspired by the business success of Red Hat, JBoss and MySQL, many startups will follow their path and build impressive businesses around an open source product. This trend has been going on for some time already and we now have a strong class of midsized open source companies focused on scaling their business. Think of SugarCRM, Zend, Alfresco, JasperSoft, Pentaho, MuleSoft, Magento Software and others.
New companies will enter the cloud computing space with open source products in order to quickly build a community, an installed base and an ecosystem. As always, some really smart developers will single-handedly or in small groups crank out amazing open source software products - just because they need it themselves or because they want to show they can build it. Of those numerous projects, some will grow into vital positions in the new software stack, setting the standard for what open source can accomplish. As the world shifts over - finally - from the client/server era into the cloud infrastructure era, the software stacks will be redesigned and new winners will emerge. My bet is on open source

Buy the Samsung Galaxy Nexus?

2011-12-13T17:38:00.001-08:00

If you've already owned the Nexus One or Nexus S, chances are you already know the answer to that question and have dutifully placed your pre-order. The allure of getting the latest flavour of pure Android is temptation enough for many dedicated fans to purchase this year's Nexus device. If the volume bug is quickly fixed, this handset is a truly fearsome contender.

Make no mistake, the Galaxy Nexus is a seriously impressive handset. It trumps the Nexus S in every conceivable manner. That 4.65-inch Super AMOLED screen has to be seen to be believed. It offers a 720p HD resolution with unbeatable viewing angles.

The buttons at the bottom of the screen aren't actually buttons -- they're part of the display, and vanish when it switches off.

We're blown away by the speed and slickness of the new Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. Android has a reputation for being a little slow and buggy, but Android 4.0 finally seems to have put those spectres to bed. Actions such as sending an email or posting a photo to Twitter take seconds to achieve. It almost feels as if the phone is one step ahead of you, such is the pace of the device.

While the Galaxy Nexus shames practically every previous Android phone in terms of usability, it struggles in some key areas. The all-plastic design is disappointing when placed alongside the iPhone 4S and HTC Sensation.

Samsung has a habit of avoiding the use of brushed metal on its phones. In this instance, we'd have liked to have seen a little more sophistication in the case design -- especially when you consider that the Galaxy Nexus retails for around the same price as the aluminium and tempered-glass iPhone.

The bottom of the handset showcases the 3.5mm headphone jack and the micro-USB socket.

When the Nexus first launched in the UK, it suffered from a deeply annoying bug that dropped the volume when we were using 2G, meaning it was almost impossible to make calls. That meant we couldn't recommend it initially, but Google quickly fixed the problem and now we're more than happy to. When you buy the phone you may be asked to update it straight away.

Having driven over this initial speedbump, there's little doubt that the Galaxy Nexus is the best Android device on the market right now. How long that remains the case is open to debate. We fully expect Samsung's forthcoming Galaxy S3 to blow the Galaxy Nexus out of the water.

But if you're looking for a new phone before Christmas, the Galaxy Nexus provides a tasty early serving of Ice Cream Sandwich.

Android 4.0

Arguably the biggest talking point of the Galaxy Nexus is the software it comes pre-loaded with. Ice Cream Sandwich is Google's codename for Android 4.0 -- the latest and greatest edition of the company's mobile operating system.

Intended to unify the tablet and mobile versions of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich contains many enhancements that will be familiar to those of you that have usedAndroid 3.0 on devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Motorola Xoom.

For example, you can now see what widgets actually look like before placing them on your home screen. Once placed, you can scroll through them -- handy if you want to see the contents of your inbox without actually opening up the Gmail application.

You can now see what widgets look like before using them (left). It's possible to scroll through widgets as well, just like on Android Honeycomb (right).

The most glaring change in Android 4.0 is the dedicated buttons. For starters, there aren't any. Instead, an area at the bottom of the screen is reserved for your interface commands. Rather than being capacitive symbols, they only appear when the screen is in use.

The second big change is what these commands actually do. In the past, Android phones have usually sported four inputs: Home, Back, Menu and Search. Now only Home and Back remain. The latter two options have been removed in favour of a single multi-tasking command.

This is another feature borrowed from Android 3.0. It brings up a scrolling menu showing the applications you currently have running. Each one has a thumbnail image showing its current state and you can switch between apps with a quick tap. Killing an app is just as easy -- you merely have to swipe to the right to remove it from the multi-tasking view.

Because the Menu button has been retired, Android 4.0 has a context-sensitive additional menu command that appears when required. So if you're in an app that has features which can only be accessed via the old-fashioned Menu button, a row of three dots will appear on the right-hand side of the interface.

You'll also notice in Google-developed applications -- such as Maps -- that there's a new interface option: the action bar. This appears directly above the interface area and contains icons and settings that would usually be concealed behind a Menu button press.

The Maps app shows the new action bar at the bottom of the screen (left). The native YouTube app has had a facelift (right).

It's clear that Google's intention is to streamline the Android OS and remove needless button presses -- it's only a matter of time before third-party developers follow suit and incorporate the action bar into their apps.

Simplification could be the keyword for Ice Cream Sandwich. Google has nipped and tucked wherever possible, changing the layout of the settings menu, tinkering with the way the application drawer works and generally attempting to make the entire OS more user-friendly.

The Android contacts application has undergone a drastic visual overhaul.

On the whole, it's been an amazing success. There are loads of neat little changes such as being able to decline a call with one of several stock text message replies. You can also access your camera directly from the lock screen. This feels like the most intuitive Android yet.

However, there are still some little problems. There's no native Android file manager in stock 4.0, which seems like a really odd decision when you consider that most third-party manufacturers are adding them to their own user interfaces.

Google's high-ranking developers have publicly stated that they want users to move away from messing about with files on their phones. There are bound to be times when you need to access certain files and can't -- unless you download a dedicated app like Linda File Manager or OI File Manager.

Folders have been part of Android for ages but they're even slicker in Ice Cream Sandwich.

We're also disappointed that you can't mute the phone from the lock screen any more. Instead, you have to unlock the phone and then long-press the power button to bring up a separate menu. This allows you to silence the device, but it will feel like an incredibly long-winded process if you're an Android veteran.

You can jump to the camera from the lock screen, but the old mute option is gone (left). The multi-tasking menu in all its glory (right).

Face Unlock

This particular feature of Ice Cream Sandwich was given plenty of column inches when Google announced it not so long ago. Instead of using an unlock pattern or password, you can use your mug to gain access to your device.

The Face Unlock setup screen warns of its limitations (left). Android 4.0 boasts a surprisingly high number of developer options (right).

The process is painless to enable, and merely requires you to point the front-facing camera in your general direction for a few seconds. As a backup, you have to enable a second-stage unlock -- such as a pattern -- just in case you're not recognised.

Sadly, that happens all too often. Even the slightest change in your facial expression seems to be enough to flummox the Face Unlock software. If you wear glasses for parts of the day, it also struggles.

Face Unlock is a neat feature but it struggles with changes in facial expressions -- not to mention face furniture, like glasses.

Rather more worrying is the fact that anyone with a photo of your face can easily get past the security. We tested this by snapping a mug-shot on another phone and then pointing the phone's screen at the Galaxy Nexus -- amazingly, it worked first time.

Face Unlock is an impressive trick to show off to your mates. When it works it's a real time-saver, but we honestly doubt you'd want to rely on it to properly secure your handset from prying eyes.

Design

Samsung has a reputation for producing predominantly plastic phones. That hasn't changed with the Galaxy Nexus. There's no trace of brushed metal or aluminium anywhere on the casing. While this makes for a surprisingly lightweight phone (135g, in case you were wondering), it also creates an unwelcome impression of cheapness.

When you consider that the Galaxy Nexus is contesting the same turf as Apple's gorgeous iPhone 4S -- and that it costs roughly the same SIM-free -- you can't help but feel that Samsung's challenger isn't quite dressed for the fight.

While the design of the Galaxy Nexus is pleasing to the eye, the plastic casing feels a little cheap and nasty.

That's not to say it's an ugly device -- far from it. From the front is looks like an enlarged Nexus S, while the back panel calls to mind the Galaxy S2. There's also that trademark Galaxy bump on the back of the phone towards the bottom. This aids grip and makes the Galaxy Nexus comfortable to hold.

Although the Galaxy Nexus has retained the distinctive curved profile of the Nexus S, it actually feels a lot less pronounced this time around. The curve is supposed to make the phone more comfortable to use for calls, but we can't say we felt any tangible benefit.

The slightly rubberised battery panel also takes inspiration from the Galaxy S2, and snaps away from the main body of the phone with considerable click. Although it's made from super-flexible plastic, getting it back on again is harder than it should be. You have to line it up perfectly before the panel will locate, and even then there's some serious massaging required to get it to lock into position.

The plastic battery panel boasts a rubber coating and is surprisingly flexible.

Like the Nexus S, you'll find no physical buttons on the front of the Galaxy Nexus. However, unlike the previous Nexus handset, there are no capacitive inputs either.

As we've already mentioned, the face buttons are actually part of the screen itself. When it's powered down, they vanish from sight. In this state, the Galaxy Nexus resembles a slab of black plastic. Thankfully, there's a notification LED at the bottom of the screen and this springs into life when you get an email or text, reminding you that your device is fully functional.

Physical inputs are at a premium on this handset. Aside from the power/lock button and volume rocker, you won't find any other keys to press anywhere on the phone. In keeping with its rather cheap feel, these two buttons appear to be a lot less robust than their equivalents on the Nexus S.

The Galaxy Nexus is quite a thin customer.

The only other items of note from a design perspective are the micro-USB port located on the bottom of the device, the 3.5mm headphone socket placed alongside the charging port and a row of metal dots on the right-hand side of the handset. Similar to the connections on the HTC Rhyme, these allow you to charge the Galaxy Nexus when it is placed inside the dedicated dock -- which, of course, is sold separately.

Screen

Remember the first time you witnessed the iPhone 4's retina display? Brace yourself for an even more jaw-dropping experience with the Galaxy Nexus.

With an HD resolution of 720x1,280 pixels and a pixel density of 316ppi, this is effortlessly one of the best screens we've ever seen on a mobile phone.

The Galaxy Nexus' 4.65-inch screen means the phone is quite large, which is worth bearing in mind if you possess small hands.

It's not just the number of pixels that impresses -- the Galaxy Nexus uses Samsung's world-beating Super AMOLED technology to give an unparalleled picture quality. Colours are bold and bright, while viewing angles are fantastic. You'll also notice that dark areas are especially convincing, because AMOLED screens actually turn off pixels to represent black.

The only negative thing you could possibly say about the Galaxy Nexus' screen is that it doesn't use the Super AMOLED Plus tech seen in the Samsung Galaxy S2. Instead, PenTile tech is used. This gives the display a dot-like effect when viewed very closely.

The famous curved screen of the Nexus S has made its way over to the Galaxy Nexus, albeit in less dramatic form.

The reason for this is that Super AMOLED Plus isn't currently capable of achieving the HD resolution required for the Galaxy Nexus' screen.

Processing power and internal storage

When the Nexus S launched with a single-core 1GHz processor back in December 2010, there were wails of discontent from some sectors of Android fandom. The next wave of dual-core handsets was on the horizon, so going with a 1GHz CPU -- the same as the one seen in the previous Nexus model -- understandably ticked a few people off.

There's a 1.2GHz dual-core processor in the Galaxy Nexus, which is roughly the same power as the one inside the Samsung Galaxy S2 -- a phone which is now six months old. With the Galaxy S3 rumoured to be shipping with a 1.8GHz dual-core processor in 2012, one might have hoped that the leading Google device would be more trail-blazing. However, in all honestly, this chip is more than capable.

The Galaxy Nexus purrs along nicely. We didn't witness any of Android's usual stuttering during our test period. Scrolling between home screens is smooth and app performance is swift. In general it feels like the entire OS has a particularly large rocket shoved up its backside. If you're used to a single-core Android device, then the Galaxy Nexus will feel positively turbo-charged.

Benchmark tests show off the raw processing power inside the Galaxy Nexus, as well as the improvements factored into Android 4.0. The only device that's faster off the mark right now is the Asus Transformer Prime, which has a quad-core CPU as opposed to the Galaxy Nexus' dual-core chip.

The power of the Galaxy Nexus in graph form. Vellamo is on the left, AnTuTu is on the right.

Like its predecessor, the Galaxy Nexus doesn't have a microSD card slot. That means the internal flash storage -- 16GB on the unit we tested -- is your lot. A 32GB version is also in production but it looks as if the UK and Europe may not be getting it.

On the upside, all of that 16GB is available as app storage space because the phone shares your internal storage between media and apps. This is another feature that has been carried over from Android Honeycomb. It's a big step in the right direction -- Google lovers will recall that the Nexus S was also blessed with 16GB of memory yet only 1GB of apps were permitted.

The phone's 16GB of storage is shared between apps and media (left). The trademark pull-down notification bar remains but it now looks a little different.

It's also worth pointing out that USB mass storage mode has been removed from the Galaxy Nexus. This doesn't present much of an issue if you're using a Windows PC, but if you're a Mac user then you'll need to install additional software to access files on your phone using a USB cable.

You can control the amount of data your phone uses by setting warnings and limits -- another cool feature of Android 4.0.

Camera and video recording

On paper, the Galaxy Nexus' camera seems like a disappointment. It has the same megapixel count as the cameras seen on the previous two Nexus devices. However, before your start massing the angry mob and polishing your pitchfork, you should know that this is a much-improved snapper.

The 5-megapixel auto-focus camera has an LED flash for low-light shooting.

Proof that megapixel counts are almost irrelevant when you have a good sensor, the camera on the Galaxy Nexus produces hugely encouraging results. Some shots can look a little washed-out, but most of the time the sensor does a decent job of capturing colour and brightness -- although not quite to the extent of the Exmor R cameras seen on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S and Xperia Ray.

The shots the Galaxy Nexus takes are generally good but sometimes colour appears washed out (click image to enlarge).

It's also one of the fastest cameras we've seen on a mobile. It allows you to take multiple shots with almost no delay between them. This proves to be incredibly useful if you're trying to capture a magical moment -- such as a baby's first steps or a relative tripping down some stairs -- and need several snaps to ensure you get the photo you want.

Shots containing different light conditions can result in the brighter areas being over-exposed (click image to enlarge).

You have options for exposure, scene mode and white balance, and it's also possible to shoot a panoramic mode with relative ease.

Close-up shots look great and the LED flash doesn't bleach the image with light (click image to enlarge).

The Galaxy Nexus supports video recording in HD with both 720p and 1080p resolutions. It achieves absolutely glorious results. Image quality is super-crisp and the colours look wonderful. Even the front-facing camera is capable of hitting 720p, which is impressive in itself. Watching your movies back on that 720p HD screen is a wonder to behold.

Internet

The Android web browser has undergone a transformation in Ice Cream Sandwich. It supports tabbed browsing although in reality it works in very much the same manner as the separate windows in Android 2.3.

The Android 4.0 web browser brings a raft of new features, including tabbed browsing, incognito tabs and the ability to force desktop versions of sites.

You can now open incognito windows -- just like on the Google Chrome browser -- to protect your privacy and conceal your surfing habits from anyone else who might use your device.

Another cool feature is the ability to save pages for offline viewing, which is handy if you know you're going to be without a decent net connection for a period of time.

We also appreciate the ability to force the browser to display the desktop version of a particular site. This is especially useful if you come across a site which defaults to a disappointingly lightweight mobile-based edition when viewed on a phone.

Backed by the 1.2GHz dual-core processor, the Galaxy Nexus' browser runs superbly, showing significant performance improvements over its 2.3 forerunner. There's no stuttering when scrolling around a page. Pinch-to-zoom is as smooth as a baby's bottom.

The most glaring omission is the lack of Adobe Flash support -- an amazing event when you consider that this feature is often cited as one of the main reasons to pick Google's platform over Apple's iPhone.

You might assume that this decision has something to do with Adobe's recent revelation that it is ceasing support for Flash on mobile devices. The truth is more mundane. Flash hasn't been updated for Android 4.0 yet. Adobe will be launching it for Ice Cream Sandwich as soon as it is complete.

It's not quite Siri -- the voice-operated assistant seen on the iPhone 4S -- but Android's voice control remains impressive. Dictating text is easier as pauses don't end the recording so you can take your time.

Battery life

With the power needs of a massive 4.65-inch screen and dual-core processor to accommodate, you'd expect the Galaxy Nexus' battery life to be dismal. In fact, we were impressed with how the phone's 1,750mAh power cell coped.

Naturally, when we first got the handset we really took it to the cleaners, pushing all of its features to the limit and barely leaving it alone for a second. After around 8 hours of near constant use with the screen on maximum brightness, the Galaxy Nexus was gasping for air.

However, when we adopted a more typical pattern of usage, the battery was capable of lasting over a day. That's something we rarely managed with our Nexus S.

The biggest drain on the phone's power is definitely the Super AMOLED screen. Dropping the brightness down a touch is a good way of prolonging its stamina. Enabling auto-brightness is tempting, but we found it was a little overzealous and dimmed the screen so much that it looked very dull.

Removing the battery panel reveals the SIM card slot, but no microSD port.

Conclusion

The Galaxy Nexus is possibly the biggest Android launch of the year, offering impressive hardware and a brand-new operating system. If you're making the purchase for Android 4.0, you're unlikely to be disappointed.

Google's changes -- which are cosmetic as well as functional -- are commendable, and we have no hesitation whatsoever in declaring this the most intuitive and user-friendly iteration of the OS yet.

From a technical standpoint, the Galaxy Nexus also impresses. That 720p HD screen is a masterpiece. It makes browsing the web and watching videos an utter joy. Because it utilises Samsung's brilliant Super AMOLED tech, it provides the most striking picture quality you'll ever witness on a phone.

The design of the Galaxy Nexus is less enticing though. The plastic casing doesn't exude the impression of luxury that we crave from a phone of this stature. The power and volume buttons feel like they're about to break at any moment.

Of course, when you're talking about a phone with a 4.65-inch screen, there's also the question of whether or not you want a device of this size in your pocket. We noticed that the Galaxy Nexus' dimensions caused it to peek out of the top of our pocket on several occasions, which could potentially lead to unwanted mobile loss.

While the Galaxy Nexus doesn't quite smash the ball out of the park, it remains a fine showcase of what the next generation of Android is capable of. As many Fandroidswill tell you, that's exactly what the Nexus line of phones is for.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

2011-12-13T17:33:00.001-08:00

Also known as Samsung Google Nexus Prime, Samsung Google Galaxy Nexus I9250, Samsung Google Nexus 3, Samsung Google Nexus 4G, Samsung Nexus Prime 4G LTE

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
	4G Network	LTE 700 (region specific)
	Announced	2011, October
	Status	Available. Released 2011, November

SIZE	Dimensions	135.5 x 67.9 x 8.9 mm
SIZE	Weight	135 g

DISPLAY	Type	Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	720 x 1280 pixels, 4.65 inches (~316 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes
	Protection	Oleophobic coating
		- Touch-sensitive controls

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

MEMORY	Card slot	No
MEMORY	Internal	16/32GB storage, 1 GB RAM

DATA	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; LTE
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	Yes, v3.0 with A2DP
	NFC	Yes
	USB	Yes, v2.0 microUSB

CAMERA	Primary	5 MP, 2592x1936 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
	Features	Touch focus, geo-tagging, face detection
	Video	Yes, 1080p@30fps
	Secondary	Yes, 1.3 MP

FEATURES	OS	Android OS, v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
	Chipset	TI OMAP 4460
	CPU	Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9
	GPU	PowerVR SGX540
	Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
	Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
	Browser	HTML, Adobe Flash
	Radio	No
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	Black
		- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - MP4/H.264/H.263 player - MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3 player - Organizer - Image/video editor - Document viewer - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa integration - Voice memo/dial/commands - Predictive text input

BATTERY		Standard battery, Li-Ion 1750 mAh
	Stand-by	Up to 290 h (2G) / Up to 270 h (3G)
	Talk time	Up to 17 h 40 min (2G) / Up to 8 h 20 min (3G)

MISC	SAR EU	0.30 W/kg (head)
MISC	Price group

What is NFC Technology

2011-12-04T20:58:00.001-08:00

What is NFC?

Near Field Communication (NFC) technology makes life easier and more convenient for consumers around the world by making it simpler to make transactions, exchange digital content, and connect electronic devices with a touch.

A standards-based connectivity technology, NFC harmonizes today's diverse contactless technologies, enabling current and future solutions in areas such as:

Access control
Consumer electronics
Healthcare
Information collection and exchange
Loyalty and coupons
Payments
Transport

Developers can learn more about NFC in the section on interoperability.

Key Benefits of NFC

NFC provides a range of benefits to consumers and businesses, such as:

Intuitive: NFC interactions require no more than a simple touch
Versatile: NFC is ideally suited to the broadest range of industries, environments, and uses
Open and standards-based: The underlying layers of NFC technology follow universally implemented ISO, ECMA, and ETSI standards
Technology-enabling: NFC facilitates fast and simple setup of wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.)
Inherently secure: NFC transmissions are short range (from a touch to a few centimeters)
Interoperable: NFC works with existing contactless card technologies
Security-ready: NFC has built-in capabilities to support secure applications

The Near Field Communication Forum (http://www.nfc-forum.org/home) was set up in 2004. It is an industrial no profit association with the aim to standardize, implement and promote the NFC technology. Today the Forum has more then 160 members and is made up of manufacturing firms of developers and financial institutes. In august 2006 it issued the first four official specifications that relate to four initial format tags.

From the technical point of view NFC technology is an extension of ISO 1443 (which defines the standard of RFID tag Mifare at 13,56 Mhz) and both of ECMA and ETSI standard, it combines the integration of one smart card with one device or terminal. All NFC devices allow the reading and writing of information of high speed (424 Kbis/s). NFC connection happens when, so to say, they make a wireless connection which is compatible with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Since the way of function is highly limited it guarantees safe communication avoiding "sniffing" data.

One NFC device can communicate either with already present readers and cards ISO 1443 as well as with other NFC devices. So it is already compatible with the existing infrastructures RFID for payments and public transport. The NFC integration into cell phones and multimedia readers is already being tested, as the iPod can be, which enables buying and transferring of multimedia material.

The first concrete case of investments and NFC applications is delivered by Nokia, the leader firm for the communication in mobility products. Nokia has trusted in NFC technology from the very beginning. On the 22 last April, at the opening WIMA (www.wima-nfc.com) – the annual conference on commercial possibilities and NFC technology development held in Monaco– Nokia presented its third mobile cell phone with NFC technology completely integrated into Nokia 6216 classic.

For the first time such a technology was integrated into the SIM card allowing the cell phone operators to insert NFC services directly into the card itself. Thanks to such a technology costumers will be able to exchange between themselves the contents like pictures, files and data, in a more simple and comfortable way. Besides, NFC technology introduces payments and RFID transactions- all these with a simple touch of cell phone.

For example, the users' credit card information may be safely kept on SIM card and it will be only enough to pass over the mobile device with the users' hand in front of RFID terminal in order to access quickly to paying and other simple ticketing services.

Commercializing of Nokia 6216 classic is meant for the last quarter of this year on selected markets including Italy with the selling price of € 150. Taxes and subventions are excluded.

In the last edition of Cartes in Paris (www.cartes.com) – the Fair related to the card technology and the payment systems- the NFC adhesives were presented on that occasion and will be available on markets from 2009. The adhesive is meant for the phones markets to promote massive usage of technology. The adhesive has an antenna, RFID chip and a ferrite layer to protect it from electromagnetic fields. To be able use the NFC it is enough to stick the adhesive onto the cell phone battery.

A market research done by the Internet has shown that two or three interviewed persons would prefer paying directly by cell phone to carrying a wallet or coin purse with themselves. Apart from this, a paying through RFID technology is more practical then by cards- which you have to scrape or they have a little visible chip- simply to say, they often make confusion at paying.

Different

2011-12-01T07:26:00.001-08:00

I Wait Different!

Winter

2011-11-23T00:24:00.001-08:00

The winter will be come soon!