TechCrunch

Buttery humans

2012-07-10T07:49:00.002-07:00

I know what you are thinking after reading my title 'Buttery Humans'. I thought a bit that the the population of humans is spreading fast as butter. so as 11th of July is marked as a "World Population Day" but i am writing about the population of India only because i am only aware of it.....

CENSUS
Government of the particular country should have complete information about the number of the persons living in different areas, their age,education, occupations etc.It guides the government to find out how much food material is available for the population of the country and if the stock is not enough what measures should be taken in the near future.In the view of this census is carried out during stipulated years in the particular country. in India ,census of independent India was taken in 1951. since it is conducted regularly after10 years. GROWTH OF POPULATION

According to the 2001 census,population of india is about 102 cores 87 lakhs .India ranks 2nd after china in the world population. About 17% of worlds population lives in india.it can be seen for the graph givin below ,thast the census of 1921 recorded a fall in population .after 1951 there has brnn a rapid growth of population of the country.in period after independece population increased nearly 3 times .the rate of population growthg in india was 2.1% during the decade betwwen 1991-2001.

and now just talk about the some causes of it that why???? is India's population more than others

FEWER KIDS AND MISSING GIRLS
There are actually fewer children under 6 years old in this census (159 million kids) than in the previous, 2001, census (164 million kids). The under-sixes are now 13% of the population, compared with 16% ten years earlier. In a not-so-encouraging development, the numbers have fallen more sharply for little girls than for little boys: it’s 2.1 million fewer boys, but nearly 3 million fewer girls.

That’s nearly a million missing girls, and it suggests selective abortion (and possibly infanticide or neglect), owing probably to a huge cultural son-preference. Every decade since 1961 there’s been a growing disparity between the girls and boys under six. On the positive side, the sex ratio (number of women per thousand men) has improved slightly from 933 to 940, suggesting that older girls and women are surviving better.

LITERACY IMPROVING
Some 82% of males and 65% of females can read, up from 75% and 54% ten years ago. In another ten or twenty years, perhaps, nearly everyone will be literate. This isn’t a brilliant achievement, considering that Sri Lanka did it a long time ago, as did the Indian state of Kerala. But it is an achievement.

Which One Does More: Jailbroken iOS vs. Custom ROM Android

2012-06-17T10:40:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it feels like the “Android vs. iPhone” war is taking on epic, religious proportions. Each side has its loyal fanatics absolute in their knowledge that their platform of choice is the best one, and that the other side doesn’t know what they’re talking about.

This can be seen with “regular” users who just take their devices and do what they’re supposed to do with them, but it is even more pronounced with hard-core geeks. I am talking about Android users who install custom ROMs and kernels on their devices, and iPhone users who jailbreak their devices and use Cydia to install all sorts of goodies.

So let’s take that class of users and ask a difficult question: Which does more – a jailbroken iPhone, or an Android device running a recent, custom build of Ice Cream Sandwich?
What I Use

The most important thing to get out of the way here is what I use personally. I won’t try to claim I am neutral here, nor do I think this story could be written by anyone who is truly “neutral”. So, I have an Android device – a Samsung Galaxy S II, running a custom ROM called Resurrection Remix (Android 4.0.3) and a custom kernel called Siyah kernel. To represent the iOS side of things, I’ve done my research online and asked my fellow MakeUseOf writers, several of whom own jailbroken iOS devices.

Rooting Vs. Jailbreaking Vs. Custom ROM's

There are a few important distinctions to make when it comes to jailbreaking an iOS device versus installing a custom ROM on an Android device. Let’s get our terminology straight here:

Rooting: This is something you do with an Android device, and does not require a special ROM. When you root a device, you are effectively telling Android to treat you like a grown-up. Suddenly, apps you install on your phone can do crazy things like backup and freeze system software, keep your phone from ringing when someone annoying calls, and more.

Jailbreaking: This is the iOS parallel for rooting, more or less. Meaning, you don’t install a separate version of iOS itself, but you use the same iOS you’ve used before, just with special permissions and the options to install more software and plugins via Cydia.

Custom ROM: And here we’re back to Android; a custom ROM is a complete operating system, such as CyanogenMod, which outright replaces the OS that came with your phone. So all of the carrier-specific crapware that came with your phone goes away, replaced by something (hopefully) leaner and cleaner. There is no exact parallel for a custom ROM on iOS: iOS is a closed-source operating system, so nobody can create a “modified” version of it. Android, conversely, is open-source and thus it is easy to create numerous spinoffs, each with its unique qualities.

Jail breaking and Rooting: An Open Door

When you jailbreak your iOS device or root your Android one, you are effectively opening a door. The device won’t be any different off the bat: On iOS, you will have Cydia and would be able to install some new apps. But there won’t be any other major differences until you start customizing things and really using the power you’ve unleashed. Just like any door you open, both good and bad things might come across to the other side.

Says Aibek Esengulov, MakeUseOf CEO and long-time jailbroken iOS user:

“With the jailbreak you get lots of goodies like Cydia and tons of apps that come with it. I noticed that my phone became considerably slower after a few months of playing around with Cydia apps. Another problem is the actual security of the iOS, I wouldn’t open my Gmail or a banking app on a jailbroken iPhone.”

Since jailbroken apps are so unofficial, they might not all be completely on the up-and-up. The same thing can be said regarding rooting your Android device: Great, it’s rooted, now what? If you just roam around Google Play (or less savory corners of the Internet) installing apps as you find them, you may certainly mess things up. After all, there is a reason your phone is not rooted to begin with.

So, both with jailbreaking and rooting, the real question is what next? i.e – what do you do once you’ve broken down the wall, what apps do you install? And here, nothing will serve except for common sense. Both on Android and on iOS, there are root-level apps that are well-regarded and highly trusted, and you can install those without being too afraid they will mess things up. Still, even after jailbreaking, your iOS device will still be an iOS device – you will not be able to suddenly start using widgets, for example, although there is a tweak for that.

There is one difference between jailbreaking and rooting: Apple is definitely against jailbreaking, and tends to disable well-known jailbreak methods with software updates. For example, iOS 5.1 disabled known jailbreaking methods, and jailbreak users were warned not to install it or they would lose all of their jailbroken customizations. This doesn’t generally happen on Android, especially when you go with a custom ROM.

15 Android widgets that will make iPhone users jealous

2012-05-31T01:43:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest advantages of Android over iPhone is widgets. Android has them, iPhone does not.

Widgets are valuable because they give you an at-a-glance look at lots of different kinds of information and quick access to valuable apps and configuration settings.

I carry both an Android phone and an iPhone , but there are some things where I always reach to whip out the Android phone because I can access the information more quickly via a widget. If I was a normal person that only used one phone and I was limited to an iPhone, widgets are the biggest thing I’d miss about Android.

To help you find some of the most useful widgets, I’ve put together my list of the top 15. I first published this list of my favorite widgets in August 2010. In this latest update, I’ve replaced 12 out of the 15 widgets on the list and I’ve updated the screenshots for Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich.”

The best way to view this list is in the screenshot gallery so that you can see each of the widgets. But, you can also view it in list form below, with links to the Android Market for each of the widgets. I’ve tried to find widgets that will generally work on almost all versions of Android and aren’t limited to specific flavors, but obviously that’s a tall order.

A couple things to keep in mind with widgets:
They can hog resources, bandwidth, and battery life so you should make sure you’re using a task monitor to keep an eye on them; I wouldn’t necessarily recommend running all 15 at once, just pick the ones that are most important and that you’ll use the most often
Widgets can take up a lot of screen real estate and so you may need to use an alternate home screen launcher, such as Launcher Pro, to give yourself some extra space
Screenshot gallery

The 15 most useful Android smartphone widgets

1. Beautiful Widgets

Arguably, the most well-known widget on Android is the Clock & Weather widget from HTC, but that’s obviously limited to HTC devices. The best universal Android widget that does the same thing is the one from Beautiful Widgets, which also offers the same functionality in a variety of differences sizes and configurations and tosses in a few bonus widgets such as a battery monitor and some configuration toggles.
2. Extended Controls

Android comes with a “Power Control” widget that I’ve always liked because it lets you quickly toggle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Brightness, and more. However, the “Extended Controls” widget allows you to create a customized version of Power Control with a lot more toggle options.

3. Business Calendar

If you need to quickly scan your calendar to check on your next meeting or see what your day looks like tomorrow, you can’t beat the Business Calendar widget. It offers virtually every size and configuration option imaginable. I prefer the 4×4 (full screen) widget in agenda mode with the simple list of all upcoming calendar appointments.
4. Analytics Widget

If you use Google Analytics to track web site traffic, this little widget makes it easy to get a get quick glance at your traffic metrics. It takes up the same amount of space as an app icon and you can set up multiple widgets to track multiple metrics.

5. Google Reader ticker

To keep an eye on the latest news, it’s hard to beat Google Reader, since it’s completely customizable based on RSS feeds. You can follow national politics or world news or you can follow the smallest trade publication that covers your industry. As long as it has an RSS feed, you can put it in Google Reader and then you can follow it at a glance with the ticker widget that is automatically added when you install the Google Reader app.

6. Pulse

Pulse is another news reader that has a great widget. Pulse is a visual newsreader that represents stories with images that it finds within those stories. It has a nice default news feeds to choose from, but you can also search for lots of others from across the web. The widget only allows you to select on feed to use on its ticker.

7. Tripit

I’ve recommended Tripit on my favorite iPhone and Android apps lists because it’s a great little service for tracking all of your travel itineraries. It also happens to have a useful Android widget that comes in two sizes.

8. Google Finance

The simple mission of Google Finance is to track stocks. The app also comes with a widget that allows you to quickly glance at the performance of a single stock or index in a little 2×1 widget. You can have use multiple instances of the widget to track multiple stocks.

9. Direct Dial & Direct Message

In addition to quick-glance information, Android widgets can also provide quick functions (kind of like macros or keyboard shortcuts on a PC). The Direct Dial and Direct Message widgets allow you to pick someone’s phone number in your contacts and create an icon that allows you to immediately call or text that person. If you have a photo for the person then it shows their photo in a 1×1 icon. These two widgets come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (that’s why there’s no download link), but if you don’t have a phone with ICS then you can use a widget like Picture Dial.

10. The Weather Channel
The weather update in Beautiful Widgets (above) is usually enough for me, but if I’m going on a trip or worried about the extended forecast and I want to track the weather a little more closely than The Weather Channel’s has a great set of widgets. My favorite is the 4×1 widget.

11. Google Docs bar
The Google Docs app comes with a widget bar that provides one-tap access to your list of docs and your favorites and also let’s you start a new document or add a photo to your docs with a single tap.

12. Evernote bar
Evernote is a great note-taking service that has multiple mobile apps as well as desktop apps and web access. The great thing is that you can make notes in any of these places and it gets synced to all of the other instances. The Evernote app for Android comes with a widget bar (similar to Google Docs) that gives you one-tap access to your notes, lets you search your notes, and lets you quickly create a new note.

13. Twitter

As I’ve said before, Twitter is a terrific real-time intelligence engine. Now that there’s an official Twitter Android app, there are also a couple Twitter widgets (large and small) for scanning your Twitter stream. You can even configure the Twitter widget to display “Mentions” so that you can quickly see who’s talking to you (or about you) and respond.

14. ESPN ScoreCenter

This ESPN widget that lets you keep track of the scores from your favorite sports teams. It shows the last game and the next game (or current game). You can quickly tap it to get more details in the ESPN app.

15. Dictionary.com

For my fellow wordsmiths out there, Dictionary.com has a terrific widget that allows you to type or speak a word and quickly get the definition. As a bonus, the widget also displays a word of the day.

some exciting apps which every Android blogger needs.........

2012-05-10T00:59:00.001-07:00

In the last post i have written about the battle between Android and Symbian and there was result Android was good

So As you all know, Google’s Android is one of the most popular mobile operating system around. In fact, if not for iPhone, it would have easily been the boss! Although that is not to say iPhone OS is better! It’s a whole big debate as to which is better. So let’s just say Android is one of the market leaders, and leave it at that.

Getting to the point, since Android is so much popular, lots of people now have Android devices. And those people include bloggers. Bloggers need to stay connected not only to their blog and its family (the visitors), but also stay in touch with the latest news, trends, etc. Also, blogging on-the-go can be pretty handy, and you don’t need to fire up your computer each time you need to do something.

Fortunately, Android has a huge app market, with hundreds of thousands of appsavailable for download. Some of these apps can prove very useful for you if you are a blogger and have an Android device. And if I’m allowed to be so bold, I’d say that you won’ bet a complete blogger (if you have Android, of course) unless you have some of these apps! so i am going to tell about the most 3 interesting apps which every Android blogger needs.........

1. WordPress App for Android

WordPress is the most widely used CMS (Content Management System) among bloggers. With this app, you can create, edit, save asdrafts, or publish your blog posts. You can also moderate comments and add your own. You can also check out your blog stats on the go! And with the rich text editor functionality, this app lets you manage your blog right from your mobile phone!

2. Blogger App for Android

Blogger is another Giant blogging platform used by bloggers. Since Blogger is run by Google, the Blogger App for Android is created by Google itself. It also incorporates all the features of blogging like creating, editing, publishing, and draft saving posts. You can also check out your blog stats directly on this app.

3. HootSuite for Android
Social networking is a vital aspect of a blogger’s life. No blogger is a blogger if he doesn’t socialize on social networks. And for that purpose, a social networking app is a must for such people. HootSuite is the best such free app for Android. It keeps you connected with the most popular social networks like Facebook,Twitter etc. Using this app, you can easily schedule updates,manage campaigns, or even check your click-through stats of your tweets.

ANDROID VS NOKIA SYMBIAN

2012-04-17T23:40:00.001-07:00

ANDROID VS NOKIA SYMBIAN

As there is a battle between android and Nokia symbian os it will be only in the favour of andriod becouse as follows points

Android is fairly new and has a smaller market share than the older Symbian and andriod market has more certified apps than older symbian .

Android is designed around touch capable devices while Symbian is designed around keypad devices .
Symbian is somewhat outdated while Android is constantly updated .
Android is used by many phone manufacturers while Symbian is almost exclusive to Nokia .
There is also most of the apps which are free in the andriod market and that same apps are too expensive in other markets
Android has also a port of ice cream sandwich that isbeing rooled out in samsung galaxy nexus line and zoom.

And now lets talk about some what of Symbian . Nokia’s Symbian operating system is winning the Smartphone operating system wars, since past few years; there was no competition to this operating system.
In the Smartphone operating system market share, Symbian operating system was acquiring a 37.6% of total market share. i am not telling that symbian is a bad operating system it was a very good operating system before the andriod was lunched because there was no competition and there was good selling of nokia Symbian phones but when later the andriod op came there was a due fall in symbian productivity and android was the leading then any other os operating system

I would advice all my blog readers that to prefer andriod instead of Symbian or any other operating system
THE END AND THE RESULT SAYS Android WINS

INTRODUCING THE NEW PRODUCT OF ASUS NAMED AS PAD PHONE

2012-03-12T06:31:00.000-07:00

THE NEW ASUS PAD PHONE

First unveiled at Cebit, we’ve now got our hands on the final iteration of the Asus PadFone, which is set for an April launch. Despite its name change, the PadFone undoubtedly fits into the same product category as the excellent Transformer tablet-laptop hybrids. In a way it’s the ultimate evolution of those products. Thanks to the keyboard add-on demonstrated for the first time today, the PadFone will be a smartphone, tablet and laptop in one.

As well as the keyboard, Asus also announced an ingenious stylus. Not only can it be used to make graphical notes and sketches onscreen, but it also doubles as a Bluetooth headset, ideal for answering calls when the phone is tucked away inside the tablet.

If you’re unfamiliar with the PadFone, it’s basically a powerful Android handset that slots into a tablet-style docking station when you want a larger screen. That unit then slots into the keyboard dock to turn the PadFone into an ad-hoc laptop. It’s an ingenious idea that has numerous advantages for casual computing on a day-to-day basis.

Battery life is one of these advantages. The handset has a fairly typical 1,520mAh battery built-in, but by adding the tablet dock this is increased by five-fold, add the keyboard too and this goes up to nine times. The battery capacity is always transferred to the smallest device so the keyboard charges the tablet and the tablet charges the handset. This way you can top up the handset battery while still using the tablet wire-free.

With just a single device like this, the PadFone will massively simplify keeping your apps up-to-date and your data synchronized. For those who currently maintain and lug multiple gadgets about with them for every possible need, this could be a huge time saver. There’s also the fact that you only need one SIM and one data contract for both phone and tablet, without any fiddling switching or tethering.

The pad feels as well constructed as any of the Transformer line, which have been excellent to date. It does feel a little weighty with the phone docked, but then you aren’t carrying two seperate devices, so it’s a fair swap we reckon.

We found docking and un-docking the phone easy, you just push it home and shut the door to dock it, which also elicits a little haptic/rumble feedback to let you know you've connected it properly. To udock it you push up the door and that eases the phone smoothly off the connectors, so you won't damage them or the handset with repeated use.

The PadFone at the heart of all this is no slouch. It uses a 1.5GHz top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with a fast Adreno 225 graphics chip. It will come with options for 16, 32 or 64GB of RAM, plus a micro SD slot for more affordable storage expansion. The phone’s screen is an AMOLED qHD (960x540) display, which then upgrades to a 1,280x800 LCD panel when in tablet mode. Asus’s DynamicDisplay technology means that you got a practically seamless switch between phone and tablet, letting you dock the two even while watching HD video.

It also a brilliantly realised handset in its own right. It's good enough to make you wonder why Asus don't make their own range of smartphones. The design cues come from the ZenBook, with a subtle tapering down the length of the handset. The metallic finish on the rear bears the circular pattern that the company has made its trademark, making it look really striking.

Despite all the customization that must have gone into the PadFone, it will be launching with Android 4.0 when it goes on sale in April. No prices have yet been announced.

TechCrunch: SURFACE COMPUTING

2012-03-10T21:53:00.001-08:00

TechCrunch: SURFACE COMPUTING: SURFACE COMPUTING I can’t even imagine how things got done before the implementation of touch screens. Runn...

SURFACE COMPUTING

2012-03-06T06:06:00.001-08:00

SURFACE COMPUTING
I can’t even imagine how things got done before the implementation of touch screens. Running around with little pieces of paper, hoping the cooks can read your handwriting, praying one of those slips doesn’t get lost, calculating people’s bills, and if a group of 6 wants to split the bill…f***! Thanks to touch screen technology, I was able to punch in the drink orders, appetizers, main courses, desserts and coffees for huge groups of people in seconds. Once I pressed “Send,” the information was then printed in the kitchen, the bar and the dessert counter, complete with table and client number, so that not only does everyone know where the items are going, but which client gets what. The bills were calculated automatically, and you could split the price of a pizza 12 ways if you needed to.

(image source)

As amazing as this was, this was touch screen technology at its most basic. Things have become a little more exciting since then.

(image source)

Moviegoers were extremely impressed in 2002 with the touch screens used to solve future crimes in Minority Report. But in 2006, Jefferson Y. Han, a research scientist at NYU blew people’s brains apart when he transformed the concept into reality. During the annual Technology Entertainment Design conference (TED) in California, Jeff introduced multi-touch interface technology to the world. On a rear projection drafting table equipped with a multi-touch sensor, he demonstrated how users can manipulate what they see on a computer screen using all ten of their fingers at the same time, shifting items around, expanding, compressing, and rotating images, independently of each other or as an entire unit. The main difference between Han’s technology and Spielberg’s sci-fi interpretation is the fact that we still have to physically touch the screen, whereas Tom Cruise wore gloves equipped with sensors, but rest assured, people are working on that.

He went on to found the company Perceptive Pixel which would produce and distribute the technology to sectors like medical imaging, mapping, broadcasting, defense and intelligence. Anyone watching the 2008 presidential elections witnessed the practicality of multi-touch technology as CNN kept viewers up to date using their “Magic Wall.”

in 2008, Microsoft adopted multi-touch technology to transform an ordinary coffee table into a revolutionary super tool. With the incredible popularity of the iPod, iPhone, and the most recent addition to the i family,the iPad, Apple already capitalized on the word “touch” when it came to computer interaction. There were even April fools jokes about an upcoming iTable. But as computer screens are reaching furniture-esque proportions, and the jokes are becoming ever more real, Microsoft was wise to capture the spirit of the latest technological trends by calling their latest baby: Surface.

Multi-touch technology combined with surface computing is radically transforming our relationship with computers. Films like Minority Report, The Matrix: Revolutions and District 9have all included multi touch interfacing in their predictions for the future, a future we are already beginning to experience today. The way business meetings take place, the way doctors perform surgeries, the way pilots fly planes (or the way anyone operates any vehicle for that matter), the way you scope out an exotic destination for your next family trip, all will eventually shift towards a more vivid, more dimensional, more fingertip-friendly experience. Kramer’s going to need to add a new chapter to his book about coffee tables!

CHECK OUT THE NEW PHONES TO BUY

2012-03-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

(1)Micromax A73 Dual SIM Android phone now available in India for Rs. 7,490

Micromax A73, new Dual SIM Android phone branded as Superfone Buzz is now available in India from online retailer LetsBuy. It has a 3.5-inch Capacitive Touchscreen display and runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). It is powered by 650 MHz processor and has 2 MP Primary Camera with LED flash, 0.3 MP Secondary Camera. The Micromax A78 Dual SIM phone in the Superfone series popped up last week with similar features but it has a QWERTY keyboard.

Micromax A73 Specifications
3.5-inch (320×480 Pixels) Capacitive Touchscreen display
Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
650 MHz processor
2 MP Full Focus Camera with LED flash, 0.3 MP (VGA) secondary video calling camera.
3G (HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA 5.76 Mbps),Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0, GPS
256MB RAM, 512MB ROM, Expandable memory up to 32GB with MicroSD
FM Radio
1300 mAh battery

It also comes with pre-loaded apps such as Facebook, SAAVN, QUIKR, Polaris Office Suite, ZOOMIN, Quikr and WhatsApp.

(2)NOKIA 701

NOKIA 701

Nokia has announced that they plan to offer Nokia Belle Feature Pack 1 update for Nokia 700, 701 and 603 smart phones that came with Nokia Belle pre-installed. Nokia 808 Pure View that was announced earlier this week already comes with Nokia Belle Feature Pack 1. Nokia started rolling out Nokia Belle update for Anna devices earky last month and for the Nokia 500 mid February. Other than new features this update would offer increase in processor speed from 1GHz to 1.3GHz for Nokia 700 and 701.

Nokia Belle Feature Pack 1 features

Dolby Headphone and Dolby Digital Plus for personal surround sound experience
20 new and improved home screen widgets
Faster browser with HTML 5 support
Latest version of Nokia Maps
Microsoft Apps via OTA update Better notifications bar and a refreshed multitasking bar
1GHz to 1.3GHz processor speed boost for Nokia 700 and 701

The Nokia Belle Feature Pack 1 update would available in coming months. There is no exact time frame when this update would be available. We will let you know once the update hits these phones.

(3) Samsung releases the dual-core Galaxy Player 70 Plus for the South Korean market

Following the announcement of the Galaxy WiFi 4.2 at the Mobile World Congress, Samsung is now starting to roll out the a dual-core version of it, dubbed the Galaxy Player 70. And no, it’s not a 7-incher.

For now, the device is only available for Samsung’s domestic market in South Korea, with a wider release highly probable .

The main reason for this is the media player’s DMB TV tuner working only in Korea. But back to the main specification bump at hand, which is the dual-core processor in the Galaxy Player 70. It is clocked at 1GHz and I doubt it’ll face any problems running any of the apps in the Android Market.

The other alteration in the specifications include a bigger 5-inch screen in the front and a 5MP camera at the back. To keep those power hungry parts running, the battery has grown to 2500mAh.

Pricing for the Galaxy Player 70 start at around $356 for the 16GB version and go up to $418 for the 32GB variant.(that is something 17,800 INR for 16 GB and for 32 GB its approx cost is 20,900 INR)
Have view at some

2012-02-28T07:51:00.003-08:00

(1) Samsung Galaxy Nexus

I've been clamoring to get our hands on the Galaxy Nexus ever since its unveiling in Hong Kong back in October. Finally, at long last, the U.S. version of the Galaxy Nexus has landed in our office. So is the Galaxy Nexus, the first phone to run Android Ice Cream Sandwich, everything we hoped it would be? Mostly, yes.
The Galaxy Nexus contract, as of December impresses with lightning-fast performance, strong data speeds, a thin design, and, of course, all of that Ice Cream Sandwich goodness.
The camera isn’t outstanding, and the handset has no expandable memory slot.
But as it stands, the Galaxy Nexus is the best Android phone currently available.

Design

The Galaxy Nexus is one fine-lookin’ piece of hardware. The glossy display, piano-black bezel, and textured back are all standard Samsung design elements.
But unlike other Samsung Galaxy phones I have reviewed, the Galaxy Nexus feels high quality. At 5.1 ounces, it has a nice substantial weight to it without being too heavy.
As you can see from the photos, the Galaxy Nexus has a subtle curve, which nicely contours to the hand. If you have small hands like me, however, you might find the Galaxy Nexus a bit large it measures 5.33 by 2.67 by 0.37 inches.
The Galaxy Nexus has no physical hardware keys on its face. Instead, the touch-sensitive Back, Home, and Search keys are built into the display as soft keys.

Ice Cream Sandwich: Simply Sweet ---

We’ve written extensively on Ice Cream Sandwich, and will be doing much more in-depth coverage in the next few days. For this review, I’ll focus on how Ice Cream Sandwich performs on the Galaxy Nexus.

If you’re familiar with Android Honeycomb on tablets, you’ll find a few familiar features in Ice Cream Sandwich. As in Honeycomb, widgets in Ice Cream Sandwich are now resizable on the home screen. You'll also find a dedicated on-screen Recent Apps button for seeing all of your open apps; just as on Android tablets, it displays a scrollable list of running apps with thumbnail images. Flicking through and switching between apps is not as speedy as I would like it to be, however--I encountered a noticeable delay when going from one app to another.

You’ve probably heard a lot of buzz about the ability to unlock your phone with your face. The front-facing camera snaps a picture of you and then uses facial recognition software the next time you unlock your phone. It's cool, most definitely, but it's not the most secure way of protecting your phone. As Google warns, somebody who looks similar to you can unlock your phone with their face. Nevertheless, face unlock works well, and it is a pretty neat--although somewhat gimmicky--feature.

The Android software keyboard in Ice Cream Sandwich has larger, more square keys so it is easier to type on (though I still made a few errors here and there). You now have an option to verbally dictate your text, as well, though I didn’t always find it accurate. For example, “This is a test of the auto-dictate feature” translated into “Types of the otter dictate feature.”

Developers will delight in the dedicated “Developer options,” which let you access tools such as a CPU usage meter and controls for touchscreen feedback and the background process limit. It is features like this that truly make Android a standout operating system. There’s something for everyone.

Performance

The Galaxy Nexus is powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 4460 processor, with 1GB of RAM and 16GB or 32GB of storage. The Galaxy Nexus scored well on all of our benchmark tests (which includes the Sunspider JavaScript benchmark and the GLBenchmark). Interestingly, the Nexus’s overall score was about the same as the mark of the Motorola Droid Razr, which has a 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4430 processor. The Samsung Galaxy S II for T-Mobile scored slightly higher overall than the Galaxy Nexus.

We also ran the Qualcomm-developed Vellamo benchmarking app, on which the Galaxy Nexus earned a score of 803. (The Droid Razr got a score of 1040, which put it ahead of the Samsung Galaxy S II.) This score puts the Galaxy Nexus ahead of the Samsung Skyrocket and the HTC EVO 3D. Because Vellamo was made by a competitor to Texas Instruments, we tend to take these results with a grain of salt.

We’re lucky enough to get very strong 4G LTE coverage here in San Francisco. In my tests using the FCC-approved Ookla Speedtest app, the Galaxy Nexus achieved download speeds ranging from 6.69 to 12.11 megabits per second and upload speeds of 21.18 mbps. In other words, the Galaxy Nexus is blazingly fast.

Call quality over Verizon’s network in San Francisco was consistently good. I had great coverage everywhere I went in the city. My friends and family sounded natural, with an ample amount of volume. One of my friends remarked that my voice sounded “hollow,” but other people I spoke with were pleased with the quality.

We have not yet finished our formal battery life tests, but the Galaxy Nexus survived through a whole day of heavy use before I needed to charge it again.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is a superb phone, and a great vehicle for introducing Android Ice Cream Sandwich to the world. Android has clearly come a long way, and the tweaks and updates Google has implemented throughout the operating system make a huge difference in efficiency and ease of use. Right now, the Galaxy Nexus is the best Android phone you can buy.

SAMSUNG GALAXY NEXUS VS SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE

China straddling bus

2012-02-28T06:56:00.003-08:00

In a bold attempt to cut down the congestion and pollution that plagues China’s largest cities, the country is developing a bus that won’t be caught pumping out fumes while stuck in traffic jams

The “3D Express Coach”, designed by the Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment company, straddles the road as regular traffic passes through the bus’ giant tunnel. Above, up to 1,400 passengers can ride the vehicle, knowing their transport won’t get bogged down in congestion.

The vehicle is about 4 to 4.5 metres high (about the same height as BRITONS double-decker buses), and vehicles lower than two metres can easily pass under. Powered by electricity and solar energy (another advantage for a city that pumps out 2,640 ton of carbon emission from buses), the traffic gobbling monster is capable of speeds up to 60 km/h.

Passengers will board the vehicle at above-ground loading stations, while traffic continues to pass underneath the stationary coach.

It’s the country’s top solution to a problem that’s challenged both urban planners and pollution critics, not wanting to cram in more subways or litter the streets with more buses. It’s also far cheaper than building more subways, with the 500 million yuan cost of the bus and 40 kilometres of railing (about £46 million), it’s a good 10 per cent cheaper than constructing an equivalent below-ground transit system.

The vehicle has passed it’s first stage of demonstration, and will go through technical validation throughout the month. If all goes well, a planned 186km of straddling bus roadway will begin construction at the year’s end.

Qatar 2022 Air Conditioned Stadiums FIFA – Zero Carbon AT QATAR

2012-02-28T06:46:00.000-08:00

As part of the bid, Arup Associates has designed a 500-seater “model stadium” that will be carbon zero and be a development platform to refine these technologies for application across Qatar and potentially across all arid regions. The Showcase was commissioned in order to demonstrate to FIFA and the world-wide audience that the harsh climate over the summer months is no longer a barrier to hosting global events.

It is an investigation into innovative, cutting-edge solutions for creating a controlled microclimate over and around the football field, and other public spaces. Paramount to the Showcase is the promotion of sustainability, environmentally friendly technologies and first-of-its-kind innovation. The Showcase serves as a proof-of-concept for innovative cooling and climate control technologies.

A MODEL OF IT

The Showcase is based on three key aspects: an exciting architecture and structure which develops traditional passive design ideas to a new energy-saving and comfortable architecture; photovoltaics that convert the energy of the sun into electricity; capturing and converting the sun’s heat into cooling for summertime airconditioning using under-seat supply. The ideas used in this Showcase are intended to show how energy can be considered as an integrated aspect of architecture, engineering and infrastructure with renewable energy contributing for the first time at scale in Qatar. Following Qatar’s success in the bid, a range of stadia, fan zones and other facilities will be required for The World Cup Games

Sony Tablet S and P

2012-02-28T06:40:00.003-08:00

Sony made a debut in the flourishing tablet market with two distinctly designed devices – Tablet S and the

Tablet P. The TABLET S sports a stylish and sophisticated look, while the Tablet P turns heads over its dual screen, clutch form factor. We’ve seen manufacturers testing waters in this device category and we weren’t surprised when Sony declared its new tablets. Interestingly, Sony’s claim to fame in portable devices has been its PSP, while the PlayStation phone didn’t take too much time to lose the fizz after its launch. We managed to lay our hands on the latter, the Sony Tablet S, which was released in India, earlier this month. It takes cues from gaming segment with some exclusive content and a design that sets it apart from other tablets. Let’s unfold its attributes one by one to find out if it can keep up with the performance exhibited by some of the key players.

Design and Build

Sony devices are known for spewing stylish looks, for instance the VAIO range. The Sony tablet S isn’t an exception and sports a sophisticated look in black and silver. Crafted in a wedge shape, it offers an angle for better typing, the curvy upper edge with a grid pattern (plastic material covering more than half of the backside) stretches on to the rear side, making it look like a folded paper sheet. About 1.5cm at its thickest part, the rear grid-like design ensures a firm grip, even while holding it in one hand. Besides the front and plastic that extends from the upper edge, the rest of the device along with its slanting side edges is maintained in silver. A reset, volume and main power buttons run along the left edge, while you’ll find a compartment for SD card and micro USB port on the right edge. The backside shows a 5MP camera and it also has a 0.3MP front facing camera. The power port is on the lower edge.

The front is glossy with a 9.4-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen display featuring 800 x 1280 pixels resolution. At 625 grams, it is heavier than the iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy 750. The tablet has a thick side, which is made of a silver plastic panel - it feels a little cheap. The location of the volume rocker compelled us to accidentally hit the main switch of the device, as it’s hidden within the right edge and too close to the main switch. The in-box contents, include a main power cable, quick manual and a lanyard.

Features

Interface

The Tablet S runs on Android Honeycomb 3.2, which we’ve seen earlier on the Samsung 750 (layered with the Samsung Touch UI) and the Motorola Xoom. This version of the Android OS has been specifically crafted to suit the need of tablet users. Sony has enhanced the UI with several tweaks exclusive to its tablet like the favorites icon has been added on the top left next to the Apps icon. Moreover, a row of quick launch buttons are placed on the right upper corner - Browser, e-mail, remote control and news feeds. On hitting the icons, all apps appear in a neat, large matrix, which can be instantly added to the home screen. Likewise, just long press on the main screen and you notice all screens appear in a low on the upper side. You can simply drag and drop widgets the home screen.

China straddling bus

The screen offers fairly good touch response, but it can't match up to the iPad. There are several instances when the device came across as sluggish and laggy, while responding. Navigation is just about fine, with specs like Nvidia Tegra 2, dual-core Cortex processor and 1GB RAM, which are pretty similar to most of the tablets in its class. Using the AnTuTu benchmark, an overall score of 4831 was achieved. The Linpack test resulted into 27.24 MFLOPS for single-threaded run and for multi-threaded run it is 47.63. The scores show that the Sony Tablet S is indeed a bit faster, than the Samsung Tab 750.

Sony had added its touch in the form its own app store called selectApp, apart from the access to the vast Android Market. We received the 16GB unit that supports an SD card up to 32GB. Now, once you pop in the SD card, the device asks you to transfer data to the internal memory , also giving an option transfer it to the SD card back. This is awkward as seemingly you can't use the data directly from the SD card. Then on, the device storage has been partitioned for media (Downloads, Audio, Video, Pictures) and system files - 8.92GB and 3.49GB, respectively. Why couldn't Sony keep it simple.