All Glory for IT

Top 10 iPad disappointments and magic moment

2011-05-26T22:56:00.000+07:00

THE iPad may be one of the most highly-anticipated pieces of technology released this year, but the new tablet device isn't without it's faults, writes Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson.

TOP 10 IPAD DISAPPOINTMENTS:

The keyboard
The iPad’s lack of a tactile keyboard was always going to be an issue, but typing on the iPad is not as easy as you might hope. To be used for email and short messages only.
No camera
An odd oversight, this is one that has many fans stumped. The iPad could have been great for video calling.
No Flash support
So many good websites use Adobe Flash that Apple’s ongoing stoush with the technology is becoming a big issue. This gadget screens websites in full size, but some still won’t show due to this omission.

Weighty
Heavier than the biggest Kindle, the iPad could be hard to hold with one hand for an extended period.
No memory card slot
The iPad is so good with photos, but they must be side-loaded from a computer as this tablet computer has no space for memory cards adding an adapter.
No GPS chip in Wi-Fi model
It can still guess your location from your WiFi connection, but the lack of a GPS chip is disappointing.
No HD video output
You can connect the iPad to a television but videos won’t play in high-definition. The best it can muster is a resolution of 576p.
No multi-tasking
You can only do one thing at a time on the iPad, just as with the iPhone. Sadly, this is one thing that netbooks have over the device.
No iBooks in Australia
They’re coming, according to a job ad, but the iPad won’t live up until its full potential until they arrive.
Delayed accessories
The keyboard and memory card adapter will make up for some important omissions, but are not yet available.

TOP 10 IPAD MAGIC MOMENTS:

Great screen
It’s large, it’s bright and it’s colourful. There’s lots to like about the iPad’s screen that has LED-backlighting for brightness, and IPS (in-plane switching) for good viewing on an angle. It’s not E Ink, like the Kindle, but it looks flashy.
Speedy
Apple’s 1GHz processor keeps the iPad screening at a great pace. Though this processor is slower than those in most netbooks, it’s clearly competent.
iPad apps
Plenty of developers joined the “second gold rush” by creating iPad apps, and users should be grateful. Games, in particular, benefit a lot from the bigger screen.
Photo shows
The iPad does look like a digital photo frame but, arguably, it does a better job with slideshows. The iPhoto-like app included on the iPad lets you group photos and makes them easy to show off.
iWork
Apple’s document, spreadsheet and presentation apps have been reworked for the iPad launch and they’re available as $US10 downloads. Not bad.
Long battery life
Admittedly, the Amazon Kindle’s battery lasts longer, but how many portable DVD players offer 10 hours of video playback? The iPad has real staying power.
Screen lock
Ever tried to use an app while laying down? Automatic screen orientation can be a real pain. To address this, Apple has replaced the mute switch with a screen lock switch.
Accessories
The iPad has even more accessories than the iPod, it seems. You will be able to add a physical keyboard, USB or memory card port, or a case that acts as a stand… just as soon as they’re available.
Rugged body
The iPad is sturdy and was designed to withstand everyday knocks. That’s not to say you should drop it or use it as a coaster, but it shouldn’t fall apart by itself.
The price
While the Aussie price is still unknown, $US499 is a great ballpark for such an entertaining gadget.

Source: Here

Skype 5.3 for Windows - Review

2011-05-26T21:30:00.001+07:00

MAY 6, 2011 • by Michael Muchmore

Skype just keeps getting better, this time with HD and group video calls, along with the de rigueur Facebook integration. Look no further for a complete communication toolbox.

Like some other technology trademarks, "Skype" has entered the vernacular, even being used as a verb by such luminaries as Oprah and Ellen. Its importance to modern life was highlighted by the outcry when the service went down for nearly two days. But as Skype's influence becomes more powerful, so does the software itself: New in Skype since our last review are HD video calling, group video calls with up to five participants, and a completely new and clearer-sounding audio codec called SILK. Skype 5.3 is simply the best way to make voice and video calls using your Internet connection and computer.

Skype is much more than just VoIP or even video calling, however. It's really a whole communications ecosystem. A Skype account can offer screen sharing, phone-card like calling with Skype to Go, Wi-Fi access in airports and other public places, even lessons in anything from a new language to relationships through Skype Prime. Mobile apps enable calling from PC-to-phone as well as PC-to-PC and smartphone-to-smartphone. Skype 5.3 even makes video calls between iPhones and Android phones possible. And don't forget there are Linux and Mac versions, as well as HDTVs that come with Skype video calling—the number of possible combinations is staggering.

Interface
Skype's interface hasn't changed as drastically between versions four and five as it did between three and four, but it's both more polished and more capable. Setting up an account and installing the software is a breeze. You have to enter your country, language preference, e-mail, desired username, and password. A welcome screen gives you all the help you need to get fully set up with your webcam, mic, and address book. I had a webcam attached to my PC, and a message at the top of Skype's windows told me it was working. I could preview my video and take a snapshot.

Once you're logged in, a large window with a contact list on the left and Skype Home on the right appears. This right area is tabbed, letting you switch between Skype Home, Profile, and Facebook (see the slideshow). As in version four, you can split the interface into a more-traditional, narrow IM contact list and a separate larger window. But that larger window now has tabs for Skype Home, Facebook, Profile, and Feedback. Here you can view your Facebook newsfeed and post text-only updates. You can also call Facebook contacts if their phone numbers or Skype IDs are in their Facebook profiles. But the layout isn't as well presented as Windows Live Messenger's Facebook view and doesn't prioritize your news feed as the social network's own site does.

The new Skype Home tab of the larger side of Skype's window has its own social network update box and shows your contacts' thumbnails. You'll also see any alerts from the system here, along with help videos. When you start a call or video call the whole window is taken over for the video feed, call details, and IM chat on the bottom. Unfortunately, you can't use Skype for other IM accounts like AIM, Facebook, or MSN.

Adding Contacts
Privacy settings let you allow incoming calls from anyone, or restrict incoming calls to just people in your contact list. The same goes for video and screen sharing. But to be listed in another user's contacts requires mutual acceptances, à la Facebook. Speaking of Facebook, you can import contacts from that site, as well as from Hotmail, Gmail, Outlook, MSN, and more. Once you choose contacts to connect to, they'll receive a request in their Skype notifications, and if they accept, you'll always see their status and be able to call them. In earlier days of Skype, a SkypeMe mode let lonely souls connect, way before Chatroulette, but Skype has moved away from that model, probably for the best.

Voice and Video Calling
Calling PC-to-PC is absolutely free in Skype, even with video. Voice calling is better than ever with the new SILK codec, and better than competitors like Windows Live Messenger and Logitech Vid. Video is also excellent, especially if all parties have an HD webcam and a fast Internet connection. In my tests, the HD image was as crisp as you could want, as you can see in the slideshow. Fair warning, though: In much of my testing with two HD cams, the connection wasn't fast enough for HD video, so don't expect broadcast quality all the time. But even when you don't have HD, Skype constantly adjusts video quality to work with your connection quality at the moment. In a non-HD test, though, Logitech Vid had slightly smoother video motion.

You can view your collaborator's video in the large right-side panel, full screen, in its own pop-out window. In full-screen or pop-out mode, your own image can be inset, and in any view you can turn it off. When you move the mouse pointer over the video window, all the controls for this and for mute, hang up, starting video, or screen sharing appear. Otherwise, your view of the video is unimpeded. A "dynamic" choice highlights the window of the participant who's speaking.

During a call, you can also instant message or SMS, send a file, and share contacts. You can also take a snapshot of the video image.

Talking to Regular Phones
For a pittance, you can make calls from your computer to regular phones and mobile phones anywhere in the world. As with Web calling, the sound quality is more than adequate—better than that of most cell phone calls. I buy Skype Credit in 10-dollar increments, and with this I can make calls to anywhere in 30 countries including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Germany, and even China for 2.3 cents a minute. Subscriptions are also available for 170 destinations; an unlimited plan for calling within the U.S. and Canada costs $2.99 a month.

For a true VOiP-style phone replacement option, you can purchase an Online Number, a telephone number that anyone can call from a regular phone. It's much cheaper than getting a landline, at $18 for three months, with a 50 percent discount if you have a subscription. I forwarded this number to my cell phone, which rings if I don't first answer via Skype. You can even buy a Skype phone that plugs into your Internet modem for a real landline simulation. One caveat with Online Numbers: They don't provide local emergency number calls.

Skype lets you send SMS messages, too, for 11.2 cents each (and even less for some international destinations). Unfortunately, your contact can't reply to your Skype account with an SMS.

Extras
Beyond voice and video calling, the more-than-VoIP software offers a slew of communication capabilities. Skype does a great job at screen sharing—I shared my screen with a contact while viewing his screen in another window. I could also transfer files of any size during a call. Skype Access is a way to use those airport and public Wi-Fi networks with credit in your Skype account, so you don't have to sign up for another account and enter payment. I tried this in the Miami airport, and it worked like a charm, though it wasn't cheaper than the Boingo plan offered onsite.

For some serious customizations, Skype offers a plug-in API, meaning you can install extras like games, call recording, and faxing from the Tools | Extras menu. These extras, some of which are free and some of which you have to buy, also appear as a dropdown from the IM/SMS box.

An extensive community of teachers and counselors who provide services through Skype Prime, but I should also mention that Skype is an excellent business tool, too. Its reasonable plans for videoconferencing and ability to save named groups of contacts for simultaneous calling should appeal to those users. The relatively new business offering, Skype Manager, allows a business customer to set up multiple accounts, allocate credit, and enable features for sub-accounts, all from a clear dashboard. A free trial is available, and you pay only for services you use, rather than paying a fixed monthly rate.

The Everything Internet Phone
The addition of HD video calling, group video calling, and a slicker interface not only keeps Skype 5.3 our voice and video calling software Editors' Choice, but also bumps its score up a half point from our review of Skype 4. Similar services like Windows Live Messenger or Logitech Vid, offer nowhere near Skype's vast number of capabilities combined with excellent call and video quality. Anyone who wants to supercharge their communications, whether personal or professional, need look no further than Skype 5.3.

More Video Conferencing Reviews:

Pros	Cons
HD video calls Excellent audio quality, even on mediocre connections Tons of extras Facebook integration Low rates for calling domestic and international phones Beautiful design Source: here	Pricing options can be complicated No 911 service No ability to receive SMS

Motorola Xoom vs. Apple iPad: A Tale of Two Tablets

2011-05-25T20:43:00.001+07:00

Created by Ryan Whitwam on Jan. 25, 2011

The upcoming Motorola Xoom is the first Android tablet that Google has really given their blessing. Yes, the Galaxy Tab has the Android Market on it, but it runs a version of Android that Google has explicitly said is not for Tablets. The Xoom is likely going to be the first true competition that Apple's iPad has seen. When it comes down to it, what are the advantages of each, and what can we expect as the devices develop? Is the hardware the most important element, or is it the software?

Read on as we break it down so you can make the right choice in a future tablet purchase.

The Screens

The Moto Xoom will be packing a 10.1 inch capacitive touch panel at 1280x800. To give you an idea, this is the same size, and slightly higher resolution that most netbook screens. It works out to a respectable 160 pixels per inch (PPI). This should make for a reasonably crisp display. The other thing to be aware of is that the Xoom has a 16:9 widescreen display. This is great for watching video in landscape mode, but if you turn the device to portrait, it's suddenly a strangely tall device.

Some of us may have chuckled at the iPad's 1024x768 resolution display when it came out. But admittedly, that was mostly a snap judgment. The image produced by the iPad is good for most situations. The screen itself is 9.7-inches, so that works out to 132 PPI. Not quite as high as the Xoom, but in the same ball park. The iPad is intentionally designed to feel comfortable in any orientation, so the 4:3 screen ratio actually works well here.

The winner of this contest is going to come down to who has the higher quality touch experience. We have not been able to really dig into the Xoom, so for all we know the digitizer could be terrible, or the panel could be prone to bad viewing angles. Only time will tell. Whatever developers come up with should at least look great on either device.

Cameras (or lack thereof)

This one is simple. The Xoom has two cameras, the iPad has none. Google is building in support for native video chat for the new Google Talk client, so that front facing Xoom cam will actually be put to use. Despite Apple's robust Facetime network of iPhones and iPod Touches, the iPad can't play in that sandbox.

The Xoom sensors clock in at 5MP rear, and 2MP front. A 2 MP front sensor for video chat could be awesome, but they went further than they probably had to for the rear sensor. Rarely, if ever, can we see ourselves shooting lots of pictures with a 10-inch tablet. We recently had the opportunity to shoot some images with the Galaxy Tab, but even a 7-inch tablet seemed preposterous to hold up to take images. So, it might be nice to have, but a rear-facing camera is not a big selling point for a tablet.

That front-facing camera is going to be important though. With the iPad 2 potentially having a front-facing cam, the Xoom needs to be prepared. Apple will tie into Facetime if this ever happens, and Google will have Google Talk video, which gives users access to a fair number of people. It's probably going to come down to the quality of the implementation.

Storage Space

The iPad comes in various storage sizes. There are 16, 32, and 64GB models. All this is non-expandable memory that is soldiered onto the mainboard. There is, in Apple fashion, no SD card expansion. So you need to pick the model you want at the start knowing that's all the space you'll ever have. A benefit from having the internal memory is that is tends to be faster to access than removable memory.

The Xoom will apparently only have a single SKU, a 32GB unit with expandable storage via a MicroSD card. This is the best of both worlds as you've got faster internal memory, but if you just need more space, you can drop in another 32GB of space on an SD card.

Data Connection

The iPad is currently only available on AT&T in the US for 3G data. A Verizon iPad is expected at some time in the future, but no firm plans have been released. For a lot of people, the AT&T situation is a deal-breaker. However, there is a Wi-Fi only version of the device. That can be great for those who don't want to have yet another connection to the cell carriers.

The Xoom is a Verizon device that will run on 3G at launch, with an update to 4G LTE later on. It's not entirely clear how that upgrade will happen. Verizon may need to add a component to the device itself, which could mean sending it out. Still, having access to 4G data on the Xoom is a solid benefit.

Other Hardware

Most of the other hardware in these tablets is less important in the comparison, but here's the rundown. The Xoom will have a Tegra 2 dual core CPU at 1GHz per core. It's also going to have 1GB of RAM. The iPad is running a 1GHz A4 CPU, and has 256MB of RAM.

By the numbers, it's a big win for the Xoom, but the internal specs are not as important because they do not have significant impact on the user experience. We already know that the iPad is plenty fast enough with its lesser specs. You only need to look at Infinity Blade to see that much. Similarly, we expect the Xoom to be snappy with its hardware. Although again, we have not had a chance to see the device in action.

Down the road, the Xoom may be able to run more impressive games with that Tegra 2 chip and 1GB of RAM. We know it has the potential for great things, but developers will have to get on-board. The iPad probably has some juice left in it too, but it's likely closer to its ceiling than the Xoom is.

The Software Experience

More than anything else, the software will make a tablet either a win, or a flop. The iPad has proven that it is a robust development platform, leading to some excellent mobile apps. The interface, however, is limited. You're tied to the paradigm of the rows of icons on the home screen. Multitasking is limited, and low-level hardware access is mostly unavailable. That said, the iPad is, by its very nature, easy to use. By keeping the interface streamlined, Apple has kept it snappy and simple to learn.

The Xoom will be running Android 3.0 Honeycomb. By all accounts, this will be a much more visual experience than previous version of Android. Google is striving to bring the sort of unified UI to Android that iOS has long had. Features that were out of the way, like the multitasking UI, have been brought forward. It may not match iOS in ease of use, but the functionality of Android is much greater. Take the widget framework for instance. Xoom users will have access to a great number of live updating widgets to surface information, but the interface has been made more visual and easy to use.

One factor that has made the iPad so huge, as mentioned before, is the developer ecosystem. This may be the area Google has the most catching up to do. Apple has an SDK specifically for the iPad, and developers can easily take advantage of the additional screen space. Android has always had scaling ability built into the SDK, but that may not be enough. Google recently added some new features for developers to tag resource elements for tablet-size screens, but developers will need to see the market before any truly compelling apps will surface.

The intrinsic strengths of the Motorola Xoom are the same as Android phones. Google products and services are built in. If you live in Google's world, the Xoom will be useful to you. The iPad offers a more controlled experience, but it's very polished. Some of the hardware features of the Xoom could give it a leg up on the iPad. The Xoom screen, cameras, and potential 4G data are all great selling points. However, if a new iPad is announced in the coming months, it could all come back to the software again. That's the part about the Xoom we still have the most questions about. Presumably Google knows that and is hard at work finishing Honeycomb.

iPod touch fourth generation Review

2011-05-23T20:51:00.000+07:00

by Christopher Breen, Macworld.com Sep 8, 2010 8:01 am

You know the story by now. For many, the iPod touch is the iPhone without the phone and GPS features—no cellular voice calls, no texting, and no EDGE or 3G wireless service. The remaining features that the two have in common (or lack) is often how the iPod touch is judged. In the case of the fourth-generation (4G) iPod touch—available in 8GB ($229), 32 GB ($299), and 64GB ($399) capacities—the two come closer to feature parity than ever before. (Even more so this time around as all three iPod touch models have the same features, unlike with the previous generation of touches.) This, for many people, makes for a compelling iPod. It does for us as well.

Thin as the iPhone 4 is, the 4G iPod touch is thinner still—two sandwiched 4G iPod touches come very close to the thickness of the iPhone 4. It’s also a little less wide and lighter than the third-generation iPod touch () that preceded it. Its edges are also more angled. This angling is sharp enough that owners of iPhones and previous iPod touches will have to train themselves to search for the volume and Sleep/Wake buttons near the back edge of the iPod rather than the side and top, respectively.Similarities and differences

Unlike previous iPod touches, the 4G iPod touch lacks the small black plastic patch on the back’s top-left corner that covered the Wi-Fi antenna. That corner now holds the iPod’s built-in omni-directional microphone and its high-definition rear-facing camera (like the iPhone 4, the 4G iPod touch also has a standard-definition front-facing camera).

Thanks to the built-in microphone, you have a way to control the iPod touch hands-free. Press and hold on the Home button until the Voice Control screen appears and tell the iPod what you’d like it to play using the same voice commands you’d use with an iPhone. (Learn more about Voice Control in Talk to your iPod: Inside Apple’s Voice Control.) Voice Control works only for playing music, however. You can’t use it to initiate a FaceTime call (more on FaceTime later in the review).

In addition, the 4G iPod touch has a dedicated speaker port, which you find just to the left of the dock connector port at the bottom of the iPod. The second- and third-generation iPod touches also had a speaker, but sound emanated generally from inside the iPod rather than from a dedicated port. Whether it’s the quality of the speaker component inside the iPod or the existence of the port, the 4G iPod touch’s speaker is much brighter than previous touches’. This is welcome as the previous touches’ speakers managed to be tinny and muffled at the same time. The speaker on the current iPod touch doesn’t have the quality of the iPhone 4’s speaker, but it’s a definite improvement over the previous models.

The combination of the microphone and speaker means that the iPod touch becomes a better device for Skype/VoIP calls. In the past you could use VoIP apps with the iPod touch (Wi-Fi only, of course), but, because those iPods had no built-in mic, you had to use a headset that included both headphones and a microphone. With the new iPod touch you can make such calls without a headset. Even though the mic is on the back of the iPod, it's sensitive enough to pick up your voice. And the speaker is audible enough to carry on a conversation.

The Sleep/Wake button has moved to the top-right edge, and the volume buttons are now two discreet buttons rather than a rocker switch. Although you can control the iPod’s volume, music, and video navigation with headphones that include volume and play controls, you won’t find those headphones in the iPod’s box. Apple provides just the bare-bones earbuds that lack any play controls. We regret this omission as it’s nice to have the option to remotely control an iPod tucked deep in a pocket. If you want that option from Apple, you’ll have to pay $29 for the Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic.

Like the iPhone 4, the 4G iPod touch has a 960 by 640 retina display. The display—at least on the iPod touch I tested—has a slightly yellower cast than the previous iPod touch. (That cast is completely unnoticeable unless you put the two devices side by side.) Just as with the iPhone 4, you see no pixels when looking at text on the 4G iPod touch’s screen—images are very, very clean and you can make the display very bright. However, the iPhone 4's display offers better off-angle viewing. When you tilt the iPod touch to approximately a 45 degree angle, it's more difficult to view than an iPhone's display at the same angle.

Inside, the 4G iPod touch has Apple’s A4 processor—the same kind of chip found in the iPhone 4 and iPad. I compared the performance of a new 32GB iPod touch with that of a 32GB third-generation model and, quite honestly, I noticed very little performance difference. The 4G iPod touch booted two seconds more quickly (26 seconds versus 28 seconds), but apps launched equally as fast on the two iPods and the two performed nearly identically in a variety of applications. The 4G iPod touch was, however, noticeably more responsive than my first- and second-generation iPod touches.

As with previous iPod touches this one has no GPS hardware—it uses Wi-Fi location data only to determine its coordinates. (And yes, by default, that location information is embedded in pictures snapped with the iPod touch’s cameras.) Like the iPhone 4, however, it does have a gyroscope. That gyroscope makes for a richer gaming experience with apps that take advantage of the gyroscope’s ability to sense roll, yaw, and pitch.

And thanks to iOS 4.1, the 4G iPod touch provides better support for AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile)—a Bluetooth profile that lets you control playback functions with A2DP devices such as headphones and speakers. In practical terms this means that the iPod touch and iPhone 4 will now respond not only to play/pause and volume commands from A2DP devices, but also next and previous track commands. I tested this with a Plantronics P590 stereo headset and the iPod touch responded to each of these commands. (iOS 4.1 also brings better AVRCP support to the iPhone 4.)

The iPod touch as video camera

The iPod touch’s cameras are not identical to those found in the iPhone 4. Although the rear-facing camera shoots video at the same 720p (1280 by 720) resolution, when you compare the results of the same scene shot with each device, differences are apparent. To begin with, the iPod touch’s videos appear to be zoomed out slightly as compared to videos taken with the iPhone 4. Shoot both cameras side by side and the iPod touch captures more of what’s in front of it. Also, the iPod’s rear-facing camera is more likely to produce washed-out results in bright conditions than the iPhone 4’s camera. Still, while its results aren’t as good as those produced by the iPhone 4 or one of the better HD pocket camcorders, the iPod touch takes reasonable-looking videos under well-lit conditions.

In bright light the video shot with the iPod touch's rear-facing camera (right) is more susceptible to being washed out than the iPhone 4's video (left).

In under-lit conditions you more clearly see the difference between the two devices’ cameras. The iPod touch’s video is grainier and shows less detail. And, unlike with the iPhone 4, you don’t have the option to switch on the flash because the iPod lacks a flash. Rather, the iPod touch includes a backside illumination sensor, which is designed to make the rear-facing camera perform better in low-light. Yet even with this sensor the iPod touch’s results were poorer than the iPhone 4. But perhaps without the illumination sensor they’d be worse yet.

The 4G iPod touch supports Apple’s $5 iMovie app (). Just as with the iPhone 4, you can create movies on the iPod touch complete with titles, themes, and soundtracks. And, you can now upload those movies in HD. Under iOS 4 on the iPhone 4, you could create and export 720p movies, but when you uploaded them from the Photos app their resolution was reduced. With iOS 4.1 that’s no longer the case. You can now upload HD videos to YouTube and a MobileMe gallery and they retain their 720p resolution.

The iPod touch as still camera

I mentioned that with video, the iPod touch’s rear-facing camera is a bit more zoomed out than the iPhone 4’s. The opposite is true with still images. With these images, the iPod’s camera is more zoomed in, hinting at a smaller sensor. Also, iPhone 4’s camera captures stills at 1936 by 2592 pixels, while the iPod touch’s rear-facing camera shoots at 720 by 960 pixels. That’s 5 megapixels on the iPhone 4 versus less than 1 megapixel on the iPod touch.

Given the lower resolution and lack of a flash, it shouldn’t be surprising that the 4G iPod touch’s still pictures don’t measure up to the iPhone 4’s. The images it produces are far less detailed and the camera’s more susceptible to being blown out when capturing bright images—vibrant yellows, pinks, and reds, for example. Inside, in under-lit conditions, the iPod touch’s camera pushes very hard to get the image, but in the process can produce grainy and washed out results. Unless you’re shooting under ideal conditions or you don’t have a better camera at hand, this is not the camera you want to use to create prints.

The iPod touch's lower-resolution rear-facing camera (right) produces less detailed stills than the iPhone 4's camera (left).

FaceTime and the iPod touch

With the cameras comes FaceTime, and it works very much as it does on the iPhone 4. As with an iPhone 4, you have the option to switch between the front- and rear-facing camera and your voice is picked up by the external mic. Again, even though the microphone is on the back of the iPod—and thus facing away from you as you talk into the front of the device—the mic is sensitive enough to pick up your voice. And, again, the internal speaker is loud enough that you can easily hear the person speaking to you. You can optionally use a compatible wired headset—the microphone and headphones on Apple’s iPhone headset works perfectly with FaceTime. My Plantronics Bluetooth headset, however, didn’t work at all for FaceTime calls.

The difference between FaceTime on the iPod touch and iPhone 4 is that with the iPod touch you don’t need a phone number to place or receive a FaceTime call. Instead, FaceTime requires only an e-mail address. When you first launch the FaceTime app on the iPod touch, you’re asked to enter an e-mail address. Apple sends an e-mail message to that address that asks you to verify your address by clicking a link in the message. This launches your Web browser and takes you to a Web page on Apple’s Website where you enter your Apple ID and the password associated with that ID. Click a Verify Address button and your iPod touch is verified to receive FaceTime calls at that address. (You can add additional e-mail addresses within the FaceTime setting. Do so and you repeat this process for each added address.)

To make a call, just open a contact. (You can choose contacts from Favorites, Recents, and Contacts screens within the FaceTime app or select a contact within the Contacts app). On a contact’s screen will be a FaceTime button. Tap it to initiate a FaceTime call. Alternatively, if you know that the person you’re calling has an iPhone 4, you can simply tap that phone’s number in the Contact screen and the iPod touch will place a FaceTime call. All you need is a Wi-Fi connection. You can disable FaceTime simply by tapping FaceTime in the Settings screen and flicking the On/Off toggle switch to Off.

Macworld’s buying advice

The iPod touch is wildly popular for good reason. It’s an extremely versatile device—media player; pocket gaming machine; productivity tool; Internet communication device; and, with this latest update, pocket camcorder, still camera, handheld recorder, and FaceTime video phone. While its cameras fail to produce results as good as the iPhone 4, they make FaceTime possible, which allows us to more easily forgive their less-than-pristine images and movies.

Despite the cameras’ weaknesses, this is a very good iPod touch. If you have a third-generation iPod touch and lack an iPhone 4, this iPod’s FaceTime capabilities may tempt you to upgrade. If you’re unhappy with the performance or capacity of an even earlier iPod touch, this iPod is more compelling still. And if you’re without iPhone or iPod touch and have been holding out for a device thiiiis close to the iPhone—without the incumbent data plan and two-year commitment (and, of course, the phone features)—that realization has never been closer. It’s hard to imagine what more Apple could do to tempt you.

Updated 9/7/10 9:00 PM to include information about the iPod touch's off-angle viewing.

[Christopher Breen is a senior editor for Macworld.]

10 great iPad applications for creative people

2011-05-23T20:38:00.000+07:00

1. Phaidon Design Classics

All your classic design books on the iPad, time to get your design reading on.

2. Adobe Ideas

Sketch your ideas on the go with this digital sketchbook, just the kind of use I was imagining when I first saw an iPad demo.

3. WordPress

Many of us have blogs or portfolios powered by WordPress, the WordPress iPad app lets you manage everything from the tablet.

4. Sketchbook Pro

Painting and drawing application with a bunch of professional tools, did I mention it costs only $8?

5. FTP on the go

The ultimate iPad FTP client, gets all the features of your desktop FTP application.

6. Quill

Vector drawing comes to iPad, obviously it’s not as powerful as Illustrator but it could be handy sometimes.

7. Masque

Basic image editing, not for professional use but still cool (and cheap).

8. Brushes

Another drawing app for the iPad, ported from the iPhone. Paintings produced with Brushes have appeared on the cover of The New Yorker on numerous occasions, which proves that good illustrations can be created with it.

9. C64 Pain XL

The geekiest drawing application you’ll find for your iPad. Paint on a canvas up to 160 by 200 pixels with all the 16 colors of the classic 8-bit computer of the 1980s, the Commodore 64.

10. OmniGraffle

OmniGraffle is one of the first app I thought about when I saw the first demo of the iPad. It lets you create diagrams, workflows, website wireframes or page layouts, and it’s an app perfectly fitted for the iPad.

source: here

Android Apps - What is AudioManager?

2011-05-22T23:58:00.002+07:00

AudioManager is a Volume manager and home-screen widget that allows you to get live readings of your current volume levels and adjust them when necessary (similar to your computer's Volume Mixer). The widget shows the current volume for the following streams:   Alarm volume: Controls alarm volume levels.

   Music volume: Controls media volume levels.

   Alerts volume: Controls status bar notification volume levels.

   Ringer volume: Controls incoming call volume levels.

   System volume: Controls system audibles volume levels.

   Voice call volume: Controls voice call volume levels.
AudioManager comes in two sizes, large (4 x 1 cells) and small (2 x 1 cells), and you can pick the size when adding a new widget to your home-screen.
Note: You can choose the refresh rate for the widget to get new readings from your volume levels or you can choose to never auto refresh. Using your phone's volume keys to adjust the volume on your phone will do nothing for the widget, which is why we have added the auto refresh option. Alternatively, you can also tap on the widget to launch the AudioManager Console, this will automatically refresh your widget's volume bars.
AudioManager Console:
Tapping anywhere the AudioManager widget will launch the AudioManager Console, allowing you to change the volume levels for each stream individually. Alternatively, you could also launch the Console from your application launch pad using by tapping on AudioManager's icon. Users that have purchased AudioManager Pro from the market will enjoy extra features within the console such as profiles (presets); these features will be discussed below in greater detail.

How Does It Work?

To add the AudioManager widget, press and hold anywhere on your Home screen and select Widgets. Then, locate AudioManager and select your size choice, this will then add the widget to your screen.

Select AudioManager from the Widget screen.

The configuration screen allows you to set your widget's refresh rate and alternate skin. Please note that the Skin option is only available on AudioManer Pro version.

The two sizes available are large (4x1 cells) and small (2x1 cells).

Taping anywhere on the widget will launch the Console screen, where you will be able to adjust each volume stream individually.

AudioManager Pro features:

AudioManager Pro is the fully featured version of AudioManager with an extra set of features that make this application the best Volume manager/widget currently in the Android market. Some of the new features are:
   New Skins: We have added 3 new skins for both widget sizes (large and small). When adding a new widget to your home-screen, you will have the option to select between Original, Digital, Fuxia or Metal skins. More skins will be added with subsequent updates.

   Audio Profiles (Presets): AudioManager Pro now allows you to save your current volume level streams as profiles (presets) for you to view/apply them later on at your convenience. There is no limit to the number of profiles you can create.

   Profile Shortcuts: In addition to saving your profiles, you can also create home-screen shortcuts for them which allow you to quickly set your volume stream levels with the touch of an icon!

   Mute, Loud, Save Buttons: We have added new conditional buttons at the bottom of your console so you can quickly switch all streams to mute, loud, or simply save them as a new profile.

   No advertisements: AudioManager Pro has zero advertisements.

For more help don't forget to visit the FAQ section for AudioManager.

Designing for iPhone 4 Retina Display: Techniques and Workflow

2011-05-22T21:28:00.000+07:00

By Marc EdwardsNovember 17th, 2010

The iPhone 4 features a vastly superior display resolution (614400 pixels) over previous iPhone models, containing quadruple the 153600-pixel display of the iPhone 3GS. The screen is the same physical size, so those extra dots are used for additional detail — twice the detail horizontally, and twice vertically. For developers only using Apple’s user interface elements, most of the work is already done for you.

For those with highly custom, image-based interfaces, a fair amount of work will be required in scaling up elements to take full advantage of the iPhone 4 Retina display. Scaling user interfaces for higher detail displays — or increasing size on the same display — isn’t a new problem. Interfaces that can scale are said to have resolution independence.

In a recent article, Neven Mrgan described resolution independence: “RI [resolution independence] is really a goal, not a technique. It means having resources which will look great at different sizes.” If it’s a goal, not a specific technique, then what techniques exist? How has Apple solved the problem in iOS?

FLUID LAYOUT

While apps that take advantage of Apple’s native user interface elements require a lot less work when designing for the Retina display, we’re here to talk about highly custom, graphic-driven apps that need a fair amount of work to take full advantage of the Retina display.

While not strictly a resolution-independent technique, using a fluid layout can help an app grow to take advantage of a larger window or screen by adding padding or by changing the layout dynamically. A lot of Mac, Windows and Linux apps use this method, as do some websites.

This is partially how Apple handled the difference in resolution from iPhone to iPad — a lot of UI elements are the same pixel size, but padded to make use of the extra screen real estate. The status bar is a good example of this. It works because the pixel densities of the iPhone 3GS and iPad are similar (163 ppi vs 132 ppi).

Fluid layouts work when the change in density is minor, but aren’t any help with the iOS non-Retina to Retina display transition (163 ppi to 326 ppi). The image below demonstrates what would happen if an iPhone app was simply padded to cater for the higher resolution display of the iPhone 4. Buttons and tap areas would be the same size in pixels, but half the physical size due to the higher pixel density, making things harder to read and to tap.

Just-in-time Resolution Independence

Another approach to handling widely different resolutions and pixel densities is to draw everything using code or vector-based images (like PDFs) at runtime. Without trying to stereotype anyone, it’s usually the approach engineering-types like. It’s clean, simple and elegant. It lets you design or code once, and display at any resolution, even at fractional scales.

Unfortunately, using vector-based images tends to be more resource-hungry and lacks pixel level control. The increase in resources may not be an issue for a desktop OS, but it is a considerable problem for a mobile OS. The lack of pixel level control is a very real problem for smaller elements. Change an icon’s size by one pixel, and you will lose clarity.

Neven emphasizes in his article that:

“…it is simply not possible to create excellent, detailed icons which can be arbitrarily scaled to very small dimensions while preserving clarity. Small icons are caricatures: they exaggerate some features, drop others and align shapes to a sharp grid. Even if all icons could be executed as vectors, the largest size would never scale down well.”

Although here he is talking exclusively about icons, his description is apt for most UI elements. The decisions involved in scaling are creative, not mechanical. Vector-based elements aren’t suitable for all resolutions, if you value quality.

Ahead-of-time Resolution Independence

The best quality results — and the method Apple chose for the iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4 transition — comes from pre-rendered images, built for specific devices, at specific resolutions: bespoke designs for each required size, if you will. It’s more work, but pre-rendering images ensures everything always looks as good as possible.

Apple chose to exactly double the resolution from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4, making scaling even easier (different from the approach of Google and Microsoft — notice that this article is not relevant to the latest version of Microsoft’s mobile OS — proving yet again that controlling the entire stack has huge advantages).

Currently, there are three iOS resolutions:

320 × 480 (iPhone/iPod touch)
640 × 960 (iPhone 4 and iPod with Retina display)
768 × 1024 / 1024 × 768 (iPad)

In a few years, it seems highly likely that the line-up will be:

640 × 960 (iPhone/iPod touch with Retina display)
1536 × 2048 / 2048 × 1536 (iPad with Retina display)
Some kind of iOS desktop iMac-sized device with a Retina display

There are significant differences between designing iPhone and iPad apps, so completely reworking app layouts seems necessary anyway — you can’t just scale up or pad your iPhone app, and expect it to work well or look good on an iPad. The difference in screen size and form factor means each device should be treated separately. The iPad’s size makes it possible to show more information on the one screen, while iPhone apps generally need to be deeper, with less shown at once.

Building Designs That Scale

Building apps for the iPhone 4 Retina display involves creating two sets of images — one at 163 ppi and another at 326 ppi. The 326 ppi images include @2x at the end of their filename, to denote that they’re double the resolution.

When it comes to building UI elements that scale easily in Adobe Photoshop, bitmaps are your enemybecause they pixelate or become blurry when scaled. The solution is to create solid color, pattern or gradient layers with vector masks (just make sure you have “snap to pixel” turned on, where possible). While a little awkward at times, switching to all vectors does have significant advantages.

Before anyone mentions it, I’m not suggesting any of the methods are new; I’m willing to bet that most icon designers have been working this way for years. I’ve been using vector shapes for ages too, but the Retina display has changed my practice from using vector shapes only when I could be bothered, to building entire designs exclusively with vector shapes.

I usually draw simple elements directly in Photoshop using the Rectangle or Rounded Rectangle Tool. Draw circles using the Rounded Rectangle Tool with a large corner radius, because the ellipse tool can’t snap to pixel. Layer groups can have vector masks too, which is handy for complex compositing (option-drag a mask from another layer to create a group mask).

More complex objects get drawn in Adobe Illustrator to the exact pixel size, and then pasted into Photoshop as a shape layer. Be careful when pasting into Photoshop, as the result doesn’t always align as it should — it’s often half a pixel out on the x-axis, y-axis or both. The workaround is to zoom in, scroll around the document with the Hand Tool, and paste again. Repeat until everything aligns. Yes, it’s maddening, but the method works after a few attempts. Another option is to zoom in to 200%, select the path with the Direct Selection Tool, and nudge once, which will move everything exactly 0.5px.

Even more complex objects requiring multiple colors get drawn in Illustrator to the exact pixel size, and then pasted into Photoshop as a Smart Object. It is a last resort, though — gradients aren’t dithered, and editing later is more difficult.

If you need to use a bitmap for a texture, there are three options: use a pattern layer, a pattern layer style, or build a bitmap layer at the 2× size and turn it into a Smart Object. I prefer to use pattern layer styles in most cases, but be warned: patterns are scaled using bicubic interpolation when you scale the entire document, so they become “softer.” The solution is to create two versions of each pattern, then to manually change pattern layer styles to the correct pattern after scaling — a little tedious, but totally do-able approach.

Scaling Up

At this point, your document should be able to scale to exactly double the size, without a hitch.

I have a Photoshop Action set up that takes a History Snapshot, then scales to 200%. That means, previewing at the Retina display’s resolution is only a click away. If you’re feeling confident you’ve built everything well, you should be able to scale up, edit, then scale down and continue editing without degradation. If you run into trouble, a Snapshot is there to take you back. Using one document for both resolutions, means not having to keep two documents in sync — a huge advantage.

A word of warning: layer styles can only contain integer values. If you edit a drop shadow offset to be 1 px with the document at 2× size, and then scale it down, the value will end up as 1 px because it can’t be 0.5 px (a non-integer value). If you do require specific changes to the 2× version of the Photoshop file, you’ll have to save that version as a separate file.

Exporting, Exporting, Exporting

Now for some bad news: exporting all the images to build an app can be extremely tedious, and I don’t have much advice here to assist you. As my documents act as full screen mockups, they’re not set up in a way that Photoshop’s Slice feature is any use. Layer comps don’t help either — I already have folders for each app state or screen, so switching things off and on is easy.

The best export method seems to be: enable the layers you’d like visible, make a marquee selection of the element, then use Copy Merged and paste the selection into a new document — not much fun when you have hundreds of images to export.

The problem is amplified when saving for the Retina display, where there are twice as many images and the 1× images must match the 2× images precisely.

The best solution I’ve come up with so far:

Build your design at 1×
Use Copy Merged to save all the 1× images
Duplicate the entire folder containing the 1× images
Use Automator to add @2x to all the filenames
Open each @2x image and run the “Scale by 200%” Photoshop action. This gives you a file with the correct filename and size, but with upscaled content
Scale your main Photoshop design document by 200%
Use Copy Merged to paste the higher quality elements into each @2x document, turn off the lower quality layer, then save for the Web, overwriting the file.

In some cases, Photoshop’s “Export Layers To Files” can help. The script can be found under the File menu.

Mac Actions and Workflows

All the Actions and Workflows that I use myself can be downloaded from the blog post link below. The Automator Workflows can be placed in your Finder Toolbar for quick access from any Finder window, without taking up any space in your Dock.

Fortunately, Apple chose to exactly double the resolution for the iPhone 4, and for using ahead-of-time resolution independence. As complex as the process is now, things would have been far worse if they had chosen a fractional scale for the display.

Apple iPad review

2011-05-21T23:26:00.003+07:00

Finally, the Apple iPad review. The name iPad is a killing word -- more than a product -- it's a statement, an idea, and potentially a prime mover in the world of consumer electronics. Before iPad it was called the Apple Tablet, the Slate, Canvas, and a handful of other guesses -- but what was little more than rumor and speculation for nearly ten years is now very much a reality. Announced on January 27th to a middling response, Apple has been readying itself for what could be the most significant product launch in its history; the making (or breaking) of an entirely new class of computer for the company. The iPad is something in between its monumental iPhone and wildly successful MacBook line -- a usurper to the netbook throne, and possibly a sign of things to come for the entire personal computer market... if Apple delivers on its promises. And those are some big promises; the company has been tossing around words like "magical" and "revolutionary" to describe what many have dismissed as nothing more than a larger version of its iPod touch. But is that all there is to this device? Is the hope that Apple promises for this new computing experience nothing more than marketing fluff and strategic hyperbole? Or is this a different beast altogether -- a true sign that change has come to the world of the PC? We have the definitive answers to those questions (and many more) right here, so read on for our full review of the Apple iPad!

Apple iPad unboxing and hands-on

Hardware

Industrial design

The first thing you notice about the iPad is, well, you don't really notice it. In many ways, there is just not much here -- design wise -- to comment on. The bulk of its surface is taken up by a 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768, capacitive, multitouch LED-backlit display surrounded by a glossy black bezel that some will say is too wide but, in practice, is an important design consideration that prevents the touchscreen from being inadvertently activated when handled. There's only Apple's signature "home" button to interact with, and the back of the device is a dutifully simple piece of curved aluminum. Like most Apple products, it's a beauty to behold, but it's not exactly notable for design flourishes; simply put, it's good looking but not terribly exciting. But if the design of the iPad is an exercise in restraint, it only serves to reinforce how formidable this technology feels once it's in your hands. The device has some heft, weighing in at 1.5 pounds, but is still comfortable to hang onto at most angles. Considering the computing power of the tablet, a thickness that tops out at half an inch is pretty impressive, too. But how does it feel in your hands? Well, that matte aluminum on the back surprisingly communicates warmth (though we don't recommend resting this on any bare flesh on a cold morning), and the rest of the design gets out of the way and lets you concentrate on what is really most important: that screen. And that's kind of the point, isn't it?

The iPad does house a few other components you should be aware of: a volume rocker and screen position lock (which forces the device to remain in landscape or portrait mode) on the upper right hand side, a power / sleep button and headphone jack on either side of its top edge, and Apple's famous 30-pin dock connector alongside a single thin speaker on the bottom of the unit. There is nothing outwardly notable about the buttons or layout on the iPad -- if you've used an iPod touch or iPhone, you'll find yourself right at home... and that's exactly how Apple wants it.

As far as ergonomics are concerned, the standard seated-with-iPad-in-lap move is a completely comfortable experience, but there are definitely use cases where handling a flat slab becomes a pain. For instance, single finger typing becomes a bit of a game of hunt-and-peck, and that's the situation you find yourself in if you're ever standing with the iPad or holding the device with your other hand. We mentioned that iPad has some weight to it, and while it's comfortable to hold, it is considerably more of a handful than an iPhone. You'll feel that weight in your arms after extended period of keeping it aloft. Apple promo videos like to show their users happily grabbing the iPad and swinging their legs up onto a table -- Fonz style -- but if you're like us, most of your heavy text entry is done while seated at a standard table or desk, which means that unless you have a dock you're going to be typing on the iPad as a flat surface. The thing is, we actually found the flat-typing experience to be pretty good; it takes a little getting used to, but it's not totally bizarre either. In fact, we'd say it's a much more enjoyable experience than single-hand typing. Still, just as with the iPhone, there is a learning curve here that may diminish some hit-and-run shoppers' interest.

Internals

As you probably know by now, the iPad packs Apple's custom, PA Semi-designed 1GHz A4 system-on-a-chip -- a single Cortex A8 core coupled with a PowerVR SGX GPU. RAM on the iPad hasn't been revealed, but we suspect there's 512MB (at least) inside here -- we'll know more once iFixit or someone else puts the pad under the knife. Also onboard is 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, a digital compass, an accelerometer, microphone, and ambient light sensor. The 3G model that ships at the end of the month will add UMTS / HSDPA data along with an AGPS chip. You can purchase the device in capacities of 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB. We had the 64GB version for this review.

In our testing, the A4 SOC seemed to deal with whatever we threw at it handily. From opening and rendering webpages to playing the most graphically intensive games (including scaled iPhone versions, of course), it didn't miss a beat. The photo app was particularly impressive, allowing for fast scrolling through high resolution pictures without a hiccup, and handling rotation and zooming with no resistance or hesitation. Applications themselves opened quickly -- not instantly. Of course, as many detractors have noted (Engadget included), there's no true multitasking here, so seeing a system with this much power perform admirably one app at a time wasn't a huge surprise, especially since we'd experienced the same thing on an earlier version at the January event (more on this in a moment). Still, it seems like the A4 has power to spare, and that's a good thing if the third party apps we used on the iPad were any indication of where things are headed -- more graphically intensive and packing far more functionality.

The battery -- a 25-watt-hour lithium-polymer (non-removable of course) -- held up surprisingly well in our testing. More on that in the battery section down below.

Display

As we mentioned at the start of the review, the iPad is all about its screen, and Apple's 9.7-inch LED backlit IPS display does not disappoint. Colors on the screen are vibrant and saturated, while blacks feel true and deep. The iPad can be cranked up to an almost painful brightness, but also handles lower settings well -- that's especially important for readers (they even include a brightness control inside of iBooks). Because Apple employs IPS (in-plane switching) for the display, viewing angles are remarkably broad, though we can't honestly say the feature will come in handy for us -- we usually want to keep people's eyes off of our work. The screen is, as we mentioned, capacitive and multitouch, and handled input excellently -- if you're used to the iPhone, then you know how very good Apple's input technology is. To call it best in class would not be an overstatement; we've never used a more responsive screen.

We know there's a lot of talk about reading with this type of display versus a Kindle or other E-Ink device, but we'll just be straight with you -- it didn't hurt our eyes to use this as a reading device. You're able to crank the brightness down a significant amount, but it's also just a matter of adjustment. After a few minutes we didn't see the device or the screen tech anymore -- we saw a book. We won't speculate on what prolonged use will feel like, but there is data out there that suggests the technology might not be as important as some people think it is when it comes to e-reader displays.

Other hardware

For the most part, there's not much else to say about the iPad when it comes to its physical attributes. The home button is your only point of hardware interaction with the software, though you have those volume controls and rotation lock switch. The speaker actually does a rather impressive job of outputting clean, well balanced sound given its size, but let's be honest -- you're not going to be using this as your party sound system. The 30-pin connector is standard issue for Apple's mobile products, but we have to take serious issue with the lack of a USB port or SD card reader. The company offers both of these as an accessory as a means to transfer photos and video onto the device, but it seems like such a glaring oversight to not have built these in that it bears mentioning. If Apple wants to compete with the netbook market -- which it presumably does -- there should be some port options beyond its proprietary dock connector. This just feels like a money grab and a waste of potential for third-party peripherals.

One piece of hardware you won't find here is a webcam, which we already mourned the lack of when we first saw the device. It's a bit of a crime that the iPad won't allow you to carry on an iChat or Skype video conversation, because holding this in your hands while talking to a friend or family member not only seems like a match made in heaven, but the total realization of one of our sci-fi fantasies. We know Apple couldn't possibly cram every component Engadget editors might have hoped for, but this one seemed like a no-brainer, and its omission has left pretty much everyone scratching their heads.

And one other item of note -- Apple chose to place the headphone jack at the top of the device. We don't know about you, but we think the idea of draping our headphone cord across the screen or snaking it around back is a tremendously bad idea. And guess what? In practice, it kind of stinks. Why the company didn't opt for putting the plug in the logical place -- say, the bottom of the iPad, or the side even -- is a mystery that will undoubtedly haunt our every waking moment.

Software

Operating system / User interface

By now you should know that the iPad's interface is nearly identical in every way to the iPhone or iPod touch UI. The reason for that is obvious: it's built on the same operating system, a derivation of OS X for mobile devices. As far as actual navigation on the device goes, it really is exactly like the iPhone. You have pages and pages made up of grids of icons, a dock for your favorite apps (up to six, mind you), and a persistent status bar which displays the time and other information. In our opinion Apple has missed a huge opportunity to open up the "desktop" space on the iPad and allow for micro-apps or widgets on these screens. On the iPad there isn't really a single glanceable piece of information you can get at beyond the time and WiFi status -- and using all of that gorgeous screen real estate just to display a widely spaced grid of icons is not only a waste, but just kind of looks silly. In truth, if Apple's developers believe that it's not helpful to give people more than a single thing to look at at one time, they're not only wrong, but they're contradicting years of improvements to the company's desktop OS. That said, thereare a few new components present in the iPad UI which shows that Apple has put some effort into expanding the language of this OS.

Besides those quirks we've come to know, love, and / or gripe about on the iPhone, the company has augmented the existing user interface with a small handful of tools. Before we talk about the overall feel of using this device, we wanted to break down those new elements:

Pop-overs (modals): Windows which pop up and hover above the content you're interacting with, used to excellent effect within the iPod app for displaying track listings when you touch an album, or getting information on books or music to purchase in the iBookstore and iTunes. These modals have their own navigation and points of interaction separate from the main content you're working with.
Split screens: Exactly what it sounds like. Apple is using all that big real estate to break up what would have been multiple pages on an iPhone, dividing up the content into segments of the same screen. In the mail app, that means you can look at the list of your emails while keeping a message in view, or keep your multi-page work in Keynote available to you even when editing (think how Preview handles a folder of images).
Tap-and-hold: Now, this is present in some places on the iPhone, but Apple has really expanded its use with the iPad, offering lots of situations where a long press gets you deeper, contextual interactivity and functionality. We're big fans of this gesture on other devices (hello, Android), and it's nice to see Apple putting it to better use within the iPad's UI. We hope this trend continues throughout the company's mobile OSs.
Contextual menus: While tap-and-hold gets you some options for context-specific menus, the iPad interface is littered with other single tap buttons that pop open those same kind of options. The shift certainly seems to be towards these transient menus as opposed to paging through screens like we're used to on the iPhone.
Toolbar drop-downs: Apple hammered on toolbar items with previous iterations of the iPhone OS, but on the iPad, toolbars aren't just links to deeper pages -- they're self-contained menus, often with lots of levels and options for tweaking the work you're doing. They are literally all over the iPad.
Tabs (or Cover Flow) everywhere: You know how Safari handles multiple pages? Well that behavior is used throughout the iPad to navigate through files or lists of options. In Safari, as in other apps, the content is presented as a grid, while elsewhere it's a scrollable list akin to Mobile Safari's present use (or webOS cards).
Nearly full-sized virtual keyboards: In portrait mode, we were able to tap out some messages using our thumbs, but we mostly did single finger typing. On the other hand, the landscape keyboard is big and totally usable. In fact, we were surprised at how quickly and accurately we could bang out emails on it.

So what does this all mean for the experience of using the device? Well if you're not getting the message, we'd like to point out that we haven't mentioned files, folders, or windows. That's because there's no such thing in the universe of the iPad. This isn't a computer the way you think of a computer. All of these UI additions to the iPhone vocabulary help you do more and go further than what is possible on an iPhone, and a lot of the applications you'll use on the iPad are far more expansive than what the iPhone offers, but it's not like any computer you've ever used. This is something totally different -- a hybrid of sorts -- and while the user interface will feel familiar to most, it's also simply not a PC in any way. You will get work done with it, play with it, consume content with it, but the underlying framework of the real operating system is almost completely invisible. For instance, in applications like Numbers or Keynote, you don't have "files," rather a long, Cover Flow-style list of work to scroll through. Have 200 documents you've "saved"? Tough -- you just have to scroll through them all to get to the last one. To say that sometimes it feels like a computer for beginners might be overkill. But it's close.

There's no question that the route Apple has taken is genius; they've built a "computer" that's so obvious and easy to use that anyone can pick it up and understand it immediately. And there's a lot to like, particularly in some of the innovative and engaging applications being built by third party developers right now, like the Marvel app, TweetDeck, or SketchBook Pro. But there are holes here too -- big ones -- and not just in the user interface.

For starters, as we mentioned earlier the iPad doesn't support multitasking, save for Apple's own applications: Safari, iPod, and Mail. Everything else you use on the device is a jump-into and then jump-out experience, which means that for things like IM apps, you're either having a conversation or you're not. For those of us who are used to the iPhone way of doing things, that's at least familiar, but if you're looking to have a conversation while getting your email in order (as you would on a laptop), you're out of luck. The same goes for those of us who like to keep a Twitter app open in the background to monitor updates. Even updating settings or downloading software is a chore due to the stop-start nature of the OS. You just have to go one. at. a. time. That's almost acceptable for a smartphone -- you don't expect laptop performance -- but this is different. Admittedly, there aren't a huge number of scenarios where you need to be multitasking, but it's not uncommon for Engadget editors to keep a running IRC session, AIM, a browser, Twitter app, Skype, and music player open at the same time, and we suspect a lot of you out there do the same (or similar). So how much of a stumbling block is the lack of multitasking? The honest truth is that a large number of users won't notice or care, which is why it's easy for Apple to ignore the problem (or claim that their OS supports the functionality because they allow a handful of their native apps to run in the background). For the rest of us, this is starting to feel just like copy and paste -- a problem so obvious and so easy to fix that it's just perplexing Apple doesn't come up with a solution and end the conversation. The iPad may do many things better than a netbook, but multitasking is not one of them.

Adding difficulty to that lack of multitasking is the way the iPad handles notifications. As you know, Apple provides a method of utilizing push notifications to circumvent backgrounding an app. For instance, with AIM set to deliver push messages, you can still see what your contacts are IM'ing at you, and jump back into the app when you need to respond. That's all well and good, but Apple is still handling notifications in the same terrible, interruptive manner that it uses on the iPhone. Namely, pop-up messages that must be dismissed by the user. Imagine if you had to repeatedly click "OK" on a pop-up window which froze you out of the application you were working in every time you got an IM on your laptop, and you'll start to get the idea. Again, this isn't great on a phone, but hey -- it's a phone. On your revolutionary new computer-like device? It's extremely annoying. You can always set the notifications to just a sound and badge, but we know Android and webOS handle this more elegantly, and can't figure out why Apple won't do the same.

To put a point on the iPad's UI and the user experience: there is no question that Apple has created an engaging, simple, and surprisingly powerful platform for this device. For many of the applications -- especially some of the third party titles starting to trickle out -- the stuff people are coming up with is insanely clever, just plain cool, or both. For many consumers, it will be easy enough to accomplish much of what you would with a netbook or laptop on the iPad, and yet other experiences will extend far beyond what you would do on a typical computer. It's not a laptop replacement, and this OS can't do everything a laptop can do -- but maybe it doesn't have to.

Included applications

We're not going to go super deep into all of the bundled applications, but we feel quite a few deserve special mention. There are brand new applications that are hugely important to what the iPad is and does, and we wanted to take a moment to give an overview and opinion on what we felt really stood out.

Mobile Safari

Apple promises that web browsing on the iPad will be, to quote Steve Jobs, "The best browsing experience you've ever had." Let's just go over that one more time -- Steve Jobs says that the browsing experience will be the best you've ever had. So, is it? Well, we can tell you this: the browsing experience on the iPad is amazing. It is smooth, fast, and fluid. The screen displays beautifully in landscape or portrait, the scrolling is buttery, touch response is out of this world, and you can easily pinch-to-zoom all over the place with nary a hiccup. The finger-based navigation really is kind of spectacular, and it makes browsing weirdly like rediscovering an old friend. Other additions to the app like a proper bookmarks bar, use of toolbar drop downs, and an improved tab grid make it a pleasure to use. It is without question one of the best browsing experiences we've encountered. But is it the best? Well, not really.

Why, you ask? Well that answer is simple and extremely complicated at the same time. Currently, there is a web standard called Flash, developed by a company named Adobe, which allows for the easy insertion of rich media into webpages. That's everything from streaming video and audio files, online gaming, to entire websites made using its broad and deep development tools. The penetration percentage for Flash on PCs around the world is something like 98 -- that's almost everyone -- and many, many sites employ the standard on their pages. When we say many, we mean most if not all of the pages you typically visit use Flash to display some of their content. The iPad browser doesn't support Flash, and won't support Flash, perhaps ever. Apple has not only turned away from what is the industry standard for rich media in webpages, but it instead is pushing a newer standard called HTML5. Apple has been very successful thus far in moving its agenda forward and bringing websites into the fold of HTML5, but we're talking maybe, say, one percent of websites on the internet. Probably way less.

So what does this mean for an end user? Well it means that when you visit a site like Hulu, HBO, NBC, Lala (which ironically, Apple just purchased), Engadget, Gizmodo, or many, many others, you will have a broken experience. That means there will be certain elements of these sites (in the case of HBO, the entire site itself) that simply won't work. Now, we're geeks. We get it. We know what's going on when a site shows the broken plugin icon, or says we need Flash. But to the wide world of "everyone" that Apple wants to sell this product to, this will result in a confusing and frustrating experience... a broken experience. That may be fine to Apple, but it isn't fine to us, and shouldn't be fine to the rest of the world. As an aside, we've been surprised other iPad reviews have not been more forthcoming in pointing this problem out -- this is not a small thing; it's is a major deficit in the iPad's browser. Now keep in mind we're not saying we love Flash and want to marry it -- in fact, we'd love to see a less CPU intensive format take its place -- but HTML5 isn't that format, at least not yet. It's important to understand that a lot of users will see the lack of Flash as a drawback, even if Apple doesn't like the standard, and even if Safari on the iPad is a brilliant experience (which it frankly is).

iBooks

To say Apple is about to put a major dent in Kindleworld is an understatement. The iBooks app is one of the most beautiful and thoughtful uses of the iPad screen real estate on the device. It would be easy to rattle off a thousand words alone on how good of an e-book experience this is, but we'll try to keep it brief considering how much there is to say about the iPad. Simply put, it's a great e-reader with enough options to please even the most strident critic. The layout is quite simple; along the top of the page in portrait mode you have a button to flip to your library (a very slick hidden room kind of effect), a chapter button, brightness control, font size and face options, and a search drop down. Within the book you can long press to bring up copy / paste, dictionary (a beautiful implementation which pops up right over your content), bookmark (another perfect implementation), or search options. Besides the incredibly sexy page turning animations -- useless but gorgeous nonetheless -- the entire package is just so airtight. It's the first e-book reading experience we've seen that seems to truly understand the visceral, sensual enjoyment of holding an actual volume in your hand.

Calendar / Contacts

The calendar and contacts apps on the device aren't exactly groundbreaking, but they are far more usable and information heavy on the iPad. Both utilize -- at different intervals -- split screen, book-like displays. The calendar app actually gives you a proper full month view and lets you interact with your schedule much like the iCal application for OS X does.

Mail

This is a biggie for Engadget. Much of our time is spent dealing with email, and it hasn't always been a pleasure on the iPhone. Has that changed on the iPad? Not quite. As Gmail enthusiasts, we're sort of locked into the label / archiving / conversation scheme the big G has worked up. Honestly, we think it's a smarter, faster way to handle lots of email from lots of places. On Mail for OS X, Apple at least adopts threaded messages to keep your conversations under control, but no such luck here. In other "the iPad is not a computer" news, we couldn't find a way to export a .txt file to any of the applications on the device, thus seriously hamstringing our ability to finish this review on the iPad itself. We also take issue with how Apple wants you to handle attachments here. They have to be done from the source app out into Mail -- what the hell kind of sense does that make? In all, we love the split screen displays and real estate for composing, but still feel like we're floating out in the ether when managing our email. It works, it's fast, it's consistent... it's just not what it could be.

iTunes / iBookstore / App Store

All three of these money-shredding stores on the iPad hew much more closely to the desktop version of iTunes, which is a really good thing. Finding, previewing, and buying titles is super simple due to the vast amount of data you get in a single view, and the modals which Apple uses to perfect effect here to pop over info about the content as you're checking it out. The iBookstore is a perfect companion to the reader, but we did find the current selection lacking (very little Philip K. Dick and George R.R. Martin -- for shame!). Downloading was clear and simple, and there are free samples (as well as lots of free titles) to pick up if you just want to test the waters. It's obvious that publishers who aren't yet involved with Apple will see the light on this -- if the company is half as successful at pushing books as it has been at pushing music, this is indeed a game changer. We're not saying there's no room for improvement, because there is plenty (such as a clearer and more coherent periodicals strategy). Still, this is a tried and tested model for the company, and the iPad versions deliver (well, the iBookstore delivers for the first time ever).

Video / iPod / YouTube

The entertainment portions of the iPad aren't going to blow anyone away, but they all do an admirable job. The iPod app is actually much, much better than its smaller cousin, though we're surprised that Apple hasn't leveraged its new-ish iTunes LP content here. The iPad is the perfect place to view all that rich media, yet it's nowhere to be found on the tablet. A real miss, guys! Otherwise, the video player takes on the task of running your video (up to 720p, with restrictions) in a solid if spartan manner. We'd like to pause and just mention how sweet the marriage of HD content and the iPad's display is. Video really does look absolutely stunning on this screen -- Apple has done its homework on the tech, and we couldn't be more impressed with the results.

YouTube makes big use of the segmented windows concept you see all over the device, giving you the option to browse other videos or even comment on what you're watching while it's playing. Of course, it also allows for YouTube HD content, which looks fairly sharp most of the time.

iPhone apps on the iPad

Yes -- the iPad can run almost all 150,000 of the iPhone and iPod touch apps you know and love (not every one is compatible, but the vast majority). It does this in two modes, the first is a scaled down version in the middle of your giant screen, while the other is a pixel doubled iteration. Both of these leave something to be desired, and we can't say that anything besides gaming really ends up looking okay. It's nice that Apple has included the functionality, but keep in mind that you are locked into what is essentially an iPhone simulator, complete with an iPhone keyboard (scaled up if you're using the pixel doubling, which doesn't look that great). It's tremendous because you have access to applications you may need to use, but it's not something you're probably going to spend a lot of time with.

The iWork suite

If you doubt the claim that the iPad can be a viable tool for creating content -- even stuffy businessman content -- then these apps should seriously make you clam up. They are superb, surprisingly useful, amazingly robust applications. We don't necessarily agree with Apple's saving scheme (in that, there really isn't one), but you can't knock the core functionality of these apps. It's clear that at some point Apple is going to have to open up some kind of shared file repository on these devices to make them truly effective tools, but the combo of Numbers, Keynote, and Pages show that getting work done on these devices is not only possible, but actually kind of good in the right hands.

Our columnist and friend Michael Gartenberg has a done lengthier piece for us right here that goes a bit deeper on these apps -- if you're interested to hear how they fare for a very busy man, you'll want to read it.

Third-party apps

There are really far too many third-party apps to do a deep dive on, but we want to call out a few innovators that we feel are making the iPad seem like a viable fourth screen we want to engage with. Here's a lightning-round rundown of what we saw and liked the most, but you can see a much larger and more detailed list right here:

Marvel: This is just a cool application, and really gets our juices flowing about what will be possible with this larger format. Excellent execution, but they need to convert the whole catalog into this format. When we can re-read the Secret Wars on our iPad, we'll be seriously happy campers.
ABC video player: Even though it feels like a sidestep around the Flash issue, this iPad app does a perfect job of managing the network's online video assets. We can only imagine Hulu will stir things up in a similar manner.
Netflix: It's Netflix. On the iPad. And now apparently it's headed to the iPhone and iPod touch as well.
USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times: If this is printed media's last gasp, it's definitely a lungful. All three of these apps show that the big boys still have some fight in them, and while we can't abide the WSJ's zany pricing scheme, we will admit that each of these does a beautiful job of delivering the newspaper in a whole new way. Kudos, boys.
Yahoo! Entertainment: This one was an honest surprise. We didn't expect Yahoo!'s first iPad product to be either handsome or useful... and it's both. The TV schedule and news presentation is top notch, though we're hoping they take things a little deeper in future updates. And when it comes to entertainment gossip, we won't really be satisfied till an US Weekly app appears.
Photogene, SketchBook Pro, and Brushes: Three apps that show the iPad can and will be a content creation tool as well as a content consuming tool. We used and loved all of them, and think they show amazing potential for this platform.
TweetDeck: Just a really, really good way to use Twitter. A lot like the desktop app. If only we could run it in the background...

Battery life

It's almost impossible to believe, but during our initial tests, using the iPad pretty heavily, downloading and using lots of new apps, doing some 3D gaming, watching HD video, all the while getting email downloaded in the background, we got just about what Apple claims this device will do. In fact, it went a little better -- we managed to get 10 hours and 43 minutes of life out of the iPad before we had to plug it in again in our first run through. That's pretty crazy endurance considering what we were doing with it. Now, we were not watching HD video the whole time, or running the music player in the background while streaming Netflix movies, so we can't promise this will be the case in every situation. Still, it did a pretty amazing job of matching up to Apple's numbers, and you may color us impressed.

We're going to be doing further battery testing once some other team members get their devices, so hopefully we'll be able to report back with a more well-rounded assessment of what this thing is capable (or not capable) of.

Wrap-up

At this point we've run the full spectrum on iPad opinion. It should be clear that there are aspects of this device which we love, and others which we clearly do not. In summarizing our feelings about the iPad, we're forced to take two paths -- one which analyzes the device's position in relation to the advancement of the personal computer, and one which clearly speaks to whether or not we think you should spend your money on this thing.

Path one: the iPad as a computing revolution. Does the iPad evolve the personal computer in a significant way? Yeah, actually, it kind of does. Despite what you think right now, and despite the limitations Apple has put on some aspects of this device, what it says to the market is significant. The iPad is powerful, elegant, and largely unlike any computer you've ever used. You know how first generation games for a console look kind of dated when you put them against titles released after years of honing? Imagine what will be happening with something like the iPad in a year or two. This stuff is legitimately important. It's not magical, but it's a little bit revolutionary, and you have to at least give Apple that. They've pulled off a cohesive touch computing platform with very few rough edges -- and that's no small feat.

Path two: should you buy into the revolution today? The first thing that must be said -- although we've already stated it -- is that we don't think the iPad is a laptop replacement. Not yet. What that means is that if you need a laptop to work in something like Excel, Word, or countless other PC or Mac applications, you shouldn't expect the iPad to take its place. But, if you're like a lot of computer users, you don't really do much on your system except for listen to music, casually browse the web and read news sites, watch some online video, play games, and keep in touch with friends via Twitter, IM, and Facebook. If you fit that description, you might just fall in love with Apple's $499 bundle of joy -- because it does the majority of those things much better than its laptop counterparts (granted, one at a time, and, er... not online video).

So the verdict? The buyer of an iPad is one of two people, the first is someone who sees not just the present, but the potential of a product like the iPad... and believes in and is excited about that potential. This is also a person who can afford what amounts to a luxury item. The second is an individual who simply doesn't need to get that much work done, and would prefer their computing experience to be easier, faster, and simpler. Does that sound like anyone you know?

Note: Apple informed us that some of the software on our test unit was early, so there could be changes when everything goes live today. If we see any alterations of note, we'll be sure to update the review.

By Joshua Topolsky posted April 3rd 2010 9:00AM
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/03/apple-ipad-review/

Angry Birds developer takes aims at New York IPO

2011-03-21T13:51:00.002+07:00

By Liana B. Baker and Jussi Rosendahl

NEW YORK/HELSINKI | Fri Mar 18, 2011 12:57pm EDT

(Reuters) - Rovio, the developer of the "Angry Birds" mobile game, plans a U.S. initial public offering in the next five years, a move that could give investors a chance to tap into the fastest growing segment of the video game industry.

The chairman of Rovio Mobile's board, Kaj Hed, told Reuters on Friday that the IPO would be in the next five years and listed in the United States, likely on the Nasdaq.

"Our fans are primarily in U.S., so it's easy for us to bring our brand there," said Hed, who is also the father of co-founder and Chief Executive Mikael Hed.

Hed said he believes an IPO is a better route for Rovio than a sale to another company. Rovio's publisher, Chillingo, was sold to Electronic Arts in October.

Hed, who along with his family owns a majority of the company, plans to keep its headquarters in Finland.

A pop culture phenomenon and one of the hottest mobile games, "Angry Birds" features birds destroying the pigs who stole their eggs, with the help of a slingshot. More than 75 million paid and ad-supported versions of the game have been downloaded.

Mobile games are expected to grow worldwide revenue by 19 percent to more than $5.6 billion this year, according to research firm Gartner. Sales are forecast to grow to $11.4 billion in 2014, and are expected to eat into the revenue of traditional game publishers, those that create action or sports games played on consoles and TV sets.

Still, some investors may be hesitant to give Rovio a chance, since it could be viewed as a one-hit wonder with "Angry Birds."

"Investors tend to be more skeptical and want to see a track record of more than one product," said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter.

News of the IPO plans comes on the heels of Rovio's moves to raise $42 million in funding from investors and name Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstroem to its board.

Other publicly traded companies that focus on mobile games are Gameloft, which is listed in Paris, and Glu Mobile, which is listed on the Nasdaq.

Kaj Hed first told about the plans to list in New York in an interview with Talouselama, a business magazine in Finland.

(Additional reporting by Alina Selyukh, editing by Dave Zimmerman and John Wallace)

Apple's iPhone again tops J.D. Power satisfaction ranking

2011-03-21T13:49:00.000+07:00

iPhone 4 widens gap between Apple and rivals Motorola and HTC in smartphone survey

By Gregg Keizer

March 18, 2011 02:45 PM ET

Apple's iPhone yesterday again took first place in J.D. Power and Associates' smartphone customer satisfaction rankings.

Thursday's announcement by J.D. Power was the iPhone's fifth consecutive win in the firm's semi-annual ratings.

Apple scored 795 out of a possible 1,000 points in the customer satisfaction survey, leading the two closest rival makers, Motorola (with 763), and HTC (762). Although Apple's score was slightly lower than in last September's survey, its margin of victory was greater.

Last year, the iPhone beat Motorola and HTC by 9 and 19 points, respectively; the newest survey put Apple ahead of those rivals by 22 and 23 points.

"It really is Apple, and then the next tier," said Kirk Parsons, J .D. Power's senior director of wireless services. Parsons attributed the larger gap between Apple and rivals to the release of the iPhone 4 last summer, and the relative lack of new models from Motorola and HTC in the second half of 2010, when J.D. Power conducted its survey.

"The iPhone just keeps getting better," said Parsons. "Apple keeps upping the ante by finding something, one key feature or a design change, to separate it from the rest."

The industry average for smartphone satisfaction was 761.

Although J.D. Power did not single out any specific model made by Motorola or HTC, both companies have bet heavily on smartphones that run Google's Android mobile operating system. Motorola's best-selling smartphones include the Droid and Droid X, while HTC's most popular models include the EVO 4G and the Inspire.

Yesterday, HTC launched the Thunderbolt, the first smartphone to run on Verizon's LTE network.

J.D. Power measured customer satisfaction by weighting five question categories, giving prominence to ease of operation and the smartphone's operating system -- the former worth 28% of the final score, the latter 26% -- and discounting battery functionality to just 8% of the final score.

In J.D. Power's calculations, the phone's physical design accounted for 23% of the score, while features contributed 19%.

As was the case last September, the battery category was the only one of the five that Apple did not ace. It received just two out of five stars in the battery class, significantly behind leader Nokia, with five, and RIM's BlackBerry, with four stars.

The iPhone leads all others in the most-heavily-weighted category of ease of use, said Parsons. "Intuitiveness of the UI [user interface], Apple has that," he said.

J.D. Power polled nearly 7,300 U.S. smartphone owners, both consumers and business users, to come up with its rankings.

According to Parsons, satisfaction ratings were higher across the board when owners who use their devices to access social networking services -- Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter -- were separated from the pack. The average satisfaction score from smartphone users who access social networking sites was 22 points higher than the overall average.

March's poll was the first conducted by J.D. Power since Apple launched the iPhone 4, but the survey was completed before the Cupertino, Calif. company started selling a model that works on Verizon's network.

Other smartphone manufacturers that made the J.D. Power list were Samsung and Nokia, both with 734 points out of a possible 1,000; and the BlackBerry, with 732.

While satisfaction scores don't necessarily translate into sales -- Nielsen, for example, recently noted that Android-powered phones were used by 29% of U.S. smartphone owners, compared to Apple's 27% share -- Parsons argued that they're critical to keep customers coming back.

"There is a correlation between satisfaction and repeat sales," said Parsons. "That's where the rubber meets the road."

source:http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9214790/Apple_s_iPhone_again_tops_J.D._Power_satisfaction_ranking

Microsoft preps for sold-out enterprise management summit

2011-03-21T13:46:00.000+07:00

by Jon Brodkin
Microsoft will pitch its cloud computing offerings and approach to the consumerization of IT at next week's sold-out Microsoft Management Summit in Las Vegas.

IT AND CONSUMERS CLASH: The complicated new face of personal computing

Microsoft's Brad Anderson, head of management and security, will deliver keynotes instructing IT pros on how to build a private cloud and preview Microsoft's next version of System Center. Anderson will also discuss the impact of consumer devices on IT shops.

"Employee-owned devices, consumer services, and a blurring of traditional work/life boundaries are all shaping how we conduct business," Microsoft says on the Management Summit Web site. "IT is tasked with embracing these changes and driving increased employee productivity, while still ensuring that data is protected and assets are managed in a compliant way."

Last year's Management Summit keynote was delivered by Bob Muglia, then president of the server and tools business, who was pushed out of his position and will leave Microsoft this summer (see also: "7 high-profile executives who left Microsoft"). Attendance in 2010 was 3,500 and Microsoft says this year's conference is sold out again with 4,100 attendees expected.

In addition to keynotes by Anderson on Tuesday and Wednesday, there will be hands-on and instructor-led labs covering Microsoft technology, various breakout sessions and an expo hall where about 50 vendors will showcase their goods. Microsoft partners Dell and HP are the top sponsors of the summit.

Sessions will cover more than 30 Microsoft business products, including Exchange, SQL Server, virtualization tools, Internet Explorer, SharePoint, Windows Azure, Windows Intune and Windows Server. Broad themes to be tackled include the management of systems, operations, cloud computing, client devices, server technologies, virtualization, security and compliance.

The focus on virtualization management is a key for Microsoft as it tries to fend off the threat from VMware, which CEO Steve Ballmer has called one of Microsoft's biggest rivals, right up there with Google, Apple and Oracle (see also: "Microsoft's top 12 rivals"). Microsoft's virtualization platform, Hyper-V, and the Windows Azure Web-based service will both be critical for Microsoft's cloud management strategy.

source: http://www.itworld.com/software/140583/microsoft-preps-sold-out-enterprise-management-summit?page=0%2C1

ICANN approves .xxx top-level domain

2011-03-21T13:44:00.000+07:00

Mar 18, 2011 08:07 pm
After years of discussion, the .xxx domain space is finally coming to the porn world
by Robert McMillan

The adult entertainment industry now has a home on the Internet: It's called .xxx.

The group that manages the Internet's top-level domains -- the .com, .org and .net that we all type at the end of e-mail messages and Web addresses -- said Friday that it will establish a .xxx domain, a move that it hopes will add a measure of predictability and security to the wild world of Internet websites. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) signed off on the process at a meeting in San Francisco this week.

Pornography is often used to lure Web surfers to dangerous or fraudulent sites. By regulating .xxx, ICANN hopes to make things better.

Anyone who wants to register a .xxx domain will first have to go through an application process that's approved by the International Foundation for Online Responsibility. This procedure is intended to ensure that .xxx domains don't engage in fraud, child pornography and other practices. At the same time, having a domain set aside specifically for adult websites would make it easier for users to block such sites from their browsing experience.

The move gives consumers "reassurance they are more protected from the risk of viruses, identity theft, credit card fraud and inadvertent exposure to child abuse images," ICANN said Friday in a statement announcing the decision.

However, critics say established porn sites are unlikely to give up their .com domains just because there's a .xxx option. That means anyone who thinks he's filtered porn by filtering out all .xxx domains from his network is due for a nasty surprise. In addition, porn site operators won't be forced to get .xxx domain names and go through the vetting process.

ICANN has been toying with the idea of introducing .xxx for about a decade. The board had approved the new top-level domain in June, but now the decision is final.

Longtime .xxx proponent ICM Registry will be the .xxx registrar. The company says it has received applications to pre-register more than 200,000 .xxx domains.

Mozilla sets Firefox 4 release for Tuesday

2011-03-21T13:43:00.000+07:00

source: http://www.itnews.com/e-commerce/29919/mozilla-sets-firefox-4-release-tuesday?page=0,1

Mar 17, 2011 07:09 am
Wraps up year-plus cycle, calls current RC suitable as final code
by Gregg Keizer

Mozilla on Wednesday announced it would ship the final version of Firefox 4 on March 22.

The upgrade will be available for downloading at approximately 7:00 a.m. PT next Tuesday.

Originally scheduled to ship last November, Firefox 4 will wrap up a development cycle that started in February 2010 with several developer previews, but began in earnest last July when Mozilla released the first of what would eventually be a dozen betas.

Wednesday, Mozilla developers called the current Release Candidate, or RC build of the browser , good enough to ship as the final. Traditionally, it has run through multiple release candidates before settling on the latest as the shipping code. More than a year ago, for example, Mozilla issued two release candidates of Firefox 3.6.

"Today's triage session concluded with all systems go for a Firefox 4 launch on March 22," said Damon Sicore, Mozilla's senior director of platform engineering, in a message on a company forum .

Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs congratulated the troops on the same forum.

"We set a goal in December, we stressed toward the goal. At times, many thought we, I, us, were crazy, or too aggressive ... but in the end, we were able to get it done in March," Kovacs said.

Firefox 4 will reach users eight days after Microsoft issued Internet Explorer 9 (IE9).

Before it began cranking out Firefox 4 betas, Mozilla had set an aggressive schedule that was to end with a final edition no later than November 2010. Last October, however, the open-source developer admitted it had underestimated several bugs, and said it was delaying the release until 2011.

Firefox 4 features a new tab manager, dubbed "Panorama," supports GPU acceleration to boost page composition speeds, and boasts an overhauled interface that resembles Chrome's and IE9's minimalist designs.

Mozilla is already prepping for the next version of Firefox. According to plans now circulating among developers, the company is considering an ambitious schedule that will ship a major upgrade every three or four months.

Firefox 4 is Mozilla's best shot at reclaiming some of the browser usage share it's lost in the last year. Recent statistics from Web analytics company Net Applications had Firefox's share at 21.7% in February, down from 24.5% 12 months before.

Anyone running Firefox 3.5 or 3.6 can grab the upgrade March 22 by selecting "Check for updates" from the Help menu. Users running Firefox 4 RC, however, won't need to download anything next week because Mozilla deemed that build identical to the final.

NASA's Messenger begins historic orbit of Mercury

2011-03-21T13:40:00.000+07:00

source: http://www.itnews.com/government-use-it/29993/nasas-messenger-begins-historic-orbit-mercury

Mar 18, 2011 02:45 pm | Computerworld
A space exploration first, NASA swings a spacecraft into orbit around innermost planet
by Sharon Gaudin

For the first time, a spacecraft is in orbit around the solar system's innermost planet.

About 9 p.m. EDT Thursday, NASA's Messenger spacecraft maneuvered into orbit around Mercury. Carrying seven science instruments and built to withstand the blistering temperatures near the sun, Messenger is tasked with performing the first complete reconnaissance of the planet's geochemistry, geophysics, geologic history and atmosphere, according to NASA.

Messenger is programmed to get images of different areas of the planet, including its northern pole, where some scientists surmise there might be ice . That would be a major discovery on a planet that is so close to the sun that its surface is 11 times brighter than Earth's.

"From the outset of this mission, our goal has been to gather the first global observations of Mercury from orbit," said Messenger's principal investigator Sean Solomon and director of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. "At the time of our launch more than six and a half years ago, that goal seemed but a distant dream. Messenger is now poised to turn that dream into reality."

Now that the spacecraft is in orbit, NASA engineers will begin checking Messenger's systems to make sure they are in working order.

Starting on Wednesday, the spacecraft's instruments will be turned on and checked out, and on April 4 the mission's primary science phase is set to begin.

When Messenger entered Mercury's orbit, it was 28.67 million miles from the sun and 96.35 million miles from Earth.

Messenger has been on a six-year mission to become the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. NASA reported that it followed a path through the inner solar system, including one flyby of Earth, two of Venus, and three of Mercury.

Messenger hasn't been scientifically idle during its journey to enter Mercury's orbit.

During its second flyby of Mercury in the fall of 2008, Messenger sent back more than 1,200 images of the planet's surface , along with topographical information and data about its atmosphere and magnetic fields.

"The region of Mercury's surface that we viewed at close range for the first time this month is bigger than the land area of South America," Solomon said after the second flyby. "When combined with data from our first flyby and from Mariner 10, our latest coverage means that we have now seen about 95% of the planet."

NASA's Messenger is the first spacecraft to return information about Mercury to Earth since the Mariner 10 mission more than 30 years ago.

The space agency's Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft to reach Mercury and Venus. Mariner 10 flew by Mercury three times, returning images and data from the planet.

The scientists behind Messenger hope to take this latest mission several steps further. Data from Messenger will be collected by Deep Space Network antennas and transferred to the Mission Operations Center at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., where it will be analyzed.

NASA scientists and engineers have spent about 20 years developing new materials and technologies for Messenger. Its structure was built out of a graphite epoxy material that was designed to be strong enough to withstand the launch yet light enough to lower the probe's overall mass and save on energy usage. Two large solar panels and a nickel-hydrogen battery power the spacecraft.

The Messenger uses two computer chips -- a 25 MHz main processor and a 10 MHz backup processor.

The spacecraft, according to documents on NASA's Web site, includes a gamma ray and neutron spectrometer that is designed to map different elements and offer clues about the existence of ice at the planet's poles. A magnetometer attached to a nearly 12-foot boom will scan the planet for areas of magnetized rocks. Dual-imaging cameras, one with a wide-angle imager and one with a narrow-angle imager, will map the surface and give scientists a topographical view.

15 must-have accessories for your new iPad 2

2011-03-21T13:36:00.000+07:00

by Steven Borden-Weill
So you just dropped a bunch of cash on a shiny new iPad 2. All you want to do now is spend a little quality time getting to know your new device. But no, you've got more shopping to do. You need to accessorize!
Here are 15 ipad accessories, some practical, some, shall we say, whimsical, to get you back in the shopping mood.

Smart Cover

Apple's own Smart Cover makes the iPad do things no other cover can. Close it, and iPad automatically goes to sleep. Open it, and iPad instantly wakes up -- no need to press any buttons. The Smart Cover doesn't just protect iPad, it keeps it ready to go whenever you are, and comes in 10 different colors.

iPad Keyboard Dock

The iPad keyboard dock combines a dock for charging your iPad with a full-size keyboard, which includes special keys that activate iPad features. The dock has a rear 30-pin connector, which lets you connect to an electrical outlet using the USB Power Adapter, sync to your computer, and use accessories like the iPad Camera Connection Kit.

Booqpad iPad Agenda

The Booqpad agenda combines iPad 2 case and notepad into one product, making it the ideal solution to create, store, review or present the next hot idea. Keeping a pen or stylus, business cards, cash or tickets close to your iPad and written notes has never been more convenient.

Cambridge Jacket

The Cambridge Jacket lends your iPad some air with its cotton canvas exterior and leather accents on the spine and interior pockets. The wool twill interior and box-style spine provides ample protection for your device, while magnetic closures allow the cover to fold back and hold in an open, "reading" position with ease.

Book Book

BookBook for iPad is a handmade one-of-a-kind, hardback leather case that doubles as a fully adjustable stand. Along with its vintage looks, this case makes iPad feel as if you're holding a real book, and in many ways you are holding a book. As a bonus, the unique design of this case disguises iPad for an extra level of stealthy security.

Support Backpack

This stylish backpack features a removable battery-powered USB dock, which can charge up to three electronic items at a time. It also has a detachable laptop sleeve at the rear, designed specifically for travelers. Just unzip Trek Support, lay it flat, and place it on the conveyor belt instead of going through the hassle of removing your laptop. Airport security has never been speedier!

Gunnar Eyewear

GUNNAR Optiks makes digital performance eyewear that enables the human visual system to achieve a higher level of performance while in front of any digital screen. Their eyewear also protects the eye from the negative side effects associated with using computer or television screens for extended periods of time.

Zagg Mate

The Zagg Mate iPad case combines both the security and protection of a case with the ease of use of an external keyboard. When closed shut, it acts as a normal case would but when you open the case, you are presented with a full keyboard and a stand for your iPad.

Otterbox Latch

Whether you use your iPad for data collection in the field, for maps while flying, for entertaining kids in the car or are looking for other ways to keep your iPad on hand while you work, OtterBox Utility Series Latch for iPad is the only accessory you need when it comes to the ultimate protection for your device.

Digital AV Adapter

Put your slides, movies, photos, and everything else that fills your iPad 2 screen on an even bigger screen -- your HDTV. The Apple Digital AV Adapter mirrors exactly what you see on iPad 2 so that everyone in the room can enjoy it on your widescreen TV, video projection screen, or other HDMI-compatible display.The Apple Digital AV Adapter also supports video out for iPad, iPhone 4, or iPod touch.

iCade

How cool would it be to slide your iPad into a desktop-sized arcade cabinet and rock it old school with some Pac-Man or Space Invaders? Enter the iCade. To use the iCade, gently slide the iPad into the cradle. The iCADE uses Bluetooth to connect to the iPad so there's nothing else you need to do.

Nomad Brush

Nomad Brush features soft, flexible bristles made from a blend of natural and conductive fibers. This simple and elegant design makes it a perfect tool for drawing and painting on the iPad, a task that can prove to be rather awkward just using your fingers.

Apple Care

Perhaps the most important accessory of all, Apple Care provides ease of mind for the iPad owner. Because Apple designs the iPad, the operating system, and many applications, the iPad is a truly integrated system. And only the AppleCare Protection Plan provides one-stop service and support from Apple experts, so most issues can be resolved in a single call.

Piel Frama Case

If style is your top priority, the Piel Frama iPad case is the case for you. Handmade using natural Spanish leather, the Piel Frama case provides protection and professional looks for your iPad. Heels not included.

Invisible Shield

The Zagg invisibleSHIELD provides protection for the most sensitive aspect of the iPad, its screen. It is made of military grade patented material, and helps to reduce the appearance of fingerprints and smudges.

Open a Folder/Directory and Select/Highlight a Specific File

2011-03-11T16:00:00.002+07:00

By Jason | January 19, 2011

Have you ever seen a program that can open a files destination/containing folder and also highlight/select the filename as well in the opened folder window? This little post will show you a simple way to do the same thing. Basically your using shell to access explorer.exe while passing certain command line arguments. All versions of Visual Basic and Visual Basic.NET can easily interface with with the explorer.exe process. VB.NET 2002, VB.NET 2003, VB.NET 2005, VB.NET 2008, and VB.NET 2010 will use exactly the same code. The classic VB’s like VB 5.0 and VB 6.0 will need an additional piece of code. If your using Visual Basic Classic like VB 5.o or VB 6.0 then you need to add the API call based shell code below…

Private Declare Function ShellExecute Lib “shell32.dll” Alias “ShellExecuteA” ( ByVal hwnd As Long , ByVal lpOperation As String , ByVal lpFile As String , ByVal lpParameters As String , ByVal lpDirectory As String , ByVal nShowCmd As Long ) As Long

All thats left to do is call that shellexecute api function and pass the proper parameters and arguments. The same target process and arguments are used for VB.NET and pre.net vb’s. Here is the code to open the folder and select a filename using VB 5.0/6.0 and the ShellExecute api…

ShellExecute Me.hwnd, vbNullString, “explorer” , “/select,” & “c:\myFileToOpen.zip” , vbNullString, 1

Visual Basic .NET has built-in support for running shell based code by using the Process class. Using this class is very simple. Just add the proper arguments and parameters like below…

Process.Start( “explorer” , “/select,” & “c:\myFileToOpen.txt”)

Thats all there is to it! As you can see its a very simple line of code that can perform this functionality. I hope this little snippet and article proves helpful to you!

source: http://www.vbforfree.com/?p=431

Hide/Show the Cursor’s Caret using VB and VB.NET

2011-03-11T15:59:00.000+07:00

By Jason | February 28, 2011

There may be times when you don’t want your textbox or combobox to show the cursor’s caret position (blinking cursor). Thanks to a couple API calls, its easy to both hide and show the caret from the user. Microsoft made available the HideCaret and ShowCaret api functions.

I want to explain alittle more how the functions operate. Whenever you want to hide the caret using the HideCaret api call, say on one of your textbox controls, the target textbox needs to have ownership of the caret at the time the Hide Caret function is executed. Whenever the textbox loses ownership of the caret it will be reset back to the default setting. For example you call the HideCaret function which successfully hides the blinking cursor in the target textbox control. You then click on a button or another control that gets focus/ownership of the caret, then the caret/blinking cursor will be shown again in the target textbox when the user clicks or gives focus to the target textbox again. In other words, whenever ownership of the caret changes from one control to another then the Caret will reset back to its default setting. So, if you want the caret to always remain hidden from the user in your textbox, then you can do a simple trick to keep the blinking cursor from being shown even when it changes ownership.

First of all, you need to get the code for the two API calls…

________________________

VB.NET

Private Declare Function HideCaret Lib “user32″ (ByVal wHandle As Int32) As Int32

Private Declare Function ShowCaret Lib “user32″ (ByVal wHandle As Int32) As Int32

VB 6.0

Private Declare Function HideCaret Lib “user32″ (ByVal wHandle As Long) As Long

Private Declare Function ShowCaret Lib “user32″ (ByVal wHandle As Long) As Long

________________________

These functions are easy to use. All you have to do is call the HideCaret function with the handle of the control whose caret you want to hide or show in the wHandle parameter like below…

________________________

VB.NET…

HideCaret(TextBox1.Handle.ToInt32)

ShowCaret(TextBox1.Handle.ToInt32)

VB 6.0…

HideCaret Text1.hWnd

ShowCaret Text1.hWnd

________________________

The codes above are set to Hide/Show the caret in a textbox control. If you want the cursor to never be shown in a textbox control, then simply put the HideCaret code in the Textbox_GotFocus() event. Like below…

________________________

VB.NET

Private Sub TextBox1_GotFocus(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles TextBox1.GotFocus

HideCaret(TextBox1.Handle.ToInt32)

End Sub

VB 6.0

Private Sub Text1_GotFocus()

HideCaret(Text1.hWnd)

End Sub

________________________

With the code above, now each time the textbox control gets focus and ownership of the caret it will automatically call the HideCaret function. Thus the user should never see the blinking cursor at all. Thats all for this tip I guess. :)

source: http://www.vbforfree.com/?p=481

Safari, IE hacked first at Pwn2Own

2011-03-11T15:51:00.000+07:00

By Gregg Keizer
Computerworld - Apple's Safari and Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) both fell to the first hackers who tried their luck on the browsers at Wednesday's opening day of Pwn2Own.

The hacking challenge kicked off at 3:30 p.m. PT, slightly later than scheduled, at the CanSecWest security conference, which runs March 9-11 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

A team from the French security company Vupen walked off with $15,000 and a new MacBook Air after exploiting an unpatched vulnerability in Safari.

Earlier today, Apple updated Safari to version 5.0.4, fixing 62 vulnerabilities. But Vupen was still able to break the browser.

"Apple has just released Safari 5.0.4 and iOS 4.3 a few minutes before the Pwn2Own contest," Vupensaid Wednesday afternoon on its Twitter accountseveral hours before the contest began. "This breaks some exploits but not all!!"

HP TippingPoint, the security company that sponsors Pwn2Own, said earlier today that the last-minute Safari updates could affect who was awarded prize money.

TippingPoint's Peter Vreugdenhil said the browsers were "frozen" two weeks before today's tip-off with the then-current versions of Safari, Google's Chrome 9, Microsoft's IE8 and Mozilla's Firefox 3.6, to give researchers a stationary target.

"Exploit development does sometimes rely on certain versions and that is the reason we have frozen the devices," Vreugdenhil said in an e-mail today.

But the Safari patches still had a part to play in Vupen winning. If the vulnerability used by Vupen to hack Safari had been fixed in 5.0.4, TippingPoint would not have awarded the $15,000 prize.

Instead, the money would have gone to the first researcher who exploited the "frozen" version of Safari -- 5.0.3 was on the MacBook Air -- using a bug still present in today's update.
"As long as the latest version still has the vulnerability, and the researcher has successfully 'pwned' [successfully compromised the computer] with the frozen version, he or she will have won," said Vreugdenhil.

This was the first time in four years that Safari had fallen to someone other than Charlie Miller, an analyst with the security consulting group Independent Security Evaluators (ISE), and co-author of The Mac Hackers Handbook. Miller won at Pwn2Own in 2008, 2009 and 2010 by exploiting Safari.

Microsoft's IE8 also dropped to its first attacker, Stephen Fewer, who drew the No. 1 spot for that browser. Fewer is the founder of Harmony Security, and frequently reports bugs to TippingPoint's Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) bounty program.

To exploit IE8, Fewer bypassed Protected Mode, said Aaron Portnoy, manager of TippingPoint's security research team and the organizer of Pwn2Own for each of its five years. Protected Mode is Microsoft's name for the sandbox-like anti-exploit technology designed to isolate the browser from the operating system and the rest of the computer.

Vupen, which was waiting in the wings in case Fewer failed, did not get a chance to try its luck against IE8.

Microsoft, which has engineers from its Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) at the Canadian contest, said it was already on the case.

"Our top security researchers are already investigating the IE exploit used in the Pwn2Own contest," the MSRC team said via Twitter Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier this week, Microsoft had said it had not updated IE -- as Apple, Googleand Mozilla all did in the days leading up to the contest -- because the move would have been too disruptive to customers.

As Jerry Bryant, a group manager with MSRC, pointed out Tuesday, TippingPoint reports the vulnerabilities exploited at Pwn2Own to vendors, who have six months to fix the flaws before TippingPoint goes public with any technical information. Thus, there is little danger of any exploited bug falling into cybercriminals' hands.

In an interview after the day's activities wrapped up, TippingPoint's Portnoy said that Firefox had been rescheduled for Thursday and that the researchers who had earlier committed to tackling Chrome had either not shown up or had decided to focus on RIM's BlackBerry smartphone.

The four smartphones will be subjected to attack Thursday, Portnoy said.

Pwn2Own's smartphone track features devices running Apple's iOS, Google's Android, Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 and RIM's BlackBerry OS. TippingPoint will award $15,000 for the first hack of each of the smartphones.

source: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9214002/Safari_IE_hacked_first_at_Pwn2Own?taxonomyId=167&pageNumber=2

5 women leaders who are shaping IT

2011-03-11T15:47:00.000+07:00

by Katherine Noyes

Here in the high-tech world we clearly have our own female luminaries and key players, perhaps even more notable for their success in what's still largely a male-dominated field. What better time, then, to celebrate them and all they've brought to the industry?

Here, then--in no particular order--are a few women most would surely agree are among the key influencers of the industry today.

1. Mitchell Baker, Mozilla

Mitchell Baker, Mozilla Chairperson at Drumbeat Festival 2010 in Barcelona
Photo credit: mozillaeu

As the leader of the Mozilla Project, Mitchell Baker is charged with no less than organizing and motivating the worldwide collective of employees and volunteers who work every day on Firefox, Thunderbird and other Mozilla products used by millions of people around the world. Of particular recent note is that Baker just joined the advisory board of the new Ada Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the participation of women in open technology and culture.

"What's been most helpful to me is realizing that those times when all the heads in the room turn and look at me as if I was crazy, reinforce my own leadership capability," Baker told Mother Jones in a 2008 interview. "Because I've been in a number of those settings where I've been right. And I've been right often enough that now when it happens I don't automatically think, "Oh, my, what's wrong with me?"

2. Marissa Mayer, Google

Marissa Mayer, vice president, search products and user experience for Google Inc, unveils "Google Instant" during a news conference in San Francisco, California September 8, 2010.
Photo credit: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

Mayer was the first female engineer hired at Google and one of its first 20 employees. Since then she's gone on to become vice president of location and local services for the company, but other accomplishments there have included designing and developing Google's search interface and internationalizing the site to more than 100 languages.

"I love technology, and I don't think it's something that should divide along gender lines," Mayer told Newsweek in an interview last year. "One of the things I care a lot about is helping to remove that stigma, to show girls that you can be feminine, you can like the things that girls like, but you can also be really good at technology."

3. Carol Bartz, Yahoo

Yahoo Chief Executive Carol Bartz smiles during her appearance at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, California November 16, 2010.
Photo credit: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

As CEO of Yahoo, Carol Bartz is nothing if not a visible IT leader. With a career including stints at Autodesk and Sun Microsystems, Bartz has been an outspoken advocate of women in leadership roles. "Most people assume that because I'm a woman, I'm someone who's standing behind a leader, a man," she's been quoted as saying. "The fact that they're unenlightened is their problem, not mine."

4. Sue Gardner, Wikimedia Foundation

Photo credit: Wikimania2009

In her role as executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, Sue Gardner oversees none other thanWikipedia, the global resource with more than 14 million volunteer-authored articles in over 250 languages. Since joining the foundation in 2007, Gardner has more than tripled revenues, helped increase global readership by 85% and instituted a variety of new projects and activities. Like Mozilla's Baker, Gardner also recently joined the Ada Initiative as an advisor.

"I believe we need to understand the origins of our gender gap before we can solve it," Gardner wrote in a blog post recently, discussing the paucity of women editors on Wikipedia. "And the people talking ... are exactly the ones we should be listening to, because they're all basically one degree of separation from us already, just by virtue of caring enough to talk about the problem."

5. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook

Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, speaks at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Half Moon Bay, California, July 22, 2008.
Photo credit: REUTERS/Kimberly White

Sheryl Sandberg is now Facebook's chief operating officer, but previously she's held positions and Google and the World Bank. With an academic background that includes a Harvard MBA, Sandberg has also been an outspoken advocate of women in leadership, including speaking on the topic at a recent TED conference.

"We still have a problem, and it's a real problem," she told conference attendees late last year. "Women are not making it to the top of any profession anywhere in the world."

source: http://www.itworld.com/business/139473/5-women-leaders-who-are-shaping-it?page=0%2C2

How to remove "SW.SecurePhone" and "SW.Qieting" at Android OS

2011-03-02T12:06:00.001+07:00

Android phone has not stopped attacks from viruses. NetQin Mobile have arrested twonew spyware program that infects phones Android.

According to the company, the two programs, "SW.SecurePhone" and "SW.Qieting", canrelease a number of viruses that interfere with personal information from infected phones.

Both are mainly distributed in the U.S. via the internet. Because the two applications havean icon, it's hard to say users are infected or not.

As the popularity of Android profit rises, more and more malware authors start targetingthat Google's operating system. So if you have an Android phone, perhaps it is time foryou to get an antivirus program. Better safe than sorry.

Well, to help users stay safe, NetQin offer the following suggestions:

Download the application from a trusted source and check reviews, ratings, anddeveloper information before downloading anything.
Note on licensing applications. An application will not be asked to do more than what is offered in the official list of features.
Be alert for unusual costs on phone bill as this could be a sign of your phone is infected.
Install reliable security application to protect your phone

Download NetQin AV 4.6 for Andorid 1.5

Download Netqin AV 4.6 for Android 2.0

pass: "android"

Article source: http://mileniansa2009.blogspot.com

2009-11-01T11:03:00.000+07:00

C # is a programming platform released by Microsoft which is bundled with Microsoft Visual Studio dot Net. For my friends who have studied the dot Net, but still using VB Net programming language, some e-books below may be a reference to start learning C # dot Net.

e-book is free and available at the website of origin, namely: www.csharpcourse.com, and you can download at the links are below.

1. C Sharp Java from Orange Book (462K)
2. Rob Miles CSharp Yellow Book 2008.pdf (1.4M)
3. Rob Miles CSharp Yellow Book 2009.pdf (1.5M)

Hopefully this article useful.

Basic features of Google Android 2.0

2009-10-30T09:10:00.001+07:00

San Francisco - Google finally leaked information about the features in the latest Android will insist pinned in the phones options.

Exposure software development kit (SDK) 2.0 Android is Google's exposed to the developers, one day before the spawn Motorola phones based on open source called Droid for Verizon.

Reporting via Yahoo Tech, Wednesday (28/10/2009), some features of the development of applications that have been buried by mobile phone manufacturers and the other is a feature that can be developed more in line with the changing technology.

Here are some of the features in the oeprasi system.

1. Synchronize email and contacts with many accounts, from various sources.
2. Supports Microsoft Exchange synchronization
3. Combination inbox for many email accounts
4. Connection speed (quick connect) which allows users make calls, send SMS, email, simply by touching the contacts the intended image.
5. Camera features a good master flash, digital zoom, scenes, white balance, color effects and macro mode.
6. Virtual keyboard complete with a sensitive
7. Three-point support multitouch
8. A better browser in the form of visual thumbnail bookmarks, address bar operation one-touch, zooming the display with touch twice, and HTML5.
9. Bluetooth 2.1 technology to connect peer-to-peer and access to the profile in the phonebook.
10. Compatible applications if displayed on a large screen or small.

These features that will be used by vendors such as HTC Android phone and Motorola. For a more complete feature can be seen on the official site for Android developers

Microsoft cleans up bugs after biggest patch release

2009-10-30T08:41:00.001+07:00

October's Windows Update disabled Microsoft's Communications Server product
by Robert McMillan

After releasing its largest-ever group of security patches two weeks ago, Microsoft has done a little cleaning up.

Over the past few days, the company has re-released two security updates and issued a workaround for a Windows CryptoAPI patch that caused Microsoft's own instant-messaging server to crash.

"This is the patch month that will not die," said Susan Bradley, chief technology officer with Tamiyasu, Smith, Horn and Braun, an accountancy. She added that the Communicator issue was "a big one to miss," because Microsoft is usually careful about testing its security updates with its own products.

Scott Turner, network systems administrator with the Public Health Institute in Sacramento, California, noticed the bug immediately after installing Microsoft's updates. "We deployed the patch," he said. "When I came in the next day, nobody could connect" to Communicator.

According to a support article on Microsoft's Web site, the MS09-056 update disables several services that Communications Server needs in order to operate. The bug affects Live Communications Server 2005, Office Communications Server 2007 and evaluation versions of Office Communicator 2007.

Microsoft has released a workaround for the problem, but Turner hasn't yet been able to try it out. He's had to disable the MS09-056 update in the meantime to get his company's Communicator users up and running.

Another buggy patch fixed over the past few days was the MS09-043 Office update, first released back in August. This was apparently misconfigured so that customers who use Microsoft update tools such as Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) were given bad scan results. Customers who use Microsoft's tools may believe they're fully patched, when in fact they're not due to this bug, said Eric Schultze, an independent security consultant.

Those customers should re-run their update tools to be sure that they're patched, he added.

The issue affects customers who are running the Microsoft Office Access Runtime 2003, but not any Office products, a Microsoft spokesman said via e-mail. "Essentially, the security update installer detection logic was updated to include an uncommon scenario, where a customer only installed the Microsoft Office Access Runtime 2003 without fully installing the Office 2003 suite or other individual Office 2003 products. Those who are running in this scenario should apply the re-released bulletin immediately."

Microsoft said it also corrected some "detection entries" and "file and registry key verification information" in an update to the MS09-062 patch, released Wednesday.

Windows 7 Keeps the Good, Tries to Fix Flaws

2009-10-24T06:06:00.001+07:00

By DAVID POGUE
Published: October 21, 2009

Windows 7 comes out Thursday. And if the programmers at Microsoft have any strength left at all, they are high-fiving.

Their three-year Windows Vista nightmare is over. That operating system’s wretched reputation may have been overblown; at the outset, it was slow, intrusive and incompatible with a lot of gadgets, but it’s been quietly improved over the years. Nonetheless, the corporate software buyers who order copies of Windows by the gross weren’t impressed. As recently as this summer, at least two-thirds of corporate computers were still running the positively ancient Windows XP.

Windows 7 is a different story. It keeps what’s good about Windows Vista, like security, stability and generous eye candy, and addresses much of what people disliked.

Item 1: Sluggishness. As Microsoft’s triple redundancy puts it, Windows 7 offers “faster, more responsive performance.”

Item 2: Hardware requirements. They’re no steeper than Vista’s three years ago (the standard edition requires 1 gigabyte of memory and 1 gigahertz processor; more is better).

Item 3: Nagging Windows 7 is far less alarmist than Vista, which freaked out about every potential security threat. In fact, 10 categories of warnings now pile up quietly in a single, unified Action Center and don’t interrupt you at all.

Best of all, Windows 7 represents a departure from Microsoft’s usual “success is measured by the length of the feature list” philosophy. This time around, it was, “Polish, optimize and streamline what we’ve already got.” That seems to be the industry mantra for 2009 — see also Apple’s Snow Leopard release in August — and it’s fantastic news. There are three ugly aspects of Windows 7, so let’s get them out of the way up front. Upgrading from Vista is easy, but upgrading from Windows XP involves a “clean install”— moving all your programs and files off the hard drive, installing Windows 7, then copying everything back on again. It’s an all-day hassle that’s nobody’s idea of fun.

Microsoft doesn’t think XP holdouts will bother; it hopes that they’ll just get Windows 7 preinstalled on a new PC. (It’s no accident that new operating systems come out right before holiday shopping.) The second bit of nastiness is the insane matrix of versions. Again, there are five versions of Windows 7 — Starter, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate — each with its own set of features, each in 32-bit or 64-bit flavors (except Starter), at prices from $120 to $320. Good luck figuring out why some cool Windows 7 feature, like the much-improved, TiVo-like Windows Media Center, isn’t on your PC.

(No wonder a raft of books about Windows 7 is on the way. A disclosure: I’m writing one of them.)

Finally, out of fear of antitrust headaches, Microsoft has stripped Windows 7 of some important accessory programs. Believe it or not, software for managing photos, editing videos, reading PDF documents, maintaining a calendar, managing addresses, chatting online or writing e-mail doesn’t come with Windows 7.

What kind of operating system doesn’t come with an e-mail program?

Instead, you’re supposed to download these free apps yourself from a Microsoft Web site. It’s not a huge deal; some companies, including Dell, plan to preinstall them on new computers. But a lot of people will be in for some serious confusion — especially when they discover that the Windows 7 installer has deleted their existing Vista copies of Windows Mail, Movie Maker, Calendar, Contacts and Photo Gallery. (Mercifully, it preserves your data.)

Otherwise, though, Windows 7 is mostly great news. The happiest developments help Windows live up to its name: there are some slick, efficient new features for managing windows.

You can drag a window’s edge against the top or side of your screen to make it fill the whole screen or half of it. You can give a window a little shake with the mouse — kind of fun, actually — to minimize all other windows (or to bring them back again) when you need a quick look at your desktop.

The taskbar now resembles the Dock in Apple’s Mac OS X. That is, it displays the icons for both open programs and those you’ve dragged there for quick access. (Weirdly, though, you can’t turn individual folders and documents into buttons on the taskbar, as in Mac OS X, only programs.)

Better yet, if you point to a program’s icon without clicking, you see Triscuit-size miniatures of all the windows open in that program. And if you point to one of these thumbnails, its corresponding full-size window flashes to the fore. All of this means easier navigation in a screen awash with window clutter.

Windows 7 also introduces libraries: virtual folders that display the contents of up to 50 other folders, which may be scattered all over your system. Libraries make it easy to keep project files together, back them up en masse or share them with other PC’s on the network.

Speaking of which, networking is also more refined in Windows 7. Handling of Internet hot spots is much better than before, and the new HomeGroups feature lets you unify all Windows 7 computers and printers on your home network without having to mess with accounts or permissions. You just enter the same long, one-time password on each machine. (Only at Microsoft do “user-friendly” and “write down this password: E6fQ9UX3uR” appear in the same sentence.) Once that’s done, each computer can see the photos, music and documents on all the other ones. It’s a little buggy, but it’ll get there.

Compatibility is excellent. I connected a couple dozen cameras, phones, iPods, printers and scanners, and Windows 7 recognized them all. Recent, brand-name apps fare well, too, but there are no guarantees. I found a couple of smaller, older programs that wouldn’t work in Windows 7.

Some Windows 7 developments fall under the heading, “If you build it, they might come... eventually.” For example, the updated Windows Media Player program can now send music playback to another gadget on your network: an Xbox, digital picture frame, another Windows 7 machine and so on. The catch: the other gadget has to be D.L.N.A.-certified, which you’re supposed to know refers to an industry compatibility standard.

Or take the new Device Stage screen. When you connect a gadget to your PC, you’re supposed to see its actual photograph, model name and list of relevant features. But until all the gadget makers get on board, you sometimes see only generic icons here.

Even the multitouch feature of Windows 7 falls into that hit-or-miss category. On new laptops and even desktop PCs with multitouch screens, you can drag two fingers on the screen to rotate photos, scroll and zoom, exactly the way you do on an iPhone.

Alas, software programs have to be rewritten to understand these gestures; for example, they all work in Microsoft’s Photo Gallery, but only the zoom gesture works in Google’s Picasa. You’re in for many “Doh!” moments as you realize you’ve reached out awkwardly with your arm, dragged around on the touch screen, and produced nothing but gross grease streaks.

Now, Windows 7 is still Windows. It’s still copy-protected, it still requires antivirus software and its visuals still aren’t consistent from one corner to another.

On the other hand, it’s still Windows in a good way, too, meaning that it’s your ticket to a world of choice — a huge catalog of software and computer options. This Win is a win if you’re in the market for a new machine, or if you’re running Vista now and you’re not thrilled by it.

Above all, Windows 7 means that Microsoft employees can show up in public without avoiding eye contact. Looks like 7 is a lucky number after all.

Stay safe in a virus-ridden world

2009-10-24T06:02:00.000+07:00

Zatni Arbi, Contributor , Jakarta | Mon, 09/07/2009 10:32 AM
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/09/07/stay-safe-a-virusridden-world.html

Today, who dares work and go online without the protection of a set of security tools?

You can do it of course — if you don’t use a computer at all in your work. But the moment you climb into the Internet, there is no choice. A strong security application is just as essential to using a computer as its operating system.

Of course, those who use operating systems such as Linux and Mac OS may not need an anti-virus as badly as those who run Microsoft Windows. That is because the majority of the personal computers in the world run Windows, and it gives the mentally deranged virus makers a strong incentive to be creative in the totally wrong way.

There are a lot of ways viruses, Trojans and worms — Kaspersky chooses to call them collectively “malware” — can wreak havoc on our computers. Most common nowadays are those that come through email, hidden programs on websites and exchanges of USB drives.

There are a number of great anti-virus programs out there. They include AVG, McAfee and Norton. Most of them are available in bootlegged CDs or DVDs and we can get these media in almost every shopping center in Jakarta.

One thing that we are all aware of is that new viruses are created all the time and the pirated security programs will have to be updated continually. And if you do get a pirated version, remember they are usually out of date and will not protect you from the latest threats; as it isn’t a licensed copy, you cannot get the latest updates from the Web.

My daughter recently got a new HP Compaq notebook because her course required her to take her assignments wherever her teacher wanted to hold their class meeting. The new Compaq came with different Internet security software, but I wanted to use the notebook to try out Kaspersky Internet Security 2010, which the company distributed to the media for review purposes. My daughter also needs strong security protection because her friends may use the notebook with different USB drives.

Erwin Yovitanto, Kaspersky product manager at Astrindo Starvision, one of the main distributors of Kaspersky products in Indonesia, told me that I had to uninstall any security software already on the system before I could install Kaspersky. That was easy. The Compaq notebook had Windows Vista, so all I had to do was go to the Control Panel, click on the Programs and Features icon, select the existing security package and remove it completely. The installation of the full package was very quick.

Once installed, Kaspersky checked to find out whether its data files were current. To make them current, all I did was click on the Update Now button.

At a glance, the Kaspersky main window reminded me a lot of McAfee’s, although the green corporate color was obvious. Erwin explained that underneath the interface are a lot of improvements in the features that the previous version already had.

For example, Parental Control now allows us to limit the time a child can use the computer or browse the Internet per week. We can even specify from what hour to what hour a child can use the computer on which day. Of course, if necessary, we can block access to websites that contain pornography, gambling or any other unwanted materials.

Safe Run is one of the most important improvements in Kaspersky Internet Security 2010. It serves as a sandbox, much like the one that DENSUS 88, the Indonesian police’s antiterrorism detachment, uses when detonating a bomb. So, if you really need to run a downloaded program that Kaspersky considers dangerous, it will be run in quarantine. If the bomb explodes, the damage will be contained.

Another important feature is called Urgent Detection System, or UDS, although this is also available in the competing security packages. It allows participating users to send the results of their scans to Kaspersky servers to be analyzed.

In addition, Kaspersky will intelligently monitor and evaluate suspicious software on our computer until it is considered safe. This feature makes use of the data sent by around 10 million Kaspersky users who willingly participate. The good thing is that these users remain anonymous.

What I like about the latest and complete version is that, while it has more features, it runs lighter even on Vista. By the way, according to Erwin, its compatibility with Windows 7 has also been perfected. Let us see the truth when Windows 7 is launched next month.

How crucial is it to have security protection on your computer? In this country, it is exceedingly important. Indonesia has quite a bunch of virus makers who are very productive in creating security risks that put careless users in misery.

Apparently, Indonesia is so important that Eugene Kaspersky, the co-founder and CEO of the security company, will be visiting Indonesia from Oct. 7 to 11.

Regardless of which of the competing Internet security products you choose, one thing is extremely clear: You must invest in a good one and renew your subscription every year to get the latest updates.