Tech 24 Hours

Enabling Blind enjoy art exhibitions and displays with an iPad App

2012-05-30T10:40:00.000+05:30

Students from the University of Kent at Canterbury, along with the youngsters from the VI Centre at The Charles Dickens School in Broadstairs, are creating a new iPad App -- which will enable visually impaired or partially sighted people enjoy art exhibitions and displays.

How the ipad App works:

The iPad programme gives vivid descriptions of each picture and adds sounds such as sea, wind or birdsong to conjure up an atmosphere of the work.

The App is already tested and both the researchers and those who used it are delighted with the results.

Self Balancing Unicycling Robot is a Feat

2012-05-29T12:14:00.001+05:30

Why's a Self Balancing Unicycling Robot a Feat?

As without clear 'self consciousness' of the existence of a "Centre of Gravity", no one can stand vertical unhinged (unless has a wide base). Let alone unicycle,devoid of balance conciousness, just trying to stand at one place is a big achievement. Humans are equipped with this consciousness, that's why they not only stand but also walk and run. But the moment they lose the 'balance consciousnes' they fall. This exactly happens when a person becomes unconscious.

Hence a Self Balancing Unicycling Robot an accomplishment.

Researchers at Beijing University of Technology have developed what can be considered China's first self-balancing unicycle robot. Pic Below:

Steve Jobs’ Memo From 1974 hoped to fetch $15000

2012-05-29T09:19:00.000+05:30

Apple Fans love Apple. Apple Fans and the world (even Apple Rivals) loves Steve jobs, the late co-founder and former CEO of the iPhone manufacturer, Apple.

This makes one ask a Question: How much a Four-page Memo from Steve Jobs’ Atari days (Jobs when 19 year old, once worked for iconic game-maker Atari. The year was 1974) could fetch if auctioned?

PCMag believes, the four-page-long document is expected to bring in between $10,000 and $15,000.

A treat for Apple and Atari fans and countless rich geeks out there, Sotheby's in New York is auctioning a handwritten memo penned by Jobs himself and addressed to his former supervisor at Atari.

The memo was written in 1974, and it describes changes Atari could make to its World Cup Soccer arcade game,according to CNet. Jobs was 19 at the time, and he worked as a game designer for the innovative company responsible for the classic Pong game.

Notably, even in his Atari years, Jobs used to keep a seclusion from the world. That apart, his typical ‘Who are you’ mindset for anyone different from his way of thinking was also there. In his late teens and early twenties at that time, Jobs worked night shifts at Atari in the 1970s, isolating himself from the other employees, frequently referred to these colleagues as "dumb s--ts," Sotheby noted. Interestingly, Steve Jobs' Hippie years in India, where he dilly dallied with hallucinations and transcendental meditation, fall just after his stint at Atari.

Jobs' biographer Walter Isaacson wrote that Jobs appreciated the simplistic nature of Atari, which he sought to bring to Apple.

A Bit about the Memo:

According to the Sotheby's description,

"The present report, written for [Jobs'] supervisor Stephen Bristow, was meant to improve the functionality and fun of World Cup, a coin arcade game with four simple buttons and an evolution from Atari's Pong game.”

"Jobs report is stamped 'All-One Farm Design,' a name appropriated from the commune he frequented at the time, and the address of the Jobs family in Los Altos. At the bottom of the stamp is the Buddhist mantra, Gate Gate paragate parasangate bodhi svahdl."

[The Buddhist mantra, Gate Gate paragate parasangate bodhi svahdl" means 'Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone utterly beyond, Enlightenment hail!']

Date of the Auction:

The auction is set for June 15 at 10 a.m. EDT, when Sotheby's will also be auctioning a functional Apple-I motherboard. Only 50 units of this generation computer are thought to have survived, with only six in working condition, according to CNet. This offering is predicted to bring in between $12,000 and $150,000.

Has the News about Yahoo! Axis, Yahoo’s new browser reached You?

2012-05-25T17:58:00.001+05:30

Here is the Official Press Release:

Navigating a New Course In Search — Introducing Yahoo! Axis Seamless Across Multiple Devices, Axis Re-defines Searching and Browsing

Yahoo!, the premier digital media company, today announced the availability of Yahoo! Axis, a new experience that re-imagines how people search and browse on the web. Axis offers the only search experience that allows you to enter your search, see and interact with visual results, all without ever leaving the page you are on. Axis seamlessly integrates with your favorite desktop browser and automatically connects your online experiences across multiple devices. Axis is available today for download across iOS devices and as a desktop plug-in for HTML5-enabled browsers. “Our search strategy is predicated on two core belief — one, that people want answers, not links and two, that consumer-facing search is ripe for innovative disruption,” said Shashi Seth, senior vice president, Connections, Yahoo! Inc. “With Axis, we have re-defined and re-architected the search and browse experience from the ground up.”

Visually rich, Axis provides an easy and efficient cross-device experience that today’s connected consumers want:

• Smarter, Faster Search with Rich Design: Axis gives people instant answers and visual previews so they can continuously discover and explore content without interruption. Encased in a sleek design, Axis keeps people moving forward rather than constantly returning to a page of endless blue links. Once on a search results site, Axis also lets people simply swipe or click to the next result.

• Connected Experience: Axis allows people to move seamlessly across devices. Upon downloading Axis, people can start a search on their computer, flip through the results while out on their iPhone, and finish the search at home on their iPad. Content can be easily shared by email, Pinterest and Twitter.

• Personalized Home Page: After signing in with Yahoo!, Google or Facebook credentials, Axis centralizes online lives with a customizable Home Page that provides direct access to their favorite sites, saved articles and bookmarks across all devices where Axis has been downloaded.

• Standalone Mobile Browser, DesktopPlug-In: On iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Axis serves as a standalone mobile browser app. On the desktop,Axis is a browser plug-in that works with Firefox 7+, Safari v5+, Internet Explorer 9 and all versions of Chrome.

• Innovative Technology Backbone: Axis is built upon the Yahoo! Cocktails mobile development platform, which is designed for creating deeply personalized products that are built for connected devices first. Comprised of Mojito, an open source JavaScript MVC framework and Manhattan, a cloud-based hosted environment, Cocktails is a blend of open, standard web technologies including HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and Node.JS.

To learn more about Yahoo! Axis and download the desktop plug-in, visit the Axis microsite and our company blog, Yodel Anecdotal. The new Yahoo! Axis App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yahoo!-axis-a-search-browser/id506520874?mt=8.

Watch the Yahoo! Axis Demo:

Facebook launches Photocentric App for iOS Devices

2012-05-25T00:50:00.000+05:30

Facebook has announced a new application for the iPhone and iPod Touch called Facebook Camera. The App is intended to make it easier to take pictures and share them on Facebook.

According to Facebook, the application, which puts photos at the center of the experience, is much faster and much prosperous (shows more photos) than the current Facebook app for Apple’s iOS. That apart, on the side of publishing these photos, Facebook Camera lets the user upload much higher resolution photos at up to 2,048 by 2,048 pixels wide. Notably, the standard Facebook application uploads lower-resolution pictures.

Filters are a welcome introduction:

The application brings photo filters to Facebook. A total of 15 filters are offered. Will include tools for cropping and straightening photos, much like the photo editing tools within Apple’s photo app. The filters will include cool, light, bright, golden, cream and neon.

It’s important to integrate Twitter buttons or widgets on your Blog or Website

2012-05-22T11:44:00.000+05:30

Some bloggers and website owners are still to put Twitter buttons or widgets on their blogs/websites. If they have not done this up to now, this is the time.

In its latest updates to its Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, Twitter has shed more light on how its new tailored suggestions feature works.

According to Twitter the new tailored suggestions feature is based on your recent visits to websites that integrate Twitter share buttons or widgets. The feature will be roll out to some users in a number of countries.

How tailored suggestions works:

Twitter determines the people you might enjoy following based on your recent visits to websites in the Twitter ecosystem (sites that have integrated Twitter buttons or widgets). Specifically, the feature works by suggesting people who are frequently followed by other Twitter users that visit the same websites.

So integrate Twitter buttons or widgets on your Blog or Website. It’ll help your blog/website.

Your Blog URLs on Social Media networks contribute to your Blog's Success

2012-05-21T19:53:00.000+05:30

If you as a blogger still think that the your blog urls on social media networks are not necessary for your blogging success. Think twice.

As a recent report from Medical world indirectly tells what is important to Google search algorithm, while it decides the search rank of any content.

According to the researchers at Germany's Dresden University of Technology who have used Google's webpage algorithm to find cancer biomarkers, which can lead to early diagnosis and better treatment -- Google’s complex algorithm which involves many factors, but one key factor is the amount of interconnectivity a page has, helped them rank about 20,000 proteins by genetic relevance to the progression of pancreatic cancer and found seven that can help them diagnose the aggressiveness of each individual case, leading to more effective and personalized treatment.

According to the researchers, just as a webpage with no other pages linking to it and no social media interaction seems less important to Google, in the same way these biomarkers were found to be taking decisions. Thus these biomarkers are using the same method which Google uses to decide in which order to present your search results.

In that vein, researchers helped narrow their protein rankings by looking at the network of physical and regulatory interactions to find which ones played a large role in the progression of cancer itself. And once the researchers added the network information in their analysis, their biomarkers became more reproducible.

Only time will tell how the Google search algorithm helps cancer patients; but you now know Your Blog URLs on Social Media networks contribute to your blogging Success.

USD 74 Android Computer launched ! Any takers?

2012-05-21T10:32:00.000+05:30

How cheap is cheap for a computer?

$74? Yes, it’ll cut to to the ranks.

A $74 cheap computer that runs Android on an ARM processor has been launched. Called AllWinner, the computer is China made.

But don’t go thinking by “coming out of China” distinctions. The tiny, inexpensive Android PC has impressive specifications.

It uses an ARM A10 dual-core running at 1.5 GHz, runs on Android 4.0 (ICS), a Mali 400 GPU and offers 512MB of RAM. It has HDMI output and claims 1080p capability. Has 802.11b/g/n wireless support (WiFi) and USB connectivity. The specs are at par with last year’s best tablets and today’s best smartphones (notably you can find even devices out there powered by even lesser ARM power).

Availability: The computer is available for $74 dollars from Abi Express, the only retailer currently offering the device outside of Asian markets.

Some concerns: Only one USB hub and less than awesome mouse and keyboard support of Android.

"Twitter is going to charge you" is a Phishing Scam

2012-05-20T21:04:00.000+05:30

Just like the StalkTrak app, which claimed that it let the app user know who is stalking him/her on Twitter, another Phishing Scam is going around that says "Twitter is going to charge". If you receive such a DM, Please don't click on the link. The scam is similar to twitter scams where one says, "Someone is saying really nasty things about you". So if you check your DMs – do not click suspicious links, as you won’t even know if its a Phishing scam.

For Inventors who seriously want To Make Money, Here’s a New Book

2012-05-20T20:37:00.000+05:30

Not every inventor (especially the new ones) wants to make Millions with his Invention.

Still, an invention which makes money is never an uninvited guest.

Whether an invention makes small, significant or truck loads of money; it is always better than the one which makes none.

And making money from one’s inventions requires much more than a sharp mind, steep curiosity and out-of-the-box creativity. It also requires knowledge of the worldly ways to safeguard one’s invention, by way of patents, packaging the prototype well, so that it appeals to the person/company who buys its rights for commercial replication, and many small but important things.

Simply stated, if you are an inventor, who loves to create things, and wants to make money out of it as well; then a new book — Your Complete Guide to Making Millions with Your Simple Idea or Invention: Insider Secrets You Need to Know – is for you.

THE BOOK IS ATTRACTNG GREAT REVIEWS:

The book is getting great reviews from experts and educators, who have devoted decades of their lives teaching & representing innovation, legal framework around innovations, innovators & entrepreneurs and patents.

Gene Quinn, President & Founder of IPWatchdog Inc., Patent Attorney has this to say about the book,

“For over ten years I have been writing articles and commentaries in hopes of educating independent inventors and small businesses on patent and intellectual property issues. For those who are new to the innovation business it can be an extremely daunting task to come up to speed on the topic, particularly given the diverse, sometimes counter-intuitive, issues and obstacles that need to be successfully navigated. I have long wanted to write a book for inventors myself, but now there is no need for that endeavor. As this new book is much like what I would have written, if I write a book on the topic. Time and time again as I read this book I found myself nodding my head in complete agreement. For new inventors who seriously want to succeed this book should be required reading.”

FOR WHOM IS THE BOOK?

· An inventor/entrepreneur who clearly sees the US economy continue to trend towards an innovation and technology based economy intellectual property rights, and patent rights in particular. To such clarity that, he has convinced himself that the manufacturing jobs are gone and Prosperity is tied to innovation.

· An inventor who believes that a pre-requisite to successfully innovating and making money from innovation is to understand the processes in play outside innovation.

· A person who wants to have at his side, everything advised about ‘innovation as business’ in the past few decades and today, in a concise easy to understand format.

· For an inventor who has understood that he is far more likely to succeed if he treats inventing as a business. And for whom inventing stuff is more than just an American dream – for whom inventing goes well beyond the “cool” factor, innovative contributions; one who wants to like to succeed financially, sees nothing wrong in making money from his invention.

· An inventor, who understands that innovation needs money as well.

WHAT THE BOOK OFFERS:

The book has been written with one overarching theme: How to approach inventing in a business way.
Inside this overarching theme, the book covers broad to minute questions & issues faced by a new inventor, which include the trials and tribulations of inventors, the need to have a direction in their innovation effort, the importance of time management, scheduling and meeting promised deadlines. This the book does in an uncommon level of understanding with respect to both the questions inventors have and the knowledge they absolutely need to know to succeed.

That apart the book also talks about patents. Reflecting on the patent section of the book, Gene Quinn, Patent Attorney, says that many might find it surprising that some of the best things said in the book are those things that provide a reality check on the importance of patents. Others found the authors take on patents , simply spot on.

In author’s own words,

“ patents are not the end of all be all, but rather they are a means to an end. Obtaining a patent is not the ‘holy grail’; rather, ‘the holy grail of inventing is getting your invention into the hands of consumers and making a profit."

Majority of inventors today want to do just that. If you are one among theese, then Read Your Complete Guide to Making Millions with Your Simple Idea or Invention: Insider Secrets You Need to Know, not only once, but keep consulting it whenever the need be.

Siri like ‘S Voice APK for Samsung Galaxy S III’ leaked online

2012-05-20T12:13:00.003+05:30

Samsung's soon-to-be-released S Voice application can be installed on a rooted Android 4.0 smartphone. As it has been leaked online.

Engadget tried it on Nexus S, and found it functional -- Some of the S Voice features, such as search or contact queries, worked fine, while other requests such as navigation made the app to crash. The S Voice worked quite flawlessly on Galaxy Nexus, for Engadget.

Advice: Install at your own Risk.

Localphone 1/3 off on all calls to Ghana Offer

2012-05-19T19:54:00.002+05:30

Localphone is running another calls promotion, this time to Ghana.

Localphone's latest promotion we're running gives customers 1/3 off on all calls to Ghana valid from yesterday until 12pm GMT 24th May. The new calling rate is from just 7.8p per minute, one of the cheapest rates in the market. The offer includes all Ghana landlines and mobiles and customers can call from their mobile phone, landline or computer.

For more info on the offer, visit this page.

Those who aren't customers of Localphone can still take advantage of the offer by taking a minute to create an account at Localphone (it's free and they won't need to add in payment details unless they want to call other destinations) and then they'll be able to call Ghana at third the normal call rates.

About Localphone:

Localphone is a leading provider of cheap international calls and free VoIP calls. Calls can be made to over 250 countries from a mobile, landline or computer for as little as 0.4p per minute. LocalPhone's call rates are up to 88% cheaper than Skype's and its minimum top up is just £1. There are no monthly charges or hidden connection fees and all new customers can try Localphone with a 5 minute free call.

Samsung Cares launched to bring Samsung support to users on-the-go

2012-05-18T19:30:00.003+05:30

Ensuring that it doesn’t look apathetic to its Users (Google recently added 24 hour phone support for everything users might go through in Google Play Store), Samsung has released a mobile application called Samsung Cares with one simple objective to bring Samsung support to users on-the-go.

Samsung Cares application is reported to cover many types of Samsung products and will apparently allow users do things such as view FAQs, ‘How To’ guides, watch tutorial videos and read up on troubleshooting guides.

In addition, the app also allows a user to track services status if his/her device or product is in the official store for a routine maintenance.

The App is free and can be downloaded from Here.

The app is compatible with devices running Android 2.1 and above.

Truly customizable Liquidware Amber Development Tablet launched

2012-05-18T19:02:00.000+05:30

Before going further the value for this tablet will be seen by a real Geek or someone who is champion of Open Source.

Liquidware has launced, its self created new open source Android development tablet, called the Amber.
The new Liquidware Amber tablet is powered by a 1 GHz, ARM Cortex-A9 OMAP3730 from Texas Instruments, sports a 7″ multitouch capacitive display.

The Amber tablet runs a customised version of Android Gingerbread 2.3.4, has 512 MB RAM, and up to 16 GB microSD storage.

Created to accelerate time-to-market at all stages of product development, the tablet is for those who fancy a no bar customizable tablet, whether it be iPad, Galaxy Tab, or Kindle Fir. The creators claim that the Amber tablet which quenches the thirst for customization and verstality, can be a portable tablet and at the same time with added functionality, like an attached barcode scanner, motion detector, and camera, and instantly becomes a retail kiosk.

Liquidware Amber Development Tablet Price: The Amber Enhanced development tablet is now available to purchase from Liquidware for $1,283.

Liquidware Amber Development Tablet Availability: The Amber tablet is available as either an Enhanced or Pro. For more information on the new Liquidware Amber development tablet, visit the Antipasto Hardware blog.

Apple wins iphone5.com domain ownership

2012-05-17T20:56:00.001+05:30

The World Intellectual Property Organization has sided with Apple in a dispute over the iphone5.com domain name, and ownership is expected to be transferred to Apple.

The WIPO website recently updated its status on the case as "Terminated," and the domain owner is expected to be required to relinquish ownership of iphone5.com to Apple.

The site is currently owned by Corporation Service Company, a protection agency that owns the domain name in the interim.

The decision makes me thinking?

On what basis the WIPO decided to transfer ownership to Apple?

It may be true that the website featured a small, relatively inactive forum, up to now; but if any company or person buys a domain name; how can WIPO compel it to surrender it to Apple?

I think this sets a wrong precedent for the future.

People and companies sometimes buy domain names as investment. Buying a domain name, when no one has thought of buying it, also shows initiative and vision.

According to reports, the WIPO's decision to side with Apple came quickly, as Apple applied for ownership of the domain only a few weeks ago.

Notably, Apple's interest in the domain can be for two reasons -- an iPhone5 is imminent or could be also simply be an effort to avoid confusion among consumers who might think the domain is owned or affiliated with the company. In 2011, Apple also turned to WIPO to take control of iphone4s.com, and also take down a handful of other iPhone-related domains that featured hardcore pornography.

In July 2011, WIPO also granted Apple ownership of the domain name ipods.com. In that case, it was found that the original owner of the domain had "no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name," and that it was "being used in bad faith by the respondent."

It may look totally all right for a company, to protect its brand; but that should be done in a right way.

Like in this case, Apple may have demanded to ban the domain name. OR a price bargain should have taken place between the Apple and the domain name owner. OR WIPO may have simply barred any of the parties from using the said domain name in future.

Transferring it to Apple appears biased. As the company should also look for the availability of the domain name before it names a product. In addition, if Apple is world's biggest technology company, then can't it buy a handful of domain names in advance.

Don’t know, but this decision doesn’t sound good.

Decoding Social Media- Monitor Your Facebook Page

2012-05-17T17:14:00.000+05:30

A Facebook page is certainly the best way to interact with your audience. But just making a Facbeook page is not enough. You have to track your views and visitors and see whether the message you are trying to send across is being delivered or not.

So Facebook offers you ‘Insights’. Studies have proven that marketers who spend atleast 6 hours a week on Social Media, generate more leads and definitely are in better sync with their consumers. Not to forget, most of the time is spent on Facebook itself.

Facebook Page Insights - So the first thing you would want to explore on your Facebook page to check user engagement is the page Insights. This is a service by Facebook itself, so you would certainly find it more useful and more authentic that anything else. The Insights have also improved with time. Now you can check which posts were more popular with your readers, which city or country has the maximum numbers of subscribers for your page. Moreover, you get to monitor other user demographics, the potential fans that you can engage. The average times users pay unique visits to your page and how you reach your audience, virally, organically or by paid advertisements, all is mentioned in the Insights section.

However, if you find the Insights section too simple or rather too plain, you can switch to an array of third party applications that give you a larger number of options for maintenance and organization. The most popular and useful tools are mentioned below :

Conversocial- This is a good yet expensive application. It will provide you most of the back office support you need for your Facebook page and you can either manage them on the conversocial platform or through the regular emails. This is especially good for managing conversations on your posts.

Graph-o-Meter – This tool lets you manage all your Facebook pages on one interface. You can plan posts in advance or see who the most active fans on your pages are. However, the disadvantage is that data is available only for the last 30 days.

Fangager- This application gives you a host of tools on one interface. It also has a reward system for the most active fans. However, it is the one of the most expensive applications available online and you may have to pay separately for each service above the normal plan rates.

Final Verdict- The Facebook insights are a wonderful option to track the vistors. However, for active marketers who have to manage many pages at once, and who can spend a big part of their budget on social media, the third party applications will be worthwhile. For all others, the Facebook Insights are more than sufficient for play.

Decoding Social Media- Apps For Facebook Page Timeline II

2012-05-16T15:07:00.000+05:30

Apart from customizing your profile pictures and Timeline cover picture, the second most important change that you can make to your Facebook page is creating dedicated tabs.

The usual Facebook page contains Info, Photos, Videos, Links and Events tab. What if you could add more tabs according to your wish and interest? With the emergence of Facebook as a tool to communicate by businesses all over the globe, this puzzle was solved as soon as it was put forth.

Hence, we have sites and apps that work for making custom tabs for your Facebook page.
An average Facebook page lands on wall or info tab by default. the good point is that you can create a custom Facebook Welcome Tab to extend warm greetings to your visitors. you can also create a few more tabs for the page. a few ideas for custom tabs are:

1. Welcome Tab or the landing site for the page visitor
2. A contest page for a promotion or contest ongoing at the moment.
3. A 'Contact Us' or 'Careers' tab for people who want to closely relate to your organization in real life.
4. A 'Shopping' tab, if you are a selling consumer products. For services, there can be an 'Explore Our Services' tab that will get all the necessary information for your direct consumers.

There is good bunch of iFrame applications available for Facebook pages. You can chose to adopt a tab available on the net or may go into an adventurous trip to making your own application for Facebook.

Developing your own App- Developing your own application is the best idea if you are familiar with the working of the developer tools. You just have to choose a name for your app, add an image and content and when finished you get an all new application to work as a new page tab. Check out the tools and resources here https://developers.facebook.com/apps

Chose from third party applications- This is an option that saves you a lot of time and homework. If you chose this option, a simple sign in process will instantly give you a new tab tailor made for your requirement. It includes all the content that you need, complete with pictures and other multimedia.

The most used app in this regard is Pagemodo. Its interface is good, simple and easy to use. It is most frequently used for making the Welcome Tab on Facebook. The designs are good and it doesn't even take much time. Find Pagemodo here http://www.pagemodo.com/

Apart from this, a few more popular apps are listed below with their most popular features:

Wildfire- Known mostly for the contest apps, it is a simple and free app. Find the app here http://www.wildfireapp.com/

Involver- They call it Static HTML and multiple tabs are supported in a single page. Installing takes only a few clicks. Find the app here http://www.involver.com/

TabSite- it allows you to make sub-tabs under main tabs. So, a Contest tab may run three different sub tabs.
Find the app here http://www.tabsite.com/

iwipia- its good for users who are not very familiar with HTML coding. It is free to use. Find the app here http://www.facebook.com/iwipa

Now we complete the trip for the essential Facebook Apps. next, we talk about monitoring your reach through Facebook.

Most users distrust Facebook: Poll

2012-05-16T10:01:00.001+05:30

Months ago when many media experts blamed the US Government for forcing Facebook to trade publicly; no one would have imagined the truths which will be rolled out of the closet once Facebook approaches towards its IPO (this Friday).

The truths which once again prove that there is much difference between valuations arrived at in a privately traded market and a publicly traded market. Only when a company arrives at a publicly traded market, its true worth starts to unfold.

That said, according to a new AP-CNBC poll, A majority of participants (54 percent) said they wouldn’t feel safe using the platform for financial transactions like purchasing goods or services.

A 57 percent of Facebook users say they never click ads or other sponsored content when they use the site, with another 26 percent saying they hardly ever engage in such activity.

Only 4 percent of users say they often click on ads -- results that are only slightly better than the 2-3 percent clickthrough rate some experts consider the benchmark for effective banner ads.

The above numbers are important for Facebook as while the company makes money, in part, simply by displaying sponsored content, user clicks are a critical part of an advertiser’s calculus when gauging how effective those ads. Equally important is the money the advertiser is willing for those ads.

In the first quarter, Facebook generated 82 percent of its $1.06 billion in revenue from advertising sales, and in its online IPO pitch to retail investors, the company said that it is working to make ads “more relevant, more social, and more engaging” as it looks to grow.

But data shows that while Facebook has been able to decrease its reliance on sponsored content (down from 98 percent of sales in 2009), the Social Network still has to bring the common user to its revenue mix.

One important area which Facebook wants to tap is the e-commerce on its platform. But compared to many smaller players in Japan and elsewhere, Facebook couldn’t able to make its ‘virtual Facebook credit economy to buy virtual Goods’ success.

It’s important to note that when a majority of Facebook users (54 percent) say that they wouldn’t feel safe using the platform for financial transactions like purchasing goods or services; that directly affects Facebook’s desire to tap e-commerce on its platform. If a Facebook user won’t trust the Social Giant to use his/her credit card, how will e-commerce succeed; after all real money is used to earn virtual Credits.

Another thing which needs to be noted here is that Facebook has not helped itself with gaining User trust either. The Social network is used to employ shady and deceptive methods to land at the user data, thereby putting a big dent on its trust reputation. I think Facebook did this to help its Advertisers, who needed that curated content to make their sponsored content effective. Call it a double edged sword, but now when Facebook is trying to increase its reliance on the revenue from millions of Facebook users (901 million active users at present) whose engagement metric is always on an increase ( with personal computer users spending 6-7 hours per month on the site compared to just 3 minutes for Google+ users), majority of the users do not trust it.

Last week, the site disclosed additional information about how it captures and utilizes data from users. But it is too early to see how much the action increases the user trust.

This became amply clear when only 8 percent of Facebook users said they would feel extremely or very safe using the platform for financial transactions like purchasing goods or services.

This distrust is linked to Facebook CEO Zukerberg, 28, as well.

People may be fascinated by this wonder kid who became a billionaire when many of his age are studying. But it appears the world is not sure of his honesty (or integrity). This they don’t say openly, but deep inside an assertion of this sort lurks.

The poll we are talking of today, sees somewhat tepid confidence in Zukerberg as a leader, with only 18 percent of respondents saying they were extremely or very confident in his ability to run a large publically traded company like Facebook. Yet, pinning down a specific reason was difficult for respondents who neither cited his age, temperament, nor reputation as significantly affecting those abilities. I think it has to do with shallowness in character (integrity-wise) many see in Zukerberg. But since this attribute itself is quite intangible compared to the guy’s talent and initiative, hence they are unable to say it clearly. Here, it can be said that a guy seen as one with great integrity and resolve (honesty-wise) taking over as Facebook CEO will help the company greatly.

When it comes to money people take into account factors beyond talent and initiative: Earlier everyone, especially those who haven’t thought of Facebook as a company which can make a loss; saw the Social network as a platform founded by a whizkid and run by geeks, who can remain awake all night to roll out a cool feature. But now when money has come into picture, the same people are seeing Facebook from money pov.

And when people talk of money, they talk of many other non-money things.

You agree or not, now people, which include investors as well are seeing ‘how Facebook earns its money’. I’m not referring to the revenue mix, but ‘the ways Facebook employs to earn that money’. And those ways are now being scrutinized from one benchmark: ‘Are those ways ethical enough to command User Trust and as a consequence make money?’.

Normally people become more responsible with age. And the more the age, the more echoeing is the question ‘Are those ways ethical enough to command User Trust and as a consequence make money?’. The Poll also reflects this assertion.

Although, the public also remains wary of Facebook’s valuation, widely vouched as $100 billion, the youngest respondents (age 35 and under) were most likely to say Facebook would be a good investment (59 percent said yes), followed by baby-boomers and Generation X-ers (55 percent and roughly 50 percent respectively), followed by seniors (only 39 percent). Here it's important to say that with growing age people think more about ethics and establishmentism.

Facbook still has a big untapped market, the e-commerce. It can do so with real and online opportunities and virtual credits. But there are two things which it has to shed soon. First is the Geek culture in revenue matters; and second, a CEO which can say no to unbaked and unethical revenue ideas. That apart, if Facebook believes that its biggest asset are people, then it should stop curating user data by deceptive means and try to gain the user trust.

It's here important to say that Facebook will have difficulty make revenue for its users, who are quite engaged socializing on its platform.

About the Poll:

The AP-CNBC poll was conducted from May 3 through May 7, with a sample size of 1,004 participants ages 18 and over. The margin of error for the poll is plus/minus 3.9 percentage points.

How to receive Just Launched Twitter Weekly Summary Email

2012-05-15T20:34:00.000+05:30

As you know, Twitter acquired Summify, a social media summary tool in January this year.

The good thing is, Twitter has already found a use of the acquisition.

On the lines of Summify’s daily email digest of the most important content shared among connections on Summify’s social networks; Twitter announced only hours ago a Twitter Weekly Summary Email for millions of Twitter users.

Twitter Weekly Summary Email:

Twitter broke its Twitter Weekly Summary Email to the world as an email which allows users to receive “the best of Twitter in your inbox”.

This weekly summary email is provided by Summify and features the most relevant Tweets and stories shared by the people you’re connected to on Twitter.

Stories feature a design similar to the recently updated Discover tab, emphasizing who shared each story beneath summaries to help you decide which ones matter most to you. Click any headline to finish reading the story, add your take by tweeting directly from the email, and see related Tweets from the people you follow.

This new email digest also features the most engaging Tweets seen by the people you follow, even if you don’t follow those who wrote them. You can see who from your network retweeted or favorited these Tweets and click “View details” to retweet, favorite, reply or view the conversation around them.

You’ll find the option in your Notification Settings and it will look like this (the last item on at the bottom):

In case you don’t see the option yet. Then don’t worry. As Twitter will be gradually rolling out the feature over the next few weeks.

From the look of the things and similar summarizing emails received by Google+ and others; I think the Twitter Weekly Summary Email will benefit two kinds of people on Twitter. One are the marketers, who are using Twitter as their primary battleground; and the other, those twitter users who are using the social network for networking purposes (meeting with influential and top people from same profession).

For others, the email will be yet another weekly email in their inboxes.

HTC Desire C, a Budget Android Smartphone announced

2012-05-15T19:39:00.000+05:30

Codenamed Golf — the budget smartphone which made appearance recently, and rumored to have a launch name either the HTC Wildfire C or the HTC Desire C – has finally been announced. And the name will be HTC Desire C.

Desire C will be the newest Android smartphone with Beats Audio integration from the HTC, a Taiwanese phone maker made.

Desire C which will be marketed by HTC as an accessible device but with a premium design, has the following specs and features:

 Runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC’s own Sense 4.0 superimposed on it.
 Powered by a Single Core 600MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 processor ( after all it’s a budget phone)
 Sports a 3.5-inch HVGA display with 320×480 resolution
 512MB of RAM  4GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD card slot and 25GB DropBox online storage)
 5 Megapixel Rear camera with LED flash
 VGA front-facing camera for video calling
 Beats Audio integration

Availability: HTC Desire C will be available in select European countries starting May, with a recommended price of €200 (around $255 or Rs 12750).

Angry Birds maker Rovio Announces New Physics Game: ‘Amazing Alex’

2012-05-15T10:55:00.000+05:30

Angry Birds maker, Rovio Entertainment, has launched a new mobile game called Amazing Alex.

The title is a rebranding of Casey’s Contraptions, which Rovio bought from developers Noel Llopis and Miguel A. Friginal this month.

About Amazing Alex (formerly called Casey’s Contraptions):

Amazing Alex, another physics-based game, has an educational element and centers on the main character Alex, a curious young boy who loves to build things. The game features Rube Goldberg-type contraptions that are made from items like balloons, soccer balls, scissors and buckets.

See the video below:

Availability: The title is expected to be released within the next two months.

Decoding Social Media- Apps for Facebook Page Timeline

2012-05-14T16:13:00.000+05:30

The next step towards making your Facebook Page Timeline is to customize it and make it look different from others. Unlike many other social networking sites, Facebook does not support themes for individual pages or accounts. The white and blue background theme remains consistent on Facebook. Therefore, the customization challenge becomes even more difficult.

Lets discuss a few ways in which you can customize you Facebook Page Timeline and list a few apps that will help you achieve the target.

Make a custom Cover Photo- As we discussed in previous posts, cover photos are the first hello to your visitors. It is what they notice first on your page and hence make or break your impression. However, it is not always advisable to use a picture of your office or your chief people. You can make custom banners/cover photos for your Facebook page online at zero cost. It is as easy as 1-2-3. You select a theme, paste pictures or write texts, add effects etc. Then you may download the photo on your system and use it anywhere on the net.

This way you can use your creativity and change the look and feel of your Facebook page as often as you need. a regular change in the Cover photo(for good reasons, don't change them too often), will keep the visitors engaged and make your page look fresh. Also, it adds a dynamic appeal to your page.

These sites are as easy to use as uploading a cover photo. All you need to do is choose what background you need. if you do not wish to use a existing background, you can use your own images. Moreover, you can experiment a lot to add effects like text modulations, image modulations etc.

Moreover, you get to make such banners and cover photos for free. There is no limit to creating covers and downloading them. There are many sites that also have a huge amount of cover photos with quotations etc. that may be used on special days and events on your Timeline to make it look more appealing and attractive.

Here is look at how most of the cover maker apps and sites will look and how you edit your cover photo.

A few links that help you build customized cover photos are listed below.

http://timelinecoverbanner.com/
http://www.coverphotoz.com/create
http://thesitecanvas.com/
http://www.mybannermaker.com/

More on customization of Facebook Timeline and other social media giants in the next post.

Facebook is testing 'pay to promote post' Tool

2012-05-11T19:13:00.000+05:30

Facebook is trying hard to invent new ways to make money.

BBC reports that in this direction Facebook has started testing a system that lets users pay to highlight or promote posts.

The Model:

The tool allows ‘paying a small fee’ and users can ensure that information they post on the social network is more visible to friends, family and colleagues. The tests are being carried out among the social network's users in New Zealand.

Facebook, which has confirmed the presence of such a tool, says that the goal was to see if users were interested in paying to flag up their information.

According to Facebook, this particular test is one of the many such tools Facebook is testing currently gauge people's interest in this method of sharing with their friends. These tools would see a range of charges being levied to make posts more visible (some of thee tools will be free as well). Courtesy the comments on this particular testing suggest the highest price being charged was £1.25 ($2) while others cost 25p or 50p.

Payments could be made via credit card or PayPal.

A sleeve that enables iPhones in US to use mobile internet with 4G speeds

2012-05-11T16:39:00.003+05:30

FreedomPop, a new company which emerged this march, will enable all the iPhones out there in US to use mobile internet with 4G speeds.

What is in Offer?

To try this unbelievable claim, all an iPhone owner has to do is buy FreedonPop’s three upcoming items, first one is already out – A $99 hard plastic iPhone sleeve from FreedomPop ( a 4G WiMax iPhone sleeve). Abiding to the condition, of buying all the three products, the user will be get 500MB of free 4G data per month.

The fact that all the existing iPhones can only use 3G networks, which includes AT&T's faux-4G signal, many are suspecting the authenticity of the claim. But the company claims that the sleeve will give an iPhone the power to use mobile internet with 4G speeds. The sleeve can turn an iPhone into a 4G mobile hotspot.

Another ulterior motive critics are finding in this offer, is a shrewd ploy, wherein a user will consume 500MB of data within hours (courtesy the super fast speeds) and will then end up buying extra data from FreedomPop. Back in march, FreedomPop mentioned charging $10 per additional 1GB of data.

Availability: The service will be available in 70 major cities across US. The first product out of the three, the sleeve, will start shipping by the end of summer. FreedomPop’s other two products, which will be launched in coming days, are: a USB dongle for your laptops and a wifi hotspot device for multiple mobile devices.

Deleted your Google Account? You have Less than a Business Week to Restore it

2012-05-11T12:31:00.001+05:30

You may be aware that Blogger has a limited ability to restore a deleted blog.

Now you should brace yourself for another reality: Google’s ability to restore a deleted Google account is also limited.

If you for some reason or accidentally deleted your Google Account, then you can attempt to restore it by going to our password assistance page within a limited window of time after deletion.

The said time period is or the "limited window" is less than a business week (less than 5 days) if you fail to restore it within this time, then chances are you will not be able to get it back.

If you delete your Google account, you have to have the account restored - not recreated -- if you hope to regain use of your Blogger account - and (if necessary) have your blogs also restored, says Chuk an authority of all things Blogger and Google.

NOTE: For restoration process you may be asked to provide the necessary details, to regain control of your account and / or blogs, so keep them handy.