martes, 29 de diciembre de 2009

5 Features an Apple Tablet needs to succeed

The Apple Tablet rumor refuses to diminish. In fact, every major newspaper (For example: The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post) are fueling the rumor. Now, when it seems ‘sure’ that Apple will release something this January. Another rumor about Apple ordering 10-inch displays fuel the likelihood of releasing it soon. If the Tablet is to be released, it would need something special to succeed in the market flooded with smartphones like Droid, iPhone, and Palm Pre. iPod Touch, Kindle, and Amazon Nook might be a distant competitor but they can’t be ignored either. The desktop computer, laptop and netbook are also plying in the same market. With this crowed market a tablet, if any, would need certain features to succeed. 1. Easy to carry and easy to use: We have had enough of bulky, heavy portable electronics. People need thin, light device that can be carried around easily. May be a large iPod Touch, or better than that. 2. Connectivity and portability You would need to share stuffs with your existing devices like phones, laptops, desktops. Bluetooth might be considered granted as it is available in iPod Touch and iPhone. A couple of USB ports, DVI output can be the basic necessity. Memory card slots should also be available by default. 3. Multitasking When Palm or Anaroid entered the iPhone’s market the soft spot they kicked was the lack of multitasking ability in iPhone. The tablet can’t live with single task ability. 4. Speed, aesthetics, battery life Speed and aesthetics need to go together to succeed in the  tablet arena. Aesthetics forces skeptics to try on the new device and when it doesn’t come with speed the sustainability will be hampered. One can take for aesthetics for granted based on the superior design record of Apple. A powerful processer however can be battery hog. Proper choice of processer, the brain, of the tablet to bring the right balance of speed and battery life would be critical in success of a tablet. A 12 hours of battery life can be considered a bare minimum. 5. Keyboard, responsive display It is sure that the tablet won’t come with a keyboard. There however should be an option of Bluetooth keyboard or stylus for note taking. Responsiveness of the display on a touch screen is critical too. With the experience with iPhone, we can count on Apple on bringing out a truly responsive display to start with. It doesn’t matter weather the Apple Tablet is called iSlate, or iGuide or something else. A cool Apple Logo on the outside would certainly boost the sales in the initial days of the release – sustainability of which would depend on the five requirement I mentioned above.

domingo, 27 de diciembre de 2009

Fastest train in the world

The fastest commercial train in the world is now operational in China running at a maximum speed of 394 kilometers per hour (km/hr) in a trail run. The train link connects two cities, Guangzhou in South to Wuhan in central China, and will travel at an average speed of 350km/hr (217mph). The 1,068 km distance between the two cities can now be covered by the high-speed train in two hours and forty five minutes ? that is, a saving of about six hours of travel time. The high-speed train line uses technology developed in co-operation with firms such as Siemens, Bombardier and Alstom. The Guangzhou - Wuhan train line is a part of the government plan to build 42 high-speed train lines by 2012. In the biggest rail development program in the world, China government plans to build 34,000 km of new train tracks in addition to its existing 86,000 km railway lines. According to China's railways ministry, the average speed of the high-speed railways in other countries in the world is less than 300 km/hr; way less than the Guangzhou - Wuhan train line (in Japan it is 243 km/hr, in Germany 232 km/hr, and 277 km/hr in France). First high-speed railway network in China was unveiled at the time of Beijing Olympics in 2008 to connect the capital city Beijing with the port city of Tianjin. The train could travel at a speed of 250 km/hr.

sábado, 14 de noviembre de 2009

Water on the Moon

It is confirmed. The Moon has water and plenty of it. The NASA LCROSS mission has successfully uncovered water during the Oct. 9, 2009 impacts into the permanently shadowed region of Cabeus crater near the moon?s south pole. Here is the CBS video:

sábado, 7 de noviembre de 2009

CEO of the decade: Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs did a great job in the past decade to be ranked Fortune Magazine?s CEO of the decade. It is not the first time that Fortune recognized Jobs as a business genius. On November 27, 2007 Fortune Magazine named Jobs the most powerful person in business (CNN). I like the way Jobs is portrayed in the article titled The decade of Steve. Youthful founder gets booted from his company in the 1980s, returns in the 1990s, and in the following decade survives two brushes with death, one securities-law scandal, an also-ran product lineup, and his own often unpleasant demeanor to become the dominant personality in four distinct industries, a billionaire many times over, and CEO of the most valuable company in Silicon Valley. Some of the notable contributions that Jobs was instrumental in are: One of the first commercially successful personal computers (Apple II in 1977). First mouse driven graphical interface (Macintosh computer in 1984). ?Desktop publishing? Laser printer Personal computer network Successful computer animated feature films (Pixar) Highly successful digital music player (iPod in 2001) Online music store (iTunes in 2003) Highly successful smart-phone (iPhone in 2007) Congratulation to the magician of the digital world, Steve Jobs!

jueves, 29 de octubre de 2009

Will Google Maps Navigation replace standalone GPS?

Newly announced Google Maps Navigation caused shares of satellite navigation device companies to fall substantially amidst fears of the death of standalone GPS. Is it really the death or the rumors of the death have been greatly exaggerated? In the Navigation Application, Google uses search engine to find addresses, Google Street View for photos of locations, and live traffic data in its turn-by-turn GPS software. The application is available in the new Droid phone. Let?s see some advantages and disadvantage of Google GPS attached to mobile phone. Advantages of Google Maps Nav.: It is a free service Comes with phone and doesn?t need an extra gadget, easy to carry and you are less likely to forget it at home. Real-time updating Linked to the HUGE Google search database Disadvantages: It is device specific ? only phone it supports now is Motorola Droid. More may be (are) coming but it will take time.  Multi-tasking ? using GPS and calling somebody would be difficult. It would certainly add concern to the traffic safety. Dedicated data connection is required ? there are many places where Google service might not be available. Mobile phones usually have smaller screen as compared to dedicated GPS. More the screen are better the details on the map. Mobile phones' smaller form factors usually don?t allow for extra battery (like iPhone). Constant use for long period of time might not be practical in some situations. Google will certainly add advertisement in future. Would like smaller screen and ads in it? GPS manufacturers knew it was coming. Sometime back, TomTom started offering its own mobile GPS application for iPhone for $100. But free application is lot more cheaper! It is to be seen if Apple will beg Google to make one for iPhone. Official video on Google Maps Navigation: Professionals would certainly go for standalone GPS but causal users like myself would certainly be happy with the new device and new application. Death is a harsh word; but it is sure that they wouldn?t sell like hot cakes anymore. GPS manufacturers need to step forward in innovating their products, cutting the prices, and offer better value to the customers. It sure is not a dead end!

domingo, 11 de octubre de 2009

Google wave to wash email ?

Google, aiming to revolutionize the way people communicate online, has recently introduced an online application named Google Wave. The online tool will store a thread of data, document the history of a conversation and keep it on a server that runs on a Wave Protocol. The wave protocol is related to cloud computing in which the users save, retrieve and work on data and applications on remote computers rather than the local hard drives. It is widely believed that future is for cloud computing in which users don't need to download anything and everything can be done online. The operating system Google is planning to release, Chrome OS, is also based on the similar conceptual framework. The widely used and most popular online communication tool 'email' was first introduced more than 40 years ago and it has little changed in the four decades. Emails are stored in server and are transferred to the users' computer on request. However, Google Wave allows users to collaborate in real time. Users can see how and when things change and respond as required. Email didn't replace snail-mail but it sure did reduce the mail-box load. Now, it might be Email's turn to shed some weight in the inbox. Google Australia first proposed Google Wave in 2007. It is told that 100,000 beta users are testing the service currently. The service currently is invitation only. If you want to test it, you can also request an invite by visiting wave.google.com.

lunes, 5 de octubre de 2009

Go Norway, UN index rates best life in the western Scandinavia

When it comes to the quality of life, Norway enjoys the world's highest ranking country according to a United Nations agency. The annual Human Development Index prepared by the UN Development Program found that the country with the worst quality of life is Niger with life expectancy of just over 50 years. The Index was prepared by taking life expectancy, literacy, school enrolment and per capita gross domestic product in 182 countries. The second best in the list was Australia followed by Iceland. Canada ranked fourth (not bad!) and the United States was in 13th place. Trends in the index since 1980 showed an average improvement of 15 per cent in countries' scores. The greatest long-term improvements have been shown by China, Iran and Nepal, but progress has been concentrated in education and health rather than income, said the UN agency. (source)

sábado, 3 de octubre de 2009

Funniest Baby Laugh

Today on the Yahoo's homepage page a picture of a child was posted with link to the video in Yahoo Video. The caption: "The best laugh? Funny giggle a must-watch hit ... This spotlight-loving toddler is guaranteed to have you smiling big in mere seconds." I watched the video and didn?t find it that impressive. The baby is cute but is it a front page matter for the most visited portal? (Mine was Canadian version.) That reminded me of a funny kiddy laugh in YouTube that I watched long time back. I am posting both of them for you to compare. Which one do you think is the funniest? First, from YouTube. Second, the one Yahoo think is funniest, featured on Yahoo front page.

domingo, 27 de septiembre de 2009

Happy Birthday Googlle

When I saw the misspelled Google logo, first thing I did was check the address bar. Yes it was the same old google.com. The same colorful logo of Google had an extra ?l? today. A mouse over the logo for a while revealed the secret of the misspelling. Google is celebrating its 11th birthday today and everybody is invited to click its? misspelled logo! Happy Birthday Google! Wish, you will prove to be even more innovating and user-friendly, respect our privacy, and wouldn?t meddle with our personal life in the coming year.

miércoles, 23 de septiembre de 2009

Heaviest baby born in Indonesia

Normally babies are born in a range of 2 to 4 kgs. But according to the 2008 edition of Guinness World Records, the heaviest newborn ever recorded was a baby born in 1879 that weighed nearly 23 pounds. It might not be a world record, but a 8.7 kg(19.2-pound) baby made an a record of heaviest baby ever born in Indonisia. The 41 years old mother, Ani, is diabetic. When a diabetic mother's glucose level gets high during pregnancy, the baby can receive too much glucose and grow too large. The un-named baby beat the Indonesia's previous heaviest baby record, weighing 6.9 kgs born in 2007 on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta. (news source)

miércoles, 9 de septiembre de 2009

Camera on New iPod Nano doesn’t take photos. Why?

It was surprising that that the iPod Nano got a new video camera while the iPod Touch did not. Many people assumed that the camera equipped device could take still photos along with videos. After all, a sequence of still photos make video clips. But, the mighty Apple doesn?t think so! The Nano can take video but taking still photos is not its cup of cake. David Pogue of the NY Times asked Steve Jobs about it. Here is what he has to say: The sensors for doing video are fairly thin. The sensors for doing a still camera, at much higher pixel resolution ? and we?d really like to have autofocus ? they are just way too thick to ever fit inside the Nano. Are you working on making them thinner? Why wasn?t the iPod Touch thick enough?

Steve Jobs back on spotlight

After lot of speculations, Steve Jobs, CEO Apple Computers, has finally appeared on stage at Apple?s ?It?s only rock and roll? event in San Francisco. This appearance is his first public appearance after a lengthy pause on such appearances due to his health reasons.
Welcome back Steve!
He has announced the release of iPhone OS 3.1 and iTunes 9.
Later today, Apple is expected to announce a new lineup of iPod media players at the event.
Rumors on camera on iPod Nano are confirmed. iPod Nano will now have a video camera, microphone - speaker built in, voice recorder, and a pedometer. FM is another surprise addition to the little device.
It seems, Apple thought that camera or built-in microphones on  iPod Touch would be ?too good? and will eat-up the market of other iPod cousins. There was no iPads/tablets or whatever they were supposed to be called in the event.

domingo, 6 de septiembre de 2009

Luxury of living rat-free

Last month a rat was found in Calgary. The poor little creature created huge outcry. Ill fated varmint probably came into its graveyard by hitching a ride on a recreational vehicle from Saskatchewan. ?A rat? What a big deal?? you might say. Yes, rats are everywhere and for many people, it is a luxury to live rat-free. But it is a big deal for the province after being rat-free for the last 50 years. Hey, how can a little thing challenge such a big status issue. Albertans pride themselves on being the only place on earth that is livable and is rat free. The only two other places that are rat-free are Arctic and Antarctica.  Rat control costs the provincial government about $500,000 a year but the effort is said to save tens of millions of dollars in potential crop damage, disease, food contamination and damaged buildings. (news source) If you love rats and keep rats as pet ? Alberta is not a place for you to live. Pet shop owners, herpetologists and other persons interested in keeping rats as pets are not allowed to do so in Alberta. Only hospitals, universities and other related institutes of education, authorized by the government are allowed to possess live rattus species of any kind. (source) Pied pipers: keep out, you have no jobs here in Alberta!

domingo, 30 de agosto de 2009

Aprendiendo lo más simple en relación al SEO

El SEO o Search engine optimization puede ser dificil y confuso Normalmente SEO se refiere a la Optimizacion para Motores de Busqueda de sitios web. Ello considera, la estructura de la web, el análisis de los contenidos, optimizacion de palabras claves. Por esto les mostramos algunos pocos tips para mejorar el posicionamiento de sus sitios y con eso la posicion en Google y los demás buscadores que actualmente ocupas.

SEO es el acto de mejorar la estructura y la apariencia del Sitio Web, asímismo del texto que se muestra en la misma (títulos, etiquetas, códigos, etc.) con el fin de facilitar la navegación de los buscadores en la página web

Una Consultoría de SEO se lleva a cabo por empresas, grupos o personas. Estos son profesionales o empresas propiamente tales, cuentan con especialistas en los lugares que una organización necesita mejorar o que considera que no son suficientemente efectivos con el fin de cumplir sus logros

Diversas compañías saben que aparecer en las primeras posiciones dentro de estos resultados puede reportarles excelentes beneficios. Existen ocasiones en los que el usuario busca un determinado servicio, y estar en la primera o segunda posición puede significar un cliente casi seguro. Por este motivo, la inversión realizada en los servicios de un SEO profesional puede ser recuperada en pocas semanas o meses.

De esta forma sabrá lo que Google sabe de su sitio web (textual). Sabrá que necesita modificar para decirles a los motores de búsqueda de que se trata su sitio, lo que vende u ofrece. Sus palabras claves necesitan aparecer en su página web mas veces, en el título , la descripción y las etiquetas de cabecera, pero no debe olvidar mantener al usuario en mente cuando incluya sus palabras claves (keywords). Si mucha gente encuentra su sitio web, pero la mayoría éstos se van en menos de un segundo, razón de una pésima redacción o mal diseño, su esfuerzo de posicionamiento web será una perdida de tiempo y efectivo. O sea, no habrá nadie que compre su producto o servicio.

Se define como verdad que con el fin de obtener buenas posiciones en los resultados de búsqueda, existen técnicas que son penalizadas por los buscadores, y éstos son capaces de llegar incluso a eliminar su sitio web (aunque las infracciones las haya cometido el SEO). Eche un vistazo a las penalizaciones que son tenidas en en mente, y desconfíe de cualquier SEO que le proponga hacer estas técnicas con su sitio web.

viernes, 28 de agosto de 2009

Microsoft’s Photoshop (or, is it a MS Paint?) blunder

Microsoft?s Photshop blunder on a Polish website caused uproar on racism and carelessness costing them an apology. The black man had his head removed and replaced by a white man. The designer forgot to replace the hand of the black man. The Asian on the left was lucky enough not to be doctored.
Microsoft realized its mistake and corrected it by replacing the photo with the original. But some people were quick enough to notice the haste by which they changed the photo ? the text spilled out of the text box ? which was corrected afterward.
Do you think the photo looks good enough?
Well,  the monitor doesn?t have a power or video chord connecting it to the CPU. May be MS has come up with wireless technology for power supply.
The laptop looks more like a Mac minus a logo than a PC. Yes, Photoshop can do wonders with a logo.
Why on earth they couldn?t have an actual keyboard while doing the photo session? At least that would help the lady to position her hand properly on the keyboard.
Somebody came with another photo in which Microsoft changed a Macbook to a PC Laptop, back in 2005.
Original Photo with a Macbook:

MS changed the photo with a grey laptop:

Well, Microsoft is not alone in such Photoshop blunders. Many advertisements have such blunders and there is a nice site featuring 100s of such blunders.

jueves, 27 de agosto de 2009

No more a 'do-call' list ?

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission started its do-not-call list last September. I was so happy about it and registered in it right away. But the unwanted marketing calls kept on coming. I warned some of them and ignored many. I did complain about some callers. But nothing happened. We started calling it a do-call list and life went on as usual. I was not alone and everybody was receiving such calls. A consumer watchdog report even warned that registering in the list would invite more such calls.

Better late than never, it was a relief to hear that CRTC has woken up and started nabbing the violators. In the news release, the CRTC has said that it has fined Rob Sugar $4,000 and that it has also issued $10,000 fines to Roofing by Peerless Mason Ltd. and Waterproofing by Peerless Mason Inc.

Watch out telemarketers! CRTC is after you. Companies that call persons registered on the do-not-call list can be fined up to $15,000 per call while individuals can be charged $1,500 per call.

martes, 11 de agosto de 2009

Cell phone still a luxury to Canadians?

Canada made Blackberry may be the world?s most-popular or next-to-the-most-popular high-end smart phone but that doesn?t mean Canadians love cell phones to the ancient land-lines. In a latest report, Canada has the lowest mobile penetration followed by Mexico. Among 30 member countries surveyed by a Paris-based organization, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), consumers in the U.S., Canada and Spain pay the highest mobile phone bills. I posted about the previous report of OECD in 2007 and nothing has changed in the last two years ? rates in Canada are still the highest and it is still the country with the lowest mobile penetration. Yes $85K mobile phone bill do make sense sometimes. In the same report, it is told that Italians have 150 mobile phone subscribers for every 100 residents.

lunes, 3 de agosto de 2009

Told Ya!

I took this photo on the parking lot nearby. Somebody didn't see the sign posted on the back!

domingo, 2 de agosto de 2009

What is your National Flower – 9 (H)

Holland (The Netherlands) ? There is no official national flower of Holland. But Tulip (Tulipa) is often considered flower of national importance. Tulip bulbs are also used as substitute for onions in cooking. Honduras - Orchid (Brassavola digbiana)     During 1946-1969 rose used to be the National flower of Honduras but due to the fact that rose is not native to the country it was replaced by Orchid in 1969. Hong Kong - Orchid (Bauhinia Blakeana)       The five petal deep purple flower is native to Hong Kong and is featured on the National Flag too.   Hungary ? Don?t know for sure, but it might be tulip (Tulipa) as mentioned in some websites.

martes, 28 de julio de 2009

What is your National Flower – 8 (G)

Germany ? No national flower but oak leaf is considered a national symbol.


Greenland - Niviarsiaq
Greenland?s national flower Niviarsiaq means ?young woman?. This flower is commonly available in North America.
Guam? Puti Tai Nobiu, Great bougainvillea  (Bougainvillea spectabilis)
  Guatemala - White Nun Orchid (Lycaste skinneri alba)
Guyana - Water Lily  (Victoria regia)

domingo, 19 de abril de 2009

What is your National flower – 7 (F)

France ? Iris   Finland - Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis) Beautiful flower!

miércoles, 15 de abril de 2009

What is you National Flower - 6 (E)

Egypt - Lotus (Nymphaea lotus)

England - Rose (Rosa) Beautiful red rose

Ecuador - White Nun Orchid

Estonia - Corn-flower or Bachelor's Button (Centaurea cyanus) adopted on June 23, 1988

Ethiopia - Calla Lily

viernes, 10 de abril de 2009

What is your national flower 5 (D)

Denmark - Marguerite daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens)
  (from)
Marguerites daisy is a large, single, daisy-like flower. It blossoms in the the summer.

Dominican Republic - Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni) tree?s blossom

martes, 7 de abril de 2009

What is your national flower - 4

This is the continuation of National flowers series that I started sometimes last year. I was too busy to continue posting remaining flowers. The countries are selected in alphabetical order and I have to continue after Canada. China  -  doesn't have an ?official? national flower but tree peony (mudan) is considered national favorite.   Chile   -  Copihue, Lapageria Rosea Colombia   -   Christmas orchid (Cattleya trianae) Costa Rica   -    Guaria Morada (purple orchid) Croatia   -  Iris Croatica (Hrvatska Perunika) Cuba  -   Butterfly Jasmine (Mariposa) Cyprus   -  Rose (Rosa) Czech Republic  -   Rose (Rosa) I will update this post later with photos of remaining flowers later.

miércoles, 1 de abril de 2009

Historical April Fool Video

Looks like the Conficker computer worm will turn out to be the largest hoax in April Fool?s Day history. Let's see the first television hoax on April 1st of 1957.

The BBC?s report on the spaghetti harvest in Switzerland, on April 1, 1957.
This is believed to be one of the first times the medium of television has been used to stage an April Fools Day hoax.

The origins of April Fools Day are not clear but it is known that the tradition of practical joking and mischief-making dates back to Ancient Roman times. It appears that the festival is closely related to the coming of Spring. Ancient Romans and Celts celebrated a festival of practical joking at about the time of the Vernal Equinox, as do millions of India's Hindus.

The French also mark 1 April but instead of April Fools they call it Poisson d'Avril (April Fish). Source -BBC

jueves, 8 de enero de 2009

Largest flag in the world

In November 2007 Filipina Grace Galindez-Gupana made a big flag covering an area of 13 football fields, that is, 660 meters (2,165 feet) long and 100meters (330 feet) wide. The 18,847 m2 flag weighted 5.2 metric tons.

And that of course was a Guinness World Records.
However, the largest flag that is regularly hoisted is the Brazilian national flag flown in the Square of the Three Powers in Brasilia, Brazilian capital. This flag weights about 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds) and has 7,000 square meters (70×100 m = 230×330 feet).