Facebook protest forces Israeli companies to cut cheese prices

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 30, 2011

Everyone knows the power of Facebook and it is no guesswork what this social networking medium can achieve and contribute to the society around the world. The latest example is about a Facebook protest in Israel, where consumers threatened to boycott cottage cheese if the prices were not lowered. The result was dairy manufacturers lowing the staple by some 25 per cent.

For this, first a Facebook event was created, calling for the boycott of the Israeli staple until prices dropped. Then within two weeks over 105,000 people joined the campaign and all of them resonated the same concern of unreasonable and unjustified increase in the price of cheese.

Given the sheer size and scale of the protest, the large Israeli dairy companies that control the market, finally agreed to lower the price.

 “Israeli consumers have said what they have to say and have demonstrated their ability to bring about unprecedented change in this country,” Tnuva, which was one of the companies that decided to lower the prices, stated in a press release.

The organizers identified themselves as ordinary Israelis who work for a living and are raising families but are suffering under of the weight of rising cost of living in Israel.

Formspring.me Q&A App reaches 25 million users

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 30, 2011

Formspring’s Q&A app has hit a new milestone by reaching 25 million registered members. The San Francisco-based startup, Formspring.me lets users invite anyone on the web to ask you questions. It is a platform that acts as you own personal interview. 

After your invitation, you’ll see the list of questions in your inbox and then it is upon you to decide which questions you want to answer or delete the ones you don’t. You can answer them in a word or in paragraphs. The result is a stream of questions and answers.

You can easily connect your Formspring.me account to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Blogger, and thus easily publish your answers.

The best part is that the site offers widgets which you can easily embed in your blog or website. In case you’re not a big fan of the social networking sites then the site serves up some random questions for you to answer.

Recently the Q&A app had announced that it’s giving celebs, including musicians, comedians and actors, special features to communicate with their fans.

In an interview, Formspring CEO Ade Olonoh said that nearly one million people post responses on Formspring every day and it sees nearly 40 million monthly unique users.

The firm is in the process of adding more product features and is planning to bring out new mobile capabilities in the months ahead.

LeapFrog launches kid-friendly LeapPad tablet for only $100

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 29, 2011

LeapFrog, the educational toy maker, has come out with their new tablet designed specifically for kids, the LeapFrog LeapPad, that costs just $100. The tablet has a 5 inch touchscreen display (resolution of 480 x 272 pixels) and features a still and video camera, a microphone and 2GB of memory.

The tablet, which is aimed children between 4 and 9 years old, comes with an accelerometer, a stylus and a range of educational games. In total there are over 100 different applications and games. The LeapPad Explorer tablet games auto-adjust to enable children to learn at the correct pace. It even remembers a child’s progress from game to game, so as to keep the content engaging.

Children can learn simple things such as spelling, phonics skills, mathematics, and even world languages, science, geography and life skills. Kids can also practice writing skills using the stylus.

The tablet offers story, art and photo studios which helps in developing the child’s creative side. Moreover, your small ones will be able to stretch or draw on their images, which you can share with friends and family through email or Facebook. LeapFrog vows to add more content and apps over time.

The $99.99 tablet comes in green and pink colours with a durable form factor.

The brand LeapFrog is nothing new to parents as the company is famous for its educational toys, books and games for children, and the latest product kid-friendly tablet should help in creating a niche in this segment.

The tablet is available for pre-order at major retailers in the US, Canada, Ireland and the UK, and will be on sale at major retail locations starting from August 15.

Experts say it is too early to tell how it will be received by consumers but one thing is sure that there is cut throat competition in the market but what makes a product stand out of the crowd are product quality and market demand.

Angry Birds now available for Windows Phone 7

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 29, 2011

Rovio’s insanely popular gaming title Angry Birds game is now available across most major mobile operating systems and the latest inclusion is Windows Phone 7.

The game is now available on six mobile operating systems: iOS, Maemo, Palm webOS, Android, Symbian and Windows Phone 7.

The attempt o include Angry Birds by Microsoft is seen as an effort to attract quality apps that proliferate on Android Marketplace and Apple's App Store. It is also because consumers will not be interested in a mobile operating system unless it does not have good app repository.

"At last Angry Birds is now available in the Windows Phone Marketplace—a few hours ahead of schedule and so fresh it hasn't even been rated yet," said Microsoft's Michael Stroh in a blogpost.

For now it is time for owners of Windows Phone 7-powered handsets to experience the addictive act of flinging some furious avians onto huge green pigs who stole their eggs.

Angry Birds for Windows Phone 7 is showing up in the US Marketplace now, priced at $2.99.

Google takes on Facebook with new social networking service Google+

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 29, 2011

The Internet search giant has launched a social networking service, called Google+, that aims to rival the growing influence of Facebook.

Google+  lets a small group of users share streaming status updates, photos and links, comments, IM and video chat.

The service aims to provide better security than Facebook. Users can create groups on relationships, hobbies or shared interests, families and those with shared interests, e.g. like mobile apps.

After signing up, you’ll receive a custom user profile which provides the option to share or hide or personal information such as birthdates and locations. The service integrates maps, images, Gmail contacts, along with options to skim Web articles and videos through a feature known as Sparks.

In it Google is also giving Hangouts group video chat option which allows people to simultaneously videoconference with other people.

Vic Gundotra, a Google senior vice president who has presided over the company's social-networking initiatives since last year, in a blogpost said "the subtlety and substance of real-world interactions are lost in the rigidness of" today's online social networks. "And we aim to fix it.”

Google’s attempt to launch this service is seen by analysts to take Facebook head on in the categories like: Time spent and pages viewed. comScore recently said users spent 62 per cent more time on Facebook than on Google last month.

Given that Google’s previous major social attempts like such Orkut and Buzz are largely considered failures, the company this time is a bit cautious and it has launched it in a beta mode, which means others need to be invited to the service to use it.

Google reports 500,000 Android activations per day

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 28, 2011

Google Android chief Andy Rubin has said that Google is activating half a million Android devices a day.

He made the announcement in a message on his Twitter feed, @Arubin. "Over 500,000 Android devices are now activated each day around the world. Moreover, that’s growing at a rate of 4.4 percent week-over-week.”

In simpler terms, it means that 347 Android devices are activated every minute and 5 are activated per second!

His revelation comes just after Google's I/O Conference, where the company said that 400,000 Android devices were being activated each day, up from 300,000 in December.

Analysts predict that with this continued growth, soon a period will come where we can see a million Android devices being activated per day.

A remarkable feat indeed given that the market is facing stiff competition from a variety of operating systems in the market. A large part of it is due to its availability on a wide variety of devices, including both smartphones and tablets. Further, the open nature of the operating system along with an impressive suite of applications and features makes it special in comparison of the growth others are registering.

Earlier this month, a report by ComScore esaid Android had 36.4 per cent of the U.S. smartphone market share during the first quarter of 2011, which is better than Apple's iOS platform, which controlled 26 percent of the market. Research In Motion and Microsoft controls 25.7 percent and 6.7 percent of the market, respectively.

Top Girl achieves one million downloads mark in 10 days

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 28, 2011

Social gaming company CrowdStar’s iOS game Top Girl has achieved landmark success by surpassing one million downloads in just 10 days.

You may wonder what's so special about this game. Top Girl is a female-focused “role-playing” game, which allows players to slip into the shoes of young teenager longing to climb up the fashion social ladder. Your job is to dress up the girl as you deem fit, collect money by doing modeling jobs, buying new outfits, and going to clubs to flirt with equally beautiful young guys. It’s also a social game but charges users for virtual goods.

The game has gained immense popularity within just 10 days of its launch with it clocking over 1 million downloads. The company says it has become one of the three top grossing games in the App Store.

Blair Hamilton, the company’s head of mobile, said the app monetizes solely through the sale of a premium virtual currency, which can be used to buy additional clothing or drinks. Interestingly, instead of relying on Facebook, CrowdStar uses the mobile social network of gaming network of OpenFeint.

Top Girl is Burlingame, Calif.-based CrowdStar’s first game for mobile devices. CrowdStar develops social games on FaceBook including Happy Aquarium.

Black Eyed Peas to launch a video game

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 27, 2011

The Black Eyed Peas has teamed up with French company Ubisoft, whose experts created the popular Just Dance software, to launch a new video game based on the group. The game will allow fans to dance and sing along to their hit tracks.

The game, called The Black Eyed Peas Experience, is being developed for multiple gaming platform, including the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and later for PlayStation 3. The game follows Ubisoft's previous title 'Michael Jackson: The Experience.'

will.I.am of the Black Eyed Peas stated:

“We are thrilled to be working with Ubisoft to create ‘The Black Eyed Peas Experience video game. Ubisoft has both redefined and dominated the dance category in the video game industry and we can’t wait to be a part of taking that to the next level by infusing an experience that’s 100 percent authentic to the Black Eyed Peas.”

Ubisoft, which is a well renowned company in dance games, said the collaboration will bring a great experience to fans which they’ll love.

HTC launches 'Flyer' in India at Rs 39,890

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 27, 2011

In order to grab a slice of the fast growing tablet market in India, smartphone manufacturer HTC has launched its first tablet in India -- HTC Flyer -- priced at Rs.39,890.

Flyer has been pitched to compete against Apple iPad, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, Blackberry Playbook and the soon—to—be launched Motorola Xoom and Huawei’s MediaPad.

The seven—inch touch screen tablet comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread which is a smart phone operating system. It is powered by 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and has 1GB of RAM and a built memory of 16GB along with a 5 megapixel camera.

Other features of the tablet are a 1.3 megapixel front camera, an internal GPS antenna, built-in bluetooth and WiFi, and 3G capability (for some versions only). Flyer comes with pen input support for handwritten notes and a brand new tablet optimized HTC Sense interface.

The tablet also offers web browsing with Flash 10 and HTML 5. One of the most attractive features of the tablet is the HTC Scribe Technology which allows to take notes, sign contracts, draw pictures, or write on a web page or photo. The device also features HTC Watch, which is an on-demand movie download service, using which you can watch hundreds of High-Definition movies from major studios.

In terms of hardware, Flyer weights about .9 pounds (14.8 ounces) which is similar to BlackBerry PlayBook. However, the 0.52 inch depth makes it thicker than other tablets. The tablet also has an ambient light sensor, accelerometer, compass, and GPS.

In terms of audio, the HTC Flyer supports AAC, OGG, MP3, WAV and WMA and video format support includes MP3, WMV, AVI, and XVID.

HTC India Country Manager Faisal Siddiqui said the company is extremely excited to introduce this tablet as it saw an opportunity to create a tablet experience that is different, more personal and productive.

Flyer could be a great addition to the world of tablets, but it will take a while when we’ll know whether it is a hit or a miss with Indian consumers.

Olympics chiefs approve Twitter use at London 2012

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 27, 2011

The International Olympic Committee has given green signal to athelets to tweet and blog from the London 2012 Olympics, but they could face expulsion for posting "vulgar or obscene words or images” and should restrict their blogging to first-person diary entries and shouldn’t report on events in the manner of journalists.

Athletes could also face a ban if they were found tweeting for commercial purposes.

 Athletes are allowed to upload photos to social media sites – a practice which was mostly banned in Beijing in 2008 – but will not be allowed to sell or distribute them for other purposes.

Athletes can’t broadcast videos and audios taken inside Olympic venues but they may post videos taken elsewhere.

Moreover, athletes can’t use the official Olympics symbol and even Internet domain names and URLs including the word "Olympic" or "Olympics" are not allowed, unless approved by the IOC.

Disney launches comics app for iOS

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 27, 2011

Disney’s extensive collection of comics is now digitally available in one place – on Disney Comics app for iOS devices.

There are more than 50 comics, short stories, and graphic novels available to download via in-app purchases, as well as other free titles. The company plans to add two additional titles each week. The content includes stories ranging from classics starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck to new comics featuring Toy Story and Cars 2 characters.

The app leverages the large screen of the iPad to give users better readability. Besides the iPad, the app will also run on an iPhone and iPod touch. You can customize the reading by choosing between portrait or landscape mode and automatic or manual page turning.

The app also features tap-to-zoom (on iPad only), comic sound effects, and Facebook sharing. There are options which allow users to receive updates on newly available titles, and you can even save the comics directly onto an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch for offline reading.

“Comics are a tremendous part of our heritage and we see great potential and interest in bringing our extensive catalog of Disney Comics to mobile devices,” said Russell Hampton, president of Disney Publishing Worldwide.

“We create over 25,000 original comic pages each year and it’s critical that we deliver this content to our readers around the world. We have over 1 billion Disney comic readers today, and our Disney Comics App will further broaden that audience.”

I am sure te app in all probability will keep kids busy on those long tours. The app will cost nothing and requires iOS 3.1 or later. In-app purchases of comics cost $1 for individual stories and $4 for themed bundles.

‘Cut the Rope’ comes to Android as free

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 26, 2011

ZeptoLab’s highly addictive and popular “Cut The Rope” game is now available via third-party application store GetJar for free.

GetJar managed to score the exclusive rights to distribute this game for free for one week, though many believed the game to be an exclusive from the Amazon Appstore.

 For those who’re unaware of the game: it is puzzle game where users swipe the finger to cut the rope in order to put the candy into the mouth of a little hungry green monster called Om Nom. The game was released last year for iOS, which offers 175 levels of gameplay with colorful visuals and an addictive gameplay.

So what are you waiting for, go to GetJar.com and download Cut the Rope today.

iPads account for 97% of US tablet web traffic: Survey

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 26, 2011

Apple’s iPad has been in the global markets for some time now, and it is undoubtedly the most popular choice for anyone looking to buy a tablet. In a report on digital traffic by device, comScore, said the iPad and iPad 2 make up 89 per cent of tablet Internet use worldwide. In the US the figure is 97 per cent.

The numbers are pretty interesting given that a lot of tablet makers like the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom, BlackBerry PlayBook, Asus Eee Pad, and others, have entered the market, but seems like lacking in popularity charts.

On the other hand, Android-based tablets make up only 0.6 percent of all tablet traffic, while "other" tablets (in other words, the PlayBook), took up 0.1 per cent.

Country-wise, the iPad traffic was highest in Canada in May, accounting for 33.5 percent of all non-computer traffic.  In the U.S., the iPad represented 21.8 percent of all non-computer traffic, while Android accounted for 0.6 percent.

However, the findings showed that android is doing better than Apple in the smartphone sector in the US. Android phones represented 35.6 per cent of all non-computer traffic, while Apple’s iPhone held 23.5 per cent share. However, in other countries, Android followed the iPhone in total traffic.

Furthermore, 91.9 percent of iPad page views occurred over Wi-Fi, as against 8.1 percent over mobile networks

Apple recently said it has sold 25 million iPads since its launch in spring 2010 and research firm IDC suggests that iPad occupied 87 percent market share in 2010.

The figure suggests that for consumers the tablet market starts and ends with an iPad – but for competitors to grab a big pie of the market, some serious thoughts are required.

Invisibility app: Now do some magic with your iPad 2

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 24, 2011

The Invisibility app is surely a magical app. The app uses the iPad 2's rear camera and gyroscope to create a variety of fantastic optical tricks.

The app simulates invisibility of the iPad screen even as the device is in motion. Using a combination of previously-taken picture the iPad 2's 3D gyroscope and accelerometers, the iPad's screen will seem to disappear.

For instance, you take a picture of a stool, then you lay the iPad flat on it. Now as you start rubbing the screen of the iPad the background image of the stool will start appearing, which will make you believe that you can see the stool directly from your iPad. To achieve this, the app uses 100 stationary "frames" per second to ensure that the "stool" below remains stationary. The trick works with other surfaces and environments equally well.

The results are achieved through a technology called Pantomime, which combines real-time 3D motion sensing with software models of the iPad's shape and other dimensions.

You can purchase the app for $1 and it requires iOS 4.3 or higher (current version recommended).

Loopt u-Deals lets you create your own deals

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 23, 2011

Mobile social network Loopt wants to give an interesting spin to the deal-of-the-day space (popularized by Groupon) by launching a new service called U-Deals, which lets the customers create the deal, including the discount.

Instead of getting a large inventory of deals at local businesses, U-Deals lets users request their own deals. After submitting an idea for a deal, users then promote it in social media channels like Faceobok, Twitter and if the idea/deal receives thumping support then Loopt will contact the merchant and request the business owner to turn the deal into reality. And if all the things go well, you get the deal.

According to Loopt CEO Sam Altman, Loopt and the small businesses will split the revenue from the deal.

The concept is great, which you can even call it a crowdsourced Groupon, as it eases the efforts that the deal site has to put in to get the merchant to offer a deal.

The company has even tasted its first success as Virgin America has agreed to offer 500 $35 vouchers worth $100 in credit for fall flights out of San Francisco. The deal went on Twitter and sold out in 48 minutes.

This particular deal may have got the jumpstart but it is not that every other deal will meet the same fate. The deal has to be realistic in terms of the size and value of the deal, otherwise it will fall to the ground head first.

Altman says the U-Deals model is much better than the original daily-deal model since only those deals are created which people actually want and at the same time lets businesses reward loyal customers.

Rovio updates Angry Birds Seasons with 30 new daily levels

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 23, 2011

Rovio has updated Angry Birds Seasons with 30 new summer-themed levels in form of “Summer Pignic” pack.

The developer knows how to keep its fans begging for more and in accordance only one new map will be available to gamers every day for the next 30 days.

Apart from the update Angry Birds Seasons also includes in-game summer-themed greeting cards that users can send to their friends.

The new update is now available on the Android Market and Apple iTunes App Store while Windows 7 users will have to wait just a couple more days. The Seasons update follows the recent Angry Birds ‘Mine And Dine’ Android update which added 15 new levels to the game.

As per the latest figures, Angry Birds is downloaded 1 million times every day. The game costs 99 cents in the iTunes App Store for iPhone and iPod touch users, or $1.99 for the iPad. It’s also available for Android and Symbian platforms.

Tips When Buying Your Toshiba Laptop

There are many Toshiba laptop reviews on the internet today, however, none of them address the all encompassing question of how exactly do you choose a Toshiba Laptop? The problem with any Toshiba laptop review is that it is looking at a particular Toshiba laptop such as the Toshiba satellite out of context of the rest of the models. As such, many Toshiba laptops reviews have looked at a laptop in it's own merits without ever having the opportunity to try other models in the range which may be better.

First of all, a laptop is a very personal purchase. People have different needs, and what is good for some will not be good for others. I have seen in more than one Toshiba laptop review mentioning that one laptop is the 'best' of the range/series/brand. Such claims are false and cannot ever be substantiated. A few years ago I bought a three thousand dollar laptop with all the bells and whistlers, yet after two months I realized it wasn't what I wanted - way to big, battery life was way too short, and I just couldn't be bothered using it for its intended purpose so I bought a new one for half the price. It was so much better, not because of its specs on paper, and not because of what some reviewer had wrote about it, but because it was what I needed. So instead of listening to what is said in a Toshiba Laptop review, listen to yourself for once!
Just remember this, laptops are different than desktops. For most people they have been told for years whenever you are buying a new computer, get the best so it is "future proof". I don't believe this is the case and so differ from most Toshiba laptop reviews. It is not about how good it is on paper, it is what it does for you.
As most people know, Toshiba has been making quality notebooks/ laptops for many years and this will continue, but rest assured that if you are buying one now, it will last you quite a few years. Technology is not moving as fast as you think it is. By all means read a Toshiba Laptop review, be educated, but don't rely on what someone else says in choosing one model against another. Toshiba Laptop Reviews can only tell you so much, more important is your needs, your intuition and your idea of quality (which Toshiba is renowned for).

www.systemactive.com

Chinese teen offers her virginity in exchange for iPhone 4; Any takers?

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 23, 2011

After the shocking news of Chinese teen who sold his kidney for an iPad 2, there’s another Chinese teen who has offered her virginity in exchange for an iPhone 4, according to a report from The Korea Herald.

The paper say the Chinese teen has published an ad in which she is willing to lose her virginity to a person who will buy her an iPhone 4.

The teen has also posted an image of her on Weibo, a Chinese Twitter.

The girl says it is her dream to buy an iPhone 4 but her father is reluctant to get her one. However, her offer has drawn a lot of criticism with thousands of comments pouring in.

Earlier this year, a Chinese teenager shocked the world by selling his right kidney to buy an iPad 2.

Such a rise of crazy acts among the youth is seen by many as a growing affinity towards materialism. Though there are other ways to earn money but in the end it all depends on an individual which path he/she takes for a rightful living. Share your thoughts by commenting on this story.

BlackBerry PlayBook finally arrives in India

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 22, 2011

It is official: BlackBerry maker Research in Motion has launched their tablet PlayBook in the Indian market costing Rs 32,000 (for a 16 GB variant). RIM believes that PlayBook’s entry may give hope to those who think that tablets start and end with Apple’s iPad.

The slate will be available in three different models with capacities of 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB, costing Rs 27,990, Rs 32,990 and Rs 37,990 respectively.

RIM said the gadget is distributed by Redington India and Ingram Micro, and will be available in 1000 retail stores across eight cities in the country.

The 7-inch tablet from BlackBerry runs on a new operating system built by QNX Software Systems and has good build quality and looks like a notebook from the front. It has 1GHz dual core processor with symmetrical dual-core processing and 1 GB RAM. Users can connect to Internet through a Wi-Fi network or by synchronising the device to their BlackBerry smartphones. The tablet weighs a meager 400 grams or 0.09 lbs and has a built-in micro USB connecter.

The device has got support for Adobe's Flash 10.3 player as well as AIR 2.7 which means it is ideal for games, apps and media.

The PlayBook comes with a 3 MP high definition forward facing camera and a 5 MP high definition rear-facing camera. It also has Codec support for media playback, video calling and creation.

Analysts believe the tablet market is India is still niche but is growing rapidly and the launch the RIM’s tablet will help in growing the overall computer tablet market. They say PlayBook will serve particularly well the business users. One of the biggest advantages will be its multi-tasking capability as iPad still struggles with it – just what mobile professionals need.

PlayBook’s features:

7 Inch LCD display
Multi-touch capacitive screen
1024 x 600 screen resolution
1 GHz dual-core processor
Blackberry Tablet OS
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
1GB RAM
16GB/32GB/64GB Internal Memory
All BlackBerry PlayBook tablets support Bluetooth2.1+EDR
3 MP high-definition forward-facing camera
5 MP high-definition rear-facing camera
Dimension: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.4 Inches
Weight: 0.9 lbs (425 g)

Best Buy to roll out their own Music Cloud service

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 22, 2011

Given that Amazon, Google and Apple have legitimized music lockers in the cloud, US retail giant Best Buy has joined the bandwagon with a cloud service of their own, called Music Cloud and powered by Catch Media Inc’s Play Anywhere platform.

Best Buy’s new service lets users stream their music to multiple devices including computers, phones, and tablets. It allows users to save songs locally to devices for offline play. Unlike Apple’s iCloud, however, users will have to upload their music.

The noticeable thing the Best Buy’s offering excludes is the scan-and-match feature that Apple’s iCloud will offer for $25.

The company also offers a desktop program which copies all of the playlists you’ve set up on your computer, so you don’t have to re-create them manually. The service works with iOS, BlackBerry and Android.

Best Buy Music Cloud comes in two versions: “lite” and “pro”. You can store only 30 seconds of songs in the lite version, which is free. And if you’re okay with the teaser then you can upgrade it to pro. This may prove to be a sticky point for the company as the other cloud services, like Amazon’s Cloud Drive comes free with 5 GB of storage, and Google’s Music Beta allows you to store up to 20,000 songs without charge.

In addition, there is one limitation that the utility only allows for transfer of your iTunes music, and you cannot pick individual files residing in folders on your computer outside the iTunes music library.

The paid Premium account will costs users $3.99 per month and still no information is available about the latter’s features and storage plans. Best Buy hasn’t yet formally announced the launch of its service in the United States.

Do send us your comments if you're considering one of these services and also tell us which cloud-based music service you like the most.

ClamCase launches newer version for iPad 2 at $149

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 22, 2011

For those who want their iPad 2 to look and function like a netbook, ClamCase is back with a redesigned version of its case / battery powered Bluetooth QWERTY keyboard combo.

The iPad 2 specific makeover has made the device lighter, sleeker and now has few added features which enhances its value. The changes have been done to support the slimmer body of iPad 2 and there are cutouts for the back facing digital camera and the lower bottom speaker. It has also integrated magnets to awaken and sleep your tablet when the case is opened or closed.

The device’s patented 360 degrees rotating hinge is what makes it unique as it allows you to fold the keyboard on the back of the iPad 2 and open up the screen just like a normal notebook.

The keyboard features wireless connectivity via Bluetooth with Easy Sync, which connects the keyboard automatically once you wake up the iPad. The company claims the battery life of up to 100 days in standby.

The keyboard also provides buttons like buttons are Home, Lock, Search, Slideshow, Volume and Media controls, which take advantage of iOS specific functionality.

Users also get a Caps Lock led, two Shift keys and a battery indicator for current charge status.

The ClamCase is now available for order through the ClamCase online store at $149.

Mozilla launches its Firefox 5 web browser, first rapid-release version

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 21, 2011

Open source developer Mozilla has released its Firefox 5 web browser for personal computers and Android phones that has over 1,000 improvements and performance enhancements.

The new launch comes within three months of Firefox 4's release. It also marks the successful debut of Mozilla's rapid release process, which iterates new releases every three months.

On the front side the browser appear the same, just like the Firefox 4, but the improvements are mostly behind the scenes to better performance, such as support for CSS animations and the inclusion of WebGL.

New features in Firefox 5:

• Support for CSS animations: It allows web page elements move around the screen.

• Firefox's new Add-on SDK, formerly called Jetpack: It makes easy to create add-ons for Firefox. If you’re familiar with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, then you already have the necessary skills to build add-ons using these tools. Furthermore, all add-ons created with the Add-on Builder or Add-on SDK are restartless by default, meaning users do not have to interupt their browsing to begin using your add-on right away.

• Add-on Builder: A tool which allows writing extensions easier.

• Firefox's do-not-track technology: Users can now use an interface item to select whether or not they want websites to track them. On Windows, it can be found under "Tools->Options->Privacy", while on Mac OS X, it is under "Firefox->Preferences->Privacy". It now works on Android phones as well.

• Canvas: It adds two-dimensional graphics technology to browsers and is faster.

Firefox 5 now includes a number of HTTP optimizations that speed up the content. One such optimization is the Sort Idle HTTP Connections by CWND feature.

"This release adds support for more modern Web technologies that make it easier for developers to build amazing Firefox Add-ons, Web applications and websites," Mozilla said.

The arrival of Firefox 5 had diminished the long waiting period when the users had to wait multi-month or -year periods in between browser updates. The browser’s predecessor was downloaded over 200 million across Windows, Mac and Linux. The growing competition, especially from Google Chrome, Mozilla has forced Mozilla to bring its release cycle up to speed.

App review: Burn the Rope (HD)

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 20, 2011

Burn the Rope (HD) is a simple and yet very addictive game that gives unique and challenging experience with every level of gameplay. What started out as a quirky little puzzle game has considerably risen in popularity charts and is now one of the most played games on the App Store.

The gameplay works like this: You have to keep the rope burning by spinning the puzzle around using the touch screen of the iPad keeping in mind that it only burn upwards—for as long as possible. You can touch anywhere to ignite the rope, and then the flame will start moving in all applicable directions from the point of ignition. But the tricky part is that with each new level these ropes get tied up in more complicated patterns, so you need to be a quick and forward thinker so as to decide about where you want to burn first. During the course of the gameplay you’ll find different color insects which you have to burn before advancing to different sections of the rope.

Though initial levels may be easy enough, but the game quickly changes pace as you are given with increasingly elaborate rope designs, apart from sections that must be ignited by burning a certain bug to alter the color of the flame.

If you are playing this game using an iPad then there are both options available: tilt the screen or move the puzzle itself. However, in the iPhone version you need to spin your iPhone around to keep the rope burning.

The game is a free application featuring an impressive 112 levels at launch, with a promise from the game’s developer Big Blue Bubble that more are on the way soon. All these levels come with beautiful graphics and cool fire effects that are sure to keep you glued for hours.

Burn the Rope HD also has the Puzzle of the Day feature, available for free. The game is an easy to play iPad game designed for players of all ages made available for $4.99.

ThinkGeek unveils the Joystick-It arcade stick for iPhone

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 17, 2011

After tasting success with its Joystick-It arcade stick for iPad, ThinkGeek has designed and adapted the same for the iPhone, iPod touch and similar gadgets.

Joystick-It is a real physical joystick which gives increased precision for touchscreen based games. You can even use two of them for dual control gaming!

The device is made up of milled-aluminium and comes with a sucker-pad which safely attaches to your iPhone’s screen. The bottom of the stick has a suction cup and soft foam so it won’t damage or stain the screen of the mobile viewer. Further it can be easily removed or placed on a different part of the screen for a different game.

The Joystick-It works with any device which features a capacitive touchscreen. Besides iPhone, it is also compatible with Android smartphones. You can use the device with any game that features a virtual on-screen control pad, but it won’t work with games that use swiping, swipe-style joypads, joypads with variable on-screen locations, or complex finger based gestures. So it will not prove worthy in games like Fruit Ninja or Angry Birds, but it will work with games like Pocket Legends or PacMan.

This retro play joystick will cost you $17.99 (only around £11 British) through ThinkGeek.

Angry Birds Mine & Dine update available on iPhone & Android

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 17, 2011

The insanely popular Angry Birds game has received the latest update called Mine and Dine, which is available for download from Android marketplace for free.

The update with it brings 15 brand new levels that take the avenging avians underground for the first time.

In this episode, the bad piggies have burrowed in an underground cave to hide the eggs they stole from you. However, those kamikaze birds are determined to not let that happen.

The new episode offers a slew of jewels to collect and this time the developers have added a new way to kill the helmet wearing pigs: by aiming your birds at the hanging stalactites to get rid of them.

The update includes a new golden egg which will come with its own golden egg level.

The game is also live for both the iPhone and iPad.

Google rolls out "Me on the Web" – A personal reputation management tool

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 16, 2011

Google has unveiled a new tool called "Me on the Web," which is intended to help users manage their online identity.

The feature is accessible via Google Dashboard and is basically an extension of Google Alerts.

"Your online identity is determined not only by what you post, but also by what others post about you -- whether a mention in a blog post, a photo tag or a reply to a public status update," Google said in a blog post.

"When someone searches for your name on a search engine like Google, the results that appear are a combination of information you've posted and information published by others. Today we’ve released a new tool to help make it easier to monitor your identity on the web and to provide easy access to resources describing ways to control what information is on the web.”

Those who are having Google Profile can use this feature which displays links from profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

“Me on the Web” also let users set up search alerts for themselves, even suggesting some search terms you may want to monitor.

It is quite a unique idea to make sure that you must be careful about your online reputation, because, for instance, your future employer may want to do a simple Google search on your name. And it’s your duty to emphasize what you want to say!

Apple bans passcode-collecting app

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 16, 2011

Following reports that application developer Daniel Amitay used information gathered from his app's users to reveal the 10 most frequently used iPhone passcodes, Apple surprisingly has decided to ban his app.

The working methodology of the controversial app was like this: the app used its own lockscreen to grab the passcodes users entered into the program. The developer then used this data and suggested in a report that many iOS users have weak passwords like 1234 and 0000.

Amitay wrote on his blog:

Big Brother has been removed from the App Store. I’m certainly not happy about it, but considering the concerns a few people have expressed regarding the transfer of data from app to my server, it is understandable.not the actual iPhone lockscreen passcodes. Second, when the app sends this data to my server, it is literally sending only that number (e.g. “1234”) and nothing else. I have no way of identifying any user or device whatsoever. 


I think I should clarify exactly what data I was referring to, and how I was obtaining it. First, these passcodes are those that are input into Big Brother.

The developer believed that he can collect the passcode data since he was not collecting personally identifiable information. Amitay is now working out the issue with Apple.

American Airlines to offer Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 for use during flight

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 15, 2011

First-class passengers on American Airlines domestic flights will be provided with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 later this year, loaded with entertainment content and will connect to the internet for an extra fee, the airline has announced.

Along with the lounge access, extra legroom and free drinks, around 6000 of those tablets will be available on select domestic flights between New York's JFK and Los Angeles, Miami and Los Angeles, JFK and San Francisco, and Boston and Los Angeles, as well as on certain international flights.

"As we continue to grow our enterprise customer base, we're committed to empowering a connected mobile workforce and enabling leading companies like American Airlines to enhance their customers' experience by providing world-class entertainment and enterprise-ready devices," Tim Wagner, vice president and general manager of enterprise sales for Samsung Mobile, said in a statement.

Since some of American's 757 and 767 planes are equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi, it means that travelers will be able to surf the Internet from 36,000 feet.

“Through our agreement with Samsung, American is the first North American airline to offer a branded tablet onboard its aircraft,” said Virasb Vahidi, American’s Chief Commercial Officer. “We are working hard to revitalize our fleet and invest wisely in new products and services to modernize and enhance the travel experience. Working with Samsung to outfit our premium cabins with the innovative Galaxy Tab will give our premium customers a modern and innovative in-flight entertainment experience.”

However, the American Airlines is not the first air carrier to offer a tablet as an in-flight entertainment device for passengers, Virgin's cabin crew have been using tablet computers to take food and beverage orders.

The move by Samsung is seen as a way to create awareness of its Galaxy tablet along with its brand in a market that is dominated by iPad. At the same time the company is also positioning the Galaxy as a premium device, giving it a chance to compete with major players in the market.

HP ENVY 17 3D Laptop Review

3D is larger than life with a chic desktop features like an Intel Core i7 processor, strong ATI graphics, a 3D-capable, full HD display, and a Blu-ray player. It starts at $1,599 and costs $1,649 when configured.


Design

The HP Envy 3D follows the minimalist yet sophisticated looks, quite similar to the smaller Envy 14, consists of a rock-sturdy taupe chassis made of magnesium and aluminum. Between the machine's durable feel and details such as quiet keys, the Envy 17 3D gives you a king-size feeling.

Envy 17 3D weighs about 7.5 pounds which is quite reasonable for a notebook It has a maximum height of 1.5 inches, the Envy 17 3D is thicker than most of its counterparts and competitors including Apple's 17-inch Mac Book Pro, with 0.98 inches thickness.

Keyboard & Touchpad

It has a Chiclet-style keyboard and number pad which stretches up to 16-inch chassis. Keys are really soft, easy on your fingers and don't make noise while you type. The Envy 17 3D has a large 4.2 x 2.5-inch touchpad which doubles as a clickable button.

Display and Sound

The non-3D notebook of this series has a BrightView Infinity display, with a 1600 x 900 resolution having standard view angles, and a color gamut of 60 percent. And, the 3D comes with a higher-resolution, Ultra Bright View Infinity display, with 1920 x 1080 full HD resolutions, wide view angles, and a 72-percent color gamut. The notebook has ATI's Eyefinity multi-display technology, so that the user can connect up to three external monitors, with one attached with the help of mini Display Port.

Blu-Rays are amazingly detailed and offer a comfortable experience while viewing even from sideways. The Envy 17 3D's speakers, are powered by Beats audio technology which enables clear and crisp sounds.

Ports

It include HDMI, mini Display Port output, VGA and three USB ports with Ethernet jack and two jacks for headphones which can be used as microphone connector. The notebook has a 5-in-1 memory card reader too. The Envy 17 3D's TrueVision Webcam can have a maximum resolution of 1200 x 800, the images and videos are crisp with excellent sounds and strong microphone to pick up lower sounds and sounds in the background quite clearly.

3D Experience

The HP Envy 17 3D uses ATI's active-shutter technology for rich 3D experience. The 3D glasses are quite light in weight and comfortable to wear for a long period of time. It costs around 99$ when purchased from HP official website.

3D Gaming

TriDef Ignition application has to be used always for opening up various games and applications on the system which can be frustrating at times.

Battery Life and Wi-Fi

Battery life doesn't live up to the expectations. Battery lasted only for 1 hour and 15 minutes which is half of the battery power of other notebooks in this category.

Verdict

Overall, the Envy 17 3D is quite expensive than most notebooks in the same category, but is a cool, fast and fun 3D notebook.
View more at www.systemactive.com .

Amazon to launch 'Hollywood' tablet with free movie subscription: Report

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 14, 2011

Rumors suggest that the upcoming Android tablet from Amazon might feature a free video streaming service for early buyers of the device.

The gadget is also referred to by the code name “Hollywood” and there are reports that the tablet may feature a quad-core processor running on the Android Honeycomb OS.

It is likely that the Amazon tablet would complement the company's existing line-up of e-ink Kindle e-readers.

With such speculation slowly taking shape, it is also tipped that Amazon will leverage its range of services and apps on the tablet, just as to compete with other Android tablets from Samsung and Motorola. The tablet is likely to integrate Amazon’s Cloud Locker streaming music service, which is recently launched in March by offering 20GB of Cloud Drive storage. To make it more popular, the company started selling digital copies of Lady Gaga’s Born this Way album for a price of $.99.

However, it is still not clear whether the movie streaming service will come at a price or it would be free for all, at least for a limited period of time. But according to Detwiler Fenton, a consumer research firm in Boston, Amazon may offer the free movie service exclusively to the first wave of early adopters who purchase their upcoming tablets.

It seems like a device with such features would find itself between full-fledged tablets and the Nook Color.

So, would you be interested in the Amazon Hollywood tablet? Let us know with your comments.

Apple selling unlocked iPhone 4 for $649, $749

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 14, 2011

Apple has started selling the ‘unlocked’ version of the iPhone 4. A 16 GB version will cost consumers $649, while the 32 GB model will retail for $749.

However, there’s one drawback: the smartphone will work with only GSM carriers.

The company currently sells locked versions of the iPhone for $199 and $299 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively.

The new unlocked iPhone 4 requires a micro-SIM card, which you can get from any supported GSM carrier worldwide. Then insert the micro-SIM card into the slot and connect the device to your PC or Mac, launch iTunes and follow the on-screen set-up.

Some of the iPhone owners have long tried unlocking the iPhone using several unlocking tools. The unlocked version basically means that now it isn't tied to a specific wireless carrier.

The major advantage of an unlocked GSM version would be for global travelers. As earlier, those traveling abroad with an iPhone would have to worry about huge roaming charges, but now swapping out your U.S.-friendly SIM card with one for a European service provider will dramatically reduced the costs. Thus, the new offering would be great if you don't want to be tied down to an AT&T contract.

Nokia and Apple settle patent row over smartphones

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 14, 2011

Apple has agreed to pay Nokia royalties for using Nokia technology in its devices, settling a long-running legal battle between the rival handset makers.

The deal will settle all patent litigation between the two companies, and the two will withdraw their respective complaints with the U.S. International Trade Commission over the use of intellectual property. Moreover, Apple will pay Nokia an undisclosed one-time fee and on-going royalties.

The Finnish company in a statement said that Apple will become a licensee. Nokia filed lawsuits against Apple over intellectual property throughout 2010.

“We are very pleased to have Apple join the growing number of Nokia licensees,” said Stephen Elop, the Nokia president and chief executive. “This settlement demonstrates Nokia’s industry-leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market.”

Over the past few years, Nokia has consistently lost its marketshare to the iPhone and Android devices, which now sees the settlement to have a positive impact on its second-quarter performance. Earlier, the company had entered in to an agreement on form a strategic alliance with Microsoft in a bid to regain lost ground. This was accompanied by complete corporate re-structuring, massive job-cuts, and multiple credit rating downgrades.

Facebook users drop in Canada, US

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 13, 2011

The number of people using Facebook during May fell in the US and Canada, a website that covers the social network said on Monday. The slowdown in growth would be second time in the row, even as the social networking site approaches 700 million users on the global scale.

In the US, the site lost about 6 million users while the figure in Canada was about 1.52 million,  according to data gathered from Facebook's advertising tool by the site Inside Facebook. The surveying agency treats a user as a monthly active user – someone who logs on their account at lease once a month.

The latest data is an indication that Facebook has reached its peak in countries where it was first a hit – and some of its early users have stopeed using it.

In May, Facebook added around 11.8 million, much lower than the April figure of 13.9 million. But these figures are much lower in comparison to the 20 million which the site usually added over the past year to take it to 687 million "monthly active" users.

Till date, the US is still the largest market for the social networking site. But the report noted that its growth kept its momentum with gains in developing countries like Mexico, Brazil and India, each of which picked up about 2 million users from May to June. Globally, Brazil was among the fastest growing markets for Facebook.

Toshiba R10-10H - PTRB1E-00C00REN Review

Toshiba Tecra R10-10H. Processor: 2.40 MHz, 1066 MHz, Mobile Intel® GS45 Express Chipset. Disk drive: 128 GB Solid State Drive. Display: 35.8cm (14.1), 1.440 x 900 pixels, Toshiba WXGA+ TFT display with LED backlight technology, 16/16 ms, 0.21075 x 0.21075 mm, 500:1. Memory: 2GB DDR2 RAM (800 MHz), 8.192 GB. Video: Mobile Intel® GMA 4500MHD, < 1.340 graphics @ 4 GB system , shared, Intel®, 1.440 x 900 pixels. Audio: Realtek ALC268-GR, 24-bit stereo, built-in stereo speaker. Networking: Bluetooth®; Wireless LAN (802.11a/g/Draft-N); Mobile Broadband WWAN/3G (HSDPA 7.2Mbps / HSUPA 2Mbps). Energy management: Lithium-Ion, 10.8 x 5.100 mAh, main, up to 5h40min (Mobile Mark™ 2007). Weight & dimensions: >1.97 g, 337x 252 x 28.7 (front) / 30.6 (rear)

Product Features

14" XGA

1.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SP9400

2GB DDR2 RAM

128GB Solid State Drive

DVD-Super-Multi (+-R DL)

Vista 32bit Business XP DVD

Intel GMA 4500MHD

Mobile IntelGS45 Express

Realtek ALC268-GR

Webcam

Intel 802.11(a/g/n)13ch-SP

Bluetooth

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Bring back the Jurassic Park era with Dinosaur Zoo for iPad

By: Aseem Gaurav on June 12, 2011

Dinosaur Zoo is an informative and fun filled app that includes fully animated dinosaurs and the starter-pack of six animals. It showcases an interactive Dinosaur Zoo which will take you into the era where Dinosaurs did roam the earth. A good mix of graphics (realistic looking) and sound is what makes this app unique. It contains latest information about these animals that paleontologists have discovered – like what type of fossils have been found of particular dinosaurs and what the bone structure was like.

Tap the iPad screen and you can see these Dinosaurs catch/eat their favorite food. You can make Pterodactyls swoop by throwing fish apart from teasing the Euoplocephalus. But you have to be careful with Monolophosaurus because they will not only bite you finger but will also smash the iPad walls, if you make them mad.

Each Dinosaur featured in the app gives users a good variety of fascinating facts, prehistoric maps of where they lived and where they died besides 360-degree clay models overseen by the world’s leading paleontologists.

Initially the app is available with a starter-pack of six types of Dinosaurs, but new additions will be released regularly, so that you can grow your own zoo of dinosaurs.

This little Jurassic Park is available for $5 and is sure to impress those who like dinosaurs and interactive encyclopedias.