Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Users of Google Maps for Mobile will now benefit from real time incident reports from Waze users

Summary: The Waze Map Editor will now include Google Maps Street View and satellite imagery as tools to make it easier to correct map errors reported by the community.

In a blog post from Google says “No one likes getting stuck in traffic. That’s why the Waze and Google Maps teams are working together to harness the power of Google technology and the passion of the Waze community to make it easier to navigate your daily life”

Real-time traffic reports from Waze app users will now appear on the Google Maps app for Apple iOS and Android. Meanwhile, Waze users will gain access to Google search and Street View. The updates to both services will be available today

For more information, visit the Waze blog

Nokia’s Phablet “Bandit” to be first 1080p, quad-core Windows Phone coming soon

Summary: Nokia is reportedly entering the phablet market, with a 6-inch, 1080p display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor Windows Phone device codenamed "Bandit."

The Verge reports the Bandit will boast a 20-megapixel camera -- almost as powerful as the snapper in the Lumia 1020. Windows Phone 8 currently maxes out at a 720p screen and dual-core processor where Bandit will be quad-core and Full HD 1080p. Recently announced biggest windows phone Nokia Lumia 625 appeared 4.7-inch and Nokia Lumia 925 appeared in a metal shell, the 6-inch Bandit is expected to come in a polycarbonate casing. Whether it'll have a smokin' firebird emblazoned on it is uncertain.

What are the new on Nokia Bandit?
Phone type: Phablet
Codenamed: Bandit
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core
Screen: 6-inch
Display: 1080p
Casing: Polycarbonate
Camera: 20-megapixel
Big-screen Bandit device is currently being tested at AT&T, and it will debut by the end of the year in the US.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Skype will be added with Microsoft’s services and offerings with Windows 8.1

Microsoft purchased the video- and audio-calling Internet phone service “Skype”, which today has about 300 million users in 2011 Earlier this week, Microsoft added Skype to bundle into Windows 8.1


A number of Microsoft’s services and offerings also would be bundled with Windows 8.1, including search engine Bing, personal cloud-storage service SkyDrive, Web browser Internet Explorer (IE) and Xbox Music, Video and Games.


Producer of audio products and equipment "Beats Electronics" want to partnership with HTC Smartphone

HTC smartphone

According to Wall Street Journal report Beats Electronics is in talks with an investor to finance a buy-out of HTC’s investment in the company. HTC’s $300 million mistake quickly turned into a $150 million mistake, and now Beats reportedly wants out once and for all. The rumor come as the popular headphone brand prepares to move into several new categories including other consumer electronics and music streaming. Beats hope to buy out HTC’s 25% stake in the company within the next few weeks.


Security Researcher “Khalil Shreateh” posts Facebook bug report on Zuckerberg’s wall

Summary: A Palestinian IT Security Researcher Khalil Shreateh discovered a Facebook bug that allowed a hacker to post on anyone’s wall — even if they weren’t that person’s friend. Khalil has had his account disabled and been told he won't be paid a bug bounty after demonstrating a Facebook security vulnerability by posting an image into Mark Zuckerburg's timeline.


On blog post, Khalil Shreateh discovered a vulnerability that allows an attacker to post images into someone else's timeline, even though they're not in the target's friend list. Khalil tried to report the problem to Facebook's security account twice via the company's bug-disclosure and bounty program. The first time, Facebook security representative "Emrakul" couldn't see the results of Khalil's work – presumably because Emrakul wasn't actually friends with the person who Shreateh used as a proof-of-concept for the loophole. The second time around, Emrakul told Shreateh that his findings were "not a bug." Khalil, who doesn't appear to keen on taking "no" for an answer, did the next logical step: Used his loophole to post directly on Zuck's wall, likely hoping to stir the pot a bit and get a stronger acknowledgement of his findings.

Facebook software engineer Matt Jones took to Hacker News to offer a bit of an explanation behind Facebook's response and why Shreateh is out his minimum reward of $500 for the finding.

“To be clear, we fixed this bug on Thursday. The OP is correct that we should have asked for additional repro instructions after his initial report. Unfortunately, all he submitted was a link to the post he'd already made (on a real account whose consent he did not have - violating our ToS and responsible disclosure policy), saying that "the bug allow facebook users to share links to other facebook users". Had he included the video initially, we would have caught this much more quickly,” Jones wrote.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Microsoft reduced the price of its Surface Pro tablet this weekend by $100

Microsoft over the weekend began offering a $100 discount on its Surface Pro, one of the two versions of the company’s tablet-style computer. Previously, Microsoft announced price cuts of up to 30% on the less-powerful version, called Surface RT.


Microsoft’s website says the lower price on Surface Pro is valid through Aug. 29 while supplies last. The discount is available to people in the U.S., Canada, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, the Microsoft spokesman said.

Websites of Best Buy and Staples also listed the discounted Surface Pro prices.

Microsoft Surface was announced on June 18, 2012, by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at Milk Studios in Los Angeles.


The Surface comes in two versions: one with Windows RT and another with Windows 8 Pro. The Windows RT model uses an ARM CPU, while the Windows 8 Pro model uses an Intel CPU. Both models are able to install new applications via the Windows Store, however only the Windows 8 Pro model allows the installation of traditional third-party desktop programs



Sunday, August 4, 2013

Japan Launches humanoid Kirobo "robot astronaut" Into Space

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the humanoid Kirobo "robot astronaut" into orbit from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan as part of nearly 3.5 tons of supplies and equipment to resupply the space station's six-person crew



Kirobo was packed inside Japan's unmanned  HTV-4 (Kounotori 4) cargo ship when it launched into orbit atop the country's H-2B rocket  at 3:48 p.m. EDT (1948 GMT), though it was early Sunday morning (Aug. 4) Japan Standard Time at the time of liftoff. The HTV-4 spacecraft will arrive at the space station on Aug. 9



Kirobo was put through a series of zero-gravity and other safety tests before it was deemed ready for flight. Image posted June 27, 2013.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Google has launched new program "Google City Experts"

Google City Experts is a new program introduced by Google to encourage more high quality local business rating and reviews on Google+.


The Google City Expert program brings together the most active users on Google Maps who write reviews and upload photos of local places. As a City Expert you will receive:
  • Access to fun, exclusive events in their local areas
  • Free custom swag
  • Special online recognition


The program is currently limited to select cities in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Japan, and will reward users who have left at least 50 reviews to date, and who produce at least five new reviews each month.


Where’s my phone? Android Device Manager can help you to find your lost phone

Android Device Manager is Google’s latest solution to help you hunt out your hidden handset. New Android Device Manager, of a few simple features you can use to keep your device—and the data you store inside—safe and secure.

Locate and ring your misplaced device
You may ended up dropping your phone between those couch cushions, Android Device Manager lets you quickly ring your phone at maximum volume so you can find it. If you left your phone at restaurant last night or if it's been silenced, you can locate it on a map in real time


Protecting your personal information and data
Android Device Manager can help you keep your data from ending up in the wrong hands. If your phone can’t be recovered, or has been stolen, you can quickly and securely erase all of the data on your device.

Availability and getting started
This service will be available later this month on devices running Android 2.2 or above; to use it, you also will need to be signed into your Google Account. There will also be an Android app to allow you to easily find and manage your devices. Stay tuned!


Friday, August 2, 2013

USB 3.0 Promoter Group announced availability of the USB 3.1 Specification to increase SuperSpeed USB to 10 Gbps

The USB 3.0 Promoter Group today announced the completion of the USB 3.1 Specification which adds enhancements to enable SuperSpeed USB to operate at up to 10 Gbps. SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps uses a more efficient data encoding and will deliver more than twice the effective data through-put performance of existing SuperSpeed USB over enhanced, fully backward compatible USB connectors and cables. Compatibility is assured with existing USB 3.0 software stacks and device class protocols as well as with existing 5 Gbps hubs and devices and USB 2.0 products.



This latest release of the specification will be available today for download from the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) website.

Source: USB 3.1

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Facebook Introduced Embedded Posts

In an attempt to boost its connection to current events and breaking news, Facebook is making the social network's public content more accessible to news outlets with the Wednesday release of embedded posts

Facebook software engineer Dave Capra said in a statement, “we are beginning to roll out Embedded Posts to make it possible for people to bring the most compelling, timely public posts from Facebook to the rest of the web.”

Embedded Posts let people add public posts from Facebook to their blog or web site. When embedded, posts can include pictures, videos, hashtags and other content. People can also like and share the post as well as follow directly from the embed. Only posts set to public can be embedded on other web sites.

Just put a hashtag(#) before the keyword of your facebook post. Same the following image

People can embedded posts clicking “Like Page” button


People also can embedded post clicking “Follow Page ” button


Every day, public figures, journalists and millions of regular people share their thoughts on what's happening around the world on Facebook publicly.  Anyone can get the opportunity to discuss with them by using embedded post






Find most popular widget for your wordpress blog

Widget is a fancy word for tools or content that you can add, arrange, and remove from the sidebar(s) of your blog. Widgets create it easy to customize the content of your sidebar(s). Widget appears at appearance. Here are some most popular and also necessary wordpress widgets;

Widget Name
Summary
Top Posts & Pages
Top Posts & Pages Widget allows you to display up to ten of your most popular posts as of the last 48 hours or your most liked posts.
About.me
About.me widget allows you to pull in your About.me profile information, and a small screenshot of it.
Akismet
Akismet Widget will display the number of spam comments caught over the life of your blog.
Archives
Archives Widget organizes your previously published posts by month. This can be handy for readers who want to browse your older content.
Author Grid
Author Grid Widget is a great way to showcase your blog’s authors in your sidebar. The widget displays the avatars of all your blog’s authors, which link to a list of posts they’ve each written.
Authors
Authors Widget is a great way to showcase your blog’s authors in your sidebar. It can display the names or avatars of all your blog’s authors, links to a list of all their former posts, as well as links to posts they’ve recently written.
BandPage
If you are a BandPage user this widget will allow you to easily embed BandPage Extensions into your WordPress blog. This will make your BandPage music, photos, videos, event listing and bio.
Blog Stats
Blog Stats Widget displays the total number of views to your blog (not including your own views). It’s a nice way of showing off how popular your blog is
Follow
Blogs I Follow Widget allow you to list some of the blogs that you are following via the WordPress Reader in your sidebar.
Box.net
Box.net file sharing widget gives you a great looking way to share files with your readers or buddies.
Calendar
Calendar Widget is a simple, easy-to-use widget that displays links to your posts by date.
Categories
Categories Widget organizes your posts by category in your blog’s sidebar. This can be handy for readers who want to find more of your posts about certain topics.
Custom Menu
Custom Menu Widget allows you to display pages, categories, and custom links in your blog’s sidebar. To use it, you first need to create a custom menu.
Delicious
If you have an account with the social bookmarking service delicious, you can display your latest bookmarks in your sidebar with the aptly titled delicious widget. This is a nice way of sharing your bookmarks with your blog visitors.
Flickr
Flickr widget makes it easy to show thumbnails of your latest Flickr photos in your sidebar. Your photos must be viewable by the public in order for this feature to work, so be sure to check your Flickr privacy settings before activating this widget.
Follow Blog
Follow Blog Widget enables your readers sign up to receive your posts via email
Gallery
Gallery Widget provides you with a simple way to display a photo gallery or slideshow in your blog’s sidebar.
GoodReads
GoodReads provides a service that allows you to share your reading lists with friends, and the GoodReads widget at WordPress blog lets you feature some of the books you’ve listed.
Gravatar Profile
Gravatar profile widget allows you to pull in your Gravatar image along with some of your Gravatar profile data.
Image
Image Widget provides you with a simple way to display an image in your blog’s sidebar.
Instagram
Instagram widget allows you to display your latest Instagram photos in your site’s sidebar.
Links
Links Widget displays a list of links (also known as a blogroll) in your sidebar.
Meta
Meta Widget is a simple tool that makes it easy to log in and out of your blog and access your dashboard and RSS feeds from your sidebar.
Milestone
Milestone Widget provides you with a simple way to create a countdown to a given date theme.
My Community
My Community Widget allows you to show users who have interacted with your WordPress.com site.
Pages
Pages Widget displays your blog’s pages in your sidebar. This can make it easier for your readers to navigate around your blog.
Posts I Like
Posts I Like Widget allows you to list the most recent posts that you have ‘Liked’ on WordPress blog so that you can help your readers discover more good posts.
Readmill
Readmill is the best book reader for phones and tablets. With this widget you can enable users to send a book to their device with one click.
Recent Comments
Recent Comments Widget is a sidebar tool that displays the most recent comments readers have left on your blog.
Recent Posts
Recent Posts Widget displays your most recent posts in your sidebar, making it easy for your readers to see what’s new on your blog.
RSS Links
RSS Links Widget allows you to add links to your blog’s post and comment RSS feeds in your sidebar. This makes it easy for your readers to stay updated when you post new content or receive new comments.
RSS
RSS Widget displays posts from any RSS feed. You might find this handy if you want to show off one of your other blogs, or one of your favorite blogs, in your sidebar.
Search
Search Widget adds a search box to your blog sidebar, allowing readers to easily search your site for posts and pages you’ve written in the past.
Tag Cloud
Tag Cloud Widget shows a list of all the tags you’ve assigned to your posts. The most common tags will be displayed in the largest font size. It can display up to 45 of your most popular tags.
Text
Text Widget allows you to add text or HTML to your sidebar. It’s the most popular widget because of its power and flexibility. You can use a text widget to display text, links, images, HTML, or a combination of these.
Top Clicks
Top Clicks Widget show which of your external links (links pointing to other websites) in your posts are most popular with your readers. You can access this information without sharing it on your blog by going to Stats tab on the WordPress blog homepage.
Top Rated
Top Rated Widget, you can show which of your pages, posts, and/or comments have the highest ratings. You need to have ratings enabled on your blog for this feature to work. The widget displays up to 20 items for each type of rating, with selectors for day, week, and month
Twitter Timeline
Twitter Timeline Widget Twitter offers embeddable timelines that allow you to display any public Twitter feed onto your blog.
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events is a widget and a shortcode. It allows you to use an iCalendar link to display a list of events on your WordPress blog