Uninstall or Disable New Facebook Timeline from Profile and Revert to Old Layout
In our recent post on how to install the new Facebook Timeline on profile we seem to have received an amazing response from everyone.
Although, many people have been asking me how to uninstall or disable the new Facebook Timeline from profile since they find it hard to adapt to something too new so soon. Here are the steps:
Open your profile and it will be back to normal
I must mention however that Facebook Timeline will be enable by default for every user from September 30 onwards so good luck whining about the new Facebook changes. I think, it’s awesome!
PS: Now all of a sudden all the blogs will start covering news on how to uninstall and disable the new Facebook Timeline, wait and watch!
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Microsoft Celebrates One-Year Anniversary Of The “Kinect Effect†[VIDEO]
Microsoft today released a new video, hot on the heels of its vision of the future, showing off one of it’s most popular creations of 2010 â€" the Xbox Kinect.
Believe it or not, Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect is one-year old today, and my, how they grow up so fast.
The Kinect took sales charts by storm last year, with millions being sold to eager Xbox 360 owners just itching to kick things and throw themselves around in front of Microsoft’s little camera. Apart from that, it bagged the title of ‘fastest selling gadget of all time’, now that’s something worth bragging about!
While the Kinect has sold like gangbusters to those wanting to get the latest and greatest gaming accessory, many would argue that the accessory hasn’t held up to its early promise. With games very much leaning toward to novelty side, with mini-games galore, more than a few Kinects are sat gathering dust under televisions across the globe.
But it’s not all bad news for Kinect. A massive, and super keen homebrew network as sprung up, with Microsoft’s 3D sensor sat right at the heart of it.
People have made the Kinect work with just about anything, with smartphones and computers seemingly the favorite amongst those clever enough to hack it.
It’s almost like Microsoft has been watching them as they take the Kinect into areas they never foresaw, and this video put out by the Redmond company almost admits it.
Feeling suspiciously like an Apple ad, the video shows the Kinect being used in all kinds of weird and wonderful ways, from helping a child during physiotherapy, to providing bomb disposal experts with a means of communicating with their robots.
The musical world has been feeling the force of Kinect too, if you believe everything you see on the internet, and Microsoft’s video shows people playing imaginary instruments thanks to the power of Kinect.
With Windows 8 due to sport support for Microsoft’s Xbox accessory, the Kinect could possibly find itself attached to more computers in the future, as Microsoft presumably tries to take the technology it developed for gaming, and find a home for it in the office.
So how do you fancy waving your arms around in front of your boss all in the name of changing PowerPoint slides? We’re hoping Microsoft and third-party developers can come up with something a little more exciting than that, but the possibilities are indeed endless.
You can follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook fanpage to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google and Apple.
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Codify for iPad is the first Multi-Touch Capable Visual Programming IDE for iOS
One of the first comebacks that people who aren’t willing to let go of the desktop/notebook paradigm against iPad is that it’s just a consumption device and not one for creation. This is said despite the fact that iPad has awesome creativity apps like iMovie and Garageband as well as the complete iWorks suite of apps. It was only a matter of time that a full featured visual programming IDE has not arrived to the iPad in the form of Codify.
Codify lets users ( developers to be precise ) create games and simulations right on the iPad. To facilitate programming on the iPad, Codify uses its features such as accelerometer and multi-touch. It also enables using cool controls such as color pickers and image viewers right within the code you write making it fun to work with it. A full featured debugger is also included as well as full featured in-line reference documentation to help you out.
Codify is built on Lua which is a light weight scripting language. Apps such as Adobe’s Photoshop Lightroom and World of Warcraft make good use of Lua so this IDE is in no way for kids like Small Basic for Windows or Kodu for Xbox 360 and PC.
Codify has been built by Two Lives Left, an Australian game development company. If you’re interested, you can buy Codify from the App Store from here for only $7.99.
(Note: you can’t publish apps directly from the iPad yet but we have heard that the developers are in discussions with Apple to work out a way.)
Related posts:
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Use PS3 Controller with Android Phones with Sixaxis Controller
PlayStation 3 controllers (Sixaxis and DualShock 3) can now be used on Android phone to play games or just navigate through the phone!
Sixaxis Controller is a paid Android app for rooted phones that allows you to use your PS3 controller with your phone. The best part is, this app is also compatible with PlayStation emulators available in the Android Market.
TeamAndroid.com has covered an extensive tutorial/guide on how you can connect your PS3 controller using Sixaxis Controller Android app. It works with both, Sixaxis and DualShock 3 controllers.
If you have a high-end phone with HDMI output, you can play PlayStation games with a PS3 controller, using an Android phone. An entire console in your hands. Awesome, eh?
Download Sixaxis ControllerYou can grab the Sixaxis Controlller app from Android Market: Download Sixaxis Controller
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Oracle Raises An IT-Managers Forum
Investing in Innovative IT-Centric Business Solutions with value-addition to clients’ business as its core motive, Oracle prides itself for having travelled the road to Engineered Systems. Organized by Team CIO Pakistan, the IT Managers Forum brought together IT Managers, Architects and Administrators from the Services and Manufacturing Sectors in an attempt to help them eliminate business complexities through Oracle’s system offerings.
Joining the event from Oracle were Ahsen Javed, Country Managing Director for Pakistan & SAGE West, Ghalia Naseer, Marketing Manager for Pakistan & SAGE West, Mazhar Zoaib Ali, Senior Manager, Technology Sales Consulting, Mohammad Farrukh S. Khan, Senior Manager, Technology Sales Consulting, Jawwad Hakeem, Principal Sales Consultant, Irtaza Safvi, IT Architect, Mukhi Sanjay Kumar, Lead Database Architect for Pakistan, Asim Khushro, Regional Director Support, and Farhan Ibrahim, Country Manager Technology Business for Pakistan & SAGE West, amongst other guests.
At the event, the audience was given presentations on ways by which they may achieve greater business agility by intelligently managing the most critical business asset, information, in a manner that’s easily accessible, timely and cost-effective. These were followed by interactive discussions on building and deploying Private Clouds, following Best Practices of Database Management to facilitate cloud management in a way that maximizes return on IT, and managing the Data Warehouse with an aim to gain a larger Business Insight.
Starting the event was a Keynote Presentation by Ahsen Javed introducing the Oracle Red Stack Story and the recent additions to the stack. These include the SPARC SuperCluster, Exalytics Intelligence Machine, Fusion Applications, and Oracle’s Public Cloud. In the presentations that followed, Oracle Engineered Systems that include Exadata, Exalogic, Exalytics, Big Data Appliance, SPARC SuperCluster, and Database Appliance were discussed in a user-friendly context.
Speakers from Oracle engaged IT Managers present at the Forum in discussions that focused on:
- What Extreme Performances Mean For Your Businesses
- Emerging Trends in Enterprise Business Intelligence Platforms, and What It Means to IT
- Driving Enterprise Common Service Infrastructure
- Cloud Performance, Scalability, and Elasticity with Oracle WebLogic Server and Oracle Coherence
The IT Managers Forum came to a close with an extensive knowledge-share at the end of the day. Since pictures speak for themselves, we have collected a few for you to browse through and enjoy also!
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Pakistan Blocks Thousands of Adult Websites
Read this post in Urdu
Pakistani internet service providers have started the process of blocking websites with adult and explicit content, told us multiple sources from the industry.
Earlier this month PTA, telecom regulatory authority of Pakistan, had decided to block the access of those websites in Pakistan that contain adult content.
As we reported earlier, PTA has plans of blocking 150,000 such websites in coming weeks, however, initial list of 1,000 websites has been sent out to all ISPs, mobile operators and international gateways to get them blocked.
ProPakistani has got the said list of 1,000 websites, which we aren’t publishing it here for obvious reasons. But we can tell you that they all are adult websites and few of them are ranked in top 100 Alexa list for Pakistani most visited websites. Local adult websites are also included.
ISPs are given 8-10 days to get the orders implemented. Most of the ISPs, including PTCL, have already blocked these websites, while others are making the necessary preparations for the blockade.
PTA is also planning to devise a way for general users to report adult websites to authority. After through review authority will keep adding such reported websites/URLs to the black list.
Internet Service Providers on other hands aren’t comfortable with the overheard involved in the blocking of websites. They say that blocking high number of websites may result into slow performance by routers and increased latency due to high number of filters over the network.
PTA decided to ban explicit websites after immense pressure from bloggers, hackers and activists. They, along with parents, are certainly rejoicing authority’s decision.
However there are users who are opposing the ban, few of them think that this way PTA will get the axe to cut any website under the cover of explicit material. But sources at head-office of PTA tell us that they will make this process of blocking websites very transparent and visible to everyone, so that no one fears the unlawful use of power.
Related Stories
- Breaking: PTA Decides to Ban Explicit Websites
- ISPs Fear Slow Internet after Blocking Thousands of Websites
- Blogspot, once again, Blocked in Pakistan
- List of Blocked Websites in Pakistan [Blashphemy Crackdown]
- PTA Requires List of Po*n Sites to Get Them Blocked!
- IT Ministry Confirms LHC Ban Orders for 9 websites including Google, Yahoo
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Uninstall or Disable New Facebook Timeline from Profile and Revert to Old Layout
In our recent post on how to install the new Facebook Timeline on profile we seem to have received an amazing response from everyone.
Although, many people have been asking me how to uninstall or disable the new Facebook Timeline from profile since they find it hard to adapt to something too new so soon. Here are the steps:
Open your profile and it will be back to normal
I must mention however that Facebook Timeline will be enable by default for every user from September 30 onwards so good luck whining about the new Facebook changes. I think, it’s awesome!
PS: Now all of a sudden all the blogs will start covering news on how to uninstall and disable the new Facebook Timeline, wait and watch!
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Search Google, Wikipedia, YouTube With WeeSearch In Notification Center For iOS 5 [Cydia Tweak]
We’ve said it before, and we’re not afraid to say it again and if required, once more. Notification Center is quite possibly one of the most important additions to iOS since multitasking and, ironically, it’s also one of the most underused aspects of Apple’s latest release.
See, Apple seems to have realized how useful Notification Center widgets can be, and they’ve even bundled iOS 5 with two of their own â€" Stocks and Weather. They’re great, but they serve only to remind us of what Apple is denying us by not opening Notification Center up to iOS developers.
As is always, and I mean always the case, the jailbreak community is filling the space left by Apple’s own desire to cripple its own Notification Center.
One of the latest tweaks to appear on our radar is WeeSearch, a jailbreak tweak that adds search capabilities to Notification Center.
Usage doesn’t get much simpler, really. Tap the search bar and enter the text you want to search for. Choose from between Google, Wikipedia and YouTube, and away you go.
Unfortunately, we’ve heard some concerning reports about more than a few bugs.
For starters, it appears WeeSearch doesn’t support spaces in queries. That means that, for example, you can’t search for ‘Redmond Pie’ but if you use "RedmondPie," you’re golden. It’s not a deal breaker, but it is something that is worth remembering when you are using this particular tweak.
Another slight irritation is the lack of any way to quickly clear the last search term. Usually when there is a text box in iOS, there is also a little ‘x’ which clears any previously entered text. That isn’t the case here, so you’re going to become intimately acquainted with your backspace button!
Slight niggles aside, WeeSearch does pretty much what it says on the tin and it is worth remembering that this is a version 1.0 product. The niggles above can easily be fixed in an update.
You can download WeeSearch right now from Cydia under the BigBoss repo, and it is currently free. Obviously, you’ll be needing a jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 5 or later in order to take advantage of this particular tweak.
For jailbreaking iOS 5 tethered using Redsn0w, you can follow our complete step by step guide posted here, or here if you want to use Sn0wbreeze on Windows. Since jailbreak on iOS 5 is currently limited to tethered boot only, you can install ‘SemiTether’ patch (instructions here) from Cydia to make your jailbreak semi-tethered on iOS 5.
Check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
You can follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook fanpage to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google and Apple.
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Codify for iPad is the first Multi-Touch Capable Visual Programming IDE for iOS
One of the first comebacks that people who aren’t willing to let go of the desktop/notebook paradigm against iPad is that it’s just a consumption device and not one for creation. This is said despite the fact that iPad has awesome creativity apps like iMovie and Garageband as well as the complete iWorks suite of apps. It was only a matter of time that a full featured visual programming IDE has not arrived to the iPad in the form of Codify.
Codify lets users ( developers to be precise ) create games and simulations right on the iPad. To facilitate programming on the iPad, Codify uses its features such as accelerometer and multi-touch. It also enables using cool controls such as color pickers and image viewers right within the code you write making it fun to work with it. A full featured debugger is also included as well as full featured in-line reference documentation to help you out.
Codify is built on Lua which is a light weight scripting language. Apps such as Adobe’s Photoshop Lightroom and World of Warcraft make good use of Lua so this IDE is in no way for kids like Small Basic for Windows or Kodu for Xbox 360 and PC.
Codify has been built by Two Lives Left, an Australian game development company. If you’re interested, you can buy Codify from the App Store from here for only $7.99.
(Note: you can’t publish apps directly from the iPad yet but we have heard that the developers are in discussions with Apple to work out a way.)
Related posts:
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Use PS3 Controller with Android Phones with Sixaxis Controller
PlayStation 3 controllers (Sixaxis and DualShock 3) can now be used on Android phone to play games or just navigate through the phone!
Sixaxis Controller is a paid Android app for rooted phones that allows you to use your PS3 controller with your phone. The best part is, this app is also compatible with PlayStation emulators available in the Android Market.
TeamAndroid.com has covered an extensive tutorial/guide on how you can connect your PS3 controller using Sixaxis Controller Android app. It works with both, Sixaxis and DualShock 3 controllers.
If you have a high-end phone with HDMI output, you can play PlayStation games with a PS3 controller, using an Android phone. An entire console in your hands. Awesome, eh?
Download Sixaxis ControllerYou can grab the Sixaxis Controlller app from Android Market: Download Sixaxis Controller
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Oracle Raises An IT-Managers Forum
Investing in Innovative IT-Centric Business Solutions with value-addition to clients’ business as its core motive, Oracle prides itself for having travelled the road to Engineered Systems. Organized by Team CIO Pakistan, the IT Managers Forum brought together IT Managers, Architects and Administrators from the Services and Manufacturing Sectors in an attempt to help them eliminate business complexities through Oracle’s system offerings.
Joining the event from Oracle were Ahsen Javed, Country Managing Director for Pakistan & SAGE West, Ghalia Naseer, Marketing Manager for Pakistan & SAGE West, Mazhar Zoaib Ali, Senior Manager, Technology Sales Consulting, Mohammad Farrukh S. Khan, Senior Manager, Technology Sales Consulting, Jawwad Hakeem, Principal Sales Consultant, Irtaza Safvi, IT Architect, Mukhi Sanjay Kumar, Lead Database Architect for Pakistan, Asim Khushro, Regional Director Support, and Farhan Ibrahim, Country Manager Technology Business for Pakistan & SAGE West, amongst other guests.
At the event, the audience was given presentations on ways by which they may achieve greater business agility by intelligently managing the most critical business asset, information, in a manner that’s easily accessible, timely and cost-effective. These were followed by interactive discussions on building and deploying Private Clouds, following Best Practices of Database Management to facilitate cloud management in a way that maximizes return on IT, and managing the Data Warehouse with an aim to gain a larger Business Insight.
Starting the event was a Keynote Presentation by Ahsen Javed introducing the Oracle Red Stack Story and the recent additions to the stack. These include the SPARC SuperCluster, Exalytics Intelligence Machine, Fusion Applications, and Oracle’s Public Cloud. In the presentations that followed, Oracle Engineered Systems that include Exadata, Exalogic, Exalytics, Big Data Appliance, SPARC SuperCluster, and Database Appliance were discussed in a user-friendly context.
Speakers from Oracle engaged IT Managers present at the Forum in discussions that focused on:
- What Extreme Performances Mean For Your Businesses
- Emerging Trends in Enterprise Business Intelligence Platforms, and What It Means to IT
- Driving Enterprise Common Service Infrastructure
- Cloud Performance, Scalability, and Elasticity with Oracle WebLogic Server and Oracle Coherence
The IT Managers Forum came to a close with an extensive knowledge-share at the end of the day. Since pictures speak for themselves, we have collected a few for you to browse through and enjoy also!
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
PTCL Wins Global HR Excellence Award 2011
“This award is an acknowledgement of PTCL’s pioneering efforts undertaken to transform our HR policies and practices,†said PTCL Senior Executive Vice President Human Resource, Syed Mazhar Hussain on the occasion.
“We have won this award because of the tireless efforts of our HR team, which has demonstrated exceptional commitment towards elevating PTCL to new heights of success by overcoming atypical challengesâ€, he added.
Proffered by Global Media Links and Business Milestones, the Global HR Excellence Awards recognize leading organizations that have achieved excellence in the sphere of Human Resource and Organizational Development.
In the post-privatization period, PTCL’s organizational transformation has been spearheaded by the company’s HR Department, which has played an instrumental role in creating a new momentum and infusing vigor within the organization to bring about a paradigm shift in its organizational culture.
“The Global Excellence Award has increased PTCL’s visibility on Pakistan’s corporate horizon and enhanced its image vis-à -vis our employer branding,†said PTCL SEVP, Syed Mazhar Hussain.
The Award’s judges unanimously selected PTCL for this year’s honor in view of the fast-paced progression of its HR Department, and its exceptional achievements in successfully leading the company’s massive post-privatization transition by introducing HR best practices in a very short period of time.
“Starting with a major rationalization of headcount to introducing a merit culture whereby performance determines the annual salary increments to the employees, our HR department has been at the forefront of our organizational change,†said PTCL Executive Vice President Organizational Development, Shahzad Safdar Khan. “We now place a strong emphasis on the development of our human capital by providing them with numerous learning opportunities that are in sync with our corporate objectives.â€
In recent years, PTCL has firmly established its reputation for redefining and realigning the industrial relations paradigm. In line with contemporary business requirements, it has led organizational development and employee welfare by successfully creating a win-win situation, both for the employees and the organization, to emerge as an employer of choice.
Related Stories
- PTCL Organized HR Seminar for its Employees
- PTCL Starts Action Against Protesters
- UBL Goes live with Oracle Applications to Modernize its Banking Operations
- Ali Raza Mehdi to Join Zong
- Warid Receives FDI Excellence Award
- Inbox Wins Microsoft’s Country Partner of the Year
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Uninstall or Disable New Facebook Timeline from Profile and Revert to Old Layout
In our recent post on how to install the new Facebook Timeline on profile we seem to have received an amazing response from everyone.
Although, many people have been asking me how to uninstall or disable the new Facebook Timeline from profile since they find it hard to adapt to something too new so soon. Here are the steps:
Open your profile and it will be back to normal
I must mention however that Facebook Timeline will be enable by default for every user from September 30 onwards so good luck whining about the new Facebook changes. I think, it’s awesome!
PS: Now all of a sudden all the blogs will start covering news on how to uninstall and disable the new Facebook Timeline, wait and watch!
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Steve Jobs Left iTunes And iPod Developer To Lead Apple’s Connected TV Effort
Although Steve Jobs, another of the world’s many tragic cancer victims, is rightly considered to be the instigator of Apple’s rise to the tech forefront over the last ten years, it has by no means been a solo effort, and many within the Cupertino company’s ranks have played important roles in the development of its key products and general growth.
One such figure is Jeff Robbin, one of Apple’s vice presidents and a pivotal part of the creation of the iPod and subsequently, iTunes. Bloomberg, sourcing a number of those familiar with the topic, has revealed that Robbin is the leading figure behind the fruit company’s latest project in the connected TV market.
It would be a fair assessment that Apple TV hasn’t been the resounding success of other products baring the iconic bitten apple. With that said, Jobs began it as a mere hobby, and one suspects that with a little more TLC, Apple TV could potentially evolve into another Cupertino gem in the future.
Apple’s latest delve in the TV market, which has been kept under wraps until recently, targets the lucrative HDTV market. With some analysts predicting said market to surpass the $100 billion mark next year, Apple’s inroads certainly heed the cliché of striking the iron while it’s hot.
Once upon a time, Jobs was eager to keep Robbin’s role a secret for fear of another company moving in to poach one of his prized assets. Robbin’s influence within Apple’s ranks has been significant â€" he was part of a movement to successfully lobby Jobs to allow iTunes to be ported through to Windows â€" a good call in the grand scheme of Apple.
Walter Isaacson‘s biography of Steve Jobs â€" set to be this year’s bestseller â€" has clarified that he had been working on a connected TV device prior to his death, and that his eventual goal was to make televisions "simple and elegent" - as has been the case with MP3 players, computers, smartphones and tablets. According to the book, Jobs noted that it would "have the simplest user interface you could imagine."
I’m sure tech enthusiasts will unite in hoping that Jeff Robbin continues the benchmarks set by Jobs, and delivers a decent Apple entry to the television market.
You can follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook fanpage to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google and Apple.
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Is Google’s Android 4.0 Anything More Than Just Lipstick on A Pig?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you must be well aware by now that Google and Samsung unveiled the next generation Nexus phone called Galaxy Nexus. Although I’m not a fan of the name, I like the specifications that Samsung has been able to cram into the phone. Seems like they threw in everything that Apple rumor sites were saying that the iPhone 5 would have like the tear drop design and so on. I wont go through all the details here but you can just catch up with them on our friends’ coverage of Ice Cream Sandwich at Redmond Pie.
Alright, all joking aside, the phone is a beauty. It’s an engineering marvel that I can only expect from Samsung, after Apple, and I can’t wait to get my hands on one. But, it’s got Android and as always, just like everyone else, I’ve had very high hopes from this new version of Android. It’s a complete new version that jumps from 3.x to 4.0 so you would expect that they’ve worked hard on fixing issues users have long been complaining about and what not. Sure, they fixed one of my major gripes with stock Android: the crappiest camera app ever. They finally added tap to focus, HD video recording and much more to the app. But at the launch event, there wasn’t really any mention of browser improvements or improved battery life. Oh, and the lag that all of us Android users are so accustomed to? It’s still there!
This is my next say the following in their hands-on coverage of the Galaxy Nexus phone:
As to overall performance, we saw a good deal of stutter in the Galaxy Nexus before us.
Oh boy..
Taps were not always recognized and there were occasional delays in performing an instruction, though in Google’s defense, it was a phone fully loaded with running tasks and the software is being continually improved and optimized (i.e. it’s not yet fully baked).
Why did Google and Samsung show us a half baked OS? Alright, it’s a work in progress but don’t we all use our Android phones fully loaded with running tasks? That’s no defense.
That having been said, it unfortunately remains the case that Android isn’t as swift and responsive as iOS or Windows Phone (or even MeeGo Harmattan on the N9). Or at least it wasn’t on the demo phone we got a look at. The subtle, pervasive lag that has characterized the Android UI since it inception is still there, which is not a heartening thing to hear when you’re talking about a super-powered dual-core device like the Galaxy Nexus.
This.
Google, why wont you just fix these issues? I don’t want lag in my Android phone or while swiping screens or while using the browser. I don’t want my phone to slow down after using it for a while and then resort to a task manager to gain some performance. I want a phone that just works for me and doesn’t make me work for it to use it well. I couldn’t care less about facial recognition and the people’s app or widgets that just eat the battery like chipmunks eating peanuts. We need the basics done right. Even Windows Phone 7 has got that covered.
When will Google listen? I just hope that what This is my next saw was a work in progress and the shipping version doesn’t have these issues.
Related posts:
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Use PS3 Controller with Android Phones with Sixaxis Controller
PlayStation 3 controllers (Sixaxis and DualShock 3) can now be used on Android phone to play games or just navigate through the phone!
Sixaxis Controller is a paid Android app for rooted phones that allows you to use your PS3 controller with your phone. The best part is, this app is also compatible with PlayStation emulators available in the Android Market.
TeamAndroid.com has covered an extensive tutorial/guide on how you can connect your PS3 controller using Sixaxis Controller Android app. It works with both, Sixaxis and DualShock 3 controllers.
If you have a high-end phone with HDMI output, you can play PlayStation games with a PS3 controller, using an Android phone. An entire console in your hands. Awesome, eh?
Download Sixaxis ControllerYou can grab the Sixaxis Controlller app from Android Market: Download Sixaxis Controller
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Users can now replace Blogger profile with Google+ profile
MIAMI (10/24/2011) - In the first integration between the Google+ social networking site and the Blogger blog publishing platform, users will be able to replace their Blogger profiles with their Google+ profiles, the company announced on Monday.
The benefits for Blogger publishers of using the Google+ profile include giving their readers “a more robust and familiar sense of who you are†as well as having their posts surface with an annotation in the search results of their social connections, Google said.
“Plus, bloggers who switch will automatically get access to the Google+ integrations we’ll be rolling out in the future,†wrote Vardhman Jain, a Google software engineer, in the post.
Of course, since Google+ requires that people use their real name, doing this profile switch may not be a good option for the many bloggers who publish using a pseudonym.
“That’s why we’ve made it completely optional to switch,†Jain wrote.
The option to replace a Blogger profile with a Google+ profile is available in Blogger In Draft, the testing site where Blogger publishers can turn on new features before they’re generally available to everyone on Blogger.
Google expects the profile replacement option to be ready for all Blogger publishers through the main Blogger site “in the coming weeks.â€
Google officials, from CEO Larry Page on down, have made it very clear that Google+ isn’t meant to be just a stand-alone social networking site, but rather a unifying service that ties Google products together and adds social components to them.
As such, the expectations for Google+ within the company are extremely high already, although it’s a fairly new product launched in limited beta in June and to the general public about a month ago. It recently topped 40 million members, according to the company.
However, it’s unclear whether the Google+ real names requirement will deter a significant number of users from linking their various Google accounts with Google+ because they may not want their real identity associated with some or all of those services, such as YouTube and Gmail.
For this reason, it will be interesting to see how Blogger publishers respond to this new option of slapping their Google+ “real†identity on the blogs they publish.
It’s well known that many bloggers opt to keep their identity hidden for fear of possible consequences from expressing their opinions, such as problems with their employers and political persecution in countries where dissent isn’t tolerated.
Google officials have said that they plan to allow for the use of pseudonyms in Google+ at some point, but it’s unclear when that will happen and to what extent it will be possible to withhold one’s real identity.
At this point, it’s not required for users of Google services to have a Google+ account. However, people who do opt to join Google+ must first set up a public Google Profile which, at minimum, must make their real name visible to anyone who views the page.
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Future of Adsense in Pakistan
It’s dark, and you know it well â€" just in case if you aren’t aware of recent massacre by Google then the information for you is that Google has banned hundreds of Pakistani adsense accounts by giving odd reasons to each of them, majority of which didn’t make sense to a common man.
Like all businesses â€" at times Google plays unfair, and it’s fair on their part to save themselves and their stakeholders. Let me give you examples,
I know of this Pakistani website which is displaying adsense ads and it should get banned by all definitions and terms of services, but it’s not banned. Reason: This website serves more than 100 million impressions a month.
I am sure this website in question would have a dedicated support engineer deputed to take care of the matters concerning to it.
On other hands, I know of this another website which recently got banned by adsense, just because the website was displaying ads below navigation bar. Which is weird because Google itself preaches publishers to place ads below navigation bar for high CTR.
Another ban reason for thousands of publishers, over the years, is fraud click. They ban the publisher for life, meaning that a publisher banned for fraud click can never participate in adsense for whole life.
I am just wondering, isn’t it possible for Google (a company that spends billions of dollars for research and development) to not to allow second click on adsense ads whenever it is done by same IP and/or same cookie?
Or can’t they cap clicks done in certain duration? For instance if I am given an option to not to allow more than one click from one IP in one week (even if it has multiple users on one network) â€" I would definitely go for it. I am sure many would opt for it â€" to avoid permanent ban.
I understand that there would be people asking their FnF including aunts and little cousins to click on their ads, sure go ahead and ban them. But what about those publishers who have been religiously following your TOS and one day someone from their competition comes in and starts click bombing their ads, assumingly from same IP?
Will you ban him/her? You sure will. I have seen such cases myself.
This is how exposed Google adsense is to exploiters.
So like any other business, adsense has loopholes, which can’t be filled. Google has purposefully kept these loopholes to keep itself secured.
Talking specifically about the recent mass-ban of Pakistani publishers â€" it was our fault too. Like we mentioned in our past post, we Pakistanis vigorously copied international blogs to setup websites. Then did hefty amount of SEO to bring in traffic and monetized it through adsense. Which isn’t legit in many ways.
So all those content lifters sank, not alone but drowned many legit publishers along with them.
Why Pakistan was Targeted?
Have you read my this article: Why Does a Pakistani Website Earn 32 Times Lesser than any American Counterpart?
If not â€" then please go ahead and read it to understand that Pakistani traffic is of not much value to advertisers.
To put it in simple words: Pakistanis can’t buy products online (due to lack of ecommerce infrastructure), the ads we see are for the free services or (product) information only. This equation translates into a situation where reader/website visitor won’t make money for advertiser.
For many this is fine, for others â€" this is just the loss of advertising budget, i.e. no return on investment at all.
Coupled with this if content is replicated over hundreds of websites, then why a network like adsense won’t target Pakistanis in particular? I hope you have the answer.
What’s next?
I know it’s ugly, but if Google was your primary source of revenue then you are done. You need to get over with it. You can’t convince Google that you are a legit blogger (even if you are) who puts plenty of effort for generating content. Google won’t listen to you â€" you need to believe this hard fact, they are least concerned.
I have spoken with some senior people at Google and they are not bothered with whatever perceptions we have got for Google.
There are chances that Google won’t even reply you, or if they do â€" it will be a pre-drafted email with meaningless and negative message.
So it’s better to re-plan your monetization policy, by either switching to other networks (just like Hamad explained here) or by giving up with it.
For many they deserved this â€" for others it’s bitter reality and hard luck, the unfortunate end that’s attached with online business models.
Can we Expect a Better Internet After This?
Considering that easy money is gone, all those content lifters will be go away with only legit bloggers left for quality content. This is somewhat better than it was before. Not that we are happy with the situation â€" but everything happens for good, that how I believe in Allah.
A Local CPM network
is what we need. We saw many local ad networks coming in with big claims, but no one could survive. I will discuss the reasons in a separate post â€" but to understand that survival of local digital industry, we must get a good CPM network up running in next 6-12 months. Or the local content that brag about will go down the drain.
Related Stories
- Google Goes Hard on Pakistani Websites, Bans Hundreds of Adsense Accounts!
- Pakistan’s First AD Network Launched
- Adsense Banned? Here is What You Should Do!
- Adsense Spotted on tourism.gov.pk #Fail
- Wah Guruji !!!
- How People in Pakistan are Teaching Others to Illegally Earn through ADSense
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Uninstall or Disable New Facebook Timeline from Profile and Revert to Old Layout
In our recent post on how to install the new Facebook Timeline on profile we seem to have received an amazing response from everyone.
Although, many people have been asking me how to uninstall or disable the new Facebook Timeline from profile since they find it hard to adapt to something too new so soon. Here are the steps:
Open your profile and it will be back to normal
I must mention however that Facebook Timeline will be enable by default for every user from September 30 onwards so good luck whining about the new Facebook changes. I think, it’s awesome!
PS: Now all of a sudden all the blogs will start covering news on how to uninstall and disable the new Facebook Timeline, wait and watch!
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Steve Jobs Biography: “I’m Going To Destroy Android, Because It’s A Stolen Productâ€
The unfortunate death of Steve Jobs, Apple’s former CEO who succumbed to pancreatic cancer some two weeks ago, has led an inevitable surge in the interest in his first (and only) official biography, compiled by Walter Isaacson.
With the release date having been pushed forward, sales are expected to be huge, and it would indeed be a fitting tribute if it were competing sales wise with the iPhone 4S â€" the latest protégé of Jobs’ legacy.
Indeed, the anticipation level â€" which has gotten Sony keen to seal the rights for a motion picture â€" is comparable to that of an iPhone or iPad release, right down to the bootleggers in China keepin’ it real fake and excerpts leaking earlier than the release date. Sound familiar?
The leaks insight Jobs’ relationship with Jony Ive, the fruit company’s head of product design, whom he described as his "spiritual partner" with "more operation power" at Apple than anybody besides himself.
Indeed, Apple has been set up in such a way that design is the focal point, so Jobs and Ive’s internal allegiance has always been central to that. One suspects that if Apple is to maintain the design flair and innovation post-Jobs, Ive will need to be central to that. The Jobs-esque ideal of keeping things thinner, lighter and slicker will need to be maintained if the Cupertino company is to keep its gravy train on the right track.
Image Credit: Daniel Adel from New York Times
Other interesting passages from the book include Jobs’ anger towards Google and Eric Schmidt after HTC released an very iPhone-like device running Android. Jobs went as far as to consider Google’s actions "grand theft," and so began the string of lawsuits which have now drawn a very prominent wedge between the two rivals.
“I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong,†Jobs said. “I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.â€
Despite the usual dose of humor included in the above passage, you can really sense the anger he harbored for the Big G, and shortly thereafter, in what was meant to be a clear-the-air meeting with Schmidt at cafe in Palo Alto, California, Jobs maintained that he’d no interest in settling the lawsuit. To him, this wasn’t about grabbing some Google money, it was about what he felt was rightly his creation. According to the book, the meeting reached no resolution, with Jobs showing infallible defiance:
“I don’t want your money. If you offer me $5 billion, I won’t want it. I’ve got plenty of money. I want you to stop using our ideas in Android, that’s all I want.â€
The book will undoubtedly be an engrossing read, and you can pre-order it on iBooks or Amazon by simply heading over to this link.
(Source AssociatedPress)
You can follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook fanpage to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google and Apple.
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Is Google’s Android 4.0 Anything More Than Just Lipstick on A Pig?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you must be well aware by now that Google and Samsung unveiled the next generation Nexus phone called Galaxy Nexus. Although I’m not a fan of the name, I like the specifications that Samsung has been able to cram into the phone. Seems like they threw in everything that Apple rumor sites were saying that the iPhone 5 would have like the tear drop design and so on. I wont go through all the details here but you can just catch up with them on our friends’ coverage of Ice Cream Sandwich at Redmond Pie.
Alright, all joking aside, the phone is a beauty. It’s an engineering marvel that I can only expect from Samsung, after Apple, and I can’t wait to get my hands on one. But, it’s got Android and as always, just like everyone else, I’ve had very high hopes from this new version of Android. It’s a complete new version that jumps from 3.x to 4.0 so you would expect that they’ve worked hard on fixing issues users have long been complaining about and what not. Sure, they fixed one of my major gripes with stock Android: the crappiest camera app ever. They finally added tap to focus, HD video recording and much more to the app. But at the launch event, there wasn’t really any mention of browser improvements or improved battery life. Oh, and the lag that all of us Android users are so accustomed to? It’s still there!
This is my next say the following in their hands-on coverage of the Galaxy Nexus phone:
As to overall performance, we saw a good deal of stutter in the Galaxy Nexus before us.
Oh boy..
Taps were not always recognized and there were occasional delays in performing an instruction, though in Google’s defense, it was a phone fully loaded with running tasks and the software is being continually improved and optimized (i.e. it’s not yet fully baked).
Why did Google and Samsung show us a half baked OS? Alright, it’s a work in progress but don’t we all use our Android phones fully loaded with running tasks? That’s no defense.
That having been said, it unfortunately remains the case that Android isn’t as swift and responsive as iOS or Windows Phone (or even MeeGo Harmattan on the N9). Or at least it wasn’t on the demo phone we got a look at. The subtle, pervasive lag that has characterized the Android UI since it inception is still there, which is not a heartening thing to hear when you’re talking about a super-powered dual-core device like the Galaxy Nexus.
This.
Google, why wont you just fix these issues? I don’t want lag in my Android phone or while swiping screens or while using the browser. I don’t want my phone to slow down after using it for a while and then resort to a task manager to gain some performance. I want a phone that just works for me and doesn’t make me work for it to use it well. I couldn’t care less about facial recognition and the people’s app or widgets that just eat the battery like chipmunks eating peanuts. We need the basics done right. Even Windows Phone 7 has got that covered.
When will Google listen? I just hope that what This is my next saw was a work in progress and the shipping version doesn’t have these issues.
Related posts:
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Use PS3 Controller with Android Phones with Sixaxis Controller
PlayStation 3 controllers (Sixaxis and DualShock 3) can now be used on Android phone to play games or just navigate through the phone!
Sixaxis Controller is a paid Android app for rooted phones that allows you to use your PS3 controller with your phone. The best part is, this app is also compatible with PlayStation emulators available in the Android Market.
TeamAndroid.com has covered an extensive tutorial/guide on how you can connect your PS3 controller using Sixaxis Controller Android app. It works with both, Sixaxis and DualShock 3 controllers.
If you have a high-end phone with HDMI output, you can play PlayStation games with a PS3 controller, using an Android phone. An entire console in your hands. Awesome, eh?
Download Sixaxis ControllerYou can grab the Sixaxis Controlller app from Android Market: Download Sixaxis Controller
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
U.S. Commerce Dept mum on Huawei block, citing security
BEIJING (10/14/2011) â€" The U.S. Department of Commerce will not explain why it is blocking Chinese company Huawei from participating in a project to build a national wireless network, citing security reasons, a department official said.
“This was a national security decision about a public safety network,†the official, who requested not to be named, said on Thursday via email. “The specific concerns won’t be elaborated on, because we don’t conduct national security analyses in public.â€
Huawei, a major telecommunications equipment supplier, has been seeking answers after it was denied participation in the project to create a nationwide wireless network for use by police, firefighters, and emergency personnel. On Wednesday, Huawei said the company had requested the Department of Commerce to explain the decision.
The department’s National institute of Standards and Technology informed Huawei of the decision on Sept. 30, according to the official. Rebecca Blank, acting secretary for the Department of Commerce, made the decision after consulting with relevant U.S. government agencies, the official said.
The department’s decision has no bearing on any other government projects, he added.
The denial is just the latest round of opposition the company has seen from the U.S. government over its business activities in the country. U.S. government officials have been concerned about Huawei’s alleged ties with the Chinese military, and how networking technology bought from the company could be secretly used by China to spy on U.S. activities.
Huawei has complained the company is being treated unfairly. It has sought to clear its reputation and even asked the U.S. government to investigate the company. So far, the U.S. has shown no signs of taking that offer.
In this latest setback, Huawei has said the decision could have a “chilling effect†on its U.S. business activities, adding that the company is being played as a pawn in a geopolitical chess game.
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Steve Jobs Had Syrian Origins
While the world mourned the death of Steve Jobs, a little known fact about the great man came into the spotlight. Steve Jobs, born as Abdul Latif Jandali, was of Syrian origin. As it turns out he was born to an American mother Joanne Carole Schieble and a Syrian Muslim father Abdul Fattah Jandali.
Schieble’s conservative father refused to allow the marriage between the two and the baby was put up for adoption and a couple from California, Paul and Clara Jobs took him in.
Jandali, an immigrant to the US from Homs went on to become a political science professor while Schieble, a graduate student became a speech language pathologist. The couple eventually married and had a daughter (Steve Job’s sister), Mona Simpson who is a novelist.
When Steve Jobs stepped down as CEO of Apple for treatment of his pancreatic cancer, Jandali mailed him his complete medical historyin the hope that it might help him get better. Jobs, however refused to speak to the father who abandoned him so many years ago. Steve Jobs did, however track down his biological mother and he was also in contact with his biological sister.
The fact that Jobs had Syrian origin first came to attention in 2007 when the monthly English Syrian Forward Magazine ran a story, “Forgotten Syriansâ€. It traced celebrities who had Syrian origin 3-4 generations back and Jobs was one of the surprise entries on the list.
Tech savvy Syrians all over the world proudly claimed Steve Jobs as one of their own on Twitter and Facebook. Though they were unanimous in declaring that he probably would not have achieved as much if had he worked in Syria.
As one twitter user iAlsager put it,
If Steve Jobs was really Syrian and in Syria then his name would be “Steve looking for jobs
Many Syrians are calling for a nationwide movement to reclaim Steve Jobs as their own but the fact is that no matter who claims him, the world lost one of the most influential CEOs of all time. A visionary, inventor, marketing genius and Apple’s salesman extraordinaire, he will be missed.
It won’t be out of place to mention here that Jandali family of Homes, Syria decends from Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H).
Related Stories
- Zong Condoles the Death of Steve Jobs
- Steve Jobs Dies
- Anonymous Aims to Kill (Hack) Facebook on Nov 5th
- Remembering Steve Jobs
- Steve Jobs passes the Apple to Cook
- Veena Malik Made it, Yes Seriously, She Made to Twitter Trends!
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
Uninstall or Disable New Facebook Timeline from Profile and Revert to Old Layout
In our recent post on how to install the new Facebook Timeline on profile we seem to have received an amazing response from everyone.
Although, many people have been asking me how to uninstall or disable the new Facebook Timeline from profile since they find it hard to adapt to something too new so soon. Here are the steps:
Open your profile and it will be back to normal
I must mention however that Facebook Timeline will be enable by default for every user from September 30 onwards so good luck whining about the new Facebook changes. I think, it’s awesome!
PS: Now all of a sudden all the blogs will start covering news on how to uninstall and disable the new Facebook Timeline, wait and watch!
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement
You Can Now Create Reminders On Remember The Milk App Using Siri On iPhone 4S [VIDEO]
The good folks over at Remember the Milk have managed to integrate Siri with their app. It uses CalDAV, an Internet standard for allowing a client to access scheduling information on a remote server. Follow the instructions below to get up to speed with Remember the Milk and Siri.
Check out the video embedded below and see how Siri creates a reminder for you and syncs it with Remember the Milk:
What is happening here is Siri creates a standard calendar event and that calendar event gets push-synced to your Remember the Milk account using your RTM account credentials. Therefore, it allows you to get the reminder within your iOS app and via the web app. Pretty nifty workaround if you ask me. Of course, like the post we did about updating Twitter and Facebook via Siri, this is not an official application integration approved by Apple. But don’t let that stop you from taking full advantage of this! Its a great work around until we see (hopefully!) full application integration with Apple’s Siri. Below are the instructions for configuring your iPhone 4S to take advantage of Remember the Milk:
First off, open your Settings app on your iPhone 4S and choose Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Open Add Account, and then tap Other. Choose Add CalDav Account which can be found underneath Calendars. In the field labeled ‘Server’ enter www.rememberthemilk.com and then enter your RTM account username and password. Hit Next, and now you will be returned to Mail, Contacts, Calendars, with the account added. Scroll all the way down, and select Default List and choose Remember The Milk. At this point you are done and can begin using Siri with RTM!
BAM! Its that easy. Now, I am not one for creating tasks and using task/reminder applications. Personally I would need someone to create a reminder to remind me to use a reminder application! That was a tongue-full, but, if I could remember to take advantage of an application like Remember the Milk and I had an iPhone 4S with Siri enabled, I would take advantage of this in a heart beat. Actually, if I had an iPhone 4S at all, Siri would probably be reason enough for me to put this into action. I look forward to seeing other productivity applications trying to take advantage of Siri like Remember the Milk did!
Download Remember the Milk for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch [iTunes link]
Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
(via RememberTheMilk)
You can follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Settlement Statement