Google Maps Now Indoors
Google has announced an exciting update to their Google Maps application. They now have the ability to map indoors. Check this quick video intro.
Google says its been able to fine tune the location based services it uses for mapping. Namely, GPS, Cell Towers, and WiFi Hotspots. Google claims they do not require the location to add any new hardware. Detailed floor plans automatically appear when they are available. You are highlighted with the familiar blue dot.
Comparison of Mall of America Before and After Google Maps Indoors
This is very exciting and the applications can be really useful:
- Airports: Helps you find your gate, your check-in counter, and the snack bars
- Schools: Helps you find your class
- Malls: Never need to find the mall directory again, easier to find right parking near the entrance you want
Take a look at how it works for IKEA.
Initially, this is available for large airports and retailers in US and Japan. But if you are a business owner and is interested in getting your floorplan to Google, you can submit it to maps.google.com/floorplans
The app is also initially available for Web and Android only with no announcements yet if Google will let Apple have it.
List of Google Maps Indoors Floorplans
United States
- Akron-Canton Airport (CAK)
- Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL)
- Boise International Airport (BOI)
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
- Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- George Bush Houston International Airport (IAH)
- Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
- Kansas City International Airport (MCI)
- Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL)
- Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS)
- Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
- Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC)
- Portland International Airport (PDX)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
- DDR Corp. shopping centers in Puerto Rico, including Plaza del Atlántico in Arecibo, Plaza del Sol in Bayamon, Plaza Rio Hondo in Bayamon, Plaza del Norte in Hatillo, Plaza Palma Real in Humacao and Senorial Plaza in Rio Piedras
- Vallco Shopping mall in Cupertino, CA
- Brixmor Property Group including Eagle Rock Plaza in Los Angeles, CA
- Mall of America
- Macy’s*
- Bloomingdale’s*
- Home Depot*
- Ikea*
*Various locations
Japan
- Narita International Airport
- Haneda Airport, International Terminal
- Haneda Airport, Domestic Terminal
- JR East in Tokyo and Chiba (main stations)
- Tokyu Corporation (main stations)
- Tokyo Midtown
- Daimaru
- Matsuzakaya
- Tokyu
- Mitsukoshi
- Takashimaya
- Odakyu
- Isetan
- Keio
- Matsuya
- Seibu
- Tobu
- Printems Ginza
- Marui
- Marunouchi Building
- Shin-Marunouchi Building
- Marunouchi OAZO
- Marunouchi BRICK SQUARE
- TOKIA Tokyo Building
- Shibuya 109
- 109 MEN’S
- Miraikan
- Roppongi Hills
- Venus Fort
- Tokyu Hands Ikebukuro
- DECKS TOKYO BEACH
- remy gotanda
- LaLa port TOYOSU
- The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan)
Indoor Maps is available for your Android 2.2 or above device in Google Maps for mobile version 6.0 or above.
iOS 5 is out now! Complete Feature List
iOS 5 Software Update This update contains over 200 new features, including the following: Notifications ◦ Swipe from the top of any screen to view notifications in one place with Notification Center ◦ New notifications appear briefly at the top of the screen ◦ View notifications from lock screen ◦ Slide the notification app icon to the right on the lock screen to go directly to the app iMessage ◦ Send and receive unlimited text, photo, and video messages with other iOS 5 users ◦ Track messages with delivery and read receipts ◦ Group messaging and secure encryption ◦ Works over cellular network and Wi-Fi* Newsstand ◦ Automatically organizes magazine and newspaper subscriptions on Home Screen ◦ Displays the cover of the latest issue ◦ Background downloads of new issues Reminders for managing to do lists ◦ Syncs with iCloud, iCal and Outlook ◦ Location-based reminders when you leave or arrive at a location for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 Built-in support for Twitter ◦ Sign-in once in Settings and tweet directly from Camera, Photos, Maps, Safari and YouTube ◦ Add location to any tweet ◦ View twitter profile pictures and usernames in Contacts Camera improvements for devices with cameras ◦ Double click the home button when device is asleep to bring up a camera shortcut on iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (4th generation) ◦ Volume Up button to take a picture ◦ Optional grid lines to line up shots ◦ Pinch to zoom in the preview screen ◦ Swipe to camera roll from preview screen ◦ Tap and hold to lock focus and exposure, iPad 2 and iPod touch (4th generation) only support exposure lock Photo improvements for devices with cameras ◦ Crop and rotate ◦ Red eye removal ◦ One tap enhance ◦ Organize photos into albums Mail improvements ◦ Format text using bold, italic, or underlined fonts ◦ Indentation control ◦ Drag to rearrange names in address fields ◦ Flag messages ◦ Mass mark messages as flagged, read or unread ◦ Customize mail alert sounds ◦ S/MIME Calendar improvements ◦ Year view on iPad and new Week view for iPhone and iPod touch ◦ Tap to create an event ◦ View and add event attachments Game Center improvements ◦ Use personal photos for your Game Center account ◦ Compare your overall achievement scores with your friends ◦ Find new Game Center friends with friend recommendations and friends of friends ◦ Discover new games with custom game recommendations AirPlay Mirroring for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S Multitasking Gestures for iPad ◦ Use four or five fingers to pinch to the Home Screen ◦ Swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar ◦ Swipe left or right to switch between apps On-device setup, activation and configuration with Setup Assistant Software updates available over the air without tethering iCloud support ◦ iTunes in the Cloud ◦ Photo Stream ◦ Documents in the Cloud ◦ Apps and Books automatic download and purchase history ◦ Backup ◦ Contacts, Calendar, and Mail ◦ Find My iPhone Redesigned Music app for iPad Hourly weather forecast Real-time stock quotes Wireless sync to iTunes Keyboard improvements ◦ Split keyboard for iPad ◦ Improved autocorrection accuracy ◦ Improved Chinese and Japanese input ◦ New Emoji keyboard ◦ Personal dictionary for autocorrection ◦ Optionally create keyboard short cuts for frequently used words Accessibility improvements ◦ Option to light LED flash on incoming calls and alerts for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 ◦ Custom vibration patterns for incoming calls on iPhone ◦ New interface for using iOS with mobility-impairment input devices ◦ Option to speak a selection of text ◦ Custom element labeling for VoiceOver Exchange ActiveSync improvements ◦ Wirelessly sync tasks ◦ Mark messages as flagged, read or unread ◦ Improved offline support ◦ Save a new contact from a GAL service More than 1,500 new developer APIs Bug fixes Products compatible with this software update: • iPhone 4S • iPhone 4 • iPhone 3GS • iPad 2 • iPad • iPod touch (4th generation) • iPod touch (3rd generation) * Messages will be sent as SMS when iMessage is unavailable.
Automated Parallel Parking is Here!
I just recently came across this. Apparently Ford has a feature called Park Assist that lets your car park itself. Perfect for everyone that has a hard time doing parallel parking. Then again, should you be driving if you cannot learn to parallel park?
THE AD
IN ACTION
Technology Usage in Education [INFOGRAPHIC]
Not so long ago did we experience education where technology is not as it is today. My early years in education did not even have the Internet. Times have surely changed since then as proven by a research done by onlineeducation.net. It seems though while Google may have made homeworks easier, the ability to easier connect with teachers and fellow students as well as the aid of devices and media have made education much accessible and better.
Google+ (Google Plus) Invite and First Look
Google+ is out for a few weeks now and I recently had my chance to get an invite and do a quick review. Google+ is the newest social networking platform launched by Google after a few failed projects with Google Wave and Google Buzz. This new platform seems to hold more water and promise but the question remains if people will be making the switch from Facebook.
The way Google is launching this new platform is like what they did with gmail— via invites from people you know. Once you are invited, you can invite other people too. So whoever wants an invite, just leave a comment with your email and I will send you one.
There are 3 new things that makes Google+ significantly different from Facebook:
- Circles
- Hangouts
- Sparks
I’ll get to each one later with more detail. Here is the welcome screen after your initial account sign-up. (Click on image to enlarge)
Its a great page to start with and it tells you quickly what the 3 new things are.
CIRCLES
It lets you group your social networking contacts. The idea is you may have a group of friends from work, your family, and maybe your gym buddies. Your friends may not be interested in your family photo and your mom may not be interested in the latest protein shake flavors. Circles lets you group people into “circles” and whenever you share something, you can define to share it to only a specific circle, multiple, or all. This way, your shares are relevant to the people you are sharing with. A contact may belong in one or as many circles as you group them in and all your circles are private. People will know that you added them to a circle but they are never told what the label is.
Here is a quick video by Google:
Here is the interface of how you can manage your circles.
HANGOUTS
This feature is very interesting. It lets you create an online “hangout” where people and contacts can just drop in. Using webcam and mics, you can just discover who among your friends has a hangout and just drop in to chat. Its very cool as you never know who is around and lets you meet and talk to people who you might not otherwise. Say your high school buddies have all grown up, gotten married, and now lives in different part of the globe. Hangout lets you casually create rooms where you could just chat casually without the frills of setting up a web conference or anything tedious as that. It worked right into your social network. Pretty cool.
Here is the Google video:
SPARKS
Sparks is a customized newstream, by choosing topics, browsing posts, Google+ identifies the topics you may be interested in and then searches what other people with the same interest found appealing and showing them to you. Its a fun way to discover. Just like you have your own assistant that knows what you love and care about and lets the content come to you.
Here is the video:
Google+ is similar to facebook in so many ways, here is your user dashboard after you login. It feels very comfortable right off the bat and there is the thing you need to get a good grasp on is circles and how the privacy of sharing is done in context. You choose what circles you want to share to and the privacy is built in right there.
Here’s a screen.
CONCLUSION
There you have it, at first glance, Google+ seems promising. Its fresh, new, and very user friendly. However, for a social platform to take off, there has to be people using it. It remains to be seen if people will be switching from Facebook just like they did from Friendster to Facebook.
Most of my contacts in Google+ are my tech friends who are early adopters and somehow mostly male. If you haven’t tried it yet, now is a good time to try, just leave a comment on this post with your email and I can send an invite your way. Cheers, thanks for reading.
Social Marketing, Why You Should Do It
It is no secret that at least half of the people you know are users of one social network or more. In the last 2 years, there has never been a more profound development in technology in bridging people together. People are social animals by nature and the need to interact is what it is all about. Deep down, no one likes to be always alone.
Social media now lets people connect and share their lives. The beauty and power of this is control and exclusivity. You have the power to be as open or as private as you want to be. You choose what content you want to share and who you want to share it to. You also control who you want to know more about.
For marketers, it has long been the norm that advertising and communication is targeted at a demographic or social profile but never has it be as easy as to interact on a personal level. The social media opens up possibilities that is not available before. So before I go further, I would like to share a chart to you made by FredCavazza.net
If you realize, social networking is not just Facebook. Sure most people are on-board the social networking wagon today because of Facebook and Twitter. Mind you they are indeed at the forefront but the scope is much more than that. Games have their own online ecosystem in MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online) games. Blogs has their own niche and readers, YouTube channels has made instant amateur celebrities, the list goes on.
So definitely, as a marketer, you cannot afford to not be involved as you competitors will be. The question is, where and how? Its all too many, its all too new. That is what I often hear from my friends and my clients.
So, to keep my article at reasonable length, I will just tell you ‘why you should do it’ and save the ‘how’ for another article.
1. Its not just about friends. This is one of the common misconceptions marketers make. They think social media is just about connecting with friends, sharing photos and making comments about each other. Yes, it is about that, but it is so much more.
Research has shown that people will like and follow a brand on social media for several reasons:
- To show their support for a brand
- To find out about the latest promotions
- To get exclusivity
- To get customer service (though this is mostly bottom of the list since most will use email, then the phone, and save social media for last resort)
Given that people will be willing to follow your brand, shouldn’t it be your duty as a good marketer to give them something worthy of their attention?
2. To get found, to get viewed, and to get heard. Since it has been established that almost everyone interacts online in one social media or another, it is where people are when they are online. Not exactly all the time but very likely, a person will check his Facebook, Twitter, Forum, Blog, or others at least once a week. Probably more than that. If they are there, you should be there as well. Its the perfect opportunity to let them know you exist, and that you have something they could be interested in.
The key though is content. Social Marketing is not about SPAM. It is not about unsolicited messages. Remember, people have control and they can just as easily kick you out. It is very important to always give good content. Ask yourself this, is my content going to be interesting? Is my content going to be of value? Your content should be something you would be willing and wanting to get yourself at the minimum.
3. Build relationships. Foster brand loyalty. When customers voluntarily like your brand on a social media platform, they are already giving you a chance to build a relationship. If you take care of that relationship, you have a genuine opportunity to become a ‘friend’ of that customer and not just a cold-hearted corporation. You can interact with them on a conversational level, share content that will be valued. Do all this, and in return, you will gain brand loyalty.
Simply put, Social Marketing is here to stay, its a great tool to build your brand. If you do not start getting on it, your competitors will. Can you afford not to?
2010 iPod Lineups
Apple as announced their biggest update yet to the new iPod lineup of products. This year, there are major updates to the 3 iPods, iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano, and the iPod Touch. Let’s get right down to business shall we and see what they are all about.
The new 2010 iPod Shuffle
Key Points:
- Combined use of buttons and voice makes this the easiest iPod to use for quick music control. Buttons to control your music and a voice to tell you what song or playlist is playing.
- Smallest form factor with built-in clip makes it the best iPod for mobility. Clip it anywhere and you are good to go.
- Cheap. $49 for 2GB makes this very economical. You do not need to worry about carrying expensive hardware when you are out running, at the gym, or when travelling.
The compact form factor makes it very easy to carry and bring anywhere. It comes in colorful options as well so there is sure to be a color that fits your personality. The low price tag also means its not a difficult decision to buy and its a great gift to give this coming holiday.
The new iPod Nano
Key Points:
- Multi-Touch. The new Nano features multi-touch screen with roughly the space to put 4 app icons.
- Genius playlist is included in the software for great playlist creation.
- Photos. It has support for photos but I don’t think the small screen size is optimal for it. The iPod Touch seems more suited.
- FM Radio. The iPod Nano also features ‘Live Pause’. This lets you pause radio in real time and lets you resume playback up to 15 minutes back.
- Fitness. It has a built-in Pedometer that can track your every step. The pedometer can be used as a stand-alone feature or can be improved with the use of a Nike Sport Kit and by syncing your data with a free account on Nike+ website.
- It can double as a watch. Just not a very good one. No water resistance and no shock resistance makes this a poor watch but man, how awesome would you look.
Now its just a matter of time before apple puts in a camera and FaceTime for you to become the next Dick Tracy.
The new iPod Touch
Key Points:
- FaceTime is apple’s video calling over Wi-Fi. The new iPod Touch comes with a front facing camera that lets you use FaceTime to do video calls with other new iPod Touch users and iPhone4 users.
- Retina display. This is the highest resolution screen on an iPod ever. This new technology was first used in the iPhone 4. It allows for more awesome graphics and sharper text.
- HD video recording. The back camera features 720p HD recording.
- Game Center. Its a social networking app that lets you see what your friends are playing and vice-versa. It lets you create your own circle of gaming friends or it can help you find strangers to play a game with when your friends are not around. Gaming will no longer be a lonely affair.
- A4 chip. It uses the latest processor which is also the same one used to power the iPhone 4. This allows apps to run smoother and faster and makes room for new apps that could not work on the old processors.
- Lighter, slimmer and longer battery life. It is now rated for 40 hours of audio or 7 hours of video on a full charge cycle.
Mosquito-killing Laser Turret
I have just recently stumbled upon an interesting piece of technology in development. Its the Deathstar for mosquitos!
Its developed by an invention company called Intellectual Ventures. The objective of the project is to help kill malaria mosquitoes in third-world countries. The device is made up of basic electronic components sourced from everyday electronic items it seems.
Here is a nifty video demonstration. Not e the blue flashes on the mosquitoes wings are it being hit by the laser. This video is a fraction of a second of what happens during a zap. Once this technology becomes commercialized, bug zapper or laser turret? Hmm… Laser Turret please!
Video Magazine and Digital Publishing on the iPad
With Apple’s latest upcoming product, the iPad, there is now a whole new world of possibilities in the publishing business. The iPad will have an online bookstore much like the appstore built-in. You will be able to purchase novels, subscribe to your favorite newspaper and magazines.
The promise of this new medium is that with a larger high quality display, it is the best browsing and reading experience ever. It also opens up new possibilities to traditional print where options were never possible before. You can now incorporate video right into the content. For example, instead of reading the great sports play made by your football team, why not see that clip right there? Instead of reading the captions of a speech, why not see the video of the speech itself?
I for one is definitely excited on the possibilities this can bring. Leading the pack already is VIV Publishing. They are a publishing company that is all digital. Here is a preview of their work and how they plan to change the game in publishing.
VIV Mag Interactive Feature Spread on the iPad
VIV Mag Digital Motion Cover for the iPad
New York Times Demo on the iPad
With the iPad priced at $499 on the entry level model, it becomes quite possible to get this device on the hands of many people. Exciting times ahead boys and girls!
Courier: Microsoft’s New Tablet
Hmm.. It certainly does seem to be like a Microsoft week. Here is yet another post related to them. Make no mistake, while Microsoft is a great company, I am no fanboy. I like Apple’s products as well as Microsoft’s. I just share what I find interesting as it happens. So here you go..
image courtesy of gizmodo
While people have been waiting and excited about Apple’s rumored tablet, the fruity company has yet to disclose anything official. Microsoft in the meantime has announced their working development. The Courier is a dual 7-inch screen multi-touch. The screen interface can be controlled by finger swipes and can be written into with a stylus pen. The full story can be found on gizmodo which were given the exclusive. Watch this video:
Windows 7 Philippine Launch at SM North Edsa Cyberzone on Nov 7, 2009
Microsoft Philippines is officially launching Windows 7 this Saturday (Nov. 7, 2009) at Cyberzone SM North Edsa. This is located in the newest building SM built which used to be the old SM Annex. It starts at 10am and runs for two days until Nov. 8, 2009.
There is no specific activities disclosed but it is guaranteed there will be alot of games, prizes, and marketing gimmicks for this weekend. Part of Windows 7 launch strategy is to offer alot of discount and promos related to the release. One such promo is that you can get the Windows Home Basic Full Product for only Php 7,777. It is said to be at Php 8,000 post event. I still find this item to be pricey to be honest. It would be better to just get the Windows Home Premium version for a bit more.
Alot of other marketing was done via Facebook and Twitter and I must say its a stroke of genius and well played by the marketing team. The facebook was able to get over 12,000 fans and its wall has just been crazy with activity and buzz. Alot of prizes were also given out via these social networking sites and the marketing promotions milked the social network perfectly. One of the longer term contest was the Hunt for Points. People just have to click on special banners across the Microsoft site and partner website to earn points. These points can then be redeemed during the event. Giveaways include pens, buttons, stickers, shirts, hoodies, and even Windows 7 Home Basic software products.
All in all, I think this was the best marketing launch Microsoft Philippines has pulled off to date. It remains to be seen at the even itself but they hype they were able to build up is impressive. Too bad not everyone could walk away a winner of some prize since you had to compete with 12,000 other fans. =)
Tom from MySpace tries out Facebook
Whoever remembers the days you still used MySpace? I came across this funny image on the Internet. Its supposedly MySpace’s creator ‘Tom’ trying out facebook. Hilarious. Read the wall from the bottom up for better appreciation.
Windows 7 For Sale! Special Time Limited Offer!
For a time-limited offer, I can sell you Microsoft’s latest new operating system at discount. Through my company, i4 Asia, I was able to get from our supplier a pre-launch special for the Full Packaged Product (FPP) versions of Windows 7.
FPP means they are not OEM and they are not upgrades. These are new original and transferable licenses. This is a good investment actually. This means when your PC gets obsolete, your license can be transferred to your new computer. (OEM licenses can’t). Also, this is the only option I believe that you can buy if you are using a Mac and wants to install a licensed version of Windows 7. You can compare the editions here.
Home Basic – Php 5,500
Home Premium – Php 7,500 (Regular SRP of $199)
Professional – Php 12,500 (Regular SRP of $299)
Ultimate – Php 13,500 (Regular SRP of $319.99)
PRICES VALID UNTIL OCT 29, 2009 (as a special tie-up promotion to my blog, I will give P500 starbucks gift certificate for readers of my blog that buys. Just tell me you saw this)
SAVINGS!! I can get you discounts for volume orders. Just call me at 09178124062 for faster discussions. Hurry as this is a limited offer only. I am not sure what the new price will be after Oct 30. Don’t miss out! Order Now!
This version is said to be better than Windows XP or Vista by all reviewers. Since there has been tons of review out there, I will not waste time writing what has been written already. Here is an Engadget review if you want to know more.
Official launch in Philippines is on Nov. 7, 2009 at SM North Edsa Cyberzone
Honda Unveils New Unicycle: U3-X
Honda recently unveils its new personal mobility gadget–The U3-X. Its the smallest compact personal mobility device Honda has ever shown. Its still in development stages and Honda still has no plans on putting it on the market.
The device is small enough to be carried and is battery operated. It operates much like a segway device but is much much smaller. The device is steered by leaning towards the direction you want and no hands are required in its operation. While it can useful to anyone, it opens up new possibilities elderly and the handicapped.
Honda visions that this can be the smallest personal transport for the future. Check this video:
Apple iPod Updates, What’s New and What’s Hot
It has almost been 2 weeks since Apple’s 9-9-9 event and everyone has almost had their chance to download and try out the newest technologies from Apple’s Music products. The iTunes and iPods.
So What is New?
- New iTunes 9
- New iPhone and iPod Touch 3.1 software update
- New iPod Shuffle colors + Limited Edition Shuffle in silver aluminum casing
- Bigger iPod Touch capacity at the same price
- New Video Recording feature for the iPod Nano
So let me discuss in summary what I think about each of these new updates. Keep in mind I am not doing a full review but I would just like to share briefly and straight to the point what you may need to know.
New iTunes 9
If you still haven’t updated, go do it now. iTunes 9 is a major upgrade and it is packed with new features. Wha
t you will first notice is the interface. It kept the same old navigation scheme but now has a brighter and cleaner look.
Next up are Genius Mixes. Remember the Genius Playlist function that never quite worked so well? Now it does! Finally after some time of much data gathering, apple seem to have a more refined Genius function now. What Genius does for those that didn’t know is that you can pick a song and Genius will create a playlist from that song of what it thinks will go well together. You can surprise yourself or even rediscover music you forgot you even had.
Now what Genius Mixes does is that it takes it one step further. Instead of just creating a playlist, it can go on forever just like having your own personal DJ. It can also create Genius Mixes albums already for you!
Important Note on this feature is that after installing the new iTunes 9, you have to click “Update Genius” to have this feature kick in.
Genius Mixes is the best feature for me in this update but the other new stuff are:
- Better Syncing (especially for iPod Touches and iPhone where you can graphically manage your apps layout)
- iTunes LP (essentially it lets albums have extra content like lyrics, trivia, video clips, etc. The interface to this LP menu can also be custom designed by the artists themselves)
- Home Sharing (you can now copy music from a family member’s iTunes Library when Home Sharing is turned on. It used to be you can only play. Now you can copy them too
New iPhone and iPod Touch 3.1 software update
- Genius for Apps (this is the best feature I think. It does for apps what it does for music. It will recommend what app goes well together)
- Genius Mixes for Music
- Improved Syncing
New iPod Shuffle Colors
A picture is said to be worth a thousand words so I rest my case.
Bigger iPod Touch capacity at the same price
For the same price point, they upgraded the 16GB to 32GB and the 32GB to 64GB. Too bad if you just bought a new iPod Touch before this announcement but if you have been thinking about getting one, now is a good time as any. Just make sure to check with your local retailer to make sure he is not trying to unload his old stocks on you.
While local retailers pricing may vary, Apple’ s pricing scheme is pretty much standard worldwide so expect similar pricing.
New Video Recording for the iPod Nano
Everyday, more and more people are creating video content. Browse through YouTube alone and you will find thousands and thousands of videos. Apple has not built into the iPod Nano a video camera of good quality. Here is a sample of an unedited video:
My initial reaction to this is that “yeah its cool but hey, my phone has video too.” If you think about it, the feature alone is not gonna make you buy the Nano but if you consider that you are buying a portable music player that has a bonus video recording function that has good quality and is just as think and just as light.. hmm.. awesome. No other portable music player has that.
Other new features in the Nano worth mentioning are the Live Pause for FM Radio and the Pedometer for the Nike+iPod. Now the iPod Nano can pause radio in real time and let you play back up to 15 minutes and then lets you fast forward to catch up to real time broadcast.
In Summary
There you have my friends is as short of quick run through as possible on the new noteworthy features and updates for the new iPods and iTunes. I did not cover every single detail as it is not my aim to bore you and those information can be googled anyway if you are interested in any particular topic. Thank you for reading and I hope you are enjoying the other posts in my blog.
There’s an App for that: Apps for Stalkers
This video is so hilarious that I just have to share it. I love how creative some people can be.
Yahoo gives up search engine business. Sells to Microsoft
Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz (left) and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (right) signs the deal with a giant pen
This is one of those news that already happened before I even put my blog up but its interesting enough that I wanted to post it out there for those that haven’t heard yet. Yes folks, Yahoo! has officially sold their search engine business to Microsoft.
So what does this really mean?
What this really means is that Yahoo! will still have a search function on their site. What just happens when you search something is that it will be Microsoft’s technology working its magic and not Yahoo!’s. The site will be powered by Microsoft’s own search engine–Bing. If you search on Bing and on Yahoo!, you will get the same results. Yahoo’s will just have a “powered by Bing”.
So where will be the future of Yahoo! and Microsoft on this matter?
Yahoo will concentrate on it being a portal and being the site everyone wants to go to for all the other services like mail, groups, special interests. It just needs to have a search function but does not want to handle that side of the business anymore.
Microsoft will be focusing on promoting Bing and its ad-serving technologies to compete with Google. Having this deal adds value to advertising on Bing as it gets both customers searching on Bing and Yahoo!
Why did they do this?
From Yahoo!’s point of view, they feel that people go to their site to do other things like check email, horoscopes, rather than the search engine as a primary purpose. As such, by selling it, Yahoo! CEO Carol Bartz feel that the deal enables them to have a healthy revenue stream to invest on critical areas to their future while Microsoft can focus on search.
From Microsoft’s point of view, they wanted to have a stronger competitive platform to compete with Google. By buying Yahoo! they would now have an estimated 30% of the market compared to Google’s 70%. This gives them a much better footing.
How much did it cost?
Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. What happens is that Microsoft will be paying Yahoo! 88% of the ad revenues coming from ads on Yahoo! for the next 5 years. Microsoft further guarantees Yahoo that it will earn equal or more than it currently does for the next one and a half years. Not a bad deal considering Microsoft originally wanted to buy it for $45 billion back in 2008. Today, it doesn’t have to pay anything outright and as they pay Yahoo! with revenue generated from Yahoo’s own site.
And oh, Microsoft gets exclusive rights for 10 years to Yahoo!’s search engine technology. After that its pretty much unclear. But given it has Bing, its really just to be sure Microsoft will have control.
So when is this going to happen?
The deal has already been confirmed and is expected to complete by early 2010. There is still alot of paperwork and signatures to get in order. The implementation is expected to take another 3-6 months so we should be seeing Yahoo search powered by Microsoft in mid 2010. The ads listings will take another 2 years so everything fully integrated should be by year 2012. Just right on time for the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar predictions.
Project Natal
Project Natal: Controller-Free Gaming
UPDATE (July 31, 2010): Project Natal is now called Microsoft Kinect. See updated article here.
This is old news but for those who haven’t heard yet, Microsoft announced last June 1, 2009 during E3 2009 that they are developing the next generation of console gaming. Code-named Project Natal, this will be on the Xbox 360. It features controller-free gaming. All you need is yourself. With motion sensors and cameras installed on your TV setup, Project Natal can detect hand and body gestures, facial expressions, and voice. The resulting experience is pretty amazing!
Check out this trailer:
There is no announcements yet on price or a release date but there are expectations for its release late 2010.
Snow Leopard Official Launch Date on August 28
Mac OSX Snow Leopard Launch Date
Apple announced today that its newest OS will launch August 28, 2009. The new OS dubbed “Snow Leopard” is an enhancement over the previous version of Mac OS X “Leopard”. Apple has chosen the name as to reflect what would be faster and better version of a Leopard.
Current Leopard users can pre-order the upgrade for $29 and a family pack (5-users) for only $49.
Snow Leopard promises major improvements over the previous version with key features being:
64-bit
This means that previous memory limitation of 4GB as being the max that applications can use is no longer. With 64-bit computing, the theoretical max is now 16 billion gigabytes. While that is an exaggeration, this just means the memory capacity is ready for the future. All built-in applications are now also in 64-bit. This means everything is faster from startup to shutdown.
Grand Central Dispatch (GCD)
Simply put. The new Snow Leopard is now more efficient in the utilization of multi-cores. This feature further enhances the speed and capability of the hardware available today.
OpenCL
Formally called Open Computing Language. This is an open standard C-based programming language that allows programmers to maximize the power of the graphics processing unit (GPU). Most of the routine applications we use are not really graphics intensive. So while that processing power is there in our graphics cards, generally these are resources that are not used. With OpenCL, Snow Leopard can now use that power in your general applications. Again, another leap towards being the faster OS.
These are just the main technologies that make Snow Leopard so exciting. It is because of these that makes possible the overall improvement across all built-in applications and future software to be better, faster, and easier.
For more details, Check out the Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard Site.
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