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Sunday 1 December 2013

THE BEST 10 SMARTPHONE FOR BUSINESS-2014

You strength judge that upgrading to a intelligent sound is a operative melody, but judgment the faction gadget that leave gibe your specific business needs requirements can be hard. It is big to do adequate search to refrain termination up with an pricy clever sound that doesn't contain the features you beggary. This article present give you the lowdown on how to undergo the superior Effort Requirements.


Basically, you love six principal streetwise phone platforms to choose from: iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Mobile, Region OS, and Nokia 60. Do both research on the strengths and weaknesses of these applications to find which one incomparable fits the requirements of your concern. Purchase a examine at the existing fund in your part. "Do you poverty the sound to apply with Microsoft Turn, or Lotus Notes, or bonk the power to sequester Microsoft State documents?" Smart sound experts recommend prioritizing functions because it lets you maximize the features of the stylish phone.

Keyboard Considerations

Intelligent phones proceed in all shapes, sizes, and designs. If you mostly rely on your phone for statement processing, get a QWERTY-based keyboard. This give neaten collection signaling much expeditious. Measure phones are unspoiled for systemic use but not for transferrable workers. Also, study your personalised predilection when it comes to choosing the identify of keyboard. Whatsoever people promote palatal keyboards similar Factors

Your locating can dictate what typewrite of sound you should buy. A lot of phone manufacturers tie up with bound carriers and this can extent your choice. In improver, if you oftentimes guidance to Collection, getting a GSM-phone that entireness foreign may be a gambler option than a Northeastward American-centric CDMA-based movable gadget.

Advisable Phones for Acting

• BlackBerry Section - lightweight and bitty, this QWERTY-based BlackBerry phone is nonpareil for means warriors. It has a built-in 2-megapixel camera, media player for sound, photos, and videos, as comfortably as GPS sailing group. The sound entirety in statesman than 200 countries.

• MOTO Q 9th Hurt Sound - this Windows-powered pattern is a solid deciding for most executives because it supports document beginning, its editing, and vigil. The ambulatory phone also features Bluetooth Reproducer, microSD store carte enlargement, and scurrying 3D connectivity.

• LG Voyager - if you're hunting for a phone that provides fantabulous ideal for money, the LG Voyager is a fresh prime. It has a high-resolution take impede correspondent to the iPhone but it contains an further somatosense feedback. One downside to the Voyager is that it does not hold built-in Wi-Fi; instead, it has high-speed 3D connectivity.

One of the greatest mistakes whatsoever grouping make is purchase stylish phones for the "crowing businessperson". It is much primary to buy a sound you beggary than something you requisite because your determination affects your business act capabilities. Though it would be uppercase to own the latest and coolest gadgets in the industry, you should order suffice over trend. You won't ruefulness it.

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HOW TO DOWNLOAD APK FILE DIRECTLY FROM GOOGLE PLAY STORE

I have a questions to you: How To Download APK File Directly From Google Play Store?

You may would like to download an Android APK file from the Google Play Store for various reasons. Perhaps the files you want to download are big or too large to download on to your phone or possibly you may not have access to the apps due to your location. Either way there's a method to downloading the package file from Google Play and then sideloading them on to your phone.

How To Download APK File Directly From Google Play Store

An Easy Way to Download APK Files from Google Play: 

Android, smartphone apps and games are packed as APK files. Learn how to easily download any APK file from the Google Play Store. Android apps are packaged as APK files. You'll be able to use any File Manager app to copy these files from the computer to your Android device and then touch the .apk file to install, or sideload, the corresponding app on your device.

There are various reasons why you may want to download the APK installer of an Android app from the Google Play store:

Google Play Store says that a particular app or game is incompatible with your Android device though you know that the app would work just fine.
Sometime an Android app may be not be available for download in the Google Play store of your region or country.
An app is listed on the Google Play store but you want to install that app on another Android device, like the Amazon Kindle tablet, that doesn’t have the Play Store.
How To Download APK File Directly From Google Play Store

Since this we will be using a web service EVOZI. This is a website which allows you to paste the App URL from Google Play Store. Once the app URL pasted it will make a direct download link. The download link will allow you download the APK file for any free Android App available on Google Play Store.

Since the App APK is brought from Play Store, their wont be any security issues. Also the internet site only allows free apps and not the paid at one time henceforth app piracy is not encouraged.

The APK file once downloaded can alongside loaded on your Android Phone and the app can be installed with just one click of a button.

NOTE: This method isn't allowed by Google and it does violates Google Play Store terms of services, so no matter how safe it is always do it on your own risk.

HOW TO UPDATE THE SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 3 LATEST VERSION

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3, come to the United States back in October, arrived with Android4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box. And because of this, Galaxy Note 3 users are highly interested in what comes next for the device in terms of software. The what is next for users should be a Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update release, a release that has already been rumoured but still hasn’t been confirmed.

How to update the Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Agreeing to rumors Samsung is already testing Android Kit Kat 4.4 on this device. We suspect that we will not have to waiting too long before it gets here. It's likely that the Note 3 will receive another big update before Sammy stops updating it. It's not yet known whether the next version will be called Android 4.5 or 5.0.

The first thing you do: Before you update take a moment to backup your data.

While I've never ever lost any data while updating any of my Android phones, I highly recommend that you spend some time backing up your phone. At the very least I'd Backup your Android contacts and backup your smartphone photos. This way you make sure that you don’t loose the most all-important data, should anything go wrong and you brick your smartphone.

The second thing is: How to update the Note 3 OTA.

Go to Home screen tap the Settings icon.
From the settings tab select the General tab.
Right away you have to click where it says About device.
Next, click the Software update tab.
And finally click where it says Update.
If this was useful why not.

watch this video to discover: How to update the Samsung Galaxy Note 3

How to update the Note 3 via a computer with Kies:

Launch Samsung Kies and connect the device to the computer with the USB cable.
Kies will automatically check whenever your phone has the latest available Android version.
If an update is available a pop up will come out and you can choose to start the process.
If you've just successfully updated your Galaxy Note 3, congratulations. If no update was found you should wait a few days and give it another go.

Wednesday 27 November 2013

YouTube Partner Program ! Make Money Online

You might have heard about people making money from YouTube. Well! It is quite true that a lot of young vloggers (video bloggers) are making money with YouTube partner program.
Even you could make money with the program if you know how to do it. Let me warn you in the beginning that YouTube Partner program is not for everyone. You need to have talent before you could imagine of making money with it. It is a fact that only small percentage of people are successful in making money with YouTube.
Therefore, don’t expect any easy money here. If you have passion for video blogging then continue reading this article.
What is YouTube Partner Program?

YouTube partner program is nothing but you could make some money with your videos you upload, it is that simple.

Google gives you an opportunity to make some money if you upload your videos on YouTube. The videos that you create for your family and friends could be monetized in order to reach a wider audience.

YouTube program would help you in exactly doing that. Once you have a great audience then you could start making money with it. YouTube’s vibrant partner network is full of creativity and mentors that could help you creating high quality videos.

YouTube would give you full support for creating videos and reaching out to a wider audience.

Moreover, Google also allows you to monetize your videos to an array of non-YouTube networks also. Hence, you can widen your platform.

How Your Casual Videos Can Earn You Money

If you have been creating and uploading videos on YouTube for a while now, then you would not have any problem in making money with those videos.

If you love to create videos which are very informative, fun and useful for the audiences then you have a great chance for making money with it.

However, I would like to warn you that not everyone who uploads videos could make money. It is because your videos have to have some content that people would love watching it.

Causal videos are only good enough if they can relate to people who are watching it. So, try to make your videos more interesting.

If you think you have a talent then you could step up and create videos that could pay you some money.
How to Join the Program

I don’t think joining the program is any difficult. You could go into your YouTube account setting and click on the Monetization Tab. Click on Enable My Account and follow the subsequent steps one by one and join the program.

Now if your account has been enabled for monetization then complete following things.

1. Enable and Disable ads on Your Videos: As your video uploads, in Monetization tab click on “Monetize my Video” check box. You have to choose ad formats which are best for maximizing your earnings. Click save

After reviewing your video, ads would start appearing on it.

After you have uploaded the video, click Edit and locate “$” button next to your video. Again click on the Monetize my video check box and select the ad format and your ads would start showing.

2. Familiarizing with Monetization Icon Next to Your Video: You need to understand different kinds of monetization icon. At least there are five different buttons and you needed to know every one of them.

3. If Monetization is Disabled for Your Channel then What Next? : Well it could happen that the monetization function itself is disabled for your account. This might be because of various reasons like copyright issues, account status and Adsense status.
How to Professionally Create Videos?

For creating a professional video you need to have certain tools at your disposal.

First one is a high quality camera. Always choose a camera with 1080 pixels. It would give you very high quality videos that your audience would love it.

Then you have to focus on the sound quality. You could use external microphones because they are better at capturing good sound videos.

You need to stabilize your camera and it should not be shaking. Otherwise your videos would look completely amateurish. You could use tripod and steadycam to stabilize your videos.

Always learn better shooting techniques and Google could help you in doing that.

Next very important tool is the editing software. Good quality software always allows you to give full control over your videos. You can use special effects to make your videos more professional.

You need to ads logos, animated titles and other special effects to make your videos standout.

For more you could visit the “creators” page of YouTube and know more about tools.
Can You Earn Money from Copied Videos?

Well, you must know that you cannot make money with any kind of copied content. The content that you create must be original and there is no chance of making money with copied videos.

You might have seen many channels on YouTube that uploads videos containing content of some other media groups. Like videos uploaded that has content from news channels like Fox News, ABC, MSNBC, ESPN etc. You cannot make money with those videos because it is copyright violation.

Similarly you cannot upload movie clips or songs and expect to make money with it.

You can only make money if videos are original and created by you.
How Google Pays You: Clicks or Visits?

According to the Google you could earn revenue in following ways
Ads served through the Adsense Auction
Ads that are sold on a reservation basis via DoubleClick and other YouTube Sources
Transactions on YouTube Rentals

For a common video blogger that has joined the YouTube program you could make money depending upon the views that your video receives.

Usually they pay you 1 cent or less than that for a single view. Then if you get a million views for a particular video then you could make anywhere $3000 to $4000 for that video.

Hence, you better start focusing on creating good videos and getting as many as views.
How Much Money Could You Make?

Well as I said earlier you get paid 1/3 cent to 1 cent per view. If you get 1000,000 views X .0033 = $3300 for one video.

So similarly if you create more such videos then you could make up to $10,000 every month. However, you have to be very popular and create some awesome videos.

For me, it is not only about the money but the fame that you get. Even if you don’t make enough money but you are famous then you may get noticed by other popular networks like MTV and mainstream media.

If you reach their then your audience would grow naturally. Hence, you have to focus on creating videos that stands out from the rest.
Tips to Maximize Your Earnings

Some of the tips to maximize your YouTube Earnings
1. Quality of Your Videos:

Use best editing software and recording cameras. Never compromise on that.
2. Choose New Topics for Creating Content:

Your every video must be inspired by something that is happening around you and audience could relate to it very easily.
3. Humor in Your Videos:

Make your videos humorous. It should not be dull and boring. Get inspired from some of the famous sitcoms.
4. Title and description of Your Video:

Create title which are very catchy and write description that could justify your video.
5. Add Video Responses and Annotations:

You must add video responses and annotations, so that people could respond to it and you could engage them in a conversation.
6. Create Follow Up Videos:

Always create follow up videos answering questions that people asked you in the comment section.
7. Choose Various Ad Formats:

You have to experiment with different ad formats.
8. Early bird catches the Worm:

Try to create and upload videos on a topic which is controversial as early as possible. If video goes viral then you get more views meaning more money.
Some of the Successful YouTube Channels

Now for inspiration you could take a look at some of the most successful YouTube channels. The creators of these channels create videos that are original and have more than a million subscribers.
Smosh – They started in the year 2006 with over 13 million subscribers.
Ray William Johnson – Started in 2007 with 11 million subscribers.
PewDiePie – Started in year 2010 with over 6 million subscribers.
Fred – It started in year 2009 with 2 to 3 million subscribers.

You need to go to YouTube and find more such channels. There are many channels from different genres.

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Mobile device and Digital Gadget Insurance policy for normal users

A couple of decades back, a life insurance policy was all most of us needed. As of today, people are getting an insurance cover for anything and everything that is subject to uncertainty. People are getting an insurance cover for their personal vehicles, home, etc. Now, they have even started getting insurance policies of their electronic gadgets. That is partly because gadgets are becoming increasingly important for all of us.
Cell phones have almost become a necessity for everyone. Laptops, iPads are there in a big way now too. As are iPods, still cameras, video cameras, gaming consoles, etc.
Benefits/ Importance of Gadget Insurance Policy
Just like a theft insurance policy covers your risk in case of theft, a fire insurance policy protects you from an accidental fire, a gadget insurance policy gives you a cover for the losses you might incur in case of an accident involving the various gadgets you own.
Some such risks are:
Loss of Gadget


It is not uncommon to lose a gadget. Cell phones get lost so often. The next are digital cameras and laptops. It is easy to forget them in a public place like buses, trains, restaurants, office, departmental store, etc.
I remember losing my digital camera years back while I was holidaying due to sheer negligence. I thought my hubby had packed it inside the rucksack we were carrying while he thought it was in my hand bag. By the time we realized that it want with either of us, the camera was gone! Luckily for us, it was not a very expensive one.
Theft of Gadget
With cases of theft and snatching on the rise, it would indeed be a good idea to have your gadgets (particularly the handy ones like cell phones, cameras, laptops, iPads and iPods) covered for loss due to theft.
My son lost his Sony PSP in a crowded departmental store as he absent mindedly kept in on the cashiers table while clearing off the bill. By the time he had paid for the stuff he had bought, some smart samaritan had walked off with his PSP.
In a situation like this, you have no option to get your electronic gadget back. But if you have an insurance policy, it can help you to cover the financial loss caused by the theft of your gadget.
Gadget Damage due to Water/ Other Liquids


Many gadgets get damaged due to water or other liquids. I remember blowing up the mother board of my old laptop when my six year old son standing next to me spilt his glass of milk over the keyboard.

Then, I have a friend who had to wash her hands off her iPhone as she forgot to take it out of her jeans’ pocket and put the soiled pair to wash in her fully automatic washing machine.
A friend’s husband was caught in a sudden downpour as he headed out of his office to his car. As he clung on to his files to save them from getting wet, he forgot all about the cell phone is his trouser’s pocket which got damaged due to water damaging the internal parts.
This can happen to any of us but having an insurance policy can save you from the monetary loss due caused due to water damage.
Breakage of Gadget

Electronic gadgets are also prone to breakdowns. Voltage fluctuations, accidentally dropping, system failures can all cause severe damage to many gadgets.

My boss’s teenaged son borrowed his Samsung Galaxy Note 2 for day just to flaunt it for a few days. It fell down his pocket as he was riding his bike. Before he could park the bike by the side of the road and pick up the valuable device, a car had run over it and damaged it beyond repair!
Why You Should Get Gadget Insurance?
A gadget insurance policy usually covers devices like:
Cell phones and iPhones
Laptops and accessories
Tablets and iPads
Portable gadgets like iPods, digital cameras, MP3 players, video cameras, tripods, binoculars, etc.
Other non portable gadgets like play stations, X-box, etc
The items covered by your gadget insurance plan will depend upon your insurance provider.
You usually get a one year warranty whenever you purchase a gadget. Most buyers do not realize that manufacturers do not cover you for losing your gadget, loss against theft or even loss from water.
When you take a decision to opt for gadget insurance or brush aside the need for it, keep in mind the fact that even the most careful and responsible of us can make mistakes at times. Spending a small amount can protect you from heavy losses in future. There are many insurance companies which require you to pay as little as $6 a month to provide you a policy is all the more reason to opt for one. Considering that an android based cell phone/ iPad / iPod could cost upto $4- 900, spending $6 a month is not such a huge amount after all.
These are the various risks for which you can get you gadgets an insurance cover. While no policy can compensate you for the loss of valuable that when you lose any such devices, the fact that a part of the monetary loss can be recovered does give you some solace.
Your insurance company cannot help you get back the priceless vacation pictures or the pics of your on year old taking his first steps. But they can certainly help you buy a new camera in case you lose it or ot gets stolen.
Gadget insurance, therefore, is the need of the hour. Make sure you get your precious valuables insured!!!

Thursday 10 October 2013

Evergreen Top 10 Best Utility Apps for iPhone for common users

Saying that iPhone is by far one of the most technically potent smartphones on planet today will not be an exaggeration. Choosing the best utility apps for your iPhone will only enable you make the most of your iPhone. You can accomplish multiple tasks without coming across any major issues and unleash the uncharted features of your phone. iPhone users will be able to download the most popular apps from the Apps store online for best results. Pick your favorite iPhone app to maximize your phone’s productivity.


10 Best Utility Apps for iPhone
Given below are the best utility apps for iPhone that are doing rounds in the market today:
1. BatteryMagic
Getting the most out of your iPhone is best possible with the consideration of advanced battery features for your ultimate needs. Perhaps, you could know the status of leftover battery charge regarding specific tasks such as Wi-Fi Internet and 3D Game Play.
2. iNotify
Latest applications and tasks that you need to perform upon your iPhone is possible easily as soon as you unlock your screen. Personalizing colors and customizing wallpapers upon your screen is something that could be best realized with this feature.
3. AppBoxPro
Making use of multiple applications such as calculator, ruler, system info and adjustable brightness is possible with this comprehensive app. In fact, iPhone users get to realize ultimate features with this useful app that produces the ultimate results.
4. Bing iOS
Advanced search options are included with the consideration of Bing 3.01 for your everyday needs. This latest version of Bing will add more efficiency to your diverse needs in an extensive manner. Instant downloading facility will make it a worthwhile experience. You can download Bing for iPhone by clicking HERE.
5. Flash for Free Your iPhone
This can be used to obtain better performance by using it as a flash device and eradicate the use of full-fledged battery operated torchlight. Making use of the camera flash features and several others will be helpful for you to a maximum extent, especially when you can’t carry the torch or light tubes everywhere
6. iEmoticons
Express yourself in a more meaningful manner from a realistic perspective. The use of various emoticons for your diverse needs will prove to be most effective in this regard. You can extend the use of icons on Notes and SMS texting as well.
7. Disc Space
Organizing your memory in a more effective manner is best possible with this useful app. You can know about the leftover memory apart from the memory allocated for each application. The memory status is displayed instantly for best results as well.
8. Video Safe
Saving your personalized collection of videos without experiencing any major issues is best possible with this useful app for your iPhone in an extensive manner. Possibly, you can better manage your videos by offering maximum security in an eventual manner.
9. Rotary Dialer
Ever feel like the classic telephone ringing sound on your iPhone? You can do exactly the same with this Rotary Dialer for your device. Multiple themes and attractive looks could be chosen for the same app to generate a rich and vintage feel with ease.
10. Quicky Browser
This is one app that almost every iPhone user would like to have. By downloading this useful app for your latest needs, it is possible to browse offline webpages whenever you want for your quick reference.
Hoping these 10 best utility apps for iphone will make your device even more useful!

Thursday 19 September 2013

Lumia Windows Phones surpasses Apple marketshare in Asian Market

Windows Phone has apparently surpassed the iPhone marketshare in India to take second place behind Android. To be honest, this shouldnt really be that huge of a suprise since the iPhone cannot be bought on contract here, and is still way too expensive for most folks. On the other hand, Nokia has managed to sell windows phones as low as Rs 10,000 – 12,000 (about $160), which is what theLumia 520 retails for in stores right now. Nokia has also been voted the most trusted brand in India for years in a row, so the overall combination meant good news for Microsoft.
Overtaking Android though, yeah that’s going to be tough.
The Nokia Lumia 520 is an extremely popular smartphone, in fact it's actually the most preferred Windows Phone around. The device has also taken over the Indian Windows Phone market, according to previous reports released by AdDuplex. Today, news has begun circling around that Windows Phone has surpassed the iPhone in India to take second position behind Android.

The most affordable Windows Phone is still cheaper than the iPhone 5C, Apple's recent attempt to boost its efforts in the competitive smartphone market with a cheaper option. The Lumia 520 goes for around Rs. 10,000 (£100 / $160) in India, taking full advantage of the strong brand recognition Nokia has in the region. The Register also notes how Nokia was named winner of India's annual Brand Trust Report in February for the third year in a row.
This brings us back to the whole Microsoft and Nokia purchase. With the deal well in the works, Microsoft will have to get branding just right, should Redmond not wish to avertedly reverse the work Nokia has achieved thus far. Many consumers follow the Nokia brand strongly and how Microsoft will be able to carry that on depends on how the company decides to approach the change.
Source: Microsoft (India); via: The Register; thanks, Laura, for the tip!

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Conan O’Brien updates to iOS 7 Funny moments

So incase you havent heard yet, iOS 7 was released for iPhone and iPad a couple hours ago. Everyone with an iPhone seems to be focused only on updating their iPhone, including popular late night show host Conan O’Brien.

So focused, that he chose to update his iPhone while on the show, and well, hilarity ensues. Check out the funnies, in the video below:

 
Heh, a little dramatic but a lot of folks, yours truly included, kept encountering errors while trying to download the update. Have you managed to install iOS7 yet? What do you think of it so far?

Over-Ear Headphones for Nokia Review through Cloud Boom

Nokia’s Lumia designs so far have been very clean and modern, which set them apart from the ocean of black and white slates out there. Minimalistic styling has definitely gained popularity and is very ‘in’ right now, so it’d make sense that manufacturers are hustling to pump out products that follow that design. Coloud headphones have pretty much been the epitome of minimalistic design, so it’s no surprise that Nokia chose to partner with the Swedish company to create a beautifully crafted pair of headphones, which is what we have here, with the Coloud Boom headphones for Nokia.


Whilst I’m not a huge fan of the model name at all, the Boom has definitely turned out to be an interesting pair of headphones. Check out if it earns the ‘Boom’ name, in the review below.

The Unboxing:-
The Coloud Boom headphones come in a very uniquely shaped triangular box. It’s pretty light on contents, but its a pair of headphones after all, so you cant expect much, heh.


There’s a Coloud logo sticker and some literature, but that’s about it.
More details over in our Coloud Boom Unboxing.

The Design:-

When you pick up the Coloud Boom headphones from the box, one of the first things that you’ll notice, is how lightweight they are.


Admittedly it does feel slightly on the cheaper side because of all the plastic material used for the overall construction, but there’s a nice soft, smooth finish which means it can be very easily cleaned with just wiping it down.


As you can see, we got the cyan blue version, but you also get the Coloud Boom for Nokia headphones in Red, Yellow, Black and White. They all compliment Nokia’s Lumia line of devices very well.


In terms of design, things are really kept very simple. The Boom only has the essentials, with a headband and ear cups, and a tangle-free cable attached, which includes an in-line remote with a microphone built-in. There’s no obvious branding anywhere and even though you’ll notice the tiny inconspicuous Coloud logo on one side, you’ll see no Nokia branding at all on these, except for when you notice that one side of the remote has the Nokia logo, very inconspicuously.


The inline remote only has one center button, with which you can use to play/pause, skip songs, or answer and make calls. There’s no volume controls unfortunately but the built-in microphone does a pretty okay job.

The cable also has a tiny cable management system called the “Zound Lasso” but we’ll talk about that later on.


As nice as the simplicity of the Boom headphones looks like in images, there are some mild annoyances with the design in the real world. For one thing, the headband has sharp edges that can make carrying them a pain. It’s not a problem when you’re wearing them, though I wish there was more padding on the headband so that you couldn’t feel the not-so-awesome quality.


Thankfully, it’s lightweight enough so that it’s not a big issue, and they remained snugly on my head at all times. And as you can probably guess, they slide to adjust for bigger or smaller head sizes.


Moving on, the ear cups are pretty okay. I could have liked them to have been bigger perhaps, since it might be uncomfortable for folks with larger ears over extended listening sessions. They sat well enough on my, very averagely sized ears though. And there is enough cushioning as well.


Coming to the whole Zound Lasso deal, the unique cable management system means that you can wrap the tangle-free cable around using the flexible rubber end where the headphone jack is, securing your cable through a loop. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen/used this and while it doesn’t really look as clean as in promo pics, it does work. I’m surprised no other headphone company has thought of something similar, heh. As a result, they’re very easy to store in your backpack or purse, etc.

The Sound Quality:-


With a name like ‘Boom’ you have certain expectations out of this one. So how does it sound?


When you crank up the audio, the sound quality is definitely there. There’s very little distortion and things can get quite loud.


But that being said, the overall sound quality can be a little muddy with not much distinction between highs and mids. The bass isn’t as hearty as I’d have liked either. But considering the price tag, you cant really expect studio quality performance out of this one. Infact, for the price, it’s actually not too bad at all, and much better than the in-box earphones you get with the average phone.

The Conclusion:-


The Coloud Boom headphones have pros and cons. It might not be great for audiophiles or fans of intense bass, but they’re definitely going to sound better than most in-box phone headsets.


At the end of the day, they’re a very affordable pair of lightweight headphones with simple, minimalistic styling, that more than gets the job done and is solid value for money. If that’s what you’re looking for, these are the headphones for you.

Tuesday 17 September 2013

Protect From Thieves as it Won’t Chop Off Your Finger to Unlock Your iPhone

At launch, the Home button on the iPhone 5S can be used to unlock your phone without you having to enter your PIN and it can be used to authenticate iTunes purchases without requiring you to enter your password. It wouldn’t be surprising to see such functionality eventually extended to third-party apps as well.
English: Picture from the Motorola Atrix 4G We...
English: Picture from the Motorola Atrix 4G Webtop (Notebook) at the CES 2011. Deutsch: Bild des Motorola Atrix Webtop (Notebook) an der CES 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This has lead to the inevitable assumption that thieves the world over will be roaming the streets with cigar cutters, looking to anyone flashing an iPhone 5S.


The thieves will subdue you, chop your finger off, use it to unlock your phone, and then use it to purchase Herbie: Fully Loaded with your money. These thieves will preserve your severed finger for eternity, using it time and time again to download apps, movies, TV shows and songs until you finally go bankrupt.

You will call Apple first to see if you can “change your password,” at which point the rep on the other end will cackle, “Change your password? Your fingerprint is your password! You can’t change your fingerprint. Are you new here? Are you new to life?? This is your first day, isn’t it?!” *click*

Picture the same scenario, except instead of chopping your finger off, thieves do the old lift-your-fingerprint-from-a-glass trick and then manufacture a fake finger with your fingerprint on it, subdue you, steal your phone, and then download Herbie: Fully Loaded.

This is the future we’re about to enter, right? A bunch of people with missing fingers and stolen phones.

Except it’s apparently not going to work. The new breed of fingerprint sensors will require a live finger, according to Mary Branscombe over at CITEWorld.

She writes:

[L]ike the sensor in the iPhone 5S, the sensors that will be in laptops and keyboards and other phones can detect the ridge and valley pattern of your fingerprint not from the layer of dead skin on the outside of your finger (which a fake finger can easily replicate), but from the living layer of skin under the surface of your finger, using an RF signal. That only works on a live finger; not one that’s been severed from your body.

This will protect you from thieves trying to chop off your finger when they mug you for your phone (assuming they’re tech-literate thieves, of course), as well as from people with fake fingers using the fingerprint they lifted from your phone screen.

This new breed of sensor is unlike the ones you may have used on previous laptops, for instance (or the Motorola Atrix, if you owned that smartphone). There’s no swiping involved this time around. Apple purchased fingerprint sensor maker Authentec a while back, which used to make these swipe-style sensors, though Branscombe points out, “Ironically, Apple might have helped speed up the switch to the new style of fingerprint sensor in PCs by telling PC makers they could no longer buy the old fingerprint sensors from Authentec after it bought the company.”

Here’s hoping would be thieves get the memo that the tried and true finger chop isn’t going to work. They’ll need to do things the old fashioned way: bully you into unlocking your phone and downloading Herbie: Fully Loaded for them.

Secret Review Factors of Apple’s iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iOS 7

For all the ways in which the world of technology changes at a breakneck pace, there are plenty of respects in which it hardly seems to change at all. Here’s one: There’s never a shortage of people who are absolutely positive that Apple must do something right away — usually involving adding a feature or hitting a price point — to avoid being rendered irrelevant by the rest of the industry.

Here’s another: Apple seems to take active pleasure in ignoring those people. While it sometimes does stuff in the general ballpark of addressing the competitive issues at hand, it does so on its own timetable, and usually not in the exact fashion the chorus of experts insists is absolutely necessary.

Long ago, the theory emerged that Apple needed to offer not an iPhone but iPhones — multiple models, including a budget-priced version. The theory turned into a rumor that such a move was imminent. Instead, the company continued to introduce only one iPhone a year, and catered to the price conscious by keeping older models around at lower prices.

But now, years later, Apple is doing something in the general ballpark of addressing the competitive issues folks thought would force it to introduce multiple iPhones. And hey — whaddaya know! — it’s done it on its own timetable, and not in the exact fashion the chorus of experts insisted was absolutely necessary.

What it’s done, for the first time ever, is unveil two distinctly new phones at once: the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c. The 5s is a new iPhone of the traditional new-iPhone sort, improving on last year’s model at the same starting price of $199, with a two-year contract. The 5c fits into the lineup where last year’s model has traditionally sat, starting at $99. Both go on sale this Friday in the U.S. from all four major wireless carriers.

Let’s look at the software first, shall we?

Apple’s new mobile operating system, iOS 7, comes on both new iPhones as well as new iPads and iPod Touches, and is available as a free upgrade for recent-model iOS devices. It’s the most sweeping makeover Apple has ever given its mobile software, and is therefore at least as newsworthy as the hardware it runs on.

Until now, iOS has retained nearly the same look as the software Steve Jobs demoed onstage back in 2007 when he announced the original iPhone. It was full of textures, gradients and other fussy little details designed to mimic aspects of the real world. At times they went way, way over the top, like the shredder which sliced Passbook tickets to smithereens when you deleted them.

iOS 7 — the first version overseen by Apple’s minimalism-loving hardware guru Sir Jonathan Ive — deep-sixes nearly all of this fancy stuff. The clean new look is far more of a digital counterpart to the streamlined aesthetic of Ive’s hardware work: black text, simple colors and lots and lots of white space. Most of the pizzazz is provided through animation and transparency effects.

In iOS 7, just about everything which could look different than it does in iOS 6 does look different. It’s a little as if someone remodeled a house and replaced everything from the front door to the silverware.

Me, I wouldn’t have squawked myself if iOS had kept its old interface indefinitely: There are few features as valuable as familiarity. iOS 7 is just so plain different that it requires some adjustment, and you’ll need to train your thumb to perform a few gestures differently. (Getting to the Spotlight search feature, for instance, now involves dragging down on any home screen rather than swiping to the left on the first home screen.)

Life in iOS is different enough that for the first time, I’d recommend that owners of existing iOS devices wait to perform an update until they have some free time to acclimate themselves to the new experience. Still, I think that most people will like it once they’ve gotten comfortable.

Visually, iOS 7 is so overwhelmingly new that you might slip into the assumption that it’s short on substance. And as usual with iOS upgrades, operating-system junkies will have a list of features they’re sorry Apple didn’t add. (Me, I wish it allowed for more customization — such as the ability to pick something other than Safari as the default browser — and made the on-screen keyboard smarter.) Actually, though, there’s lots that’s new — none of it revolutionary, but much of it awfully handy. Such as:
Swipe up from the bottom, and you get a new feature called Command Center, reminiscent of similar features on Android phones. It lets you do stuff like adjust brightness, switch Airplane Mode on and off and control music that’s playing in the background. There’s even a built-in flashlight, which leverages the camera’s flash.
In iOS 6, it’s easy for the Notification Center to get so overloaded with alerts from your apps that it’s intimidating rather than useful. In iOS 7, new “Today” and “Missed” views grind down the volume of information into something you can actually parse with a quick glance.
Double-tapping on the home button lets you bop back to recently-used apps, as before. But now you see jumbo-sized thumbnails of their screens as well as icons. In a feature that Palm’s late, lamented WebOS originated and everyone else has been ripping off ever since, you can drag any one of these thumbnails off the edge of the screen to close the app in question.
The new Photos app makes it far easier to swiftly find photos you’ve taken in the past, even if you’ve got thousands of them. It lets you skim through tiny thumbnails, clusters pictures into groups intelligently geo-tagged with their location — such as “San Francisco — Financial District” — and allows you to jump directly to a particular year in the past.
The camera app now has Instagram-style filters built in, as well as a square-picture option that was presumably designed in part for Instagram fans (although I prefer to think of it as “Polaroid mode”).
Siri, Apple’s voice-controlled assistant, has learned a bunch of new tricks. Her voice now sounds less robotic, and if you’d prefer her to be a him, you can switch to an equally personable male voice. The service also calls on new sources of content, including Bing (sorry, Google fans) and Wikipedia, and is more likely to show you information directly rather than bumping you out to another app.

All of the third-party apps I tried with iOS 7 seemed to work fine: That’s a relief given that major operating-system upgrades often break existing software. But programs will retain their old-school interfaces until their developers update them to match iOS 7. (That’s true even of Apple’s own iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Numbers and Keynote — five extremely useful apps, which now come for free on the 5s and other iOS devices.)

O.K., enough about iOS 7 — on to the iPhone 5s.

If you pay even glancing attention to Apple’s iPhone launches, you know what the company does in odd years such as 2013: It releases an iPhone which keeps the screen and industrial design of the previous model, but which packs a faster chip, a better camera and other technical improvements. So it shouldn’t shock you that the 5s is a dead-ringer for the iPhone 5, with the same 4″ display, but that it’s faster, takes better pictures and incorporates new technologies. (You do get a new color choice: gold, along with a silver version and a gray one that’s lighter in color than the iPhone 5 variant most people thought of as being just plain black.)

But here’s a surprise: The most significant new thing in the iPhone 5s may be a security feature. The phone’s home button now doubles as a fingerprint sensor, via a feature Apple calls Touch ID. It’s optional, but I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to use it, since it makes securing your phone and entering your iTunes password not only painless, but very nearly fun.

Training Touch ID to recognize your fingerprint or thumbprint involves tapping your digit on the sensor repeatedly, adjusting the angle and varying your grip as you go. (You can train the sensor to recognize up to five prints — I taught it about both of my thumbs — and they don’t have to all be on one person’s hands, which is handy if you want to give your spouse access to your phone.) The phone still makes you set up a four-digit passcode just in case, and stores

Anyone who’s owned a laptop with a balky fingerprint scanner knows that making the technology work is no cakewalk. The 5s’s scanner works remarkably well. I’ve used it dozens of times so far, slapping my thumb against the home button without making any effort to be precise. Only once has it failed to identify my thumbprint on the first try. At the moment, it only lets you unlock your phone and sign into iTunes; other capabilities, such as the ability to log into password-protected websites, will presumably show up at some point.

The second most significant thing about the iPhone 5s is its camera. It’s got 8 megapixels, just like the iPhone 5 did. But if you’re not yet convinced that the quantity of megapixels doesn’t have much to do with the quality of photographs, the 5s is an education in why this is so true.

Apple increased the sensor size, the size of the pixels and the size of the aperture, all of which make for better images, especially in low lighting. It gave the camera a new kind of flash, with a white LED and an amber LED that can be used to handle a thousand different lighting environments, according to Apple. It added image stabilization to reduce blur from jittery hands and moving subjects. And if you hold down the shutter button, the camera will shoot off ten pictures in quick succession — then choose the one it thinks looks best.

There’s also a new slow-motion mode, which captures 120 frames a second. After you’ve saved a video, you drag around little dividers to specify which parts should be played at normal speed, and which should be in slo-mo. At first blush, I worried that Apple was succumbing to Samsungitis — a word I just made up to describe the tendency to stuff a phone’s camera with features that sound neat but aren’t all that useful in real life. Then I remembered that only weeks ago, I was playing with the Sphero robotic ball and wanted to shoot it in slo-mo. I did, but only by buying a third-party app that isn’t as simple to use as the 5s’s new feature.

We’re fortunate enough to live in an era of phones with great cameras. It’s possible that Nokia’s Lumia 1020, with its 41-megapixel sensor, is the best of the bunch in terms of raw technical specs, and it takes outstanding photos. But smartphone picture taking is about multiple things: the quality of the camera and flash, the available features and whether they add practical value or merely gimmicky clutter, and the speed with which you can go from deciding to take a photo to having taken one. The iPhone 5s is the smartphone I’d most want to have in my pocket if photo taking were important to me.

A couple of other improvements to the iPhone 5s involve really technical matters, and are somewhat theoretical until apps show up to take advantage of them. The phone uses Apple’s A7 chip; as usual, the company is boasting that it’s up to twice as fast as its predecessor. And as usual, even though the difference may be perceptible, it’s not like anyone disliked the previous iPhone on the grounds that it was too slow.

This time around, however, the new processor isn’t just faster. It’s also based on 64-bit technology rather than the 32-bit version used by other iPhones and all other smartphones. That lets it handle intensive number-crunching jobs more quickly, but also requires that apps be rewritten in 64-bit versions. Fancy 3D games such as Infinity Blade III, which was part of Apple’s media event, should benefit, as may heavy-duty video and photo programs.

But the 64-bit capability is less about immediate benefits to 5s owners and more about Apple kicking off the process of moving the whole iOS platform ahead. If the iPhone 8 or iPhone 9 run amazing apps we can’t even imagine right now, it’ll be in part because the iPhone 5s started the 64-bit transition.

The other improvement that’s a really technical matter may have more short-term impact. The 5s sports a new chip called the M7, devoted entirely to logging data from the gyroscope, accelerator and compass. It can then relay that data to apps, informing them about the phone’s movements — even whether you’re walking, running or riding in a car. And it can do that while the phone’s in your pocket while the main A7 chip stays powered down, preserving battery life. It opens up the possibility of Fitbit-like apps, but with the iPhone serving as the, well, bit. Nike is working on an M7-ready fitness app called Move; others will probably show up, too.

As usual when Apple announces an iPhone, there’s been a fair amount of moaning that the new model isn’t different enough from the old one, and will therefore leave the iPhone as just another smartphone. It’s true that the competition is fiercer than ever and that lots of rational people prefer Android — or even the scrappy underdog known as Windows Phone — to the Apple way of doing things.

And then there’s the matter of screen size. More than ever, it’s a bright line that runs between the countries of iPhoneland and Androidica. If you think that the 4″ display on the 5s (and 5c) is skimpy, that’s a perfectly reasonable stance, and you’ll be happier with an Android phone such as Samsung’s Galaxy S 4 or HTC’s One. The biggest argument for the iPhone’s size, diminutive by current standards, is that you can easily use the phone with one hand without fear of spraining your thumb.

But you know what? The iPhone 5 was already the most polished phone on the market, and the wares in the App Store still beat those in Android’s Google Play. (Even when there’s an Android version of something, which there usually is, it often shows up long after the iOS version is available.) When it comes to the things Apple cares deeply about — and which matter to plenty of smartphone users — the iPhone 5s is a meaningful advance on the iPhone 5, and comfortably ahead of any phone that doesn’t have a picture of a piece of fruit on its backside.

As for the iPhone 5c, it may be a whole new kind of iPhone, but it’s also a pretty simple one to understand. 
It’s the technology from the iPhone 5 stuffed into a plastic shell — available in five vivid colors — with a few minor updates such as a better front-facing camera and a heftier battery. For all the ways in which the 5s has a technical edge over the 5c, there are only a couple of great big immediate benefits you give up by choosing the 5c:. It doesn’t have Touch ID, and it doesn’t have the improved camera with the better sensor, smart flash and slo-mo mode.

Jony Ive implicitly acknowledged that plastic doesn’t exactly have the world’s classiest reputation when he was moved, in a video Apple showed at its media event, to defend the 5c as “beautifully, unapologetically plastic.” And indeed, it’s a really nice plastic phone — on a par with Nokia’s plastic Lumia handsets, which have never felt chintzy, and much more solid-feeling than the iPhone 3G and 3GS, the only previous plastic iPhones. iOS 7 looks particularly nice on it — Apple even customizes the color scheme of the home screen to match the shade of the 5c you bought.

People always say that Apple products are designed in a way that makes the hardware and software seamless, but I’m not sure if that’s ever been as true as it is with the 5c.

Now, $99 (with a two-year contract) is not exactly a breakthrough price for a smartphone; there are plenty of Android models around with more features for the price. (You don’t even have to pay it to get an iPhone: Apple is keeping the two-year-old iPhone 4S around, with 8GB of storage, intending for it to be offered for free on contract.) Andthe $100 you’ll save if you choose the 5c over the 5s is peanuts compared to the cash you’ll turn over to your wireless carrier over the course of a two-year contract.

But I suspect that the iPhone 5c will find a large and enthusiastic audience of people who crave the iPhone’s simplicity and style, don’t care much about specs and are not members of the Bigger Screens Are Better Club. People like my brother-in-law, who’s never owned a smartphone until now, but who’s already pre-ordered the 5c.

Apple is never going to be a company that makes a phone for everybody. That’s fine, because everybody who isn’t smitten with its products has other worthy choices. But with the iPhone 5s and 5c, Apple is finally offering new models for two different types of somebody. Just as important, anyone with an iPhone 4, 4S or 5 can upgrade to iOS 7, Apple’s freshest thinking on what a smartphone operating system should be in 2013 and beyond. Which means that the news isn’t just about two new iPhones. It’s about a whole new iPhone, period, and millions of people who thought they had old iPhones will be along for the ride.

Marisa Mayer magic ! Yahoo hires Google’s Technical Lead for Android’s Open Source Project

Yahoo hires Google’s Technical Lead for Android’s Open Source Project. Jean-Baptiste Queru, Google’s Technical Lead for the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) for nearly six years, is now a Yahoo employee. Queru announced the move via Twitter on Tuesday and Yahoo tweeted a welcoming confirmation. The employer change for Queru, also known as JBQ, won’t shock those who paid attention to Queru’s Google+ page: Last month, he said was “quitting” his AOSP involvementamid challenges with hardware partners and driver support
At that time, Queru posted his frustrations publicly, writing:

“Well, I see that people have figured out why I’m quitting AOSP.
There’s no point being the maintainer of an Operating System that can’t boot to the home screen on its flagship device for lack of GPU support, especially when I’m getting the blame for something that I don’t have authority to fix myself and that I had anticipated and escalated more than 6 months ahead.”

Clearly, there were internal issues at play back then and from the sounds of it, Queru had raised them to deaf ears.

Queru’s LinkedIn profile page actually lists the termination of his Google employment as of last month; it wasn’t clear when he “quit” AOSP if he took another role at Google or not. Based on LinkedIn, it appears not. It’s not clear what his role will be at Yahoo, but here’s what he did at Google:

“I was responsible for the technical aspects of the Android Open Source Project. My primary role was to manage its source code, releasing Google’s contributions to the Open Source world and importing public contributions into Google’s releases.

I also worked on improving Android performance, and I originally wrote the Android Download Manager which allows to reliably download large amounts of data in a constrained environment and over unreliable connections.”

As they say, everyone is replaceable, but this is still a big loss for Google and potentially a nice win for Yahoo which is trying to reinvent itself in the mobile space.

Asus PadFone Infinity phone turns into a tablet

Image representing iPhone as depicted in Crunc...
Image via CrunchBase
We knew last week that Asus was planning a refresh of its PadFone Infinity and now it’s official. The package consists of a powerful 5-inch Android 4.2.2 smartphone that slides into a 10.1-inch tablet display; both of which are full HD resolution. This a truly modular approach as the tablet display has no processor of its own. Instead, the phone powers the tablet, while at the same time getting a re-charge from the tablet’s internal battery.

Engadget already got some hands-on time with the device to show the updates, the main one being a processor boost to a 2.2 GHz Snapdragon 800 chip. Take a look at this video to see how quickly an app on the docked phone appears on the tablet. (Jump to the 4:27 mark to specifically see that)

The modular implementation looks well done and brings a number of benefits. You don’t have to sync data between your phone and tablet since everything is stored in one place, for example. You’re also getting a cost benefit since you don’t have to buy two unique devices that both have similar internals. And your phone can run longer on a charge without being plugged in: Just dock it to the tablet to get more juice.

Engadget says the PadFone Infinity handset will cost around $640 off-contract while the tablet display shell adds another $240 to the package. Those prices are converted so it’s possible the actual prices will vary by country.
This is a better implementation than the Motorola Atrix….but beware as it might just fail for the same set of reasons and folks will be left with useless hardware.

Thursday 12 September 2013

Female Entrepreneur succeed in the ‘old boys club’ of venture capital

As a tech reporter, I hear from female founders in Silicon Valley and its British equivalent, “Silicon Roundabout,” that it’s an ongoing challenge to fund a business, hire talent, and gain the respect of male peers.
Also at play, they say, are the shortage of female mentors and that women do not receive the gilded invitation to network the old boys of venture capital. Just 4.2 percent of venture funding goes to women-led businesses, according to Stanford University’s Clayman Institute for Gender Research.
This topic has been debated ad nauseum for years, but it reached a fever pitch in 2010 when Silicon Valley commentator Vivek Wadwha wrote a blog post condemning the tech industry for having a “gender problem.” And yet, the numbers refuse to budge. A 2012 report by the Kauffman Foundation found that women form only 3 percent of U.S.-based tech startups and represent less than 10 percent of venture capitalists.
How to succeed in the ‘old boys club’ of venture capital
Still, there is some cause for optimism. A small group of female founders are already proving that their tech startups are more efficient with money and capable of generating higher revenues. These women are forming close bonds and networks, like Women 2.0 and Women who Code, and are laying the groundwork for future generations to succeed in tech.
Considering joining them? I caught up with startup founders, U.K.-based Debbie Wosskow and Silicon Valley-based Ruzwana Bashir, to share their tips for launching and building an internet business.

Meet the entrepreneurs

Wosskow and Bashir recently succeeded in raising several million dollars in startup capital for their companies, a process that Bashir describes as “really stressful for anyone.” They are also both graduates of Oxford or Cambridge (“Oxbridge”), and they each have a unique personal style and a knack for accumulating air miles.


Peek CEO Ruzwana Bashir

That’s where the similarities end. The entrepreneurs chose to headquarter their respective startups, Peek and Love Home Swap, in different cities. If you’re not yet familiar with these, Peek is a social travel site to discover things to do in any city. Love Home Swap is one of a handful of home exchange marketplaces, a “next generation timeshare,” as Wosskow likes to call it.

Wosskow, 39, just opened a new office in hip Shoreditch (which is in the East End of London); Bashir set up shop in foggy San Francisco, a mere train ride away from the major venture firms of Silicon Valley’s Sand Hill Road.

Both women work long hours. Wosskow is a single mother with two kids who juggles school runs with the day-to-day tasks of running a global business. Bashir is a few months shy of her 30th birthday and regularly mingles with some of the most successful investors and entrepreneurs. She’s become a fixture in the style and business pages, having made Forbes’ most recent “30 under 30“ list and the cover of the New York Times‘ style section.

How did the two get started as an entrepreneur?

Wosskow got started with her first company at 25. She believes that it’s possible to be an entrepreneur at any age, but it’s easier when you’re young. “The attitude you have then is about wanting to give something a go,” she says. “That’s a very American trait.” Another hurdle later in life is the sky-high cost of child care, which is a constant struggle for Wosskow. Meanwhile, Bashir formed the idea for Peek in her mid-20 as a graduate student at Harvard Business School, and she subsequently moved to Silicon Valley to raise capital and grow the company.
Better place to found a company: Silicon Valley or Silicon Roundabout?

London is as good as any place to start a company, but it hasn’t always been. Wosskow wouldn’t consider relocating to the U.S., at least for the time being, as her professional network is primarily based in the U.K. She views her network of girlfriends as her “power collective,” who will always fight her corner. However, her primary complaint about the London startup scene is that it can feel a bit limiting, perhaps even stuffy. Success is often more about who you know (and your college at Oxford or Cambridge) than anything else.

For Bashir, Silicon Valley afforded her access to the top investors and the brightest technical minds. “I wanted to tap into the investors, the talent, and be part of a thriving ecosystem,” she told me. The only drawback is that people can get a bit too obsessed with tech, and Bashir will often find herself at dinners, deep in conversation about her favorite iPhone app.
What’s it like being the only woman in the room?

The entrepreneurs agree that you can make the most out of being in the minority, but it’s not easy. “You are more unique, but you have to fight certain assumptions,” Bashir says. Wosskow feels less alone than she used to, as she’s made an effort to seek out and form close bonds with other female entrepreneurs. “It’s a funny life to choose [and] it can distance you from your peers,” she says.
What are the management philosophies that you live by?

Bashir hasn’t had a troublesome time expanding her team, which currently stands at 20 employees. Many of her standout hires discovered the site on their own, got hooked, and reached out and asked for a job. To make sure her workers feel valued, she sets aside an office hour in the morning where she’ll hear out any problems and discuss potential product ideas. She also sets up “brown bag” lunches, where employees are invited to teach the team a new skill-set, like “Photoshop 101.” Outside experts are occasionally brought in to the office for a Q&A session; Twitter and Square founder Jack Dorsey recently stopped by for a chat.
What was it like to raise capital for your startup?

Fundraising is one of the most challenging processes for any entrepreneur regardless of gender or location. The tech press has speculated that the “Series A crunch” has become acute in recent years, meaning that many early-stage companies will have a hard time securing funding.

It all depends where you choose to raise capital — the pitch will differ depending on whether you’re intending to reach investors in Europe or in the United States.

“In the U.K., I’ve noticed that not many funds want to do venture; most want to do growth,” says Wosskow. “The U.K. story is, Tthis is what we’ve done so far; this is the revenue, and here’s our projections,’” she says. Meanwhile, American investors are eager to see the product and understand the big vision.
How important is it to network?

Networking is crucial — startup founders will need to be prepared to liaise with investors and others with cash. When Bashir formed the idea for Peek, she reached out to friends in the startup world, and several of them cut her a check in a matter of months. Meanwhile, Wosskow has developed her professional network of trusted friends and allies over 20 years.

“If you didn’t have the network, I don’t know how you’d go about raising money and building a company from scratch,” she says. Wosshow runs regular tech events, like Collaborative Consumption Europe, and recommends that budding entrepreneurs make the effort to attend.
Any tips for maintaining a work-life balance?

Wosskow is an early riser — she’s typically up at the crack of dawn so she can respond to a few e-mail and go on a run before she drops the kids off at school. She can never fully switch off and will often have to take late night calls to the U.S. and Australia. With the company in full expansion mode, she jets off to America or Australia at least twice a month.

Bashir also works around the clock and admits that it’s a struggle to main any kind of balance. She is at the office 15 hours a day, six days a week. Saturday is her only day off, as Sunday is a “strategic day” to reflect on new ideas and the long-term vision. “I’m pumped out this opportunity to make a difference, so it’s easy to lose track of time and find myself still working at 3 a.m.,” she says.

That’s the thing about startups — it’s risky, arduous work, but there’s never a dull moment.

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Never Seen Hot Video Review of iPhone 5C - An Introduction and Function

The iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C were announced not too long ago, but for those who prefer getting a walkthrough of either device and some of its features without having to read a wall of text, Apple has recently uploaded a trio of videos that gives viewers a brief idea on what to expect from the iPhone 5S, the iPhone 5C, and theTouchID sensor that will make its debut in the iPhone 5S. 

The videos are obviously a marketing tool so they are a bit flowery and attempt to sell you the product not so much based on its hardware specs or its performance, but rather what the phone will be able to do for you, which we guess might be more entertaining than hearing tech specs and numbers being rattled off. In fact if you might recall, a couple of weeks ago there were some parodies of videos that many expected Apple to unleash when their new products were announced, and sure enough they were pretty spot on.

iPhone iPhone iPhone 
In any case for those with some time to spare, you can check out the iPhone 5S introduction video above, followed by the iPhone 5C introduction and the TouchID video below. So, which iPhone do you plan to get your hands on come 20th September?:


iPhone 5c is more than just a color phone. It's an entirely new expression of what iPhone can be. - Says Apple. Do you agree?

Hot Factors of AMD on its new ARM-based chip in Market

Semiconductor giant AMD has revealed details on one of its first chips based on ARM's Risc architecture.
The chip, codenamed Hierofalcon, is a 64-bit system on a chip (SoC) based on ARM's Cortex A57 processor core and will be available from the middle of 2014.
The 28nm SoC will be available with four or eight cores and support 10 Gigabit Ethernet, error-correcting code memory and PCI Express 3.0. Power consumption will range from 15W to 30W TDP.
It will be targeted at network and storage infrastructure inside the datacente, a market Intel hopes to serve with its C2000 series of Atom SoCs. AMD will also release a separate ARM-based chip, codenamed Seattle, which is aimed at servers.
AMD also today announced new x86-based embedded SoCs to be released early next year. The Steppe Eagle SoC is based on two to four "enhanced" Jaguar cores and the Radeon HD 8000 series GPU, and is the next iteration of AMD's low-power G-series of APUs. Bald Eagle is based on two to four Steamroller cores and AMD Radeon HD 9000 series GPU, and is a continuation of AMD's high-performance R-series of APU/CPUs.
At the end of the year the company will also launch a new discrete GPU for embedded applications. The GPU, codenamed Adelaar, will be based on AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture, feature 2GB of GGDR5 memory and have 72GB/s memory throughput. It will be available as a PCIe add-on card, as a multi-chip module or mobile PCIe module.

AMD embedded roadmap. Image: AMD

Apparently you missed that the ARM chip AMD is talking about includes a 10GB NIC, memory controller, PCI-E 3.0 controller... all within that 15-30 W TDP. That's what "System on a Chip" means - just about everything you need is already there. Haswell may be 17-35 W TDP and a whole lot more oomph as a CPU, but you need to add a network interface, and memory controller, and PCI-E, and... And all of those suck power, consume physical space, cost money...
If your application can live with the reduced performance of ARM, the power and space savings are truly significant.