Archive for the ‘Gadgets’ Category

Firefox 3.6.4 released; Crash Protection Included

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Mozilla announced that they have released a new version of Firefox browser. This new edition contains a new quality best describes as “Crash Protection”. This latest edition will help prevent software’s such as Flash, QuickTime and SilverLight from taking the whole browser down with them when they crash. If it does occur, you will be able to simply reload the tab and by this the browser should remain unscathed.

 When a freeze or crash occurs, an error message pops up informing the user of the issue at the same time as the browser continues running. This new addition should essentially increase the browser’s solidity and is a primary step for ultimately multi-process browsing.

Presently Firefox’s crash protection will work on Windows and Linux only, though it won’t reach Mac OS X until Firefox 4 ships. This is most certainly a positive move forward and by this it is possible that Mozilla will also move towards making Firefox more memory efficient and frivolous in future builds.

It has been shown that some of the diverse crashes occurred have effected in memory corruption. Results from Mozilla beta testing have significantly indicated that Firefox 3.6.4 will decrease the number of crashed experienced by users who are watching videos or playing games online. It has been quoted that “when a plug-in crashes or freezes while using Firefox, users can enjoy continuous browsing by simply refreshing the page. 

Consequently it is possible that 3.6.4 starts up a little quicker, and it might even shut down a little faster! Otherwise, it is simply more solid and secure.

I am very glad to see this feature implemented in Firefox!

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YouTube opens auto captioning

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

You Tube is a video sharing website that has been profoundly successful over the recent years. People and companies are able to upload videos as well as having the capability to share information on social media websites. They have recently created an automated captioning beta program to the public, for the purpose of helping the hearing-impaired. This feature is only accessible for videos that are in the English language. You Tube is planning on adding other languages and video up loaders can utilize this feature to translate captions in English into any 50 languages. A restriction or two on the auto captioning feature is that it won’t work on videos where there is a lot of background noise and muffled sounds. Ultimately, the auto-captioning feature might help YouTube monetize its videos.

Auto-Captioning works by combining translation algorithms with Google’s automatic speech recognition technology. Auto-captions generate a natural step utilizing speech recognition. Video owners are able to download auto captions for a video by signing into their account and looking for the “English Machine Transcription” track and then clicking on the download button. There are various functions that come with auto-captioning, some of which include helping people word search video content to translating into a person’s native language.

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Twitter on the roll

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Twitter is a social networking website that shares what is happening with you, and what you are doing on a daily basis that others may find interesting and some can relate to. You can also follow others that you find interesting, for example: your favorite DJ, Singer, and Actress. It is a great way to see what is going on with your Friends /Family members without feeling the need to contact them if you are short on time for conversation.

With technology improving Twitter has announced that it will be introducing “@anywhere” which is a new podium that will allow partner websites such as Amazon, Bing, Citysearch, Digg and eBay to link to Twitter. This service will give the access to twitter users to send and receive messages while they are browsing through these websites. This means that users will be able to follow related tweets without leaving the site and basically this will allow partners to communicate in a more efficient manner in their conversations and their product positioning with Twitter. @ anywhere can be employed with a few lines of JavaScript code. 

@anywhere is going to decrease communication obstacles across different social media websites and portals. It will allow conversations to flow rather than having to manage so many different characteristics to engage around content.  Right now people can make different comments on each site but they have to repost on twitter. @ anywhere will make it simple for people to share contents and dialogues. 

I think this is a fantastic idea. This service will also help marketers in building their brand reputation and promoting their products. It is a tactic for people to involve themselves in conversations that will make them talk about a product or service that they might not even be aware of. A fact is that consumers tend to purchase products that they find out through word of mouth or that are recommended by others. Reading tweets about a product review that links to the actual page, such as Amazon would enable sales of the product.

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Introducing: Blackberry Enterprise Server Express – FREE

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

Blackberry has released their newest business server, the BlackBerry Enterprises Server Express edition.  Express is a free download, and the licenses are free.  It will wirelessly sync email, contacts, and calendars to blackberry mobile phones.  Express supports up to 75 users on a shared server, up to 2000 users on a dedicated server, and over 2000 when used with a dedicated SQL server.  It can be installed on a messaging server or an Microsoft Small Business (SBS) server.  Blackberries on either BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server) or BIS (BlackBerry Internet Service) plans can connect to it. 

Did we mention it’s absolutely free? If you are using BIS (BlackBerry Internet Service) to redirect your email to your mobile phone, this will be a great product for you. For more information call StoneHill at (949) 218-1258 or visit BlackBerry’s official release page.

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Apple’s center problem: creating a craving for consumers about the Ipad

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

 The Ipad was launched in January and Apple has been extremely excited about their latest inovation. However, it seems that the company is facing a new marketing challenge in the manner they are broadcasting their latest category of technology. If Apple fails to introduce their new product, they could be facing marketing challenges with their consumers in the future.

 Apple has been lucid about certain information provided to the consumers. They know when the Ipad is expected to hit stores which is April 3rd, also what kinds of iPads will be available for purchase, which are the WiFi models.  In addition, they know that consumers will be able to pre-order their iPad via online delivery or Apple Store pick up.

 What is uncertain and unknown is how they can broadcast their message in a fun and grasping manner for their target market. Apple is aiming to establish a method to ensure that the significance of the iPad will successfully reflect the originality. Different from the Macbook, iPod and iPhone, this time Apple is launching a new device category to their existing consumers as well as a new market. It is a fact that certain consumers have already established their mindset on what they are expecting from the iPad. but with customers who are still undecided, if Apple does not execute the introduction of their product properly by establishing this new category in the consumers’ minds, the iPad may have a weak position relative to other products established in this category.

 The IPad will enter the market to compete with the new wave of the mini computer, and will hope to introduce a new touch to a relatively new market.  The trick is to find a way to differentiate the IPad to the customer.  Apple is known for its unique touch with its devices, and to achieve the same success as it has with the past, it seems that the marketing efforts should focus on what’s unique and “Apple” about the IPad.

 One way that Apple can deal with this situation is to position the iPad as an electronic media delivery device. Making a point out of the fact that people can connect with books, newspapers, magazines and online media as easily and effortlessly with the iPad.

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Give the Gift of Thanks without Breaking the Bank

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

The economy is forcing companies to cut back on holiday gift giving. According to a recent survey conducted by American Express only 47% of Small Businesses plan on giving gifts this holiday season.Gift

If your company is struggling with the decision of gift giving there are a few things you should consider:

* Is your company based heavily in customer service?

If your company prides and markets itself on your outstanding customer service it may be important to show you are customer friendly by giving a gift.

* Have you given gifts in the past?

If your company has given gifts in the past and this year stops it may put up a red flag; giving the impression to your customers that your business is not doing well.

*Are your client relationships crucial to your success?

If your business is built upon the foundation of strong client relationships then it is probably important   to acknowledge those relationships. 

Gifts are a way of conveying appreciation to your clients and that you value their business. If you look at holiday gifts as an investment in your company rather than a cut into your budget you will surely see the rewards as business improves.

Holiday gifts don’t have to break the bank; the IRS will only allow up to a $25 deduction per person (“donee”) during the tax year. Therefore, you can get creative in your gift giving, still provide meaningful tokens of appreciation to your clients and reap the tax benefits.

The traditional pen, mug, or calendar has fallen down the popularity pole; many small business owners try to capitalize on gifts that reflect the customer’s personality. Others are discounting services to their clients; a creative an affordable way to say thank you.

Below are links to sites that provide great gift Ideas for under $25 and under:

Eco Friendly Company Logo Gifts

Holiday Gifts Under 25 Dollars

Gift Baskets Under 25 dollars

By: Amber Bowker

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Windows Mobile 6.5

Monday, October 12th, 2009

HTC, LG, & Samsung are among the brands of 30+ phones that run the much awaited windows mobile 6.5 operating system.

Microsoft Officials & Marketing Managers are saying that Hardware diversity is a major selling point for the Windows Mobile platform. Competitors in the Mobile Phone market like Apple & Google have a very limited hardware base. 

Users will find in the new WM 6.5 mobile phones a home screen that was inspired by the Zune & has an application grid layout. There is a tighter integration with all Microsoft Live Services, Facebook, Twitter, & Flicker. An enhanced mobile Internet Explorer now resembles the browser you have used for many years on your home PC & included features such as panning & zooming via finger gestures. The browser also supports Adobe Flash Lite so users can access more multimedia online.

samsung-omnia-IIBehind the new Operating system are a few new features to support & enhance the use of Windows Mobile. First Microsoft has developed Windows Marketplace as an answer to Apples App Store. Another feature called MyPhone lets users backup as much as 200 MB on contact info & other mobile data free. MyPhone has a phone finding capability that will locate missing phones with the use of GPS even if the phone is off. Microsoft is offering the phone finding service free of charge for the first month thereafter will be 4.99 per incident.  

 

Content gathered from. PC World Microsoft Shows Windows Mobile 6.5 Smartphones

Jacqueline Emigh. Star Tech-Central Windows Mobile 6.5 powers new phones Zam Karim

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Facebook Steps up to the Twitter Challenge: Tweeting or Feeding

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

friendfeed-twitter-facebookFacebook has plans to buy a web service named FriendFeed, which is similar in functionality to Twitter. FriendFeed allows its users to see what their friends are doing on other social media sites and is apparently bridging the gap between a host of social media applications. FriendFeed could be Facebook’s answer to the Twitter challenge.

Bob Marley sang about a timeless truth that big businesses are facing more every day: “You can’t please all the people all the time.” The folks at Facebook understand that 250 million users is an enormous, and diversified, audience to keep captivate, especially as they have watched millions of their own users join Twitter.  From junior high school kids to major media personalities, so many people are tweeting.

Where is the allure with FriendFeed? The real-time search capability that FriendFeed offers is an attractive feature, not only for its users but also to its soon-to-be parent company, Facebook. More importantly, both companies share similar core values – building technologies based on user feedback and fashioning those technologies to leverage relationships, according to Facebook’s VP Chris Cox. The 12 employee company of FriendFeed is purported to stay intact during and after the merger of the two companies, which should allow for a seamless integration of cultures and technologies. So what’s next for the users of Facebook? Tweeting or Feeding?

Author: David Meacham

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It’s not an iPhone but close…

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

windows7_logoThe latest version of Windows for your desktop/laptop computer is coming this fall. Windows 7 is faster, cleaner, and easier to use and seems to be everything that Vista should have been. Microsoft has lived up to its promise of 100% compatibility with any application that ran on Vista, and quite frankly we’ve seen that too. The free release candidate is still available for download; simply click here for details and specifications. Read what some industry experts are saying thus far:

“Windows 7 could be one of Microsoft’s greatest operating systems.”
– Cnet News

“The operating system has been tweaked in numerous small ways to improve productivity and overall usefulness”
– PC Advisor

“…more than adequate in terms of performance… every common operation in Windows 7 feels snappy and responsive, even on old hardware”
– ZdNet

“…light yet strong, useful yet still playful. [It] grabs me in a lot of ways Windows XP no longer does”
– Andy Rathbone

Stay tuned for more as October approaches!

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D-Links new all-in-one wireless router / NAS / Digital Picture frame

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

David Pogue of the NY Times just published a great writeup on the new D-Link all in one router.  Take a read.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/technology/personaltech/02pogue.html?8dpc

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