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PHP is an HTML-embedded scripting language. Much of its syntax is borrowed from C, Java and Perl with a couple of unique PHP-specific features thrown in. PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor . The goal of the language is to allow web developers to write dynamically generated pages quickly.

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Skinput: Appropriating the Body as an Input Surface

To download the research article on Skinput  Click Here

We present Skinput, a technology that appropriates the human body for acoustic transmission, allowing the skin to be used as an input surface. In particular, we resolve the location of finger taps on the arm and hand by analyzing mechanical vibrations that propagate through the body. We collect these signals using a novel array of sensors worn as an armband. This approach provides an always available, naturally portable, and on-body finger input system. We assess the capabilities, accuracy and limitations of our technique through a two-part, twenty-participant user study. To further illustrate the utility of our approach, we conclude with several proof-of-concept applications we developed.

Project Team

Chris Harrison

Dan Morris

Desney Tan

In Chris Harrison's ideal world, mobile phones would be the size of matchbooks. They'd have full-size keyboards. They'd browse the Web. They'd play videos.


And, most importantly, you'd never have to touch them.

Sound like too much to ask? Maybe not.

Harrison, a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University and a former intern at Microsoft Research, has developed a working prototype of a system called Skinput that does just that, essentially by turning a person's hand and forearm into a keyboard and screen.

"People don't love the iPhone keyboard. They use them. But they don't love them," Harrison said in a interview at the recent Computer-Human Interaction conference. "If you could make the iPhone keyboard as big as an arm -- that would be huge."

Using Skinput, a person could tap their thumb and middle finger together to answer a call; touch their forearm to go to the next track on a music player; or flick the center of their palm to select a menu item.

All of these sign-language-like movements, which are customizable, would control a gadget in a person's pocket through a Bluetooth connection.

When fitted with a pico-projector, the Skinput system could display an image of a digital keyboard on a person's forearm. So, using Skinput, someone could send text messages by tapping his or her arm in certain places -- without pulling the phone out of a pocket or purse.
"You could pretty much do a lot of what you do on your iPhone," said Harrison, who says Skinput "is [like having] your iPhone on your palm."

The system, which has been under development for eight months, won't be commercially available for two to seven years, said Dan Morris, a Microsoft researcher who is working with Harrison on Skinput.

Before that can happen, Skinput's sensors need to get more accurate, he said. In a 13-person trial in Seattle, Washington, Skinput was found to be 96 percent accurate. But that test only used five buttons. The system would have to improve for people to make use of a full keyboard, which would be the "holy grail," Morris said.

"The accuracy is good, but it's not quite consumer-level yet," he said.

Skinput is one of a number of prototypes, ideas and near-products aiming to make computing more natural.

These devices seek to move beyond the mouse and physical keyboard, letting people communicate with their gadgets by gesturing, using sign language or, in the case of Skinput, tapping on their hands, fingers and forearms.

The arm as an instrument

Understanding how Skinput works makes it seem all the more futuristic.
The system turns a person's arm and hand into a wiggling, pulsating instrument, full of vibrations that can be picked up and translated.

Skinput users wear an armband -- the prototype version is made of an elbow brace -- that's lined with 10 sensors. These sensors look like tiny diving boards with dumbbells on one end, and they pick up inaudible sounds that range in frequency from 25 to 78 hertz.

When a Skinput user taps a thumb and middle finger together, the impact sends ripples down the skin and through the bones in the person's arm. "They sort of start resonating -- like guitar strings," Harrison said. The diving-board receivers read the sound waves to figure out what gesture the person made, and then relay that information to a phone.

Skinput can tell whether a person tapped a middle finger or an index finger, because the two moves sound slightly different to the springy receivers.

The system takes one or two minutes to learn the sounds of a particular person's arm, Morris said, and then it can be used however the user likes.

Trial and error

When they started working on Skinput, Morris and Harrison weren't sure if it would be possible to turn the human arm into a virtual keypad. The pair tried clipping sensors to the ends of peoples' fingers and other strange configurations that made users feel like cyborgs.
"We spent a lot of nights in the lab tapping on our arms and wondering if this would ever happen," Harrison said.

But the most profound achievement of Skinput is proving that the human body can be used as a sensor, he said.

Morris believes Skinput will make computing accessible to people in a way that never would have been possible before.

With Skinput, "literally, computing is always available," he said.

A person might walk toward their home, Harrison said, tap their palm to unlock the door and then tap some virtual buttons on their arms to turn on the TV and start flipping through channels.

"It's almost like magic," he said.

To download the research article on Skinput  Click Here

Video

What is Siri?

Apple’s latest iPhone feature is Siri. What is Siri, you ask? Funny you ask that way.
Siri is a new app that will be included with the iPhone 4S. This app is a new way to control your phone with your voice. Instead of just dictating a message to your phone, you can ask your iPhone to do stuff for you.

Siri is no Joan from Mad Men, she isn’t going to cook you dinner like Alice on the Brady Bunch, and you can be sure that she won’t help you to your Batcave, but she can do some amazing things anyway.

Siri can take action based on what you say, and isn’t limited to a small set of specific keywords to do what you ask.

Apple is able to take voice control to a new level by using Artificial Intelligence. Siri’s artificial intelligence lets the app place your request in context and make smarter decisions about what you are trying to do.

Siri sounds like science fiction, but it’s coming to your pocket on October 14th.

How Does Siri Work?

When you launch Siri, which you can just call your assistant if Siri sounds weird, you can ask it to do something and get the results read back to you by a robotic sounding female voice.

Here’s a video showing off several off the cool things you can use Siri for to simplify your life.

If you notice, the users don’t have to get specific about who or what they want. The male says to text his wife, and it does, no need to use her full name. Same with traffic, your iPhone already knows where you are, so why should you need to give it your current location?

Siri can also read you your text messages, and allow you to respond with your voice so that you don’t have to stop doing whatever you are doing to type a reply.

What Can Siri Do?

Siri can control many functions of your iPhone, including the new Reminders App, which is able to remind you to do things based on your location. This allows you to use Siri to remind you to grab something when you get home, or to do something as soon as you get to work.

Here are just a few of the things you can ask Siri to do,

• Ask for a Reminder – At a specific time or place
• Ask to send a text
• Ask or the weather
• Ask for information – Like a restaurant
• Ask to schedule a meeting
• Ask to send an email
• Ask for someone’s number
• Ask to set an alarm
• Ask for directions
• Ask to set a timer
• Ask about your stocks
• Ask to play a playlist
• Ask about Siri

These actions allow you to do many things, and because Siri understands, you can ask just like you would ask a friend or a real assistant.

Apple offers up a few examples of Siri’s understanding,

“Any good burger joints around here?” Siri will reply “I found a number of burger restaurants near you.” Then you can say “Hmm. How about tacos?” Siri remembers that you just asked about restaurants, so it will look for Mexican restaurants in the neighborhood. And Siri is proactive, so it will question you until it finds what you’re looking for.

One of my favorite uses is to set a reminder in the Reminders App that is a part of iOS 5. If you need to set a reminder, but don’t want to be bothered with it until you get to a specific place, Siri can put that into the reminder.

Watch the iPhone 4S demo below, which shows off a user setting a reminder for when he gets home. As soon as he pulls in the driveway, he is reminded to grab a gift.

How Do I Get Siri?

Apple’s new personal assistant app is part of iOS 5, but it is only available on the iPhone 4S.
The iPhone 4S also includes a faster processor, better 8MP camera that can record in 1080P with video stabilization and impressive pictures as well as AirPlay Mirroring to wirelessly stream to an Apple TV.

The iPhone 4S is available on Sprint, AT&T and Verizon. iPhone 4S preorders start on October 7th, and the iPhone 4S is available to purchase in stores on October 14th.

The iPhone 4S comes in 16Gb, 32GB and 64GB sizes as well as black and white colors. Prices start at $199 on contract and at $649 off contract.

 

Google Code Jam

Google Code Jam is an international programming competition hosted and administered by Google. The competition began in 2003 as a means to identify top engineering talent for potential employment at Google The competition consists of a set of algorithmic problems which must be solved in a fixed amount of time. Competitors may use any programming language and development environment to obtain their solutions.

In 2008, over 11,000 people from more than 128 countries competed for prize money totaling over $80,000, including a top prize of $10,000

In 2009, total 8605 people competed. The winner was Lou TianCheng from China followed by Qi ZiChao (China) and Iwata Yoichi (Japan).

In 2011, over 30,000 people competed. The winner was Makoto Soejima from Japan followed by Ivan Metelsky(Belarus) and Jakub Pachocki(Poland).

Tournament	1st place	2nd place	3rd place
2011	Makoto Soejima	Ivan Metelsky	Jakub Pachocki
2010	Egor Kulikov	Erik-Jan Krijgsman	Sergey Kopeliovich
2009	Tiancheng Lou	Zichao Qi	Yoichi Iwata
2008	Tiancheng Lou	Zeyuan Zhu	Bruce Merry
2006	Petr Mitrichev	Ying Wang	Andrey Stankevich
2005	Marek Cygan	Eric-Jan Krijgsman	Petr Mitrichev
2004	Sergio Sancho	Po Ruh Loh	Reid Barton

 

Cloud Computing | The Sky was the Limit

Cloud Computing is every where

Recently, Google and Apple decided to take their competition to new heights with the unveiling of Apple’s iCloud. Cloud computing promises to be an intangible force that will help hold together our digital lives across an increasingly diverse array of electronic devices.

Interestingly, very few people seem to have a firm grasp of this concept and I think this is probably because of the impersonal nature of the “cloud”; everyone knows it is there but very few know what it exactly is.  A good example of this is a recent survey of one thousand US adults conducted by Ipsos OTX MediaCT, which revealed that most people are confused about cloud-based services. For example, when the respondents were asked if they used cloud based email, only 22% responded affirmatively.  However, when asked about the use of branded cloud services (e.g: Google, Yahoo, etc.), without referring to the term “cloud” almost 9 out of 10 answered positively.

The reality is that every time you use your email, share pictures or manage financial data, you are using some form of cloud-based service. The only reason this concept is receiving more exposure now is because of the huge proliferation of electronic devices. Without cloud computing it would be frustratingly difficult to store and access data from multiple devices. Therefore, cloud based services are going to become a more visible part of our lives; slowly but surely.

Cloud Computing Models

Basically, cloud computing can be divided into three broad categories: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). What all three types have in common is the fact that it can be sold on demand; users can decide on the level of service they require, and the provider manages the service.

Let us start with IaaS, a good example of which is Amazon’s Web Services (AWS). This provides firms with access and control over virtual servers and storage. PaaS, on the other hand, refers to a collection of software and product development tools that are maintained by the provider. Examples of PaaS include GoogleApps and Microsoft Azure. SaaS is the most interesting model, because usually the provider supplies both the hardware and the software requirements. Salesforce.com is a wonderful example of SaaS. The latest entry into this category is Apple’s iCloud. Now the iCloud is technically a SaaS model but given Apple’s strategic aims, this model might soon evolve into a hybrid form by including features from the other models.

Cloud Computing Heats Up

Cloud Computing is heating up because technology is forcing firms to adopt strategies that are ever more aggressive. As a result, firms are being forced to compete in areas that were tacitly considered out of bounds (Google Vs Apple for example). The same is true for cloud computing.

GoogleApps, for example has been focusing on ousting Microsoft’s dominance in office software. Meanwhile, Apple’s relatively late entry with the iCloud, is not only aimed at consolidating its strength over all iOS devices also to make headway into digital entertainment and office use. Google and Apple are not competing directly because they are perusing two different strategies with regards to cloud computing (and let’s not forget their corporate attitude). While Google’s model is aimed at “pulling” data, Apple seeks to “push” data.

However, both models seem to be evolving in to a multi-dimensional character and we can only guess what these tech giants along with the rest of the “Gang of Four” (Amazon and Facebook) are planning.

Are We Ready For The Next Generation Of Cloud Computing ?

This is a question that has been on my mind for a long time now. As I have described above, cloud computing is going to become more visible in our everyday lives as we zoom around with our smart phones, tablet PCs, Laptops, etc. Yet, I wonder how people will actually react to all of this, especially because the vast majority is hopelessly confused about the concept and tech firms are nervous about discussing it in detail. One of the main concerns is privacy. If we fret about Google’s Street View or Apple’s GPS, while simultaneously wanting more seamless access to our data across multiple devices, how can we honestly embrace cloud computing? The problem is that by not talking about all this in an open and honest manner (I’m specifically referring to the “gang of four), it’s just a matter of time before we wake up to an overblown crisis concerning cloud computing. This technology can be hugely beneficial but by ignoring certain uncomfortable details, we may end up damaging its potential.

Google announces Google Plus, takes aim at Facebook

 

Google announced today its new social network called Google Plus, taking aim at his most important rival,Facebook.

The big announcement was made on Google's Official Blog in its article entitled: Introducing the Google+ project: Real-life sharing, rethought for the web.

Trying to break the social market for years, Google Google has been unsucessfull in his previous attempts,namely Google Wave and Buzz. Many have been speculating when Google would launch his own Facebook-style social network site, especially after Google rolling out its +1 button and subsequently rumors such as Google Me!

Google Plus, or Google + bears an outstanding similarity to Facebook, including wall-like feeds and friends. Google Plus includes innovates by including specialized groups of friends called Circles. Circles lets you group you contacts e.g. friends, family, acquaintance. This feature will let you share specific information with each group of contacts.

Google Plus online sharing engine is called Sparks and pretty much acts like an RSS reader as Facebook news feed. Sparks are aimed at delivering a feed of highly contagious content from across the Internet.

There is also an innovative feature called Hangouts that enables live group video chats, aiming to promote impulsive meetings with up to 10 people.

Google Plus includes a strong Mobile component featuring aspects such as Location and Instant Uploads where the users can post pictures and videos to an album. Strong integration with the Android platform should be expected.

Last but no the least, Google Plus introduces Huddles, which is a group texting feature similar to Beluga (now acquired by Facebook) that lets you have group chats via your phone.

Google is becoming Sous Chef Recipe Search

There are always dozens of excuses not to cook their own food, but most seem to be just , not knowing what to cook . After all, even though well-stocked pantry, most of us do not have the know-how to throw the ingredients together into something edible – not to mention tasty. Well, Google is coming to the rescue once again, acting as Sous Chef by providing you with a very advanced recipe search.

While the data collected will be incorporated into the standard SERP, the more advanced features are visible only to those who go to the newly introduced “Recipes” in the advanced search panel. This is the search panel, located in the left column, you probably will not be displayed “Recipes” in the default view, so just click “More” below for images, videos, news, and Shopping(four options will here default).

When you're part of the rules, you can keep searching you find the obscenely obscure(“salad”) to the extremely particular(“vegan curry with potatoes, peas, and coconut). You can even enter the ingredients that are available(oatmeal, peanut butter, applesauce, vanilla, splenda) and see what the rules are already set. Do you have specific dietary needs, such as restricting the low-carb, gluten-free or vegetarian cuisine? You can simply type in the proper perspective and search a wide range of recipes. Once the search is performed, you can narrow the results by the number of calories, cooking time and the necessary ingredients that are in the Extended left column.

These provisions, as well as opinions about them, shall be aggregated with other major attractions, including the Food Network, Food.com, AllRecipes.com and iFood. As the actual rules are not displayed on the Google search engine is not in direct competition with these sites, avoiding the controversy that occurred with the introduction of Hotpot(perceived by many travel search sites that aggregate data from Google, as a direct competitor).

This degree of detail in the search for innovation is a recipe tip to Google, but to some extent mimics the popular “/ rules” tag from Blekko. In any case, a very specific search capabilities and shows the trend of the production of specific tasks of data aggregation for search, it will probably show a similar evolution in other areas, and in competitive search engines. What are the “tag” What do you think Google and Bingahoo should develop further?

Top 10 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Checklist

There is a big difference between web design and search engine optimization. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. In today’s business world around 60% of success depends upon the company’s appearance.  Getting your website designed and hosted is step 1 – the apples. 

 

So now that your site is up, have you been wondering why you haven’t received more calls or emails from your site?  Here is where Search Engine Optimization comes in.  Search engine optimization or SEO is basically a technique to put a website on top of various search engines. 

When somebody searches for a specific search term in Google, Yahoo or MSN, websites showing on top of the SERPS  are the ones most likely to be visited by the users. This is what SEO aims to give to a specific website owner or a business owner.  Marketing and SEO for your website is step 2 – the oranges.  

When you hire someone to design and create a website,  ask them if they also do SEO.  Some companies do, but you must note that this is a separate and comprehensive service and fee all of its own. If they don’t you can choose to tackle some of it yourself!  

Whether you choose to hire your website designer OR a separate SEO company OR decide to optimize search engines for yourself,  here is the Top Ten SEO Checklist!

1)      Proper Title Tags: Well-constructed title tags contain the main keyword for the page, followed by a brief description of the page content. Make it less than 65 characters and avoid using stop words such as: a, if, the, then, and, an, to, etc. Your title tag should also be limited to the use of alphanumeric characters, hyphens, and commas.

2)      Proper Description Tags: Good description tags contain information about the page’s content and persuade search engine users to visit your web site. They should be between 25 and 35 words in length.

3)      Proper Keywords Tags: Your keywords meta tag should contain between 5-10 keywords or keyword phrases that are also found in page content.

4)      Proper Heading Tags: Each page of your site should use at least the H1 heading tag for the search engines that examine it when crawling your site.

5)      Page Content: Pages should have between 300 and 700 words of descriptive content that contains the keywords specified in the keywords meta tag for the page. A page’s meta tag keywords should also be those that occur most frequently on the page.

6)      Proper Navigation: Each page of your site should contain links to every other page so search engine spiders can find every page. This is a critical step for the proper indexing and page rank distribution of your site.

7)      Proper Sitemap: It’s important to use two site maps for your website–an XML version and a static version. The XML version can be created with Search Engine Visibility’s site map tool. The static version should sit on a static HTML page and contain links to every other page.

8)      Controlled Crawling: It’s important that search engine spiders find your robots.txt file that guides spiders to pages and directories you want crawled and denies entry to protected areas of your site.

9)      Duplicate Content/Tags: Because search engines treat web sites as a grouping of pages and not a single entity, each page on your site should be unique so that the tags and content differ between each page. Doing so increases the number of pages that will rank.

10)   Word Density: Pages should contain 300 to 700 words of unique and descriptive content.

Top 10 Google Myths Revealed

Google is the Web’s most popular search engine, powering not only the popular Google.com Website, but also Yahoo! and AOL. Being listed in Google is very important, and being listed highly in Google can bring great benefit to your site. 

However, there are many myths about how Google works and, while fairly harmless in themselves, these myths tend to allow people to draw incorrect conclusions about how Google works. The purpose of this article is to correct the most popular Google myths.

Myth #1: The Higher Your Google PageRank (PR), the Higher You’ll be in the Search Results Listing

This myth is frequent, and is the source of many complaints. People often notice that a site with a lower PageRank than theirs is listed above them, and get upset. While pages with a higher PageRank do tend to rank better, it is perfectly normal for a site to appear higher in the results listings even though it has a lower PageRank than competing pages.

To explain this concept without going into too much technical detail, it is best to think of PageRank as being comprised of two different values. One value, which we’ll call "General PageRank" is nothing more than the weighting given to the links on your page. This is also the value shown in the Google Toolbar. This value is used to calculate the weighting of the links leaving your page, not your search position.

The other value we’ll call "Specific PageRank." You see, if PageRank equated to search engine results rank then Yahoo, the site with the highest PR, would be listed #1 for every search result.
Obviously, that wouldn’t be useful, so what Google does is examine the context of your incoming links, and only those links that relate to the specific keyword being searched on will help you achieve a higher ranking for that keyword. It’s very possible for a site with a lower PageRank to in fact have more on-topic incoming links than a site with a higher PageRank, in which case the site with a lower PageRank will be listed above its competitor in the search results for that term.

PageRank aside, there are also other factors that contribute Google search results — though PageRank remains the dominant one.

Myth #2: The Google Toolbar will List Your Actual PageRank 

When Google created their toolbar it was a boon for many Webmasters as this was the first time we got to see any value related to our PageRank. However, the toolbar has also caused some confusion.

The toolbar does not show your actual PageRank, only an approximation of it. It gives you an integer rank on a scale from 1-10. We do not know exactly what the various integers correspond to, but we’re sure that their curve is similar to an exponential curve with each new "plateau" being harder to reach than the last. I have personally done some research into this, and so far the results point to an exponential base of 4. So a PR of 6 is 4 times as difficult to attain as a PR of 5.

The exponential base is important because it illustrates how broad a range of pages can be assigned a particular PR value. The difference between a high PR of 6, and a low PR of 6, could be hundreds or thousands of links. So if your PR as reported by the toolbar increases or drops, it’s important to remember that it could be the result of a small change, or a large change.

Additionally, it’s possible to lose or gain links and see no change in your reported PageRank.
The other issue with the toolbar has to do with the fact that sometimes the PageRank it displays is only a guess. People will often notice pages on Geocities or another free hosting provider having a high PageRank. This is because when Google hasn’t spidered a page, but has spidered the root domain, the toolbar will guess a PageRank based on the value of the root domain.

Therefor it’s common to see pages on Geocities with a PR of 6 or 7. The PageRank does not equate in any way to a high Google listing, in fact in this case it indicates the opposite: that the page isn’t even in Google. Once Google spiders the page, it will be assigned a more appropriate (and usually lower) PageRank.

Myth # 3: PageRank is a Value Based on the Number of Incoming Links to Your Site

This myth is a frequent source of incorrect assumptions about Google. People will often see that a site with fewer incoming links than their own site has a higher PageRank, and assume that PageRank is not based on incoming links.

The fact is that PageRank is based on incoming links, but not just on the number of them. Instead PageRank is based on the value of your incoming links. To find the value of an incoming link look at the PR of the source page, and divide it by the number of links on that page. It’s very possible to get a PR of 6 or 7 from only a handful of incoming links if your links are "weighty" enough.

Also remember that for PageRank calculations every page is an island. Google does not calculate PageRank on a site-wide basis — so internal links between your pages do count. This is very important, as instituting a proper structure for your internal links can drastically improve your rankings.

Myth # 4: Searching for Incoming Links on Google Using "link:" will Show you all Your Backwards Links

Similar to Myth #3, people will sometimes look for backwards links to a site on Google and fine none, but if the site does have a PR listed and it is in Google’s cache, they know that the toolbar isn’t just guessing.

The reason for this is that Google does not list all the links that it knows about, only those that contribute above a certain amount of PageRank. This is especially evident in a brand new site.

By default, all pages in Google have a minimum PR. So even a page without any incoming links has a PR value, albeit a small one. If you have a brand new site with 20 or 30 pages, all of which Google has spidered, but you have no incoming links from other sites, then your pages will still have a PageRank resulting from these internal links. As your home page is likely linked to from every page on your site, it might even get a PageRank of up to 1 or 2 from all these little boosts. However, in this situation searching for incoming links will likely yield 0 results.

You can also see this happening on pages that have been around for awhile. For instance, this page has 0 incoming links listed in Google, yet it has a PageRank of 3. We can see that Google has spidered it by checking its cache, so the PageRank is not a guess. We also know that Google has spidered this page, again by checking its cache. Therefore, we can be sure that Google knows of at least 1 link to the page in question, both by its listed PR, and the fact that Google has spidered a page that links to it.

However, if you look at the DMOZ.org page with the Google Toolbar installed, you’ll notice the page has a PR of 0, which is very low. Furthermore, if you count the number of links on the page, you’ll notice it has over 20. So you’re dividing a very low PR among over 20 links. Thus each link carries very little weight, so Google doesn’t list these links when you search for them.

However, Google does count the links, which is why the page in question has a PR listed.

It’s very important to remember how Google lists incoming links. Often, people see their number of incoming links drop, and they think they have lost those links. In reality, the linking page could have lost some weight and consequentially, the links might have dropped below the value threshold that’s required in order for links to be listed. Or the linking page could have added more links, causing each link’s share of the weight to be lower, and again causing the link to drop below the value threshold. In either case the link is still counted, it just isn’t listed.

Why does Google do this? Perhaps the answer has to do with technical limitations. If the average number of links per page is 20 then Google would have to deal with over 60 billion links, which might create an index that was too large to be publicly searchable.

Myth #5: Being Listed in the Open Directory Project Gives you a Special PageRank Bonus 

Google uses Open Directory Project (DMOZ.org), to power its directory. Coupling that fact with the observation that sites listed in DMOZ often get decent and inexplicable PageRank boosts, has lead many to conclude that Google gives a special bonus to sites listed in DMOZ. This is simply not true.

The only bonus gained from being in DMOZ is the same bonus a site would achieve from being linked to by any other site. However, DMOZ data is used by hundreds of sites. The biggest user of DMOZ data is Google, but it is also used by thousands of other sites. The links from these sites are often too weak to be listed in a link search, but Google does crawl them, and the links do count. So if you’re listed in DMOZ, you’re actually gaining the benefits of hundreds of lightly-weighted incoming links, and when you add all those up, the total can amount to a decent PageRank boost.

There are two other benefits you can gain by being listed in DMOZ. For one, your directory description will appear with Google search result listings, which may increase the likelihood of someone clicking on your link. The other benefit is that, as Google does crawl DMOZ, being listed there will ensure that you’re also listed in Google. However, as it’s so easy to be listed in Google, this benefit is slight at best.

Myth #6: Being Listed in Yahoo! Gives you a Special PageRank Bonus 

This myth evolved much in the same was as Myth #5. Google has been partnered with Yahoo! for a number of years by providing secondary search results, and just recently (Fall, 2002), Yahoo! started using Google to provide primary search results.

Because Yahoo! uses Google, many have assumed that Google also uses Yahoo!, which is not the case. The only PageRank you will gain from being listed in Yahoo! is the same as the PR you’d gain from any other site of equivalent weight. However, some people achieve a larger-than-normal boost from their listing in Yahoo!, which again leads to this incorrect conclusion.
The fact is that being listed in Yahoo!’s main directory will often get you into regional directories, so, much like DMOZ, one Yahoo! listing can result in multiple links. These links are often weak in nature so they may not show up in a link search, but they are there — and Google knows about them.

Additionally, once you’re listed in any search engine or directory you have an increased chance of someone finding your site, liking it, and adding a link to it from their own site. As such, being listed in Yahoo! could result in you receiving links from elsewhere — links whose weight is too low to list, but which do contribute to your PageRank.

Myth #7: Google Uses Meta Tags to Rank Your Site

This myth is left over from the days when most search engines used meta tags. However, Google has never used them. This fact may be contested by some people, so I wouldn’t post it without proof.

To prove to yourself that Google doesn’t use meta tags, put words into your meta tags that do not appear elsewhere on your page. Then, using an advanced search, search for those words while limiting the results to your domain only. You can try this on any search engine — and if results appear, you’ll know that engine uses meta tags. If no results are displayed, then you know meta tags are not used. It is important, though, that the words only appear in your meta tags and no where else on your page.

Google can sometimes use the meta description tag to create an abstract for your site, so it may be useful to you if your home page is primarily composed of graphics. However, do not expect it to increase your rank.

Myth #8: Google Will Not Index Dynamic Pages

Some search engines have, in the past, had problems with dynamic pages, that is, pages that use a query string. This was not due to any technical limitation, but rather, because search engines knew that it was possible to create a set of an infinite amount of dynamic pages, or they could create an endless loop. In either case, the search engines did not want their crawlers to be caught spidering endless numbers of dynamically generated pages.

Google is a newer search engine, and has never had a problem with query strings. However, some dynamic pages can still throw Google for a loop.

Some shopping carts or forums store session information in the URL when cookies are unable to be written. This effectively kills search engines like Google because search engines key their indexes with URLs, and when you put session information in the URL, that URL will change constantly. This is especially true as Google uses multiple IP addresses to crawl the Web, so each crawler will see a different URL on your site, which basically results in those pages not being listed. It is important that if you use such software, you amend it so that if cookies are unable to be written, the software simply does not track session information.

So, you don’t need to use search engine-friendly URLs to be listed in Google. However, these URLs do have other benefits, such as hiding what server side technology you use (so that you may change it seamlessly later), and they are more people-friendly. Additionally, while Google can spider dynamic pages, it may limit the amount of dynamic pages it spiders from one particular site. Your best bet for a good ranking is to use search-engine friendly URLs.

Myth # 9: Google Will Not List Your Site, or Penalize it, if you use Popups

This is a relatively minor myth but it still pops up (pun intended) every once in a while. Google has an advertising program called Adwords, and one of their policies is that they do not allow sites that use popup windows to participate in this program.

This policy only exists for the Google Adwords program, but either through hearsay, or people hearing that Google has a policy against popups and incorrectly assuming that this includes Google’s main index, this myth has flourished. The suggestion that you won’t be listed in Google if you use popups is simply not true: many sites that use popups, including SitePoint, are well ranked on Google. In fact, it is doubtful that Google even understands all the Javascript that can create a popup.

Myth # 10: Google will Penalize you if You’re Linked to by a Link Farm

Google has policies against the use of artificial means to increase your PageRank, which specifically include things like joining a link farm. There are sites or services out there that set up automatic link exchanges to increase your PageRank. The links are usually hidden from people through the use of CSS, and either making the text the same color as the background, or by putting the links in an invisible layer. As search engines don’t render CSS, they will see the hidden links and thus count them when calculating your link popularity.

However, despite all this, Google will not penalize you for being linked to by a link farm. After all, you have no control over which sites links to you, so it wouldn’t be fair to penalize site owners on this basis. Additionally, link farms often have low PageRanks and a high number of outgoing links, so each link will contribute only a very small amount to your total PageRank — and thus this method of abuse is not very effective.

Even so, Google can punish you if you link to a linkfarm from your site, or otherwise put hidden links in your pages. So the simple truth is that you can be punished for what you do to your own site, but not for getting linked by another site.

List of the Best Search Engines on the Internet 2011

List of Search Engines aims to be the most up-to-date Internet search engine list with new search engines being added regularly and the defunct ones getting removed right away. ListofSearchEngines.info is the Internet’s most detailed and comprehensive lists of the world’s best search engines. From multipurpose search engines, to industry-specific ones, we’ve included the most important company information and submission URLs of each popular search engine to assist webmasters.

 

Top 10 General Search Engine Summary Information

Google – Launched in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google.com is by far the most popular search engine globally. Originally named BackRub, Google’s network of sites roughly get 65% of all the United States searches and is considered by most people to be the world’s best search engine. As of Oct. 3 2010, Alexa reports Google.com as the most visited website worldwide. Submit your website to Google.

Google powers: AOL Search (including CompuServe & Netscape), MySpace Search, Comcast Search and many other websites delivering search results.

Yahoo! – Started in 1994 by David Filo and Jerry Yang, Yahoo.com was originally a directory of websites that later became it’s own crawler-based engine in 2002. As of late 2009, Yahoo! was the second biggest search engine on the web. However, in late August of 2010, Yahoo! search results started being powered by Bing. As of Oct. 3 2010, Alexa reports Yahoo.com as the 4th most visited website worldwide. Submit your website to Yahoo!.

Bing – Launched in 2009 by Microsoft, Bing.com is their latest search engine service. In late August, Bing officially started delivering Yahoo!’s search results. Former Microsoft search engines include Microsoft Live search and MSN Search. As of Oct. 3 2010, Alexa reports Bing.com as the 22nd most visited website worldwide. Submit your website to Bing.

Bing powers: Yahoo! Search, AltaVista, AlltheWeb, GoodSearch, Lycos, Go.com and many other websites delivering search results.

Ask – Formally known as Ask Jeeves or AskJeeves.com, Ask.com was founded in 1996 with the idea of allowing users to get answers to questions posed in everyday, natural language, as well as traditional keyword searching. Today Ask.com also includes support for math, dictionary, and conversion questions. In November of 2010 Ask.com announced it would no longer be crawling, indexing and ranking it’s own pages, and will probably outsourcing that to Google or Bing. Ask will continue to focus heavily on Q&A. There is no need to submit your site to Ask.

Teoma – Founded in 2000 by a professor and his colleagues at Rutgers University, Teoma.com was acquired by Ask Jeeves in 2001 and was used to run Ask.com for several years. In May of 2010, Teoma was relaunched as an independent search engine with results similar to those on Ask.com, but slightly different for testing purposes. You don’t need to submit your web site to Teoma.

Duck Duck Go – Founded in September of 2008 by Gabriel Weinberg, DuckDuckGo.com (DDG) prides itself on respecting user privacy. Duck Duck Go compiles its search result by crawling many sources, including DuckDuckBot (their web crawler), crowd-sourced sites, Yahoo! “BOSS”, embed.ly, WolframAlpha, EntireWeb and Bing. There is no need to submit your website to Duck Duck Go.

Entireweb – Originally launched in 2000, Entireweb.com launched their International search engine Entireweb 3.0 on April 7th, 2010 to compete with the current market leaders. Submit your website to Entireweb.

Entireweb powers: Exactseek, Slider and a few other web sites delivering search results.

blekko – Launched on November 1, 2010, blekko.com is quickly becoming known as the “slashtag” search engine. blekko’s slashtags allow you to quickly to create custom search engines and searches. blekko also offers some of the best free search engine optimization (SEO) and webmaster analysis tools. There is currently no submit form for blekko. Blekko will crawl and index your website after finding it through site that are linked to you. There is no need to submit your site to blekko.

Srub The Web -A search engine that has been around since 1996; ScrubTheWeb.com claims to rank all indexed pages individually, with all pages getting an equal chance of ranking high in the search results. Submit your website to Scrub The Web.

Gigablast – Launched in 2000, Gigablast.com aims to index up to 200 billion pages with the least hardware possible.It’s a the leading clean-energy search engine with 90% of its power comes from wind energy. Submit your website to Gigiablast.

Popular General International Search Engines:

- Baidu (Chinese, Japanese) – youdao.com
- Sogou (Chinese) – sogou.com
- Yadao (Chinese) – youdao.com
- Yandex (Russian) – yandex.ru, yandex.com

How to Get a Top 10 Google Listings

The Law of Supply and Demand

Many people want top 10 rankings in Google for exceptionally competitive keywords. Only 10 people can rank there.

If you are in a high margin field (such as insurance, gambling, porn, pharmacy) then significant investment will likely be necessary.

Most search queries are somewhat random in nature. You can't be certain what exactly will be typed into a search box. Ranking well for many targeted super niche specific phrases can help you rank well.

Do What You are Interested In

You are more likely to create something worthwhile if you are interested in what you are doing.

With the endless sea of opportunity the web provides why should you do anything other than what you enjoy?

The Importance of Building Brand

Many traffic estimates are made much larger by automated bots. I have (as of writing this) a top 10 ranking in Google for SEO (on my SEO Book site) and get about 10 - 20 visitors a day for "seo."

I also get 10 - 20 visitors a day for "seo book" because I have branded the hell out of the name of my SeoBook.com site.

Even if the algorithms change a ton tomorrow and my SEO ranking drops a bit I will still do fine because I have spent a ton of time and money building a brand (and it would be exceptionally hard to outrank me for my domain name). On the web brand is frequently the difference between extreme success and just getting by or failing.

Basic SEO is a commodity service. Something anyone could probably pick up in a week. I make ok wages because I have worked super hard to establish brand.

The Most Efficient Way to get a Top 10 Ranking in Google

• Create a good idea that naturally wants to spread; or
• Include a viral marketing idea into the product or service; or
• Create a standard that many powerful sites would want to reference without asking (like Adobe PDF).

The web is a social medium. If you are paying recurring fees for almost all the links pointing at your site then likely you are missing out on what the web is all about.

The Next Best Way

Get tons of keyword rich inbound links from tons of different sites.
Step by step:

• Know your business model and what you intend to create. If you do not have a business model or are unsure of what you want to make then make a site about things that interest you until you stumble across what you want to do.
• If you do not yet have a domain name try to get a short and brandable keyword rich (with at least on of your primary keywords in it when possible) domain name. When I wanted to sell an SEO Book I bought the domain name seobook.com. It will not always be that easy but creativity goes a long way here.
• What really helps you with a keyword rich domain name is that people are likely to link to you using the words that are in the domain name.
• If you are unsure of what your best keywords will be set up test PPC campaigns with Google AdWords and/or Overture.
• Register your site with directories.
• Write articles and get them syndicated. You may want to write a few press releases too. Participating in some forums can help build your link popularity.
• Create feedback loops which automatically help spread your message. This works best if it is part of step 1 :)
• You will likely need to spend some amount of money unless you are promoting a great idea.
• Exchange links / buy links / ask for links / advertise / rent links, etc. I would not rent links with recurring fees until after I registered my site with a ton of directories.
• Whenever possible get your keywords in the link text. You should also use multiple variations for your link text to prevent your link popularity from looking automated.
• Sometimes creating useful tools helps create free links.
• When you have questions ask. The forums listed below are awesome.

The Completely Ineffective Way to Gain Top Rankings

Continually build content without purpose.

Links Are Key

I can't emphasize that enough.

PageRank helps but PageRank is somewhat overrated. Lots of keyword rich links from lots of independent locations is the key to ranking well...especially building lots of links from sites with related themes.

When Building Content

Make sure each page on your site has some reason for being there (This was a major flaw with this site when it first came out and I am working hard to try to undue that).

Every page is a potential sales page. Offer free information (much like the pages on this site do). Telling will likely help you make more money than selling.

Time travel possible? E=mc2 wrong?

The Super Proton Synchrotron tunnel, located at the CERN particle research center near Geneva, Switzerland

 

Scientists say they have recorded subatomic particles travelling faster than the speed of light and conjecture that Einstein's theory of special relativity may be wrong.

The latest experiment conducted by scientists at CERN, the world's largest physics lab, which is located near Geneva, may force a major rethink of the laws of physics and theories about how the cosmos works, Reuters reported.

The most famous scientific equation of the world had regarded the feat -- particles travelling faster than the speed of light -- impossible, but if the findings are proven to be accurate, scientists can dream of travel through time and even extra dimensions.

Albert Einstein proposed his theory of special relativity in 1905, stating that nothing in the universe can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum, but researchers at the CERN lab claim they have recorded neutrinos, a type of tiny particle, travelling faster than the barrier of 299,792 kilometers per second.

Jeff Forshaw, a professor of particle physics at Britain's Manchester University, said the results, if confirmed, would mean it would be possible in theory "to send information into the past," adding, "In other words, time travel into the past would become possible… (though) that does not mean we'll be building time machines any time soon.”

However, cosmologist and astrophysicist Martin Rees said, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and this is an extraordinary claim.”

Antonio Ereditato, the spokesman for the researchers, said, "We have high confidence in our results. We have checked and rechecked for anything that could have distorted our measurements but we found nothing."

What's Wrong With E=MC^2?

 

Google “E=mc2 is wrong” and you get 1,060 hits. Google “E=mc2 is correct” and you get a mere 138 hits. There you have it. It took us a more than a century, but finally this crazy inconsistent theory of relativity got outvoted. Common sense cries victory!

Fortunately, science does not work that way. Science is no democracy, and we do not render a theory invalid by popular vote. Einstein's theory of relativity has stood the test of time and its correctness is beyond any doubt. But... there is an issue with what is arguably the most famous equation in the history of natural sciences.

So what is the problem with Einstein's mass-energy relation?

 

Well, to put it bluntly, there is no such thing as a mass-energy relation. What does exist is a mass-energy-momentum relation. The equation Einstein came up with more than a century ago can be considered a degenerate form of the mass-energy-momentum relation for vanishing momentum. Einstein was very well aware of this, and in later papers repetitively stressed that his mass-energy equation is strictly limited to observers co-moving with the object under study. However, very, very few people seem to have paid attention to Einstein's warnings, nor to any of the more recent warnings. Even worse, the vast majority of authors of popular science books take great liberty in applying E=mc² to objects moving at speeds close to the speed of light, and then declare mass to increase with velocity in an attempt to recover consistency in what has become an incoherent mix of relativistic and Newtonian dynamics. Theoretical physicist Lev Okun refers to this practice as a “pedagogical virus”.

What I consider truly amazing, is how few people are aware of the mass-energy-momentum relation. In contrast to the widely popularized equation E=mc², the mass-energy-momentum relation is a direct result of the fundamental principles of relativity theory, and provides true insight into the basics of relativity. Moreover, and contrary to what one might expect, the mass-energy-momentum relation is far from complicated. In fact, the mass-energy-momentum relation does not even need a mathematical equation, a simple drawing with annotations suffices.


Einstein meets Pythagoras: the mass-energy-momentum relation. In the rectangular triangle, the hypotenuse represents energy times c (c denoting the speed of light), the vertical edge momentum times c², and the base mass times c³.

The above figure graphically captures the mass-energy-momentum relation for a particle of mass m and total energy E, moving at velocity v. The parameter c denotes the speed of light. Shown is a right triangle with labeled edges. The hypotenuse labeled Ec is proportional to the energy of the particle, and has length energy E times speed of light c. The vertical edge labeled Ev is proportional to the momentum of the particle and has length E times v. Finally, the base labeled mc³ is proportional to the mass of the particle and has length m times c³.

The full relativistic kinematics is captured in this annotated triangle. Knowing two out of the three quantities mass, energy and momentum, using this simple diagram one can easily derive the third. For instance, suppose one wants to know the total energy of a particle, when given that it moves at a velocity of 3/5 the speed of light. With v:c equal to 3:5, it is clear that the vertical edge Ev and the hypotenuse Ec are in the same ratio. Applying the Pythagorean theorem immediately leads to the conclusion that we are dealing with a 3:4:5 triangle. Hence, the hypotenuse is 5/4 times the base: E = 5/4 mc². Who told you relativity theory is heavy stuff?

We can also use the above triangle to derive some generic relativistic results. For instance, as the vertical edge can not be longer than the hypotenuse, one of the core axioms of relativity follows: no particle can move with a speed v larger than the speed of light c. Notice that to achieve this result, we don't need any misleading constructions like 'mass increases with velocity'.

Also the extreme case of m = 0, applicable to massless particles like photons, is well captured in the triangle. For m = 0 the triangle collapses to a vertical line element and it follows immediately that Ev = Ec or v = c. Massless particles move at the speed of light.

Needless to say that Einsteins mass-energy relationship is captured as well in the special case Ev = 0 (i.e. for the triangle collapsing into a horizontal line element). For those brave enough to battle some math equations: it can also be shown that when Ev is non-zero but much smaller than Ec, the non-relativistic (Newtonian) limit is firmly captured in the mass-energy-momentum triangle. For Ev << Ec the triangle takes a flat shape with Ec ≈ mc³ so that the Pythagorean equation can be written (Ev)² = (Ec)² – (mc³)² = (Ec + mc³)(Ec - mc³) ≈ 2mc³(Ec
– mc³). Hence, Ec – mc³ = (Ev)²/2mc³ or E = mc² + (Ev)²/2mc⁴ ≈ mc² + (mc²)²v²/(2mc⁴) = mc² + mv²/2. If you managed to follow this math reasoning, surely you will recognize the well-known Newtonian kinetic energy expression in this result.

A few more relativistic insights are captured in the mass-energy-momentum triangle. For instance, the mere fact that the momentum edge is labeled not mv (nor mc²v) but rather Ev is significant. It stresses the fact that the total energy (and not mass) is a measure of inertia. Once one realizes this, it should be clear that statements like “mass increases with velocity” are plainly wrong.

You might wonder, why is it that this mass-energy-momentum relation can be represented in a simple rectangular triangle? This question brings us to the heart of Einstein's relativity theory. In four-dimensional spacetime, energy and momentum lose their meaning as separate quantities. Instead, a four-component spacetime vector emerges that describes energy and momentum in a unified fashion. In loose loose terms one can envision this spacetime vector as a flow of energy at speed v in space and speed c in time. The space (Ev) and time (Ec) components of this energy-momentum vector do depend on the frame of reference of the observer, but the length of this vector is an absolute quantity, that is independent of the choice of observe. This quantity is called mass.

In a normal Euclidean space, the length of a vector is determined by a Pythagorean sum of the components. Spacetime vectors behave subtly different as the space and time components contribute to the vector length with opposing signs. As a consequence, when grouped into a space and a time component, the length of a spacetime vector is given by the Pythagorean difference of the two components. What results is a rectangular triangle with the length of the spacetime vector being represented by one of the short edges.

Will we ever see mass-energy-momentum triangles replacing E=mc² as slogan on t-shirts? I don't hold my breath. A technically superior product in itself is unlikely to replace a strong brand. And “E=mc²” certainly is a strong brand for 20^th century physics. In fact, it is more than that. A true symbol and icon of mankind's intellectual achievements. The fact that it is more than often represented in an inconsistent way is a shame, but can not take away that luster.

How Much Has the iPhone Really Changed in Four Years?

It's been over four years since the first iPhone came out, and a lot has changed, from the screen to the CPU to the form factor. How drastic has this change actually been over the years? Not fast enough.


(Each line of the graph represents a different iPhone spec that applies to every generation. Each mark along the x-axis represents a new iPhone model. Every subsequent increase or decrease doesn't correspond to the raw numbers of each spec, but the factor by which it increased. Every spec in the original iPhone starts as a baseline value, hence the flatline to start.)

It's not like the iPhone hasn't improved. Statistically speaking, the camera, storage and the RAM have experienced the most drastic changes over the five generations of iPhone, with the camera being improved every generation after the iPhone 3G. The CPU has also seen steady improvement after the release of the 3G, though not at the same pace (in comparing the A4 and A5, I used the prevailing logic that a dual-core processor is ~1.6x faster than a single-core CPU of the same speed).

But why doesn't the iPhone have a gig of RAM like the Galaxy S II? Where's the bigger, bezel-less screen? Granted, they've been handcuffed by manufacturers as far as storage capacity goes. But as the biggest and most innovative company on the planet, there's no reason why they shouldn't be trying to not only outgun Samsung, but also themselves.

Apple iPhone 5 Review– Specifications

Apple iPhone 5 is becoming more and more ‘the most wanted Smartphone of the year 2011’, which is why the internet is filled with rumours and leaked information about iPhone 5. So, now it’s my turn to add something as well, what you may or may not find in iPhone 5. I am not trying to get you all excited over nothing; I am just trying to create a wish list from my personal desires and what I call ‘gadget intuition’!

There is a huge competition in line and for the very first time, there are just so many kids in the party who want to take the biggest piece of the cake they possibly can. I am talking about HTC, which is rolling about Android and Windows Phone 7 based Smartphones with state-of-the-art hardware configurations and top-notch business productivity solutions. Then there is Samsung, which is steaming the market at a rapid rate with the upcoming launch of Galaxy S II (and Tab 2)
Android Market, Amazon App Store and Windows Marketplace are going to present some very hard competition to Apple Appstore as well. Collectively, iPhone 5 (you’ll know the real name at the very end of this article), must present something special in order to win the hearts of Apple fans once again and attract or steal the fans of their competitors.

So, let’s start point by point, starting with Build:
 

Build or Looks

iPhone 5 may not vary a lot in comparison to iPhone 4. iPhone 4 did bring a form factor with squares in comparison to rounded ones in previous generations of iPhone. However, transitioning from iPhone 4 to 5 would be a great leap forward, because it will have great hardware changes (from processor to display panel).

Right now, holding iPhone 4 feels just right and kind of ‘perfect’, Steve Jobs might want to stick with the current form factor for now. Now, talking about keeping things just the same, Apple will have to deal with the so called ‘death grip’ that affected many users last year (but didn’t slow down sales of iPhone 4). Rather than keeping the antenna close to the gripping part, it could be adjusted horizontally, in top or bottom.

In both cases, the death grip, if any, will only occur if we want to take a snap or something like that. So, when we are holding our phone like that, we wouldn’t be talking anyway, that is why this idea could work. Anyway, I am not a hardware engineer and I would prefer if Apple can come up with some other brilliant way to fix that upcoming issue.

The other solution is to hold the phone with brain waves. However, Steve Jobs can’t possibly come up with that solution. Let’s leave it to Intel to figure this one out. They are the founders of tomorrow after all.  

Display

Resolution: 640X960 with 3.7-inch (diagonal) screen – IPS display
This fact is all over the internet that iPhone 5 might actually be larger than iPhone 4 and with all the new Smartphones (with Tegra 2 inside) coming with large display, Apple can’t back down. However, there are still two possibilities here, iPhone 5 may have a larger screen or it may have a higher resolution.

A higher resolution will already make the phone difficult to operate for people who have trouble reading small things and a higher resolution would not feel natural on a 3.5-inch screen, even if it is some retouched, ultra-sharp, crisp and antiglare version of what we have seen in iPhone 4.
 

Capacity or Disk Size 

Disk size is of utter importance. It will be available in variations of 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB and if we are mighty lucky enough, 120 GB (ah! it brings back the sweet memories of iPod Classic 120 GB)! Finally, we will be able to store all of our personal data in just one amazing Smartphone and 120 GB must be more than enough.


In any case, it still depends on how you organize your personal life. You can have millions of megabytes to store your data and still feel like you want more, and you can have just one picture to remember and adore your loved ones (just being a little emotional, that’s all).

So, back to the size, do you think that it is possible for Apple to invent some kind of SSD for iPhone, hm? We’ll see later this year or in first quarter of 2012.

Processor

1 GHz Apple A5 Custom Designed Dual Core processor.
I just heard about this processor being installed in iPad 2 (Apple has revealed it as well) from my friend and thought, hey, if it can power up a 9.7-inch beast (make it, sort of), then it can certainly fill some juice in the latest iPhone.

Multi-tasking would not be a tale to tell anymore, it has long become an old talk and as I said in my iPad 2 article, hyper threading has a nice ring to it. However, what on earth are we going to do with hyper threading in Smartphones? Is Autodesk planning to launch Maya and 3DS Max for iOS as well? Who knows, may be!

You never know actually. One moment you are sitting comfortably on a bench, enjoying a delicious coffee or tea, and the next moment, a guy with iPhone 5 comes and starts to work on a 3D Model!

RAM

A nice boost in RAM would be so-kind-of-Apple as well friends. I am not talking about 1 GB of RAM (well, that wouldn’t be too bad either), but 768 MB of RAM would make the Smartphone even more jazzy.

Extra Features

Gyroscope
ThunderBolt Port
4G
Finger-print scanner for additional security or simply put, biometric security
5 Mega Pixels to 8 Mega Pixels camera with Flash – 1080p video recording and playback on HD televisions via ThunderBolt Port

Real Name

As I promised that I would tell you the real name of upcoming version of iPhone, here we go. You do realise, that there is something missing in iPhone 4 and that is 4G and this is why, iPhone 5 cannot be called iPhone 5 when there is still a room for a lonely G roaming around for a place to stick and what could be a better place than, iPhone 4.

So... how do you feel about iPhone 4G than iPhone 5? Comment section is open for you anytime.

Google Plus vs. Facebook: Who's Winning?

There’s a hot new social media contender in town: She’s just shy of three months old and already boasts more than 25 million users -- the fastest growing platform of her kind. She possesses all of the bells and whistles of her competitors, plus a few cool surprises of her own.
World, meet Google Plus.
Still in beta, Google Plus (or G+ for short) is the search engine giant’s latest attempt at social networking dominance (and the successor to its similarly-veined -- but failed -- ventures, Google Wave and Google Buzz).
Seeking to improve upon the Facebook model, G+ has already created quite a stir in the tech world, but critics argue that its chances for long-term success still remain to be seen.
So what exactly does G+ have that Facebook doesn’t? Is it worth the switch? Let’s break down the pros and cons:

The Good

1. Hangouts
Definitely one of the cooler aspects of G+, hangouts are group video chats (à la Skype) that let you converse with pals in real time. Unlike Skype, which charges a fee for multiple users, up to ten people can participate in one hangout at a time, totally free of cost. Fun for a casual chat with friends, yes -- but also helpful for a team call with co-workers.
What’s more, if you want to watch the latest funny cat video with nine of your closest friends, now you can, thanks to G+ Hangout’s recent integration with YouTube. You can choose your desired video on YouTube, click “Share,” and then “Start a Google+ Hangout.” Instant party!

2. Circles
You love your parents but you’re sick of them stalking you on Facebook. G+ has got your solution: an innovative feature that allows you to organize your contacts into separate groups or “circles” (i.e. “Family,” “Work Friends,” or “Music Buddies”) and pick and choose what those circles can view.
For example, if you’d rather Mom not know what shenanigans you were up to last night, no worries -- just limit your status update to your “Friends” circle only.
Circles also let you filter your “stream” (the G+ version of Facebook’s News Feed). Done with work for the day? Simply click over from your “Work” stream to your “Friends” stream, and you’ll only see updates from friends.
G+ also recently added a “Suggested Users” feature that enables you to add famous folks (or strangers) to your circles. Similar to Twitter, users are grouped into categories (e.g., “Entertainment,” “Fun & Interesting,” and “Politics”), and you can browse for people of interest. Plus, you can see updates from your favorite celebrities or bloggers -- even if they’re not technically your real-life friends. (So, yes, you can take your Ryan Reynolds-stalkerdom to an entirely new level.)

3. Instant Uploads
Got some great vacation photos or videos you’d love to share, but dreading the task of having to upload them all yourself? No problem! G+ will do it for you (provided you have an Android phone).
Just snap the pic of your choice, and it will automatically be posted to a private online album. From there, you can share it with whomever you choose with just one click.

The Bad

1. Too Exclusive?
Three months into the launch of its beta, G+ still operates on an invite-only basis. So, despite its initial buzz, there’s been a noticeable decline of late in the number of visits to the fledgling site. And many critics believe it’s due to the limited access G+ has imposed.
Social networks thrive on interaction, they argue, and until G+ makes itself available to all, it risks alienating a lot of potential users, who will quickly lose interest in whatever it has to offer.

2. Real Name Policy
G+ requires proper names for its Google Profiles, asserting that it is an “identity service” which relies on truthful information from its users that will help it build future products. Pseudonyms are forbidden and make the user subject to account suspension, a policy that many oppose. What about users with uncommon names, or those who simply prefer using pseudonyms for security or privacy reasons?
Blogger Violet Blue learned this lesson the hard way: even though she had previously given two tech talks at the Google headquarters, her G+ account was suspended because her real name was not real enough.

3. Facebook is on to the G+ Game
Feeling pressure from the success of G+, Facebook has implemented a number of privacy changes in recent weeks that it hopes will help keep its users loyal.
Dig the G+ circles feature? Facebook just rolled out its improved “Friend Lists,” which allow you to control who sees what you post.
Like being able to read updates from people you’re interested in who aren’t your friends (à la G+ and Twitter)? Introducing the Facebook “Subscribe” button, which lets you keep up with personalities you admire. And as the battle for social network supremacy rages on, we can expect Facebook to continue to step up its competition

What do you think? Have you tried G+? Is it worth the switch, or are you a Facebook fan forever?