Top 10: The Newest and Coolest Upcoming Gadgets of 2011

Electronic gadgets market is giant market with countless gadgets that gained recognition and praised worldwide. Technology is advancing so rapidly, that with every passing day, we get to listen about new electronic gadgets and their upgraded versions being launched in the market by electronic giant.

Many people are still waiting till Christmas, in order to get some of 2010’s best gadgets in technology. Indeed 2010 was a great year with tablet and 3D revolution, and we can hope that the next year will be more interesting and beat these gadgets! So below cutting-edge selections not only represent many of the best new gadgets that are available to business owners and working professionals in 2010, but will also appear in 2011.

1) Google Nexus

Google’s Nexus is a speedy smart phone. It’s a intuitive handset having five customizable home screens with animated backgrounds. It also provides slick speech recognition capabilities. Nexus is now integrated with most of the software services provided by Google. Nexus One represent itself as a search giant’s first expansion in the world of e- commerce and hardware. Although that some well-publicized customer service issues come up with the device, still it remains among those ionic customer electronics which are at top of the list throughout the year.

2) RIM BlackBerry Presenter

As many of you have already noticed that micro and mini projectors will be available soon. Manufactures like 3M, Microvision and other. Thank God this handy 3.4-inch x 2.4-inch boxlike accessory is designed, so that it can be used with BlackBerry smart phones. It is very simple in use. What you have to do is that, simply connect it with a projector or monitor and you can use Blutetooth connectivity in order to display Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 and 2007 slides directly from your handset. You can pause images, set slides to automatically swap at prearranged intervals and in this way you can enjoy the benefit of accurate reproductions with most visual and animated effects.

3) PlayStation Phone by Sony

Sony, the leader of innovative technologies is ready to launch playstation phone code named “Zeus” in early 2011. Zeus would have Andriod 3.0 Gingerbread operating system. It also contains SD slot card having 8GB of memory with 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor. It comes up with 3.8 display and graphics processing unit of Adreno 205. This superb phone also contains 1GB ROM and 512 MB RAM. 3.8″ touch screen and its touch pad is just like gaming console of PSP. Through PlayStation Phone you can also download different games. So for those who love games, it is going to be a best product.

4) 3D Vaio by Sony

In order to be synchronize with BRAVIA glasses 3D laptop computer by Sony will boast of IR blaster. Lodged in F series chassis, the laptop contains display of 16”, so it can also be used for PS3. For games and videos, this laptop comes up with 1080p 240fps display. You can upgrade it from 2D to 3D with Blu-ray drives. In order to retain crystal clear picture quality, 3D VAIO uses the same technology in BRAVIA TV, with Black Frame Insertion. 3D VAIO used sequential technology for HD display while utilizing shutter glass. With just one touch button you can change between 2D to 3D. So, 3D VAIO would be a 0utstanding electronic gadget of 2011.

5) Apple iPhone 5

Apple iPhone 5 is based on face recognition mechanism with a sleek design. It contains 64GB memory with OLED screen. With GPS navigation feature you are able to synchronize with iTunes and customize SMS alerts and tones with HD audio quality. With Apple iPhone5 you can do video chat on 3G. For more durability, the screen is made scratch protected. For improved resolution it contains the most advanced graphic chips in it with chips dual core processors. On iPhone 5 you are also able to watch local channels. It also includes Pico projector which is used for presentation on a wall or flat surface.

6) PlayBook by BlackBerry

With simplified and advanced operating system BlackBerry is going to launch PlayBook. It would be highly compatible with current web requirements such like HTML5. This BlackBerry Tablet Operating System also called as QNX, supports open GL and PSIX. It will also be compatible with Adobe AIR and Flash 10.1. It comes up with 1GHZ processor, 1GB of Ram, 3MP camera with 5MP lens and 1024X600, 7″ display. Playbook offer video conferencing and features micro USB jack, 1080p resolution, Wi-Fi, HDMI port and Blue Tooth. Playbook is hardly just 0.4” thick and approximately weighs just 450 grams. It is possible to extract the data out of BlackBerry on PlayBook with the help of BlueTooth tethering application.

7) 3DS by Nintendo

The Nintendo 3D comes up with 2 outward lenses and 1 inward lense for taking pictures and it is compatible with 3D graphics sans glasses. With outward lens you can take picture of any person and at the same instant the user’s picture can be taken with the inward lens. It is possible to combine two images and produce a single one. Users cartoon avatars automatically created by 3DS. It also enables users of 2DS for communication. With the help of tag mode, you are able to get the details of another user of 3DS, like you can come to know about the games he or she played last.

8) Samsung LED 9000 Series

Samsung’s LED 9000 series of television sets is pencil-thin. Yes it’s just 0.3 inches wide and it can support and having the great ability to display 3D images and can convert 2D content into third dimension. You must be impressed by knowing that it can offer great support for downloadable apps, just like you’d find on the iPhone or Nexus One. Its application served via open development platform which means that any entrepreneur is able to insert content in it and can add up huge functionality, from the world of social networking clients to the downloadable games.

9) Palm Pre Plus

With minor changes in hardware the newer version of palm pre comes up with patch up keyboard and some little changes in user interface. It contains 3.1 inch multi touch screen with 320×480 resolution with HVGA display. In order to capture amateur video capture, it contains 3MP camera with LED flash. Palm Pre Plus will be coming up with Verizon. It runs on WebOS in its smartphone platform, which gives applications like Hotspot Tethering. You can get Palm Pre Plus for just 150 $ with two years Verizon contacts with their data plans.

10) Lenovo IdeaPad U1

Lenovo IdeaPad U1 is a 1.6 inch Linux based PC. It can also become a fully functional 3.7lb notebook having multi-touch capabilities that boasts an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. This device really functions well while offering solid five hours of battery life. E-mail and other web surfing facilities are also available. It attracts to those mobile professionals who are looking for great diversity in computing solution. So you can call it as two for one deal.

HUMOR Me...
Technology Has Taken Over Your Life

1. Your stationery is more cluttered than Warren Beatty's address book. The letterhead lists a fax number, e-mail addresses for two on-line services, and your Internet address, which spreads across the breadth of the letterhead and continues to the back. In essence, you have conceded that the first page of any letter you write *is* letterhead.

2. You have never sat through an entire movie without having at least one device on your body beep or buzz.

3. You need to fill out a form that must be typewritten, but you can't because there isn't one typewriter in your house -- only computers with laser printers.

4. You think of the gadgets in your office as "friends," but you forget to send your father a birthday card.

5. You disdain people who use low baud rates.

6. When you go into a computer store, you eavesdrop on a salesperson talking with customers -- and you butt in to correct him and spend the next twenty minutes answering the customers' questions, while the salesperson stands by silently, nodding his head.

7. You use the phrase "digital compression" in a conversation without thinking how strange your mouth feels when you say it.

8. You constantly find yourself in groups of people to whom you say the phrase "digital compression." Everyone understands what you mean, and you are not surprised or disappointed that you don't have to explain it.

9. You know Bill Gates' e-mail address, but you have to look up your own social security number.

10. You stop saying "phone number" and replace it with "voice number," since we all know the majority of phone lines in any house are plugged into contraptions that talk to other contraptions.

11. You sign Christmas cards by putting :-) next to your signature.

12. Off the top of your head, you can think of nineteen keystroke symbols that are far more clever than :-)

13. You back up your data every day.

14. Your wife asks you to pick up some minipads for her at the store and you return with a rest for your mouse.

15. You think jokes about being unable to program a VCR are stupid.

16. On vacation, you are reading a computer manual and turning the pages faster than everyone else who is reading John Grisham novels.

17. The thought that a CD could refer to finance or music rarely enters your mind.

18. You are able to argue persuasively the Ross Perot's phrase "electronic town hall" makes more sense than the term "information superhighway," but you don't because, after all, the man still uses hand-drawn pie charts.

19. You go to computer trade shows and map out your path of the exhibit hall in advance. But you cannot give someone directions to your house without looking up the street names.

20. You would rather get more dots per inch than miles per gallon.

21. You become upset when a person calls you on the phone to sell you something, but you think it's okay for a computer to call and demand that you start pushing buttons on your telephone to receive more information about the product it is selling.

22. You know without a doubt that disks come in five-and-a- quarter-and three-and-a-half-inch sizes.

23. Al Gore strikes you as an "intriguing" fellow.

24. You own a set of itty-bitty screw-drivers and you actually know where they are.

25. While contemporaries swap stories about their recent hernia surgeries, you compare mouse-induced index-finger strain with a nine year-old.

26. You are so knowledgeable about technology that you feel secure enough to say "I don't know" when someone asks you a technology question instead of feeling compelled to make something up.

27. You rotate your screen savers more frequently than your automobile tires.

28. You have a functioning home copier machine, but every toaster you own turns bread into charcoal.

29. You have ended friendships because of irreconcilably different opinions about which is better -- the track ball or the track *pad*.

30. You understand all the jokes in this message. If so, my friend, technology has taken over your life. We suggest, for your own good, that you go lie under a tree and write a haiku. And don't use a laptop.

• Reference/Source: smashinghub.com by kiranfatimaa(December 16th, 2010)

New Top 10 Predictions for the News Media in 2011

In many ways, 2010 was finally the year of mobile for news media, and especially so if you consider the iPad a mobile device. Many news organizations like The Washington Post and CNN included heavy social media integrations into their apps, opening the devices beyond news consumption.

In 2011, the focus on mobile will continue to grow with the launch of mobile- and iPad-only news products, but the greater focus for news media in 2011 will be on re-imagining its approach to the open social web. The focus will shift from searchable news to social and share-able news, as social media referrals close the gap on search traffic for more news organizations. In the coming year, news media’s focus will be affected by the personalization of news consumption and social media’s influence on journalism.

1. Leaks and Journalism: A New Kind of Media Entity
In 2010, we saw the rise of WikiLeaks through its many controversial leaks. With each leak, the organization learned and evolved its process in distributing sensitive classified information. In 2011, we’ll see several governments prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for his role in disseminating classified documents and some charges will have varying successes. But even if WikiLeaks itself gets shut down, we’re going to see the rise of “leakification” in journalism, and more importantly we’ll see a number of new media entities, not just mirror sites, that will model themselves to serve whistle blowers — WikiLeaks copycats of sorts. Toward the end of this year, we already saw Openleaks, Brusselsleaks, and Tradeleaks. There will be many more, some of which will be focused on niche topics.

Just like with other media entities, there will be a new competitive market and some will distinguish themselves and rise above the rest. So how will success be measured? The scale of the leak, the organization’s ability to distribute it and its ability or inability to partner with media organizations. Perhaps some will distinguish themselves by creating better distribution platforms through their own sites by focusing on the technology and, of course, the analysis of the leaks. The entities will still rely on partnerships with established media to distribute and analyze the information, but it may very well change the relationship whistleblowers have had with media organizations until now.

2. More Media Mergers and Acquisitions
At the tail end of 2010, we saw the acquisition of TechCrunch by AOL and the Newsweek merger with The Daily Beast. In some ways, these moves have been a validation in the value of new media companies and blogs that have built an audience and a business.

But as some established news companies’ traditional sources of revenue continue to decline, while new media companies grow, 2011 may bring more media mergers and acquisitions. The question isn’t if, but who? I think that just like this year, most will be surprises.

3. Tablet-Only and Mobile-First News Companies
In 2010, as news consumption began to shift to mobile devices, we saw news organizations take mobile seriously. Aside from launching mobile apps across various mobile platforms, perhaps the most notable example is News Corp’s plan to launch The Daily, an iPad-only news organization that is set to launch early 2011. It will cost $0.99 per week, though Apple will take 30%. But that’s not the only hurdle, as the publication relies on an iPad-owning audience. There will have been 15.7 million tablets sold worldwide in 2010, and the iPad represents roughly 85% of that. However, that number is expected to more than double in 2011. Despite a business gamble, this positions news organizations like The Daily for growth, and with little competition, besides news organizations that repurpose their web content. We’ve also seen the launch of an iPad-only magazine with Virgin’s Project and of course the soon-to-launch News.me social news iPad application from Betaworks.

But it’s not just an iPad-only approach, and some would argue that the iPad isn’t actually mobile; it’s leisurely (yes, Mark Zuckerberg). In 2011, we’ll see more news media startups take a mobile-first approach to launching their companies. This sets them up to be competitive by distributing on a completely new platform, where users are more comfortable with making purchases. We’re going to see more news companies that reverse the typical model of website first and mobile second.

4. Location-Based News Consumption
In 2010, we saw the growth of location-based services like Foursquare, Gowalla and SCVNGR. Even Facebook entered the location game by launching its Places product, and Google introduced HotPot, a recommendation engine for places and began testing it in Portland. The reality is that only 4% of online adults use such services on the go. My guess is that as the information users get on-the-go info from such services, they’ll becomes more valuable and these location-based platforms will attract more users.

Part of the missing piece is being able to easily get geo-tagged news content and information based on your GPS location. In 2011, with a continued shift toward mobile news consumption, we’re going to see news organizations implement location-based news features into their mobile apps. And of course if they do not, a startup will enter the market to create a solution to this problem or the likes of Foursquare or another company will begin to pull in geo-tagged content associated with locations as users check in.

5. Social vs. Search
In 2010, we saw social media usage continue to surge globally. Facebook alone gets 25% of all U.S. pageviews and roughly 10% of Internet visits. Instead of focusing on search engine optimization (SEO), in 2011 we’ll see social media optimization become a priority at many news organizations, as they continue to see social close the gap on referrals to their sites.

Ken Doctor, author of Newsonomics and news industry analyst at Outsell, recently pointed out that social networks have become the fastest growing source of traffic referrals for many news sites. For many, social sites like Facebook and Twitter only account for 10% to 15% of their overall referrals, but are number one in growth. For news startups, the results are even more heavy on social. And of course, the quality of these referrals is often better than readers who come from search. They generally yield more pageviews and represent a more loyal reader than the one-off visitors who stumble across the site from Google.

6. The Death of the ‘Foreign Correspondent’
What we’ve known as the role of the foreign correspondent will largely cease to exist in 2011. As a result of business pressures and the roles the citizenry now play in using digital technology to share and distribute news abroad, the role of a foreign correspondent reporting from an overseas bureau “may no longer be central to how we learn about the world,” according to a recent study by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. The light in the gloomy assessment is that there is opportunity in other parts of the world, such as Asia and Africa, where media is expanding as a result of “economic and policy stability,” according to the report. In 2011, we’ll see more news organizations relying heavily on stringers and, in many cases, social content uploaded by the citizenry.

7. The Syndication Standard and the Ultimate Curators
Syndication models will be disrupted in 2011. As Clay Shirky recently predicted, more news outlets will get out of the business of re-running the same story on their site that appeared elsewhere. Though this is generally true, the approach to syndication will vary based on the outlet. The reality is that the content market has become highly fragmented, and if content is king, then niche is certainly queen. Niche outlets, which were once curators of original content produced by established organizations, will focus more on producing original content. While established news brands, still under pressure to produce a massive amount of content despite reduced staff numbers, will become the ultimate curators. This means they will feature just as much content, but instead through syndication partners.

You already see this taking place on sites like CNN.com or NYTimes.com, both of whose technology sections feature headlines and syndicated content from niche technology publications. In this case, it won’t only be the reader demand for original content that drives niche publications to produce more original content, but also its relationship with established organizations that strive to uphold the quality of their content and the credibility of their brand. Though original content will be rewarded, specialized, niche publications could benefit the most from the disruption.

8. Social Storytelling Becomes Reality
In 2010, we saw social content get weaved into storytelling, in some cases to tell the whole story and in other cases to contextualize news events with curation tools such as Storify. We also saw the rise of social news readers, such as Flipboard and Pulse mobile apps and others.

In 2011, we’ll not only see social curation as part of storytelling, but we’ll see social and technology companies getting involved in the content creation and curation business, helping to find the signal in the noise of information.

We’ve already heard that YouTube is in talks to buy a video production company, but it wouldn’t be a surprise for the likes of Twitter or Facebook to play a more pivotal role in harnessing its data to present relevant news and content to its users. What if Facebook had a news landing page of the trending news content that users are discussing? Or if Twitter filtered its content to bring you the most relevant and curated tweets around news events?

9. News Organizations Get Smarter With Social Media
In 2010, news organizations began to take social media more seriously and we saw many news organizations hire editors to oversee social media. USA Today recently appointed a social media editor, while The New York Times dropped the title, and handed off the ropes to Aron Pilhofer’s interactive news team.

The Times‘ move to restructure its social media strategy, by going from a centralized model to a decentralized one owned by multiple editors and content producers in the newsroom, shows us that news organizations are becoming more sophisticated and strategic with their approach to integrating social into the journalism process. In 2011, we’re going to see more news organizations decentralize their social media strategy from one person to multiple editors and journalists, which will create an integrated and more streamlined approach. It won’t just be one editor updating or managing a news organization’s process, but instead news organizations will work toward a model in which each journalist serves as his or her own community manager.

10. The Rise of Interactive TV
In 2010, many people were introduced to Internet TV for the first time, as buzz about the likes of Google TV, iTV, Boxee Box and others proliferated headlines across the web. In 2011, the accessibility to Internet TV will transform television as we know it in not only the way content is presented, but it will also disrupt the dominance traditional TV has had for years in capturing ad dollars.

Americans now spend as much time using the Internet as they do watching television, and the reality is that half are doing both at the same time. The problem of being able to have a conversation with others about a show you’re watching has existed for some time, and users have mostly reacted to the problem by hosting informal conversations via Facebook threads and Twitter hashtags. Companies like Twitter are recognizing the problem and finding ways to make the television experience interactive.

It’s not only the interaction, but the way we consume content. Internet TV will also create a transition for those used to consuming video content through TVs and bring them to the web. That doesn’t mean that flat screens are going away; instead, they will only become interconnected to the web and its many content offerings.

• Reference/Source: mashable.com by Vadim Lavrusik

Top 10 Recent Annoying Trends in the Games Industry

With the economy getting fairly rough and the games industry getting hit with a multitude of closures and layoffs, it’s no surprise that game companies have reverted to “make a quick buck mode” these days. This has caused more than a few annoying trends to pop up within the industry whether it be on the publisher side or the developer side. Without further ado, here is a list of the top ten recent annoying trends in the games industry.

Relying on post release support far too much

Post-release support is a great thing for gamers and developers alike.  In most situations any sort of bugs get ironed out of the game fairly quickly if the developers missed something, and even downloadable content keeps people playing the game long after they are finished with the main areas.  The problem is that in this new digital age, most tech companies assume that everyone has access to the internet and other commonplace services that many take for granted.  In this situation there is a new trend popping up where companies print and release unfinished games to meet a deadline, and then force everyone to immediately update the game when they get home.  The problem being that not everyone can do this, so two versions of any said game could exist: the fixed playable one, and the terrible buggy one.

Paying for “add-ons” that are just part of the game blocked off

Another trend is for these guys to release DLC immediately after the release of the game, making folks suspect that it honestly could have been on the disk, but the consumer is getting gouged for that extra little bit of cash.  I noticed this most recently while playing WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2011 on the PS3 I just got.  Granted, the game came out a while before I got it, but some of the early DLC seemed sort of suspect, as if it was originally in the game but blocked off in some way.  The same game has another ace up its sleeve in that game companies are trying to curtail game rentals and used games sales by forcing people to pay for the online services of a game if you didn’t buy a brand new copy.  The aforementioned game in question charges ten dollars for those that want to play online, which isn’t too bad, but would make me pretty angry if I bought the game used, especially when most used stores only make the game five or ten dollars cheaper around release time.      

“Cinematic experiences”

I’m all for video games to make the leap from a kid’s toy to a mature art form, but I feel that a few game directors are using the media as a backdoor into the films industry, completely forgetting that the term is video games not video movies.  I’m not going to call any games out here, as that would start a flame  war, but any game that has multiple 30 minute cut scenes with little or no interaction held within is on a slippery slope.   

Announcing an announcement

A few companies have started a practice where, to drum up anticipation, they hype up an “announcement”.  This gets spread around all of the popular game-centric websites until it hits a fever pitch.  Comments like: “What could this game be?” or  “I bet it’s a new game in X franchise” are commonplace and only help intensify the resentment and disappointment once the “announcement” is finally revealed.  Turns out in many cases, the “announcement” is simply letting people know that the company in question is about to announce a game.  What!?  Are these guys seriously announcing an announcement?

Announcing games eons before they are released 

I’m not a huge fan of Nintendo’s new plan of only announcing games six months before they release to stop stagnating expectations of said game, but other companies also seem to do the exact opposite.  There honestly has to be a middle ground, because in situations like Gran Turismo 5, we knew about the game seemingly as it was first conceived by Sony.  After years and years of fan speculation, missed released windows, and mis-information I honestly think it would have been better to not announce it so early.  Most fans of the series had their expectations built so high for so many years, there was no way that the game, or any game for that matter could meet the expectations.  Here’s hoping Duke Nukem Forever doesn’t end up being critically panned for the same reasons.

Wii rail shooters

As a fan of arcade-styled rail shooters I initially loved the huge wave of these guys popping up on the Wii.  Games like Ghost Squad, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles and even the VERY dated Mad Dog McCree took me back to the days when arcades were still around, and folks actually used them.  This sadly started a trend where all companies thought that rail shooters were a golden ticket to Rich-ville or something, completely over-saturating the market.  Almost all of these games have done poorly and lost money for their respective companies.  This leads us to the next point:   

Blaming gamers for company mishaps

It’s a story we have seen way too often:  a big game company wants to support a game system they don’t really understand, so they make a game atypical for it.  In this case we could either talk about Wii “hardcore” games or Japanese games on the 360 as both are good examples of this.  They hype the game up to get attention, and then the bitter realization sets in: nobody wants this game on this system.  Rather than keeping the failure internal, or make a classy little “my bad” press release, some of these guys have started to talk poorly on the system and its fan base at trade shows and other media.  Suddenly the heads of multi-million dollar companies are saying things like “The Wii audience is nothing more than children” (nobody did, just a possible example).  This does nothing more than anger the core audience of that system, and cause boycotts.     

DRM mismanagement

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a good way for game companies to protect their multi-million dollar investments, and make sure that the coders, artists, developers, and even actors get paid what they deserve.  What most of these systems entail is activation by way of some sort of a code, and limitations on the games installation on other devices.  Valve basically pioneered the practice with the release of Half-Life 2 way back in the middle of the last decade.  Steam was met with harsh criticism at first, but has become a benchmark for what DRM should be.  Sadly much more intrusive DRM schemes have popped up that undermine the consumer’s ownership of the game, and others have even hurt the consumer’s computer such as the case of Sony’s music DRM from a few years ago.
Take Ubisoft for example: under their DRM scheme used in such games as Assassin’s Creed II, the game has to constantly authenticate itself on an online sever, thus rendering the game unplayable if you do not have a steady internet connection, pay by bandwidth usage, or use a mobile device such as a laptop.  The word finally got around that folks hated it enough, and it was removed.  In an interview with Kotaku, Valve’s Doug Lombardi chimed in with the following:
“The key to making a good authentication system, Lombardi says, is to not stand in the way of customers enjoying what they bought. A bad system is like telling a customer "Wait, before you go on this roller coaster you need to change your shoes,"  

Competitive multiplayer for the sake of it

Some games are simply not made for multiplayer, and forcing all games to have an online mode of some sort is really stupid.  To further the point, most games DO NOT need any sort of competitive multiplayer if some sort of multiplayer is indeed needed.  Keep it cooperative guys!  For me there no greater offender in this regard than some of the earlier Nintendo DS games; games that added multiplayer simply to test out the systems Wi-Fi connectivity.  After playing around two rounds of competitive New Super Mario Bros. one is pretty much done with the mode forever.  Luckily they fixed it with the game’s younger brother for the Wii, where a cooperative multiplayer shows how it’s done.       

 

Games that are far too short

With the advances of graphical technology and the overall timeframe needed to make modern games is making certain games way too short.  This is especially prevalent in many first person shooters, as the campaign, or main story of the game, has been getting shorter and shorter in recent years.  I know that the main draw for these games is the multiplayer, a mode that is executed fairly well in most cases, but most folks want a competent single player experience as well.  Terminator Salvation almost immediately comes to mind when speaking of this trend, a game that was barely longer than the movie that it was a tie-in for.  I blame yearly releases or “Madden-itis” for this problem as many companies are forced to crank out a new game every year with minimal technological upgrades, a problem way worse for developers making shooter than yearly sports games.    

There you have it! What are some annoying trends popping up that you don’t like?

• Reference/Source: gamrfeed.vgchartz.com by Stephen Kelley[13 January 2011]

The Top 10 iPhone 4 Apps (2010 – 2011)

1- Angry Birds: [Pricing: $0.99]: Developed by Chillingo, the company who sold 1 million copies of their latest app, “Cut the Rope for iPad” Angry Birds has been rated the #1 Game for the iPhone this year! The Angry Bird for iPhone is an exciting, fun packed game where the Angry Birds have to fight the green pigs who stole your eggs. The Angry Birds is a Must Have iPhone game! Now you can get the latest update where the birds have special abilities and new levels!

2- Fruit Ninja [Pricing: $0.99] Fruit Ninja has been designed for both the iPhone and the iPad. This fun and addictive gaming app has be developed by the Halfbrick Studios. Fruit Ninja has sold over Two Million copies after the release The latest update [Nov 03] comes with multi-player. It has been rated as the #1 Paid App in Norway, Russia, Czech Republic and Germany! And comes after the Angrybirds in USA! Recommended!

3- Cut the Rope [Pricing: $0.99] Designed and developed by Chillingo, Cut the Rope is available on both the iPhone and the iPad. It’s really fun playing this game, and has been a very successful app this year! In the story, you receive a mysterious box with an unknown creature inside, he loves eating candies, so start feeding because he never stops! :)

4- Dragon Dictation [Pricing: Free] Dragon Dictation for the iPhone is one of the best apps that you can give your iPhone 4! It’s a simple yet powerful voice recognition app for your iPhone developed by the Dragon. How to use Dragon? Easy! All you have to do is to tap the app and start speaking, tap when ended and watch your narrations in email or text, it’s that simple! You cannot miss this one!

5- Kindle for iPhone [Pricing: Free] App developed by the Amazon for both the iPad and the iPhone. This creates an amazing experience for the book readers. The text looks clear and crisp on the beautiful screen of the iPhone. Once you install it on your iPhone, you will be able to access 725,000+ books via the Kindle Store. You will also be able to get your hands on the best sellers and the new releases!

6- Twitterrific for Twitter [Pricing: Free | Upgrade to Premium $4.99] Available on both the iPhone and the iPad. This universal platform Twitter application has been specially designed for Tweeple! It has a very clear and smooth user interface, you can start tweeting with Twitterrific for Twitter with a few taps. Latest features include, instapaper, filter tweets and themes!

7- The Karate Kid [Pricing: Free] The movie was a Hit and the app designed by the Sony Pictures for both the iPhone and iPad is amazing. Keeping the same stunts and karate style, the developers have done a great job with this amazing iPhone App! You’ll love it!

8- Siri Assistant [Pricing: Free] Designed and developed by Siri, it’s one of the best free Productivity Apps for your iPhone. This beautiful and intelligent iPhone app is very cool, all you have to do is to speak clear and plain English, let’s say, “How to make Khiladi Sizzler”. And within moments, Siri Assistant will start gathering information and you’ll get the reciepe, Cool na! :)

9- Public Radio Player [Pricing: Free} The Public Radio is an amazing iPhone app which turns your iPhone into a Radio! The latest release also includes the background audio support. Features like the timeline, pause/rewind, show-schedule and an alarm clock make it even more killer!

10- Backbreaker Football [Pricing: $0.99] The Backbreaker Football has very cool and amazing graphics and gives the user a more Realistic backbreaking football experience! The game environment and the transitions are very smooth. Already downloaded 3 Million times!

Okay, that’s it! This was the List of The Top Ten iPhone Apps for 2010. I hope you guys will love all these!

• Reference/Source: freetechjournal.com by Saurabh Star[November 11, 2010]

The Top 10 Ed Tech predictions for 2011(C. Dawson and A. Garry)

I had a chance last week to talk with Adam Garry, Dell’s manager of global professional learning. A former teacher turned technology evangelist and educational leader at Dell, he had some great insight into where educational technology was headed this coming year. Some of the predictions could be tied to Dell products, but by and large, he and I agreed that 2011 would be the year of the platform.

As Adam explained, it’s no longer “all right to just drop off hardware anymore.” Rather, Dell works hard to ensure that the solutions they provide schools can support their learning platforms of choice and their goals for educational technology. If the goals and platforms don’t exist or aren’t well-designed and integrated, then Adam and Dell staff work to fully develop them and provide a basis for learning with technology.

I’m not going to number the predictions; but I will list Adam’s first. While he and I were in complete agreement on the broad trends for Ed Tech in 2011, I have a few more specific predictions of my own to share as well. The common thread, though? Platform, platform, platform.


Adam Garry’s Top 5 Ed Tech Trends/Predictions for 2011

“1:1 should be a learning initiative instead of a tech initiative”
This is probably my favorite quote from our conversation. So many technologies can be leveraged in such cost-effective ways to get students ubiquitous Internet access during the day and outside of school that the focus of 1:1 is no longer so much “How do we get kids computers and maintain them all?” but “How do we use these things to improve teaching, learning, and student achievement?” While financial hurdles still exist in many schools, a variety of solutions can be used to maximize student access, even if schools can’t achieve 1:1. However, without an underlying platform for learning and clearly defined strategy for using the technology both in and out of the classroom, you have a whole lot of expensive typewriters.

"Personalized learning instead of differentiated instruction"
The idea of differentiated instruction has been around for a long time. However, as Adam pointed out, we have finally “reached a tipping potin with digital assets and access” that can support truly personalized learning. We will hear less talk of learning management systems and more talk of platform that allows students to access the individualized digital assets (whether leveled reading, response to intervention software, or remediation tools, for example) they need to improve achievement. Dell is actually piloting a personalized learning platform, the idea being that every student can show mastery of subject matter in many ways. Not only will these platforms for personalized learning be driven by data (formative and summative assessments), but will cater to students’ learning styles and needs. Adam predicted that this approach won’t just be enabled by advances in technology and access, but also by the common math and literacy core standards being adopted nationwide.

"Product-based assessments"
Adam identified this as more of a hope than an actual trend, but noted that he is seeing a move towards assessments that are more product-based. As he noted, ”our Web 2.0 is Web 1.0 for our learners”. Since they are accustomed to producing and sharing content, a move towards a model of students as producers will provide opportunities for more authentic assessments and the sorts of portfolios that provide a much better picture of a student’s capabilities than a set of standardized tests can.

He also noted that the 2012 PISA should include measures of digital literacy, assessing critical thought and creativity, as well as the core subjects that received so much attention this month and placed the US so poorly compared to China and other industrialized nations.

"Increased focus on conceptual learning"
Looking at the new common core standards, it’s apparent that there will be a significantly increased focus on conceptual learning. While our curricula in the States have traditionally been wide and shallow, covering many topics poorly, we are moving towards much deeper, conceptual explorations of a smaller number of topics.

"The evolution of 1:1 - Different access models"
As I have noted many times on this blog, 1:1 can take many forms. Adam sees more and more schools providing the platform (wireless access, virtual classrooms, social learning, etc.), but allowing students to bring their own devices to access these platforms (with appropriate subsidies for those who cannot afford to). This obviously brings its own challenges, just as the so-called “consumerization of IT” has for businesses. However, it lets schools focus on the platform and learning rather than hardware acquisition.

On that note, he explained that Dell would continue supporting its netbook platform and the Connected Classroom hardware. Their Inspiron Duo (currently available to consumers and available early next year in school-appropriate and academically priced configurations) would be the next step for schools looking to a unified 1:1 platform from Dell since the product allows students to easily consume information as needed and easily switch to content production whenever they wanted.

Chris Dawson’s Top 5 Ed Tech Predictions for 2011

"Tablets. Nuff said."
Well, not quite enough said, since obviously I’m about to write a little blurb on tablet, but they almost speak for themselves. While I agree with Adam that devices like the Inspiron Duo that allow easy consumption as well as creation of content are going to be important in 1:1 and student computing, simply providing access to e-textbooks and the Internet in a small, light, relatively inexpensive form factor is going to revolutionary in and of itself.

While we’ve been hearing about those Android tablets for some time, the truth is that actually satisfactory Android tablets are going to take Android 3.0 and some serious economies of scale to reach the right price points. All indications are there that this confluence of tablet-ready Android (as well as the second-generation iPad) and serious OEM uptake will happen by the middle of 2011. It might be fall 2011 when the first large deployments start hitting schools, but tablets will be Internet portals for a lot of students this coming year.

"Getting thinner"
I’m not talking about slick new thin and light notebooks or MacBook Airs. I’m talking about thin computing. Everything from virtualized desktops to Windows MultiPoint Server to Userful’s Linux-based MultiPoint competitor will enable student access like never before. Even Google’s Chrome Notebook supports browser-based VNC and Citrix application presentation, making inexpensive devices and consumer IT products able to leverage enterprise-class applications and storage.

Whether it’s MultiPoint’s effective, yet relatively archaic RDP connections or sophisticated desktop presentation from VMWare or Wyse, thin clients (in all their forms) will get a lot of kids connected for less money and less management effort than virtually any other solution. The technology has now matured to such a point that even PC-Over-IP is accessible to schools for highly manageable advanced lab settings.

"The dog will not eat your homework"
Whether it’s Google Apps for Education, Live@Edu, Office365 for Education, or some social learning platform like Journ(i)e where students produce and submit most of their work online, cloud-based tools have become so easy to deploy and use that there is little reason not to. If you need a learning platform on the cheap, both Google Apps and Live@Edu provide free solutions that creative educators can use to engage students and run classes in really innovative ways.

"The Kindle fantasy finally dies"
I can’t tell you how often I still hear administrators and school board members continue to talk about getting Kindles for kids to lighten heavy backpacks and make reading fun and “21st century.” The Kindle isn’t bad for what it is, but it will never work in widespread educational deployments because of its underlying technologies and 20th-century DRM. Fortunately, the iPad has opened a lot of eyes to how digital content can be presented to kids and a variety of new, mainstream devices should finally put Oprah’s favorite little e-reader to bed in the minds of educational leaders.

"E-textbooks come to life"
The Kindle might be dead in ed, but e-textbooks will finally come of age in 2011. Google eBooks, open source books, teacher experts and students producing their own content, and even mainstream publishers seriously hopping on the e-textbook bandwagon will ensure that, as Adam Garry pointed out, digital assets will be plentiful and accessible.

Cheap tablets, iPad adoption (thanks to the Apple marketing machine and some compelling e-learning content, widespread EPUB adoption, and innovative form factors like the Dell Inspiron Duo will also help solve the chicken/egg problem (if there are no devices, why should publishers create e-content). Finally.

• Reference/Source: zdnet.com by Christopher Dawson

Top 10 Hot Mobile Trends for 2011

The world is going mobile. In 2010, we saw some major jumps in terms of mobile development, including the explosion of the Android operating system, the introduction of the iPad and an increased rate of internet access via smartphones. In 2011, we can expect to see even more of a shift towards the mobile realm, as more consumers access the internet while on the go. By 2011, more than 85 percent of the handsets shipped globally are expected to include a browser, which means a major percentage of phone users will be accessing the web through mobile means.
Analysis

These are the top 10 trends we can expect to see in the mobile realm for 2011:

1. Android vs. iPhone showdown – This summer, the Android surpassed the iPhone in terms of market share, with Droids taking 27% of the market and iPhones taking 23%. In 2011, there are substantiated rumors saying that Verizon will be getting the iPhone, which may help to increase Apple’s market share. Additionally, the Droid will continue to see improvements and a growing number of apps in their marketplace (one of the main arguments of iPhone proponents). 2011 looks to be the key year that will determine which operating system reigns supreme.

2. Mobile advertising spike – As more and more consumers begin to access the web through their smartphones, versus home or work computers, we’re going to see more opportunities for advertising in these mediums. Due to the size and constraints of mobile, this advertising has to be simpler and more concise, so marketers need to change their strategies compared to standard digital placements. 2011 is looking like a landmark year for mobile advertising.

3. Mobile SEO – The importance of having a mobile site is becoming more substantial, as growing numbers of consumers with different levels of web-enabled phones begin accessing sites. Business owners need to be aware that mobile browsers have different algorithms than traditional browsers, so SEO efforts need to be adjusted accordingly. 2011 is a year that will demonstrate the difference between those who adopt mobile SEO practices and those who fail to meet the new challenge.

4. Touchscreen website development – Touchscreens offer a different user experience than regular computers that utilize mouses, and their popularity is skyrocketing. For website developers, this means it’s time to consider how sites can best be developed to meet the needs of consumers who are navigating with their fingertips. In 2011, look for an increased focus on the schematics and usability of a website to be geared towards a touchscreen functionality.

5. Location-based apps –Increasing numbers of applications and sites are relying on location-based functionalities to aid consumers. From Yelp’s check-ins, to Facebook’s places, there are growing numbers of opportunities for location-based communication and promotion of local businesses. Expect to see more websites & smartphone applications that take advantage of location–based technology.

6. Free wi-fi – Many communities are enacting free wi-fi programs. Miami Beach and Times Square in NYC have put these into effect. As wi-fi access grows nationally, more and more consumers are likely to use their devices and computers on the go, and in public places. Also, this means more consumers are likely to get online, since the cost will be significantly lower.

7. Location-based social networks – With the rise of sites like Foursquare and now Scvngr, location-based social is continuing to rise in popularity at a rapid rate. Foursquare recently reached 3 million users, and SCVNGR just passed the 500,000 user mark. These networks designed around location are going to see a bigger push in 2011, and we’re likely to see additional social sites hit the market.

8. Increase in mobile video viewing – By the end of this year, the number of mobile video viewers is expected to hit 23.9 million, and those numbers are set to double by 2013, according to eMarketer. Addressing video as a function of mobile, versus traditional desktops, is something marketers have to consider, especially when looking at new advertising opportunities. As this number spikes in 2011, there will be many additional ways to capitalize on this growing market.

9. Consolidation of technology – As smartphones and tablet computers are able to do more and more, expect to see a decline in the use of more specific technology – GPS units, mp3 players, cameras, etc. Many smartphones serve to fill all these needs, so consumers no longer need to purchase additional devices. The same applies to tablet computers, which can serve as e-readers, making Kindles and Nooks less necessary.

10. Mobile to mobile technology – With the iPhone 4’s introduction of Face Time video calling, a new era was born in terms of communicating via mobile devices. Smartphone video calling is expected to reach 29 million users by 2015. The Skype app allows video calling on all Android smartphones, and this market is likely to see substantial growth in 2011 thanks to these new technologies.

Conclusion: Mobile is gaining market share by the day, and eventually the majority of our browsing will likely happen via smartphone. Savvy business professionals and marketers need to get ahead of the game when it comes to mobile, and start learning more about these trends for 2011, as well as taking advantage of mobile-based opportunities.

• Reference/Source: www.focus.com by
  Hannah Sentenac

Top 10 IT security trends for 2011

Software security firm Imperva will release details of its 10 key security trends for 2011 next week. Here is a preview.

1. Man in the browser (MITB) attacks are a new threat which consumers will face and the hacking industry is widely adopting, especially as many security products are not mature enough yet to deal with this problem.

2. File security. With Sharepoint being the fastest growing product in Microsoft history and data growing at a 60% annual rate, file security will become the top security issue. With PCI DSS being expanded to refer not only to databases and web apps but also to files, organisations will need to carefully consider how they protect their files.

3. Smartphones will be the new target in 2011. Hackers are using mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) as a new attack platform. With a number of applications on mobile devices (CRM, Salesforce, Access to work e-mails), these will become more susceptible to attack.

4. Hackers and security side-by-side in the cloud. As organisations' IT infrastructure moves to the cloud, so will their security controls. However these services will also become hot targets for hackers, with the popular ones being the most data-rich, the security on these services will need to be tightened immensely.

5. Insider threat. With more job losses set for 2011, there will be more disgruntled employees than ever. Employees are more likely to want to take information to help them with new jobs or as an act of revenge to pass on to competitors.

6. Social networks have started to blur the notions of privacy and security. 2011 will bring even more confusion when it comes to security and the trust people put in social networks.

7. Convergence of regulations over countries. Convergence of regulations amongst the OECD countries will lead to standardising laws on data security and privacy.

8. Security is becoming part of the business process. With the recent acquisitions of McAfee by Intel and Fortify by HP, suppliers are gaining an understanding of the need to apply security throughout the complete process of building a system. Today, cybersecurity can't be separated from business operations. Security teams need to become business process experts to keep the bad guys disarmed while keeping the good guys productive.

9. Hackers are feeling the heat. Proactive security seems to be the new approach for most security practitioners and due to this more hackers will get caught. However, due to the industrialisation of hacking, hackers will raise their professional bar by "buying" other smaller groups or merging, leaving the more sophisticated hackers in business.

10. Hacktivism meets industrialisation. Hacktivism as we know it has been very targeted. However, hacktivists are learning from the success of industrialised hackers and will soon follow in their footsteps. The attacks will transition from restricted targets to a wide range of targets.

• Reference/Source: computerweekly.com by Ian Grant