Sunday, April 29, 2012

The Facebook Phone: Busting the Myth

The Facebook Phone: Busting the Myth

If Facebook focused on its own mobile devices, that could come at the cost of focusing on its competing mobile platforms.

By Ian Paul, PC World
April 25, 2012 02:45 PM ET
The Facebook Phone could be the next tech product to follow the recently launched Google Drive from the land of myth into reality, according to an online report. Taiwan-based phone maker HTC is reportedly working with Facebook to produce an Android-based device that will "enable and integrate all functions available on the social networking site." The purported new phone could be available as early as midsummer, according to DigiTimes.
Despite repeated denials and HTC-branded Facebook busts such as the Salsa and Chacha, there are several reasons for HTC and Facebook to work together DigiTimes says. HTC wants an exclusive smartphone hit since the chances of HTC producing another Android flagship phone, such as the Nexus One, appear slim. Google currently favors Samsung to produce fresh Nexus devices including the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus. Meanwhile, Facebook purportedly wants its own phone because the social network needs to find new sources of revenue after it goes public this year.
RUMOR ROUNDUP: Facebook and Amazon phones coming
GOOGLE DRIVE REACTIONS: It's good, but what took it so long?
Those sound like solid reasons, but I'm not buying it. Facebook may have to answer to shareholders soon, but so far the company has found success by putting its apps and plug-ins on every website, smartphone and tablet it can find instead of concentrating on hardware.
Facebook's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, says as much almost every time these Facebook phone rumors come up. "Our goal is not to build a phone that competes with the iPhone or anything like that," Zuckerberg told Bloomberg News in late 2010.
Afterthoughts are Bad
Facebook has done a fairly good job of updating and releasing new mobile apps for smartphone platforms such as Android and iOS, despite taking a ridiculously long time to produce a native iPad app. But if the company focused on its own mobile devices, that could come at the cost of competing platforms.
Just look at Google, which is constantly leaving its iOS apps as an afterthought in favor of Android. The search giant was excoriated for producing a substandard Gmail app for iOS in November, and the recently launched Google Drive service currently lacks native iOS support.
Whether Google is deliberately screwing up its iOS apps is debatable, but it's clear the incentive is for the company to deliver high-quality features for its own mobile platform first. That way of thinking does not appear to be go along with Facebook's "be everywhere" tactic. And let's not forget Facebook's bigger priority right now is developing its new mobile advertising strategy across all devices.
As for HTC, why would the phone maker want to take another run at a Facebook phone after the Salsa and Chacha? Those phones even had dedicated Facebook buttons on them, how much more integrated can you get? Besides HTC's big product line right now is its "One" series such as the recently released and critically acclaimed One S. Unless a Facebook One is in the works, I wouldn't bet on another HTC Facebook phone anytime soon.
Connect with Ian Paul (@ianpaul) on Twitter and Google+, and with Today@PCWorld on Twitter for the latest tech news and analysis.

Fifth-Generation Wi-Fi Is Coming: Are You Ready for 802.11ac?

Fifth-Generation Wi-Fi Is Coming: Are You Ready for 802.11ac?

Fifth-Generation Wi-Fi Is Coming: Are You Ready for 802.11ac?

Fifth-generation Wi-Fi technology promises to deliver faster-than-cable speed--without the cables.

By Michael Brown, PC World
April 10, 2012 11:35 AM ET
If your business has kept pace with changes in wireless networking, you've deployed dual-band routers and client adapters that can stream encrypted data over the airwaves at speeds greater than 100 megabits per second at relatively close range.
What you need to know about 802.11ac
But no good deed goes unpunished. New hardware based on the nearly finished 802.11ac standard is about to debut, and it will make your existing wireless infrastructure feel as though it's mired in molasses.
Though the standards body responsible for defining 802.11ac hasn't finished dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's yet, semiconductor manufacturers Broadcom and Qualcomm Atheros are already sampling 802.11ac chipsets (Broadcom has labeled its effort "5G Wi-Fi"). Both companies are closely involved in defining the standard, and they promise to deliver firmware updates to correct for any minor changes that may creep into the standard between now and the moment it is ratified (probably later this year or early in 2013).
Wondering how the IEEE moved from 802.11n to 802.11ac? The standards body uses a new letter suffix to identify each new technical paper related to the 802.11 project, so the logical follow-ons to 802.11z were 802.11aa, 802.11ab, and now 802.11ac. At the risk of muddying the waters, there is an 802.11ad standard in the works, but it's not the next step in mainstream wireless networking. WiGig, as that standard is known, is a short-range, line-of-site technology that uses the 60GHz frequency band to stream media.
Unlike 802.11n networking hardware, which can use either the 2.4GHz or the 5GHz frequency bands, 802.11ac devices will operate exclusively on the 5GHz band. The 2.4GHz band delivers better range, but Wi-Fi data streams that use it must compete with a multitude of other devices that operate at the same frequency--everything from microwave ovens to Bluetooth headsets). The 5GHz band contains many more available channels; and in the 802.11ac standard, each of those channels is 80MHz wide, versus the 40MHz width specified for channels under the 802.11n standard.
What's more, 802.11ac will use a modulation scheme that quadruples the amount of data that will fit on an encoded carrier signal. The maximum bandwidth per spatial stream in 802.11n is 150 mbps, which means that an 802.11n router outfitted with three transmit and three receive antennas can deliver maximum theoretical throughput of 450 mbps. In contrast, the maximum bandwidth in 802.11ac jumps to 433 mbps per spatial stream, and the maximum number of spatial streams increases from three to eight. So the theoretical maximum throughput on an 802.11ac network will eventually be several times that of gigabit ethernet. First-generation devices, however, will be limited to using either two or three transmit and receive antennas to deliver a theoretical throughput maximum of 866 mbps or 1.3 gbps).
As we've seen with 802.11n networks, real-world throughput will likely be one-third to one-half as fast as the theoretical maximums. Still, even mobile devices outfitted with 802.11ac chipsets and just one transmit and one receive antenna--think smartphones and tablets--should be able to handle more than twice the bandwidth that today's devices with 802.11n chipsets can manage. With bandwidth-intensive applications such as videoconferencing and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) moving from the desktop to smartphones and tablets, 802.11ac networks will become essential infrastructure elements for businesses large and small.

Monday, April 23, 2012

GigaPan: Store: EPIC, EPIC 100, EPIC Pro Robotic Camera Mounts for Gigapixel Panoramas, GigaPan Stitching Software, GigaPan Gear, Product Reviews, Distributors

GigaPan: Store: EPIC, EPIC 100, EPIC Pro Robotic Camera Mounts for Gigapixel Panoramas, GigaPan Stitching Software, GigaPan Gear, Product Reviews, Distributors

Stitcher.Efx: Discover new standards in image stitching software.
  • Stitch images quickly and easily, with stunning depth and clarity. Get brilliant results with new and robust features for color adjustment, vignette correction and improved alignment capabilities. Achieve your vision with unprecedented speed and ease. Windows/Mac Compatible

    As a current EPIC customer, download a free upgrade for the new GigaPan Stitch! And get a free 14-day trial of GigaPan Stitch.Efx
  • $149.00

    Purchase GigaPan Stitch to receive license key.

NEW FEATURES

Color Adjust
Stitch.Efx Color Correction Image
Better results, faster! Edit and make contrast and color adjustments right in GigaPan Stitch.Efx with an easy-to-use interface and advanced color correction options. Achieve beautiful, high- quality adjustments to your gigapan, accomplishing in seconds what would usually take minutes or hours to do in Photoshop. Use the following options within the Stitch.Efx color adjust feature:
  • Black - make the darks blacker
  • White - make brighter whites
  • Gamma - adjust grays, to alter contrast
  • Exposure - compensate easily for incorrect exposure
  • Temperature - adjust "color temperature"; make your image more yellow or blue, to fix incorrect white balance
  • Tint - adjust your color range along a magenta-green axis
  • Saturation - make colors purer, or make your image grayscale
With color correction:
Stitch Example With Color Correction
Original image without color correction:
Stitch Example Without Color Correction
Stitch.Efx is optimized for working with huge images, therefore it is designed to support color adjustments at interactive rates. Begin adjusting colors as soon as the image preview appears. User adjustment typically takes only a few seconds. While your image continues to stitch, set up an upload, and Stitch.Efx will apply the adjustments reliably and quickly. ‘Adjust Colors’ is also integrated into the other output mechanisms Stitch.Efx supports, such as Export and Save Projected Images.
Vignette Correction
Automatically corrects the darkening around the periphery of input images, due to lens optics, so that images do not show vertical banding (vignetting) that would otherwise occur. You don't need to do anything to get vignette correction in Stitch.Efx; it's automatic!

With vignette correction:
GigaPan Stitch Example With Vignette Correction
Without vignette correction:
GigaPan Stitch Example Without Vignette Correction
Save Projected Images
Stitch Example Select and Arrange Images

For maximum control over blending, Stitch.Efx supports blending masks by hand in Photoshop or other image editing software. An ideal tool for shooting images of people or other moving subjects. Simply select the images whose blending you want to fine-tune, save their projected images, use Photoshop to retouch their masks to control cut curves between images, flatten the layers into a single image, and then upload to GigaPan.com using our free Upload application.
Image Rearrange
Capture action, insert additional shots later, or shoot in any order you like! Stitch.Efx lets you interactively adjust the layout of images before you stitch them.
Lightning Fast Upload
Stitch Upload Progress Bar Uploading is three times faster than before. Receive info on the progress, overall throughput in megabits per second, and estimated time to completion.
See more features >>

Sunday, April 22, 2012

NetCell@Org

 

Lookout Security & Antivirus

Lookout Mobile Security
(294,145)

Lookout Security & Antivirus


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Description

Protect your phone with award-winning security & antivirus from LookoutProtect against loss, hackers, and theft - WITHOUT DRAINING YOUR BATTERY with Lookout's free antivirus, find my phone, and backup features.
With Lookout *Everything is ok!* - See why 15+ million users trust Lookout Security & Antivirus to protect their phones and tablets.
PCMag 'Editors' Choice', CNET 'Must-have app!’, PCWorld '5 out of 5 Stars!', TechCrunch 'Top 10 Best Free Apps'
Note: If you’re on Android (Froyo) 2.2+ and have trouble uninstalling, go to Settings -> Location & Security -> Select Device Administrators and uncheck Lookout. Contact us at support [at] mylookout.com if you have questions.

FREE FEATURES
Security:
* Antivirus: Block malware, spyware, and trojans
* Scan each app you download to make sure it is safe
* Schedule daily or weekly antivirus scans. Get automatic, over-the-air, protection against the latest threats
* File System Monitoring: Scans new files on your SD card to protect against malware
Find My Phone:
* Locate your lost or stolen phone on a Google map
* Activate a loud alarm, even if your phone or tablet is on silent
* Log into mylookout.com to locate your phone from any web browser, anywhere!
Backup & Restore:
* Securely backup your contacts to mylookout.com
* Restore them to an existing mobile device

PREMIUM FEATURES
Get a free trial of Lookout Premium (optional). When your trial ends, automatically return to the free version. No credit card is required for the free trial!
* Safe Browsing: Block phishing and malware sites from links in text messages, on the web, and more.
* Remote Lock & Wipe: Securely lock your phone if it's lost or stolen to prevent others from accessing your phone and remotely delete sensitive data on your phone if needed.
* Privacy Advisor: Identify which apps can access your sensitive data like contacts, location, SMS text messages & identity info.
* Advanced Backup: Backup and restore photos and call history in addition to contacts. Restore them to a new device.

SECURITY UPDATES
Learn about the latest security threats at http://blog.mylookout.com, including: GGTracker, DroidDream, Zsone, Geinimi, Tapsnake, SMS Trojan, and more.
Learn more about our permissions at https://www.mylookout.com/permissions/ and stay up to date with us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/mylookout and Twitter at http://twitter.com/lookout.
Now supports all Android tablets!
Lookout Security & Anti Virus now supports German, French, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese and Polish.
KW: Antivirus, Anti-virus, Anti virus, Security, Backup, Find My Droid, Find My Phone, Lost Phone, Phone Finder, Phone Locator, Anti Virus Protection, Trojan, Malware, Spyware, Locator, Lockout, Look Out, GPS Tracker, Anti Theft, Theft Protection, Tracker, Stolen Phone, Outlook, FindMyPhone
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User Reviews

5 star  208,891
4 star  56,821
3 star  15,149
2 star  4,689
1 star  8,595
Average rating:
4.5
294,145
Brian on April 20, 2012 (Motorola Droid II with version 7.9-4a35202)

Scheduled scan acts up

It's been acting up lately. I try to set a scheduled scan and it still does it randomly.

luis on April 20, 2012 (Samsung Exhibit 4G with version 7.9-4a35202)

No problems.... Yet....

5*'s only cause i've never had a problem with it... I can't say anything about how well it works IF it finds anything wrong cause according to this app and my avg antivirus my phone hasn't been infected YET... (I haven't payed for the extra stuff though). SO, does that mean that it's THAT GOOD, THAT BAD, I've just been lucky so far...??? ...knock on wood...

BR549 on April 21, 2012 (Samsung Infuse 4G with version 7.9-4a35202)

Needs improvement

Without protection from uninstall it's a joke. Would be nicer if it could override the lock screen when screaming, make sure the volume is on and up too, also could allow message and contact info to show on screen you flash now. Happy it can use Wi-Fi too.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Blogger: Advanced Systemcare - Google Drive Offers 5GB Free Cloud Storage

Blogger: Advanced Systemcare - 

Google Drive Offers 5GB Free Cloud Storage: Report

A new service from Google reportedly will offer users 5 gigabytes (GB) of online storage at no cost. Called 'Google Drive,' it appears the service will launch within the next few days.
Google Drive is a 'cloud storage service,' which is a short-hand description for the capability of saving information online and accessing it again from any Internet-connected computer.
Such online storage capability can provide a valuable backup option, particularly when you consider that most computer systems will experience a hard drive crash or have their device stolen at some point.
Without some form of reliable backup -- of which cloud storage is a new and popular possibility -- such problems will result in the loss of data.

Leaked Announcement, Screenshots Behind Rumor

Right now Google Drive remains just a rumor birthed by The Next Web blog, which reportedly got its hands on a draft version of Google's announcement for the new service.
The rumor is substantiated by screenshots acquired by TalkAndroid two weeks ago. (Source: slashgear.com)
The Next Web says that Google Drive will be available out-of-the-gate for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS platforms. Its tagline will reportedly be "All your files, everywhere," which many feel is shockingly similar to Dropbox's "Your life's work, wherever you are." (Source: thenextweb.com)

Cheaper Storage Could Lead Users to Drop Dropbox

If these rumors are true, Google Drive will offer more than double the cloud storage space offered by its main competition. For example, Dropbox gives users 2GB of storage at no cost to users, but charges $9.99 per month for 50GB and $19.99 monthly for 100GB. (Source: dropbox.com)
Dropbox has also partnered with hardware manufacturers HTC and Samsung to offer 25GB of storage to owners of these companies' smartphones.
It's not yet clear if Google will offer a similar pricing structure for such large amounts of storage. We should know more by the end of next week, as most experts are currently predicting a Tuesday or Wednesday unveiling for Google's new cloud storage service.
Google already offers a wide variety of cloud storage tools with its Google Docs platform, which is essentially a pared-down and online version of Microsoft's Office business software.
Some insiders have suggested that the launching of Google Drive could lead to a re-naming or even re-vamping of Google Docs in the weeks to come. (Source: thenextweb.com)

Google Drive Offers 5GB Free Cloud Storage

Google Drive Offers 5GB Free Cloud Storage: Report

A new service from Google reportedly will offer users 5 gigabytes (GB) of online storage at no cost. Called 'Google Drive,' it appears the service will launch within the next few days.
Google Drive is a 'cloud storage service,' which is a short-hand description for the capability of saving information online and accessing it again from any Internet-connected computer.
Such online storage capability can provide a valuable backup option, particularly when you consider that most computer systems will experience a hard drive crash or have their device stolen at some point.
Without some form of reliable backup -- of which cloud storage is a new and popular possibility -- such problems will result in the loss of data.

Leaked Announcement, Screenshots Behind Rumor

Right now Google Drive remains just a rumor birthed by The Next Web blog, which reportedly got its hands on a draft version of Google's announcement for the new service.
The rumor is substantiated by screenshots acquired by TalkAndroid two weeks ago. (Source: slashgear.com)
The Next Web says that Google Drive will be available out-of-the-gate for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS platforms. Its tagline will reportedly be "All your files, everywhere," which many feel is shockingly similar to Dropbox's "Your life's work, wherever you are." (Source: thenextweb.com)

Cheaper Storage Could Lead Users to Drop Dropbox

If these rumors are true, Google Drive will offer more than double the cloud storage space offered by its main competition. For example, Dropbox gives users 2GB of storage at no cost to users, but charges $9.99 per month for 50GB and $19.99 monthly for 100GB. (Source: dropbox.com)
Dropbox has also partnered with hardware manufacturers HTC and Samsung to offer 25GB of storage to owners of these companies' smartphones.
It's not yet clear if Google will offer a similar pricing structure for such large amounts of storage. We should know more by the end of next week, as most experts are currently predicting a Tuesday or Wednesday unveiling for Google's new cloud storage service.
Google already offers a wide variety of cloud storage tools with its Google Docs platform, which is essentially a pared-down and online version of Microsoft's Office business software.
Some insiders have suggested that the launching of Google Drive could lead to a re-naming or even re-vamping of Google Docs in the weeks to come. (Source: thenextweb.com)

History Eraser - Android Apps

History Eraser - Android Apps 

History Eraser

EZMob Apps
(56,602)

History Eraser


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Description

Best tool to Erase History on Android devices!This is a phone cleaner History Eraser! One touch cleaner! This app can erase history data on your Android device, cleanup your phone, delete your search history, del web history,remove your calllog, clear all apps' cache files, delete sms, clean your clipboard, clear frequently callded, and erase market search history. It is similar to ccleaner on the pc. It is a good sweeper and free up memory, free up space. 1 click to clear all cached files for getting more available space and free memory. versatile quick cache free, easy and simple! one step cleanup,click one button and sweep all! no root permission required! Good privacy guard and privacy eraser.Good android assistant Feature: ★Clear Browser History ★Clear Call Log ★Clear text messages ★Clear Market Search History (including new android market history of v3.0.26+) ★Clear Google Map Search History ★Clear Gmail Search History ★Clear Clipboard Data ★Clear Youtube Search History (assist) ★Clear Google Search History(Android >= 1.6) (assistance) ★Clear all app cache files ★Clear Frequently Called (Frequently Contacted) Feel free to send feedback to us other than 1 star!! If forceclose happens, please use our another app named 'App Cache Cleaner' to do a clean-all action, and then open History Eraser again #How to clean your Google Map history If your Google Map history still comes out after clean, please visit http://www.google.com/history to disable the history records for your Google account. *************************** INFOLIFE, Make Life Easier! *************************** Tags (This part is for Droid,Please ignore) clear frequently contacted,auto clear phone,One touch cleaner,free phone memory,cache cleaner,clear cache,clear apps cache,history,historyeraser,history eraser,history cleaner,history erase,history clean,history clear,history clean up,call log clean,search history,clipboard data clean,delete sms,remove text messages,delete old message,short text messages, faster phone,save battery life phone battery saver,lag fix ----version 2.5.5 changes: 1.add sms clear options to one touch clear list now we can seperately del 4 kinds of thread,including: a) Sent SMS/MMS b) Received SMS/MMS c) Failed SMS/MMS d) SMS/MMS Draft By using setting menu, you can alse choose not to del sms/mms when screen off or you can choose not to delete locked/protected sms/mms ----version 2.5 changes: 1.add auto clear and preference setting you can have schedule clear by menu-> setting -> select Clear When Screen Off.It will auto execute your last clear operation when screen off. you can also set notification bar icon here and turn on phone rom memory statistics display. 2.add frequently called (Frequently Contacted) clear some devices have a frequently called list in favorites tab.now the delete operation of this list is available. 3.add phone memory status showing show your phone rom memory statistics.you can see how much memory freed after clear. 4.use new text message deletion and move this function to menu options txt message deletion option moved to menu,you can delete all of your sms/mms by menu-> Del All SMS/MMS,Be ware that ALL of your text message will be deleted even if they are locked! 5.add option to show notification bar you can show notification bar to have a quick switch.to enable this: menu->Setting->check Notification Bar Icon. 6.adjust item display order. move clear all apps cache function to the top of the list. ***Features under development*** 1,contacts history or sms history in motorola phones: Motorola doesn't share their communication logs with other apps,I am still working on it to figure out a way to clear this history.
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