tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83257705075195828082010-01-11T01:40:28.121-08:00GlobalWorldTech - IT ConsultantsGlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-59952830141991738202010-01-11T01:40:00.000-08:002010-01-11T01:40:28.233-08:00Google SitesThere are many host and application providers, who lets you create your site for free. But the glitch in using those is, you have to host your site on their server or use their Banner. Their Banner will reveal that you have created your site using their software/application, which is quite embarrassing for any business.<br /><br />Now, Google is offering you to create your sites via <a href="http://sites.google.com">Google Sites</a>, which is a free and easy way to create webpages, as well as embed documents, pics, and Videos. Not only that there is a template gallery for Sites; when you create a new site, you can now select a template which you can further customize according to your needs. Available templates cover a wide selection of specific needs; you’ll find one for schools, weddings, families, clubs, restaurants, projects and more.<br /><br />Apart from templates, it also offers Automatic site Translation. Visitors to your Google Site with a different language setting than your site can hit the translate button on the bottom right of the page to translate the whole site to the language of their choice<br /><br />You can set a default location for a page template. This makes it simpler for you to keep the pages of your site organized. For example, if you have a recipe template in your family site, set /recipes/ as default location for pages created from that template so all your recipes show up together within your site.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tkTGrOcFiz0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tkTGrOcFiz0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="400" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-5995283014199173820?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-7723931217570716952010-01-04T21:22:00.000-08:002010-01-04T21:25:24.815-08:00Google Now Scanning RSS, Atom Feeds, May Experiment with Real-Time Protocols in FutureAccording to a post on <a href="http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2009/10/using-rssatom-feeds-to-discover-new.html">Google's Webmaster Central blog</a>, Google is now discovering web sites by automatically scanning RSS and Atom feeds. This new process will help Google more quickly identify web pages and will allow users to find new content in search results as soon as it goes live. While not exactly "real-time," using feeds to identify updates to websites is an arguably faster method than the traditional crawling techniques Google has used in the past. And Google may get even faster in the near future - the post also notes that the company may soon explore using mechanisms like the real-time protocol <a href="http://code.google.com/p/pubsubhubbub/">PubSubHubbub</a> to identify updated items going forward.<br /><br />The blog post doesn't say whether or not RSS and Atom discovery is displacing traditional web crawling for sites that are feed-enabled, but it's likely that, if given the choice, Google will opt for the faster method if available. As Vanessa Fox notes on the <a href="http://searchengineland.com/googles-additional-discovery-method-rss-and-atom-feeds-28828">SearchEngineLand blog</a>, since it's unknown at this time whether Google is using the feeds in place of traditional web crawling, it may make sense to use full feeds rather than partial ones in order to get your content indexed faster by Google's search engine.<br /><h3>Real-Time Web Crawling in the Future?</h3>Although only briefly mentioned in the post, Google hinted that they may begin looking into other mechanisms such as <a href="http://code.google.com/p/pubsubhubbub/">PubSubHubbub</a>, an open protocol that provides near-instant notifications of change updates. No further details were provided beyond the one sentence, but the announcement clearly shows that Google has seen the writing on the wall and knows that the real-time web is the future. This is one trend the company isn't planning to ignore.<br /><br />The real-time web, heavily influenced by the speed of Twitter and other other rapid-fire social networking updates, has created a desire among internet users for faster access to information. This desire has, in turn, led to the creation of new real-time protocols such as the above mentioned <a href="http://code.google.com/p/pubsubhubbub/">PubSubHubbub</a> and its counterpart <a href="http://www.rsscloud.org/">RSSCloud</a>. If Google began to use these technologies for scanning the web, their search results wouldn't just be updated faster - they would be updated in real-time. That means information would become available in the search results listings as soon as it was published to the web.<br /><br />That, of course, would lead to a whole new series of challenges for the search engine - most notably, how to rank the real-time results? Given that Google's search algorithm has been built on top of the concept of PageRank, a way to determine the relevance of a website by what other sites link to it, ranking search results that are so fresh that there is an absence of links could prove a difficult feat. However, Google is already doing this to some extent now. Over time, the PageRank algorithm has evolved and can now reward sites with fresher, more fitting content and rank them higher than sites with more links on some occasions. And if anyone can figure out the proper algorithm for mixing in real-time content and ranking it appropriately along with static pages, it's got to be Google. In fact, we'll probably soon see exactly how they plan on addressing this issue, when they incorporate Twitter search results into their index, as announced last week<br /><h3>...But Until Then, Google Delivering Faster, Fresher Results Instead</h3>Although the <a href="http://code.google.com/p/pubsubhubbub/">PubSubHubbub</a> mention may have been the most exiting part of the announcement, real-time search results aren't here just yet. In the meantime, we have to just be content with sped up results instead. The post advises website owners who are blocking Google's search bot software known as Googlebot from crawling their RSS/Atom feeds to unblock it via their robots.txt file. If unsure, webmasters can test their feed URLs with the <a href="http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=156449">robots.txt tester in Google Webmaster Tools</a>, as the post recommends.<br /><br /><div style="float: right;">Written by <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/author/sarah-perez-1.php">Sarah Perez</a><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-772393121757071695?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-20886251145478498162009-12-27T23:01:00.000-08:002009-12-27T23:01:25.777-08:00What is canonical page?A canonical page is the preferred version of a set of pages with highly similar content.<br /><br />It's common for a site to have several pages listing the same set of products. For example, one page might display products sorted in alphabetical order, while other pages display the same products listed by price or by rating. <br /><br />According to <a href="http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2009/02/specify-your-canonical.html">Google official blog</a>:<br /><b>If Google knows that these pages have the same content, we may index only one version for our search results. Our algorithms select the page we think best answers the user's query. Now, however, users can specify a canonical page to search engines by adding a link element with the attribute rel="canonical" to the head section of the non-canonical version of the page. Adding this link and attribute lets site owners identify sets of identical content and suggest to Google: "Of all these pages with identical content, this page is the most useful. Please prioritize it in search results."<br /></b><br /><br /><b>How do I specify a canonical page?</b><br />To specify a canonical link to the page http://www.example.com/product.php?item=swedish-fish, create a <b>link</b> element as follows:<br /><br />link rel="canonical" href=http://www.example.com/product.php?item=swedish-fish<br /><br />Copy this link into the head section of all non-canonical versions of the page, such as http://www.example.com/product.php?item=swedish-fish&sort=price.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Cm9onOGTgeM&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Cm9onOGTgeM&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="400" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-2088625114547849816?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-43524214706704250322009-12-21T23:24:00.000-08:002009-12-21T23:24:22.136-08:00Google Browser SizeAnyone who develop/design websites, have this problem that some Browser support some features while other dont. This can be best seen when you compare your site with <a href="http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/">Firefox</a> and <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/worldwide-sites.aspx">Internet Explorer</a>.<br /><br />Now Google has come up with something very useful for the designer and developers i.e. <b><a href="http://browsersize.googlelabs.com/">Google Browser Size</a></b>. Using the tool is simple: type a URL in at the top of the screen, and the site will load your webpage in the background. It will then overlay a semi-transparent graphic depicting how much of the web’s population can view each section of your page without scrolling.<br /><ul><li>You can change the opacity of the overlay by clicking the gray boxes next to the word "Opacity" at the top of the window.</li><li>As you move the mouse around the window, you will see a transparent rectangle following the mouse pointer. This feature allows you to interact normally with the page you're examining even though it has a graphical overlay atop it.</li><li>The sizes represented in this contour are client area sizes, not browser window sizes. This means they represent the size of the browser without the title bar, toolbars, status bars, etc., and thus give a true representation of how much content can be seen by a particular segment of the Web-using population.</li><li>Browser Size works best on web pages with a fixed layout aligned to the left. If the content reflows as the width is adjusted or it is centered, then the results can be misleading. In this case, you can obtain more accurate results by reducing the browser width to a percentage column, e.g. 90% and seeing what content falls below the 90% horizontal line.</li></ul><br />According to <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/browser-size-tool-to-see-how-others.html">Official Google Blog</a>:<br />"<i>Browser Size is based on a sample of data from visitors to google.com. Special code collects data on the height and width of the browser for a sample of users. For a given point in the browser, the tool will tell you what percentage of users can see it. For example, if an important button is in the 80% region it means that 20% of users have to scroll in order to see it. If you're a web designer, you can use Browser Size to redesign your page to minimize scrolling and make sure that the important parts of the page are always prominent to your audience. We hope people will use this tool to make their websites better, in turn making the web better for everyone.</i>"<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.globalworldtech.com/blog/uploaded_images/bs1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="http://www.globalworldtech.com/blog/uploaded_images/bs1.png" width="320" /></a><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-4352421470670425032?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-73420212020606312232009-12-15T22:40:00.000-08:002009-12-16T04:03:38.784-08:00Google's New Real Time Search StreamsGoogle upped the relevance factor of its search results with the launch of a new real-time feature that integrates live updates from blogs, news sites, <a href="http://www.twitter.com">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com">Facebook</a>, and more.<br /><br />Now, when you enter a search term like "Hotel Taj Mumbai" into <a href="http://www.google.com">Google</a>, you'll not only get results from across the web, you also get the option of checking out a real-time stream of what people are saying about the Hotel right that minute in the news and blog posts, or on popular social networking sites like Twitter and FriendFeed. Besides the obvious coolness factor, the new feature makes it possible to get news related to your search term almost the instant it happens instead of waiting hours or days for web sites to get indexed.<br /><br />This is a pretty awesome way to find out about breaking news or what people are saying about the latest blockbuster film. Imagine hearing about a traffic jam on the bridge right from passengers who Tweet about being stuck in traffic, or getting the skinny on movie reviews as people talk about it on FriendFeed. It's basically integrating what we like best about Twitter directly into Google. To turn it on for search results, just:<br /><br /><object width="400" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WRkYmx4A9Do&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WRkYmx4A9Do&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="400" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><b><i>Click on "Latest results" or select "Latest" from the search options menu to view a full page of live tweets, blogs, news and other web content scrolling right on Google. You can also filter your results to see only "Updates" from micro-blogs like Twitter, FriendFeed, Jaiku and others. Latest results and the new search options are also designed for iPhone and Android devices when you need them on the go, be it a quick glance at changing information like ski conditions or opening night chatter about a new movie — right when you're in line to buy tickets.</i><br /></b><br />Google partnered with <a href="http://www.facebook.com">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.friendfeed.com">FriendFeed</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com">MySpace</a>, <a href="http://www.jaiku.com">Jaiku</a>, and <a href="http://www.identi.ca">Identi.ca</a> to pull status updates into search results from all those services. Google says the new service will be available to everyone in the next few days, but check out the video above in the meantime to see for yourself what it does.<br /><br />It's really amazing to see live updates in search results, but there's plenty of people that don't give a hoot about what the folks on Twitter or Facebook are talking about. It will also be interesting to see how Google keeps the signal-to-noise ratio down when huge news breaks and people everywhere are <a href="http://www.blogger.com">blogging</a>, posting, and sometimes unintentionally spreading false information.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-7342021202060631223?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-36151760964351297932009-12-07T23:14:00.000-08:002009-12-07T23:14:46.590-08:00Google Analytics - Annotations and other New Features<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.globalworldtech.com/blog/uploaded_images/ana2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.globalworldtech.com/blog/uploaded_images/ana2.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /></div><br />Google today launched a new feature in <a href="http://www.google.com/analytics/">Analytics</a> i.e. Annotations. Now you can explain why there are dips and hikes of visitors on your website or web application. Webmasters have been demanding this feature for really long time as this will help them in analyzing which events have caused conversions to increase or decrease. Earlier Webmasters have to maintain separate sheets/files for explaining to the Owners of the websites the reasons for increase or decrease in the conversions.<br /><br />According to Official Google Analytics <a href="http://analytics.blogspot.com/2009/12/holiday-bonus-more-great-features.html">blog</a>:<br /><br /><b>"Annotations allows any user with access to a <a href="http://www.google.com/analytics/">Google Analytics</a> profile to leave shared or private notes right on the over-time graph. Building upon the concept of bringing Intelligence to data, Annotations complements existing anomaly detection by capturing the tribal intelligence of your company, which tends to be the most expensive and easily lost resource of all. A simple note from a colleague can save hours of real work (and frustration) for an analyst who is tasked to explain a usually dry set of numbers. This short video will show you how to use Annotations."<br /></b><br /><br /><object height="344" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XfPx4Sus_CY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XfPx4Sus_CY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="400" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Apart from Annotations, Google also added few more NEW features in <a href="http://www.google.com/analytics/">Analytics</a>:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://analytics.blogspot.com/2009/10/google-analytics-now-more-powerful.html">Multiple Custom Variables:</a> Custom variables provide the power and flexibility to customize Google Analytics to collect the unique site usage data most important to your business. Define and track visitors according to visitor attributes (member vs. non-member), session attributes (signed in or signed out), and by page-level attributes (viewed Sports section). Use custom variables to classify any number of interactions and behaviors on your site.</li><li><a href="http://analytics.blogspot.com/2009/05/share-customizations-and-dive-much.html?utm_source=news_v4&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=en_us">Custom Variables in Custom Reports:</a> Create Custom Reports with any of the key or value dimensions associated with any Custom Variable. There will be a segment defined by Custom Variables and how it behaves along any of the metrics available in Google Analytics.</li><li>New Tracking Code: Google also made it easier for users to track data across multiple subdomains, mobile sites and more with a new tracking code setup wizard. The new technology will automatically generate the appropriate code for specialized tracking without the user having to input it manually.</li></ul><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-3615176096435129793?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-54121714357100869592009-12-02T23:04:00.000-08:002009-12-02T23:04:26.674-08:00Google Analytics - New featuresGoogle recently added 7 new features to the <a href="http://www.google.com/analytics">Analytics</a>, and here are they<br /><br /><b>Analytics Intelligence with Custom Alerts</b><br />Using an algorithmic driven Intelligence engine, <a href="http://analytics.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-feature-spotlight-analytics.html?utm_source=news_v4&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=en_us">Analytics Intelligence monitors data patterns</a> over daily, weekly and monthly periods. Significant changes in data trends and insights you may not have noticed are surfaced directly in your account. You can also <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRvUpoTT-Bo">create your own Custom Alerts</a> that monitor your selection of dimensions and metrics that can be sent by email or displayed in the Intelligence reports.<br /><br /><b>Expanded Goals and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGqq4bvrxPU">New Engagement Goals</a></b><br />You can now track even more conversions by creating up to 20 goals per profile. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGqq4bvrxPU">Measure user engagement</a> and branding success on your site with Time on Site and Pages per Visit goals. <br /><br /><a href="http://analytics.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-feature-spotlight-google-analytics.html?utm_source=news_v4&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=en_us"><b>Expanded Mobile Reporting</b></a><br />Google Analytics has <a href="http://analytics.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-feature-spotlight-google-analytics.html?utm_source=news_v4&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=en_us">expanded support for mobile websites</a> and tracking for iPhone and Android mobile applications tracking. Adding server side code to your PHP, JSP, PERL, or ASPX mobile websites enables you to track non-Java-Script enabled phones. For mobile application developers, access the SDK and technical implementation details <a href="http://code.google.com/apis/analytics/docs/tracking/mobileAppsTracking.html?utm_source=news_v4&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=en_us">here</a>. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.google.com/support/analytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=33087#utm_source=news_v4&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=en_us"><b>Unique Visitors Metric</b></a><br />Include the <a href="http://www.google.com/support/analytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=33087#utm_source=news_v4&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=en_us">Unique Visitors metric</a> in your Custom Report or Advanced Segments to see how many actual visitors (unique cookies) visit your website. You can select Unique Visitors as a metric against any dimensions in Google Analytics.<br /><br /><b>Advanced Analysis Features</b><br />Dive deeper into your data with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YgbZg-Jb9o">Pivoting, Secondary Dimensions</a>, and <a href="http://analytics.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-feature-spotlight-advanced-filters.html?utm_source=news_v4&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=en_us">Advanced Table Filtering</a>. <br /><br /><b>Share Advanced Segments and Custom Report Templates</b><br /><a href="http://analytics.blogspot.com/2009/05/share-customizations-and-dive-much.html?utm_source=news_v4&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=en_us">Share the URL link</a> for an Advanced Segment or Custom Report with anyone who has an Analytics account. Sharing the link will automatically import the pre-formatted template into the person's account. <br /><br /><b>Multiple Custom Variables</b><br />Custom variables provide the power and flexibility to customize Google Analytics to collect the unique site usage data most important to your business. Define and track visitors according to visitor attributes (member vs. non-member), session attributes (signed in or signed out), and by page-level attributes (viewed Sports section). Use custom variables to classify any number of interactions and behaviors on your site.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-5412171435710086959?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-71794051521633396502009-11-30T22:29:00.000-08:002009-12-02T23:07:17.292-08:00Top 10 Mobile Web Products of 2009Today, we're kicking off the series with a look at the top mobile web products of the past year. This is a subjective list of editorially selected products, but one which includes some of the biggest names in mobile web applications for 2009.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://download.cnet.com/Facebook-for-iPhone-Web/3000-18553_4-10725747.html">Facebook 3.0 (iPhone)</a></span></b><br />Although <a href="http://www.facebook.com">Facebook</a> is an application available on many different mobile platforms, none can hold a candle to the iPhone version, updated this summer to version 3.0. The latest mobile version of this must-have social networking application was so good, some even proclaimed that it was more useful and more usable than the Facebook website itself.<br /><br />Designed by engineer Joe Hewitt, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=6628568379">Facebook 3.0 for the iPhone</a> didn't just deliver a new way to socialize while on the go, but essentially became a portable "little black book" keeping you connected to your friends, events, and communication streams.<br /><br />For those who don't spend their days behind a computer screen, the new app also made Facebook a more useful service, allowing you to quickly browse and upload photos or videos (the latter if you have the iPhone 3GS). Finally, the simplified layout, which displays just 9 buttons in a grid-like pattern is a testament to good user design, boiling down the complexity of Facebook to one easy-to-use interface that even the newest of mobile users can understand.<br /><br />If any application deserves an "app of the year" award, it's Facebook 3.0 for iPhone.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.atebits.com/tweetie-iphone/">Tweetie 2 (iPhone)</a></span></b><br />Another popular application for the iPhone was this year's revision to the <a href="http://www.atebits.com/tweetie-iphone/">Tweetie application</a>. This "update" was actually a complete reworking of the app which introduced so many new features that the developer, Loren Brichter, decided to release it as an entirely separate application which costs the same as the original. This decision, in turn, led to a vicious backlash of complaints as Tweetie users whined that they now had to "pay twice" for the application. The claims for the most part were just ridiculous - the $2.99 price point was hardly a burden and no one was "paying twice" - you were buying a brand-new application. However, the debate highlighted some of the issues Apple has with upgrade pricing - that is, "no paid updates" are permitted. That left Brichter with no other choice to recoup on his investment of time and energy that went into the building of Tweetie 2.0 but by charging again for the new version.<br /><br />In the end, after the outcry died down, most everyone just forked over the piddling amount to get the new app which introduced features like video tweets, offline mode, geolocation, and more. And nearly all are happier for doing so, too.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.twidroid.com">Twidroid (Android)</a></span></b><br />It's hard to not favor the iPhone in this list given the 100,000 apps now available for the platform, but Android apps deserve a mention too. Among the apps installed first by new owners of Android smartphones is <a href="http://www.twidroid.com">Twidroid</a>, the popular Android <a href="http://www.twitter.com">Twitter</a> client. This mobile application has improved over time and now offers a clean and easy-to-use interface where the most frequently used features (@Mentions, Direct Messages, etc.) are accessible via buttons available at the bottom of the app, no matter which screen you're viewing.<br /><br />An updated version just launched today, now takes this application to a whole new level with its brand-new plugin architecture. Thanks to this feature, third-party developers can now extend <a href="http://www.twidroid.com">Twidroid</a> with their own services. This changes the application from being just another <a href="http://www.twitter.com">Twitter</a> client representing one company's point of view as to what features it should offer to being an app that's completely customizable and tailored precisely to an end user's needs. In fact, it was this last minute year-end update forced us to add Twidroid to the list - apps that support plugins may very well be the next big thing for mobile.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.foursquare.com">Foursquare (Cross-platform)</a></span></b><br />Last year, we thought the mobile social network to beat was Brightkite. While we still like that service, there's no doubt that <a href="http://www.foursquare.com">Foursquare</a> is this year's location-based breakout hit. At the beginning of 2009, the service was limited to only a handful of cities, but lately, that list has been expanding quickly to include a number of new cities worldwide.<br /><br />Essentially, this geolocation-based service turns mobile social networking into a game. You "check in" as you arrive at new places in return for points, prizes, badges, and the honor of becoming the "mayor" of a place if you're the one with the most check-ins there. Additionally, Foursquare users can leave tips for others arriving to that locale so when they check in, they can see recommendations - like the best entree at the restaurant or where the nearest Starbucks is to that hotel, for example.<br /><br />Some may claim that Foursquare's influence is still limited to the early adopter tech set for now and hasn't really become a mainstream hit just yet. Maybe that's true to a point, but considering the service just got a shout-out on The Simpsons not too long ago, we think Foursquare's days of being an "undiscovered gem" are limited.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.google.com/mobile/products/voice.html#p=default">Google Voice (Blackberry, Android)</a></span></b><br />Perhaps most notable for prompting an FCC investigation into Apple's secretive app approval process, <a href="http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html">Google Voice</a> is one of the year's best mobile applications even if it's not available on the iPhone. According to Google, Apple rejected the app from the iTunes Store because it duplicated the iPhone's core functionality. Meanwhile, Apple claimed they were "still reviewing" the application because it alters the iPhone's functionality and user interface. The general consensus is that Apple isn't exactly being forthcoming here. A slew of other applications already available in the App Store "duplicate" the iPhone's functionality in some way, making Apple's rejection more suspicious.<br /><br />As of now, <a href="http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html">Google Voice</a> is still not available in the App Store. However, <a href="http://www.google.com/mobile/products/voice.html#p=default">Blackberry and Android</a> users are able to take advantage of this innovative mobile app which lets you set where your phone numbers should ring to while also aggregating your voicemail from all your different lines. Those messages are then transcribed and emailed and/or SMS'd to you. Via the mobile application, your outgoing calls appear to be coming from your <a href="http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html">Google Voice</a> number and not the number assigned to your handheld. This mobile app is so popular that it alone has caused some high-profile users to make the switch from the iPhone to Android.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.spotify.com">Spotify (Cross-Platform)</a></span></b><br />Sadly not available in the U.S. as of yet, Spotify deserves a mention for its notable achievements overseas. A complement to the desktop-based music streaming service, Spotify's mobile application lets users access their accounts, make playlists, and listen to music when offline.<br /><br />Given how heavily this service competes with iTunes, many feared that Apple would reject Spotify as they did with Google Voice (see above). However, the FCC investigation must have made Apple nervous because Spotify for iPhone was readily approved for inclusion in the App Store.<br /><br />Expected to launch stateside sometime in 2010, <a href="http://www.spotify.com">Spotify</a> represents the next revolution in mobile music. Instead of purchasing and owning individual tracks, this subscription-based service lets you stream music to your mobile device. And unlike similar mobile music apps, Spotify lets you pick exact songs from a catalog of millions which instantly sync to your mobile device. It even works without an internet connection. Spotify goes where iTunes has not and makes music more of a web-based experience than something requiring disk space on physical hard drives. In other words, <a href="http://www.spotify.com">Spotify represents the future of mobile music</a> and a threat which Apple will soon need to address.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.google.com/mobile/navigation/index.html#p=default">Google Maps Navigation (Android)</a></span></b><br />Can we say GPS killer? That was the feeling when Google announced their new product, <a href="http://www.google.com/mobile/navigation/index.html#p=default">Google Maps Navigation</a> which mimics the functionality of GPS devices like those from Garmin and TomTom. On launch day, stocks at those companies tumbled to unprecedented lows despite the fact that the mobile application was only available for Android 2.0 devices at that time. It just goes to show that when Google enters a particular market, companies take notice.<br /><br />Not only does this mobile app deliver all the best features of Google Maps including satellite and street views, it also includes mobile-appropriate features like traffic views, voice search, and turn-by-turn navigation, the latter recently launching on Android 1.6 devices (and up), too.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.bnonews.com">BNO (iPhone)</a></span></b><br />Who says you have to abandon the real-time web just because you're going mobile? BNO, short for "breaking news online" is an iPhone application that complements the 24/7 news service available via <a href="http://www.twitter.com">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/">iPhone</a>, email, and as a news wire.<br /><br />With BNO News (iTunes link) for the <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/">iPhone</a>, the app taps into the iPhone's push notification functionality to deliver real-time news alerts that pop up on your device without using up your text messages. This app may be for serious news junkies only, but these days, isn't that everyone?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bnonews.com">BNO</a> also uses a unique pricing structure which we're surprised we don't see more of: in addition to the purchase price of $1.99, the app also requires a monthly subscription fee of $0.99.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.layar.com">Layar (iPhone, Android)</a></span></b><br />Mobile application Layar may have gotten more media exposure than its functionality deserves, but this app represents the next big step for mobile: augmented reality. By displaying data layers on top of your phone's camera viewer, <a href="http://www.layar.com">Layar</a> literally "augments" reality with additional information about what you're viewing. Information like restaurant reviews or real estate listings, for example.<br /><br />Earlier this year, we called Layar the most exciting of the AR apps because of its nature as a platform. That means third-party developers can build their own "layers" for the app using the company's provided API.<br /><br />While the application doesn't always deliver the experiences it promises, that hasn't stopped co-founder Maarten Lens-Fitzgerald from proclaiming that AR apps will be second only to voice on mobile phones in the coming years. He may be right...eventually, but that time hasn't come just yet. For now, Layar just gives us a glimpse of what's possible and for that, we're grateful, excited, and highly anticipating what AR may bring in 2010.<br /><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Your Favorite Mobile Game (Cross-Platform)</span></b><br />Although not an app itself, we have to add "mobile games" as a general category to this "best of" list. To not do so would be to ignore one of the biggest mobile trends of the past year: mobile devices becoming "real" gaming platforms. While most mobile gaming development advances have taken place on the iPhone, these days more people than ever are using their mobile phones for games instead of portable gaming handhelds like the PSP. These games include everything from quick time-wasters to internet-connected multi-player challenges to in-depth "story" games that previously only existed on PCs and game consoles.<br /><br />While your favorite mobile game will no doubt differ from your friend's, there's no doubt that practically every single mobile device owner has at least one game installed if not more.<br /><br />Do you agree or disagree with our list? Let us know why or why not in the comments.<br /><div style="float: right;">Written by <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/author/sarah-perez-1.php">Sarah Perez</a><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-7179405152163339650?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-11908099730496000522009-11-30T03:23:00.000-08:002009-11-30T03:23:38.559-08:00How to diagnose your site with google advanced searchHere are few suggestions:<br /><br />Make sure your site is free from any type of filtering issues i.e. <b>search [yourdomain.com]</b> in <a href="http://www.google.com">Google</a>; if your sites comes up #1 for this query, you are doing alright. If not, that’s a bad signal.<br /><br />Make sure there are no duplicate content problems: search for a pretty long citation from your site. With a blog, for example, you have a good chance to see the category page instead of the corresponding post page.<br /><br />Check how many URLs from your site have been indexed: <br /><b>search [site:yourdomain.com]</b> and “dig deeper” into the search results:<br /><b>[site:yourdomain.com/subdirectory1/2/3 ..etc]</b><br /><br />Learn if the site has canonical problems (for sites using www): <b>search [site:yourdomain.com -inurl:www]</b> and see if any non-www URLs have been stored in the index).<br /><br />Identify most powerful pages of your site:<b><br />[ www site:yourdomain.com]<br />[ tld site:yourdomain.tld]<br />[inurl:domain site:yourdomain.com]<br />[domain site:yourdomain.com]</b><br /><br />Identify most powerful pages of your site (keyword-dependent): <b>search [site:yourdomain.com inanchor:keyword]</b><br /><br />Find sites with most potential:<br /><b>[site:yourdomain.com inanchor:"key * word"]<br />[site:yourdomain.com intitle:"key * phrase"]</b><br /><br />Find most relevant pages of your site (to further promote them for the specified term): <b>search [site:yourdomain.com keyword] or [site:yourdomain.com key * phrase]</b><br /><br />Check your site is crawled and indexed frequently enough: <b>search [site:yourdomain.com] + play with “date range” advanced search option.</b><br /><br />Check who (and what) your site is associated with: <b>search [related:yourdomain.com] </b>to identify your site co-citation.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-1190809973049600052?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-66216310359263114442009-11-26T01:54:00.000-08:002009-11-26T01:54:02.348-08:00What is Social Media?Social Media is an umbrella that covers your various activities and integrates technology, social interactions, videos, pictures and words. Not all of the above mentioned needs to be shared in one spot, but a few examples of such places that utilize these functions are most likely places you are either using or have heard of, such as; <a href="http://www.facebook.com">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com">StumbleUpon</a>, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="http://www.mixx.com">Mixx</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com">YouTube</a> and countless others. Social Media is the new-aged Media. It has traveled past radio and television, to allow us to connect globally in an interactive way. The difference between Media and Social Media is that we can receive information (what ever form it is in) in real-time and be able to share it with others in a fast fashion. The most significant difference is the social aspect, we are able to be heard, to share our voice, opinions and in some ways become the reporter.<br /><br />With Media, there is a disconnect, we are the audience and we tune in to what ever news or entertainment news organizations that we’d prefer, with Social Media, whatever Social Network we belong to, we can not only be fed all types of news, but we are connected with one another as a community, with “like” buttons, comment sections and tagging to what or whom we want. We are limitless and in this fast pace society we are enjoying the less time consuming approach to being in touch with our world.<br /><br />Examples of social media software applications include:<br /><br /><b>Communication</b><br /><ul><li>Blogs: <a href="http://www.blogger.com">Blogger</a>, <a href="www.livejournal.com/">LiveJournal</a>, <a href="http://www.opendiary.com">Open Diary</a>, <a href="http://www.typepad.com">TypePad</a>, <a href="http://www.wordpress.com">WordPress</a>, <a href="http://www.vox.com">Vox</a>, <a href="http://www.expressionengine.com">ExpressionEngine</a>, <a href="http://www.xanga.com">Xanga</a></li><li>Micro-blogging: <a href="http://www.twitter.com">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.plurk.com">Plurk</a>, <a href="http://www.tumblr.com">Tumblr</a>, <a href="http://www.jaiku.com">Jaiku</a>, <a href="http://www.fmylife.com">fmylife</a></li><li>Social networking: <a href="http://www.bebo.com">Bebo</a>, <a href="http://www.bigtent.com">BigTent</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com">LinkedIn</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com">MySpace</a>, <a href="http://www.orkut.com">Orkut</a>, <a href="http://www.skyrock.com">Skyrock</a>, <a href="http://www.hi5.com">Hi5</a>, <a href="http://www.ning.com">Ning</a>, <a href="http://www.elgg.org">Elgg</a>, <a href="http://www.drupal.org">Drupal</a></li><li>Social network aggregation: <a href="http://www.nutshellmail.com">NutshellMail</a>, <a href="http://www.friendfeed.com">FriendFeed</a></li></ul><b>Collaboration</b><br /><ul><li>Wikis: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org">Wikipedia</a>, <a href="http://www.pbworks.com">PBwiki</a>, <a href="http://www.wetpaint.com">wetpaint</a></li><li>Social bookmarking: <a href="http://www.delicious.com">Delicious</a>, <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com">StumbleUpon</a>, <a href="http://www.google.com/reader">Google Reader</a>, <a href="http://www.citeulike.com">CiteULike</a></li><li>Social news: <a href="http://www.digg.com">Digg</a>, <a href="http://www.mixx.com">Mixx</a>, <a href="http://www.reddit.com">Reddit</a>, <a href="http://www.nowpublic.com">NowPublic</a></li></ul><b>Multimedia</b><br /><ul><li>Photo sharing: <a href="http://www.flickr.com">Flickr</a>, <a href="http://www.zooomr.com">Zooomr</a>, <a href="http://www.photobucket.com">Photobucket</a>, <a href="http://www.smugmug.com">SmugMug</a>, <a href="http://picasa.google.com">Picasa</a></li><li>Video sharing: <a href="http://www.youtube.com">YouTube</a>, <a href="http://www.viddler.com">Viddler</a>, <a href="http://www.vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>, <a href="http://www.sevenload.com">sevenload</a></li><li>Livecasting: <a href="http://www.ustream.tv">Ustream.tv</a>, <a href="http://www.justin.tv">Justin.tv</a>, <a href="http://www.stickam.com">Stickam</a>, <a href="http://www.skype.com">Skype</a></li><li>Audio and Music Sharing: <a href="http://www.imeem.com">imeem</a>, <a href="http://www.hypem.com">The Hype Machine</a>, <a href="http://www.last.fm">Last.fm</a>, <a href="http://www.ccmixter.org">ccMixter</a></li></ul><b>Entertainment</b><br /><ul><li>Media & Entertainment Platforms: <a href="http://www.cisco.com/web/solutions/cmsg/platform.html">Cisco Eos</a></li><li>Virtual worlds: <a href="http://www.secondlife.com">Second Life</a>, <a href="http://thesims.ea.com/">The Sims Online</a>, <a href="http://www.forterrainc.com">Forterra</a></li><li>Game sharing: <a href="http://www.miniclip.com">Miniclip</a>, <a href="http://www.kongregate.com/">Kongregate</a></li></ul>Social Media is not a place to conquer but a place to be involved, to help shape the way we share and to be a member of a non-exclusive growing population.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-6621631035926311444?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-2004399986798766432009-11-25T02:09:00.000-08:002009-11-25T05:24:24.195-08:00What Apps Should Twitter Acquire?According to a statement made today by Twitter's co-founder Biz Stone, the company is interested in acquiring more companies to expand upon their current core set of features. At a news conference held in Tel Aviv, Stone <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/innovationNews/idUSTRE5AN1TB20091124?sp=true">was quoted as saying</a> that acquisitions are "something we are definitely interested in. We made an acquisition last year that turned out to be an outstandingly good decision."<br /><br />The acquisition he's referring to is <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/confirmed_twitter_has_acquired_summize.php">Twitter's purchase of Summize</a>, a real-time search engine that has now become <a href="http://search.twitter.com/">search.twitter.com</a>. Since that original purchase in summer of 2008, Twitter has made no other moves or indications that they were interested in buying other companies, seemingly more focused on quashing bugs, acquiring funding and partnering with major search engines like <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/bing_twitter_search.php">Bing</a> and <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/google_indexes_twitter.php">Google</a>. Meanwhile, the ecosystem of Twitter applications exploded, and now includes hundreds if not thousands of apps powered by or integrated with Twitter's service. But which of these apps deserve to become an official company offering?<br /><br />Apparently, there may be a few apps that have already caught Twitter's interest. Stone told the crowd in Tel Aviv that "our attention is grabbed by some of these developers," and the company plans to "take a hard look at them." <br /><br /><b>What Companies are on Twitter's Radar?</b><br /><br />Which applications do you suppose have crossed Twitter's radar? Some insight may be found on <a href="http://twitter.com/goodies">Twitter's "goodies" page</a> where the company lists a handful of apps, widgets, and website buttons which Twitter users can browse through and download. Here, desktop Twitter clients like <a href="http://www.twhirl.org/">Twhirl</a> and <a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com/">TweetDeck</a> are promoted alongside mobile applications like <a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284540316&mt=8">Twitterific</a> and <a href="http://www.pockettweets.com/">PocketTweets</a>.<br /><br />However, the complete app list seems a little out-of-date when compared with what today's Twitterers are actually using, especially on the mobile front. According to a <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_top_twitter_client_is_still_the_web.php">study</a> from August of this year, iPhone apps like <a href="http://www.atebits.com/tweetie-iphone/">Tweetie</a> and <a href="http://twitterfon.net/">TwitterFon</a> are just as popular as Twitterific - if not more so - as is the Blackberry app <a href="http://www.orangatame.com/products/twitterberry/">TwitterBerry</a>. And the one-time popular Twitter app Twhirl, an Adobe AIR desktop client, has long since been overshadowed by the more robust TweetDeck and similar web counterparts.<br /><br />Among those web counterparts are the new tools from <a href="http://seesmic.com/app">Seesmic</a> and <a href="http://brizzly.com/">Brizzly</a>, both of which have been garnering attention as of late, especially when <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/seesmic_web_gets_lists_and_geolocation.php">they each introduced support</a> for Twitter's new "lists" feature earlier this month.<br /><br />But client applications are only a small slice of the entire Twitter app universe. There are also games, blog and email plugins, utilities, analytics and search tools, shopping services, URL shortners and so much more. Plus, there are sites that attempt to aggregate the chaos into some sort of meaningful structure, like the <a href="http://oneforty.com/">oneforty.com</a> website, for example, often called Twitter's unofficial "app store" by its fans.<br /><br />While we could only guess at which applications Twitter would want to adopt as their "official" clients or services, a good guess may involve some of the media sharing tools that have been popularized by a number of Twitter users wanting to share photos and videos in addition to plain text. <a href="http://twitpic.com/">TwitPic</a> comes to mind as one of the top photo-sharing clients and <a href="http://www.twitvid.com/">TwitVid</a> or <a href="http://www.tweetube.com/">Tweetube</a> may be considered for video shares. These sorts of acquisitions seem to fit better with Twitter's goal of expanding upon the core functionality of Twitter. Where before, the company was content with its simple 140-character updates, recent changes, including the <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/twitter_crowns_bitly_as_the_king_of_short_links_he.php">integration of the URL-shortening service bit.ly</a>, <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/twitter_groups_and_lists.php">Twitter lists</a>, <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/twitter_location_api_possible_uses.php">geolocation features</a> and a <a href="http://evhead.com/2009/11/why-retweet-works-way-it-does.html">new implementation of the "re-tweet"</a> structure seem to hint at Twitter's desire to add more layers of complexity to the once-basic service. <br /><br /><b>More Acquisitions Could be Too Much of a Good Thing</b><br /><br />However, Twitter needs to be careful not to add too much. Up until now, <a href="http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/ff_twitter">the service has grown organically</a>, with a lot of its features and conventions implemented by its own user and developer community outside of the official channels. Bog it down too much with extra add-ons and new behaviors, and Twitter may scare off potential new users who already often struggle with figuring out what to do with the service in its simple form. Plus, longtime Twitterers may also be put-off to see their favorite clients or services ignored in favor of whatever companies Twitter chooses to bless through an acquisition deal. And once acquired, competing companies could wither and fade away, unable to compete, eventually leading their developers to cut their losses and move on.<br /><br /><b>What Should Twitter Acquire?</b><br /><br />Earlier this year, we listed <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/ten_companies_twitter_should_consider_acquiring_ne.php">ten companies that Twitter should acquire next</a>. Not surprisingly, some of the companies or their features have already been implemented, including bit.ly's URL shortening service and the geo-location feature we mentioned. Meanwhile, another app on the list, <a href="http://freindfeed.com/">FriendFeed</a>, has already been acquired by Facebook, leaving our original list much shorter and now in need of an update.<br /><br />Given Twitter's intentions to start a shopping spree sometime in the near future, we wonder what apps will make their list. We also wonder if more Twitter acquisitions will end up being a good thing for the company and the community as a whole, or if it will end up stifling competition in what is now a thriving ecosystem of innovation and development. We hope Twitter proceeds cautiously and wisely in this area - any major unwelcome changes have the ability to alienate the very community that made Twitter what it is today. <br /><br /><div style="float: right;">Written by <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/author/sarah-perez-1.php">Sarah Perez</a><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-200439998679876643?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-71738383063007227552009-11-24T01:41:00.000-08:002009-11-24T01:43:53.752-08:00Is Android really Open Source and free?When you buy Indian version of HTC Magic, first <a href="http://www.android.com/">Android</a> mobile phone in India, you will be disappointed. I was really disappointed. It runs Android but it is not a real <a href="http://www.android.com/">Android phone</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.android.com/">Andoid is open source</a>. You can create a phone with this source code.<br /><br />But you can not use some services from Google. You can not install some application from Google, which is not open source, closed source. Those applications are:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.gmail.com">GMail</a>, <a href="http://maps.google.com/">Google Maps</a>, Android Market, <a href="http://www.google.com/sync/index.html">Google sync</a>, etc.</li><li>Even you copy above application into Open Source version of Android, some of them do not work. Because few features are missing for them to work.</li><li>Android Market is very important because it is the place to download application. There are 10,000 applications registered.</li></ul>If you have Nokia phone, or Windows mobile phone, you can install Google Maps. But you can not install Google Maps on Indian HTC Magic. Why?<br /><br />To have Google Applications on Android, it need licence and fee which either has to be paid by manufacture like HTC or venders like Airtel.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-7173838306300722755?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-90655728887088903512009-11-23T02:11:00.000-08:002009-11-23T02:11:44.254-08:00Is Google Chrome OS really free and Open Source?The Answer is <b>NO.</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os">Chromium OS</a> is Open Source and free, but to make Chrome OS, there will be closed source programs and possiblly licence fee to be paid to include this closed source programs.<br /><br />Sundar Pichai - Google’s VP of Product Management while speaking at an <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/19/chrome-os-event/">event</a> says - <br /><br />"This is all about offering a choice for users.<br /><br />We’re not going to go into too much detail about going to market today. We’re working on the software right now, but we are also working with manufacturers on the hardware level. For example, we only support solid-state drives and certain types of WiFi cards.<br /><br /><b>In Chrome OS every application is a web application. There are no native applications.</b> That gives us simplicity. It’s just a browser with a few modifications. <b>And all data is Chrome OS is in the cloud.</b><br /><br /><b><i>You cannot download and install Chrome on any machine. You will have to buy a new one. </i>"</b><br /><br />Yes, Chromium OS can be installed on any machine yourself by download. But there will be a very important part missing from Google Chrome OS. <br /><br />I will explain how is it possible. I can explain from some experience from Android mobile OS.<br /><ul><li>Part of Android is open source.</li><li>To make real Android, Google's closed source program is needed. And it is not free and someone, like phone manufacturer or network provider need to pay. </li></ul>Keep logging to our blog to find more about how Android works.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-9065572888708890351?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-36982388353829737582009-11-20T22:43:00.000-08:002009-11-20T22:43:34.873-08:00Getting to know Google Chrome OSIn July, <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html">Google announced</a> that he is working on an <a href="http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/building-chromium-os/getting-the-chromium-os-source-code">Open Source Operating System</a> named as Chrome. They named it <a href="http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os">Chrome OS</a> coz it is for those people who live on the web — searching for information, checking email, catching up on the news, shopping or just staying in touch with friends. It is their attempt to re-think what Operating System should be or should do.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5JyFbF7QFlY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5JyFbF7QFlY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os">Google Chrome OS</a> is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be avialble on netbooks. <a href="http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os">Google Chrome OS</a> will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. <br /><br />Key Features of Google Chrome OS:<br /><ul><li>Speed</li><li>Simplicity</li><li>Fast and Lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds.</li></ul>Another Important aspect is - <b>complete redesign the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don't have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.</b><br /><br />We can call it as one of the MAJOR step towards how next generation of computers will be:<br /><ul><li>First, it's all about the web. All apps are web apps, there are no conventional desktop applications. This means users do not have to deal with installing, managing and updating programs.</li><li>Second, because all apps live within the browser, there are significant benefits to security. Every time you restart your computer the operating system verifies the integrity of its code. If your system has been compromised, it is designed to fix itself with a reboot.</li><li>Most of all, we are obsessed with speed. You can go from turning on the computer to surfing the web in a few seconds. </li></ul><object width="400" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0QRO3gKj3qw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0QRO3gKj3qw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />If you are a developer and want to get involved in contributing to <a href="http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os">Chromium (Chrome) OS</a>, click <a href="http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/getting-involved-in-chromium-os">here</a><br /><br />For Testers, finding and reporting bugs for <a href="http://www.chromium.org/chromium-os">Chromium(Chrome) OS</a>, click <a href="http://dev.chromium.org/for-testers">here</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-3698238835382973758?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-91014343908427205752009-11-17T03:23:00.000-08:002009-11-17T04:59:56.358-08:00Google TranslateGoogle has announced some great improvements in <a href="http://translate.google.com/">Google Translate</a>. <a href="http://translate.google.com/">Google Translate</a> — a service that helps people access information throughout the world by enabling them to automatically translate text and and web pages into their own language. Google Translate offers 51 languages, representing over 98% of Internet users today.<br /><br />Three New features which are incorporated into this new release:<br /><ul><li>Translate instantly: <a href="http://translate.google.com/">Google Translate</a> now translates your text right as you type.</li><li>Read and write any language: Want to say "Today is a good day" in Chinese, but can't read Han characters? Click "Show romanization" to read text written phonetically in English. Right now, this works for all non-Roman languages except for Hebrew, Arabic and Persian. Also new input transliteration feature for Arabic, Persian or Hindi allow you to type words as they sound and convert them to native script.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.globalworldtech.com/blog/uploaded_images/tp2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="72" src="http://www.globalworldtech.com/blog/uploaded_images/tp2.png" width="320" /></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://www.globalworldtech.com/blog/uploaded_images/tp3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="70" src="http://www.globalworldtech.com/blog/uploaded_images/tp3.png" width="320" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><ul><li>Text-to-speech: When translating into English, you can now also hear translations in spoken form by clicking Speaker Icon.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.globalworldtech.com/blog/uploaded_images/tp4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.globalworldtech.com/blog/uploaded_images/tp4.png" /></a><br /></div><br /><object width="400" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FijOWfO3Frk&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FijOWfO3Frk&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="400" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />For more details about Google Translate, click <a href="http://translate.google.com/">here</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-9101434390842720575?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-37502561886063131722009-11-12T22:53:00.000-08:002009-11-17T22:22:09.270-08:00Twitter - follow or not to followWhat do you do when you receive an email stating: ’abc is following you on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/">Twitter</a>!’? This is always an interesting exercise for me as I go through each one manually (there are auto-follow services available too). I realized that I’ve begun a somewhat systematic process of decision making. I thought I’d share it here.<br /><br />Now, I realize that everyone uses <a href="http://www.twitter.com/">Twitter</a> differently and each way is right. <a href="http://www.twitter.com/">Twitter</a> to me means: A one-stop source of information, updates, articles and posts about social media, <a href="http://www.globalworldtech.com/blog/labels/Technologies%20of%20web2.0.html/">internet technologies</a>, Startups, SEO, and Design.<br /><br />So here are some pointers that you might relate to as a Twitter user:<br /><ul><li><b>No Profile Pic -</b> <br />From the email itself, you can see four things: what tweeple look like, their follower, following and tweet data. If I don’t see a face, I’m already feeling disconnected. In social media, such few touch points exist in the first place. By putting a display picture, people are that much more real.</li><li><b>Follower/Following ratio -</b> <br />If someone’s following 1000 people and has only 10 followers or some ratio along those lines, then I’m wondering WHO this person really is? A bot? A very desperate person? One of those MLM guys? Either way, none of the questions entice me to click on the link and check out the Twitter account.</li><li><b>Name and Bio -</b> <br />I’d love to see a name or something, well, human and real about the person. The bio comes next and I absolutely love how each person expresses their individuality in this tiny section. Some are fun, some strictly professional, some monosyllabic. Bios that allow me a little peek into people’s lives and their personalities definitely help me lean towards following.</li><li><b>Protected Updates -</b> <br />Amusing or frustrating, you decide, but someone follows me and I find their updates protected, I feel bummed. Its like inviting someone to your home and then refusing to open the door when they do show up! Twitter’s really about open conversations so I personally don’t understand the idea of protecting updates coupled with the desire to engage!</li><li><b>Content - </b><br />Lastly I go through the first ten or twenty updates on the page and ask myself: do I want these tweets to show up in my feed everyday? Do they add value? Do I enjoy them? Will this person reply if I try to engage? If yes, I’m heading for the ‘Follow’ button alright!</li></ul>These are my points for following any person on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/">Twitter</a>, share your views on how you decide to follow ....<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-3750256188606313172?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-68048347846754309942009-11-10T22:41:00.000-08:002009-11-10T22:42:09.329-08:00Go - Google's Own Prorgramming LanguageToday the search giant Google released <a href="http://golang.org/">Go</a>, an open-source development language that Google believes will combine performance with speed, and one that the company probably hopes will reshape the development and software industries in its favor.<br /><br /><a href="http://golang.org/">Go</a> is mostly in the C family (basic syntax), with significant input from the Pascal/Modula/Oberon family (declarations, packages), plus some ideas from languages inspired by Tony Hoare's CSP, such as Newsqueak and Limbo.<br /><br />In its <a href="http://golang.org/doc/go_faq.html">Go FAQ</a>, Google explains the main motivations behind the project:<br /><ul><li>No major systems language has emerged in over a decade, but over that time the computing landscape has changed tremendously.</li><li>Computers are enormously quicker but software development is not faster.</li><li>Dependency management is a big part of software development today but the “header files” of languages in the C tradition are antithetical to clean dependency analysis—and fast compilation.</li><li>There is a growing rebellion against cumbersome type systems like those of Java and C++, pushing people towards dynamically typed languages such as Python and JavaScript.</li><li>Some fundamental concepts such as garbage collection and parallel computation are not well supported by popular systems languages.</li><li>The emergence of multicore computers has generated worry and confusion.</li></ul><br /><object width="400" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rKnDgT73v8s&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rKnDgT73v8s&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="400" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Go attempts to reduce the amount of typing in both senses of the word. Throughout its design, we have tried to reduce clutter and complexity. There are no forward declarations and no header files; everything is declared exactly once. If you’re a developer and just want to get started, we suggest checking out the <a href="http://golang.org/doc/go_tutorial.html">Go Tutorial</a> and writing your first program.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-6804834784675430994?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-11277791615324216212009-11-09T04:45:00.000-08:002009-11-17T22:28:58.302-08:00How to install Google Wave extensionsYou may come across extensions you like while using <a href="http://wave.google.com/">Google Wave</a> -- any installable extension is displayed within a wave by a puzzle piece that describes what it does. To install, simply click the <b>Install</b> button. The extension will then be installed and ready to use!<br /><br />If you'd like to browse through other available extensions, check out the <b><a href="http://wave-samples-gallery.appspot.com/">Extensions Gallery</a></b> wave in your account. You can either search your account for <b><a href="http://wave-samples-gallery.appspot.com/">Extensions Gallery</a></b>, or you click the <b>Google Wave extensions</b> link in your <b>Welcome Wave</b> (also available via search). From there, you can browse through and install a variety of different extensions.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WC7EbPpRoXM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WC7EbPpRoXM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="400" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />If you'd like to use an extension for which you have the URL, follow these steps:<br /><ul><li>Start a new wave, or open the one you'd like to add to.</li><li>Go to the section of the wave to which you'd like to add the gadget.</li><li>In the compose window toolbar, click the Insert Gadget puzzle piece.</li><li>Enter in the box the URL for the gadget you'd like to add.</li><li>This will add an external extension to the wave you are editing</li></ul><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-1127779161532421621?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-75941386683500790312009-11-05T02:08:00.000-08:002009-11-05T02:12:02.043-08:00Google Commerce SearchSearch is a critical part of the shopping experience; in fact, 71% of online shoppers use keyword searches to find products (eTailing Group). <a href="http://www.google.com/commercesearch/">Google Commerce Search</a> addresses this need by offering an easy-to-deploy solution with Google speed and relevancy.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.google.com/commercesearch/">Google Commerce Search</a> is an entirely hosted, software-as-a-service offering. You simply upload your product information to <a href="http://www.google.com/merchants/">Google Merchant Center</a>, and Google Commerce Search intelligently leverages the product feed and provides your website with search capabilities.<br /><br />With <a href="http://www.google.com/commercesearch/">Google Commerce Search</a>, you are leveraging the powerful Google platform: the speed, relevance, reliability, and certainly scalability. As your customer base grows, you can scale your search solution effortlessly - without adding any servers or other infrastructure.<br /><br />Google said on their <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/introducing-google-commerce-search.html">official Blog</a>:<br />"<i>Search quality is a big factor in changing visitors to buyers online, and in making customers happy too. Visitors spend an average of just eight seconds before deciding whether or not to remain on a website, so having a good search tool is important for turning visitors into buyers. <br /><br />Today we're aiming to make e-commerce searching as easy as using Google.com with a new enterprise product, <a href="http://www.google.com/commercesearch/">Google Commerce Search</a>.</i>"<br /><br /><object width="400" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gj7qrotOmVY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gj7qrotOmVY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="400" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-7594138668350079031?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-13300953036217915802009-11-02T21:44:00.000-08:002009-11-02T21:46:46.938-08:00With Firefox 3.6, Mozilla Aims to Speed up Web Browsing<div style="float: right; width: 280px;">The latest update to the Firefox web browser has <a href="http://blog.mozilla.com/blog/2009/10/30/firefox-3-6-beta-1-now-available-for-download/">now been made available</a>. Released Friday evening, <a href="http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-beta.html">Firefox 3.6 Beta 1</a> promises a number of new features, including built-in theme support and drag-and-drop file uploads, but perhaps most importantly, there is a renewed focus on browser speed. Claiming improved JavaScript performance, better overall <br /></div><div style="float: left; width: 100px;"><img border="0em" src="http://www.globalworldtech.com/blog/uploaded_images/firefox_logo.png" /></div><br /><div style="clear: right;"></div>responsiveness and faster startup times, there's no doubt Firefox's development in these areas has been fueled, at least in part, by the speed increases achieved by its rivals, Google Chrome, Safari, and Opera.<br /><br />What's New in Firefox 3.6<br /><br />In the latest edition of the Firefox browser, the team has introduced the following new features:<br /><ul><li>Built-in support for <a href="http://www.getpersonas.com/">Personas</a>, Firefox's themeing system which lets you browse through a gallery of skins and apply different ones with just a click.</li><li>Plugin alerts: Firefox will now alert users if their plugins are out-of-date, a useful addition since older plugins can lead to performance problems and even security issues.</li><li>Open native videos can now be viewed full-screen.</li><li>Drag-and-drop features: In the beta, you can drag and drop files from your computer into the browser allowing you to easily upload files from your PC to web sites.</li><li>Support for the <a href="http://hacks.mozilla.org/2009/10/woff/">WOFF font format</a>.</li><li>Support for CSS, DOM, HTML5, and other <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Firefox_3.6_for_developers">developer features</a>.</li><li>Improved JavaScript performance, overall browser responsiveness and startup time.</li></ul>Why Speed Matters<br /><br />Although Firefox and its rival web browsers are all fighting to best Internet Explorer in terms of install base, they still pit themselves against each other with their unique features, being first to offer support for new standards, and of course, web browser performance.<br /><br />It's in this last area that Firefox has struggled recently. Past builds showed <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5352195/browser-speed-tests-chrome-40-and-opera-10-take-on-all-challengers">Firefox beaten by the up-and-comer Google Chrome</a> in boot-up, page-loading, and JavaScript performance. Despite Chrome's low market share of only around 4%, no company can safely ignore the competition when that competition is Google (just look at <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5391911/its-not-a-good-day-to-be-a-gps-manufacturer">what Google did</a> to the GPS market last week!).<br /><br />Chrome may be a relatively unknown browser among mainstream users for now, but if Google holds true to their promises to launch their netbook operating system, Google Chrome OS, which uses the Chrome browser to run applications, there could be a whole new user base of Walmart shoppers who rapidly make a browser switch without even realizing it. And with Chrome's primary focus on browser speed, designed from the ground-up with the idea of running intensive web applications, Mozilla knows that one day Chrome could end up being serious competition...at least once the large majority of computing moves to the cloud. In fact, that day may have already arrived for some of today's web users.<br /><br />To improve browser performance, Mozilla introduced a new JavaScript engine called TraceMonkey in Firefox 3.5. Many of the speed increases in 3.6 can now be attributed to this technology. However, TraceMonkey has to go up against Chrome's own system, V8, which <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/put-pedal-to-metal-with-faster-google.html">Google optimized earlier this year</a> to give their browser a 30% speed bump.<br /><br />Of course, we'll need to see some formal tests completed before determining where the browsers stand today, but it's likely going to be a situation where the engines are neck-and-neck in terms of performance. While this aspect to the browser war may go unnoticed by most web surfers, it's the sort of situation where everyone wins. And the prize will be a faster web surfing experience, no matter which browser you choose to use.<br /><br /><div style="float: right;">Written by <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/author/sarah-perez-1.php">Sarah Perez</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-1330095303621791580?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-15156427624601667312009-11-02T05:28:00.000-08:002009-11-02T05:30:37.491-08:00Google Social SearchMost people on the web today make social connections and publish web content in many different ways, including blogs, status updates and tweets. Google Social Search helps you find more relevant public content from your broader social circle. The way google does is by building a social circle of your friends and contacts using the connections linked from your public Google profile, such as the people you're following on Twitter or FriendFeed. The results are specific to you, so you need to be signed in to your Google Account to use Social Search. If you use Gmail, it'll also include your chat buddies and contacts in your friends, family, and coworkers groups.<br /><br />From the laymen point of view, Google Social Search pulls out relevant content created by the people in your online social circle and includes them into your search result.<br /><br />The people that make up your social circle include the social sites you join (like Twitter and FriendFeed) and your gmail and Google contact groups. Therefore, to make the social search work, you have to be logged in to your gmail account.<br /><br />Catch the videos below for the full details.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZqWJxgp-_mU&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZqWJxgp-_mU&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="400" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="400" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BlpTjP6h6Ms&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BlpTjP6h6Ms&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="400" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />You’ll need to be part of the experiment before you can try it. Click <a href="http://www.google.com/experimental/">here</a> to start with this new search function.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-1515642762460166731?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-13527048549229458822009-10-27T05:30:00.000-07:002009-10-27T06:12:06.850-07:00Why every business needs a Google account<div style="float: left; width: 170px;">I am pretty sure that Google will someday rule the world. And while my "less governance is better governance" belief runs through every vein...I do have to say, "hail to the king!"<br /></div><div style="float: left; width: 170px;"><img border="0em" src="http://www.globalworldtech.com/blog/uploaded_images/google.jpg" /></div><div style="clear: left;"><br /></div>Here's why your business needs to have a Google account:<br /><br />Google Local Business Center (<a href="http://www.google.com/lbc"><b>www.google.com/lbc</b></a>): The LBC is a free tool that enables business owners to control the content of their business listings as they appear in Google Search and Google Maps. All you have to do is claim your listing in the LBC and go through a quick verification process to get access to the following kinds of data:<br /><ul><li>Impressions: The number of times the business listing appeared as a result on a Google.com search or Google Maps search in a given period.</li><li>Actions: The number of times people interacted with the listing; for example, the number of times they clicked through to the business' website or requested driving directions to the business.</li><li>Top search queries: Which queries led customers to the business listing; for example, are they finding the listing for a cafe by searching for "tea" or "coffee"?</li><li>Zip codes where driving directions come from: Which zip codes customers are coming from when they request directions to your location.</li></ul>Google Analytics (<a href="http://www.google.com/analytics/"><b>www.google.com/analytics/</b></a>): Google Analytics is a web analytics solution that gives you rich insights into your website traffic and marketing effectiveness.<br /><br />Powerful, flexible and easy-to-use features now let you see and analyze your traffic data in an entirely new way. With Google Analytics, you're more prepared to write better-targeted ads, strengthen your marketing initiatives and create higher converting websites.<br /><br />Google Docs (<a href="http://docs.google.com/"><b>docs.google.com</b></a>): is a free, Web-based word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and form application offered by Google. You can import your existing documents, spreadsheets and presentations, or create new ones from scratch. You can invite people to your documents and make changes together, at the same time.<br /><br />Google Calendar (<a href="http://calendar.google.com/"><b>calendar.google.com</b></a>):<br /><ul><li>Share your schedule- web based</li><li>Get your calendar on the go</li><li>Never forget another event again with built in reminders via email or text</li><li>Send invitations and track RSVPs</li><li>Sync with your desktop applications(Outlook, iCal and Sunbird)</li><li>Work offline</li></ul>Google Mail or GMail (<a href="http://mail.google.com/"><b>mail.google.com</b></a>): Gmail is the Google approach to email and chat. Practically unlimited free online storage allows you to collect all your messages, and Gmail's simple but very smart interface lets you find them precisely and see them in context without effort. POP and powerful IMAP access bring Gmail to any email program or device.<br /><br />And I'm not even going to get into Google Wave, AdWords, or AdSense. If you want to read more about ALL of Google's tools, check out their Google Business Solutions page.<br /><br />Bottom line -- no business but especially no small or local business can afford not to take advantage of Google's free tools. Don't miss out.<br /><br /><span style="display: block; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0pt; padding-right: 0pt; padding-top: 1em; text-align: right; width: 100%;">Drew McLellan, <a href="http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com/2009/10/why-every-business-needs-a-google-account.html">The Marketing Minute</a>, Oct 2009</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-1352704854922945882?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-21918181080034258242009-10-26T02:04:00.000-07:002009-10-26T02:04:40.243-07:00How to convince a potential client?If you want to use PHP in your company and your manager favours another solution, or if you are trying to convince a potential client that PHP really is a superior choice for the web, you're going to need to have a clear-cut set of reasons why you believe PHP is the superior language. This short list should help you get started:<br /><ul><li><b><i>PHP is cross-platform.</i></b> It can run on Windows, Linux, BSD, Mac OS X, and Solaris, as well as a variety of other platforms.</li><li><b><i>PHP is free.</i></b> You can download the source code, use it, and even make changes to it without ever having to pay any licensing costs. You can even give away your own modified version of PHP. </li><li><b><i>PHP is fast.</i></b> In the majority of scripts beyond basic benchmarks, PHP will easily compete with both Perl and Python, and usually match Microsoft's ASP.NET. Add to that the fact that PHP code can be cached for execution, and PHP's performance is first-class.</li><li><b><i>PHP is capable and reliable.</i></b> There are thousands of pre-written functions to perform a wide variety of helpful tasks - handling databases of all sorts (MySQL, Oracle, MS SQL, PostgreSQL, and many others), file uploads, FTP, email, graphical interfaces, generating Flash movies, and more. It is already running on millions of servers around the world making it reliable in most demanding situations</li><li><b><i>PHP is extendable.</i></b> Writing your own extension to PHP is a common and easy way to implement speed-critical functionality, and PHP's extension API is a particularly rich and flexible system.</li><li><b><i>PHP is easy to debug.</i></b> There are a number of debuggers, both commercial and freeware, that make debugging PHP a snap.</li><li><b><i>PHP is advancing.</i></b> With the release of PHP 5, PHP has introduced features that have long been waited for, including more comprehensive error handling, better object orientation, and, of course, more speed.</li></ul><br />The base of the PHP language is very simple, having just enough to set and retrieve variables, work with loops, and check whether a statement is true or not. The real power behind PHP comes with its extensions - add-ons to the base language that give it more flexibility. There are hundreds of extensions to PHP, and they can be broken down into five distinct types: core, bundled, PECL, third party, and DIY.<br /><ul><li>Core extensions are extensions that are bundled with PHP itself, and enabled by default. For all intents and purposes they are part of the base language, because, unless you explicitly disable them (few people do, and sometimes you cannot), they are available inside PHP. For example, the mechanism to handle reading and saving files in PHP is actually handled by an extension that is automatically compiled into PHP.</li><li>Bundled extensions are extensions that are bundled with PHP, but not enabled by default. These are commonly used, which is why they are bundled, but they are not available to you unless you specifically enable them. For example, the mechanism to handle graphics creation and editing is handled by an extension that is bundled with PHP, but not enabled by default.</li><li>PECL(pronounced "pickle") stands for "PHP Extension Community Library", and is as a subset of the PHP Extension and Application Repository, PEAR.</li><li>Third-party extensions are written by programmers who wanted to solve a particular problem that was unsolvable without them creating a new extension. There is a variety of third-party extensions available out there. </li><li>Finally, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) extensions are simply extensions you created yourself. PHP has a remarkably rich extension creation system that makes it quite simple to add your own code as long as you know C.</li></ul><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-2191818108003425824?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-38395640837995966812009-10-20T04:12:00.000-07:002009-10-20T04:31:23.027-07:00Technology of Web2.0Next we will examine some of the technological components commonly employed by many Web 2.0 companies when developing and delivering applications. They are also highly portable and can scale very well on commodity-based hardware platforms. Some shared characteristics which make their use appealing to Web 2.0 developers is that they are all free, open source, highly interoperable and perfect for use with dynamic database-backed websites and applications.<br /><h3>The Benefits of Open Source</h3>As mentioned, many of the components that Web 2.0 companies rely on to deliver their applications and services are built on open source components. There are a couple of key benefits that are derived by these companies leveraging software components which are open source in nature.<br /><ul><li>Lower Total Cost of Ownership. This enables lower up front and long-term costs associated with the development, delivery and execution of new business models.</li><li>Component & Application Freedom: Choosing open source software prevents vendor lock in to specific hardware or software stacks. This high degree of interoperability across hardware and software platforms can also be leveraged against the abundance of tools and applications for use throughout the development cycle, from design and modeling, to testing, versioning and day to day operations management.</li></ul><h3>LAMP:</h3>Fortunately, there is a proven open source stack which has been consistently leveraged by companies big and small to deliver scalable, cost effective, and interoperable applications. This has been achieved by leveraging the tight integration of Linux – Operating System, Apache – Web Server, MySQL – Database, PHP Programming & Scripting.<br /><h3>Support: </h3>Support for open source components can usually be obtained at no cost from a community of users and developers. It can also be purchased in the form of professional consulting and technical support, which is available by most of the open source vendors, as well as from both large and small ISVs.<br /><h3>Linux</h3>Linux is a Unix-like operating system which is free and open source. All of the source code is available for anyone to use, modify and redistribute. This is in contrast to proprietary operating systems like Windows. Linux has been around since the early 1990’s and has at this point become the fastest growing operating system in the world. Much of this success can be attributed to the fact it is a low-cost, secure, scalable and highly interoperable alternative to proprietary operating systems. Linux can be found running on everything from hand-held devices to hardware components, desktop computers to massive computing clusters. All of these characteristics make it an excellent choice for Web 2.0 applications.<br /><br />Linux shares a long tradition of compatibility with MySQL and other open source components by serving as the operating system component of the LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, & PHP) technology stack.<br /><h3>Apache</h3>The Apache HTTP Server Project is an open-source Web server. It is known for being secure, highly portable across many operating systems, efficient in utilizing resources and extensible. According to a Web Survey, the Apache Web Server continues to be the world’s most popular web server with over 70% of websites leveraging it within their technology stacks. Apache has been extend with compiled modules for interfacing with Perl, Python and PHP.<br /><h3>MySQL</h3>Within the LAMP stack, MySQL comprises the database component. The database component serves as the critical piece of software which manages the data leveraged by the applications and web servers. MySQL is a multithreaded, multi-user, SQL Database Management System (DBMS) with over six million installations. MySQL is the database of choice for consistently delivering lower TCO, reliability, performance and ease of use. <br /><br />Many of the largest and fasting growing Web 2.0 companies are designing,developing and going into production using MySQL. As their needs grow in terms of capacity, availability and performance, MySQL continues to assist in satisfying these requirements. <br /><h3>PHP</h3>PHP comprise the dynamic programming and scripting language components of the LAMP stack. PHP Hypertext Preprocessor or simply, PHP, is an open-source language for producing dynamic web content mainly in server-side applications. PHP typically runs on a web server, using PHP code as its input and rendering Web pages as output. PHP is a very popular server-side alternative to Microsoft’s ASP.NET and Adobe’s ColdFusion. PHP works extremely well with all the components within the LAMP stack. According to php.net, it is estimated that over 20 million domains on the internet make use of the language.<br /><h3>Ajax</h3>Asynchronous Javascript and XML or Ajax is it is more commonly known, is a development technique for creating rich, visual appealing and interactive web applications. Web pages which leverage Ajax are more responsive because they exchange smaller amounts of data with the web server. This means that the entire web page does not have to be “refreshed” or completely reloaded in user’s browser after each interaction. This results in web pages which have increased interactivity, speed and usability. These are all key components to help Web 2.0 companies deliver applications which are highly interactive and deliver rich end user experiences which rival those of desktop applications. For these reasons, Ajax is already being widely leveraged in both consumer and business applications.<br />The core components of the Ajax technique include:<br /><ul><li>XHTML (or HTML) and CSS leveraged for mark up and style information.</li><li>The description of how an HTML or XML document is represented in a tree structure (otherwise known as DOM), is accessed with a client-side scripting language, usually JavaScript.</li><li>The XMLHttpRequest object is used to exchange data asynchronously with the web server.</li><li>XML as the format to transfer data between the server and client.</li></ul><h3>memcached</h3>memcachced is a popular open source distributed memory caching system originally developed by Danga Interactive for the blogging website LiveJournal. It is traditionally leveraged to enhance the performance and responsiveness of dynamic content websites backed by databases. This is achieved by caching data and objects in memory, thereby reducing the amount of data that needs to be read from the database. The performance characteristics it can deliver are faster page loading for users, more efficient resource utilization, and faster database access times in the event of a memcached miss.<br /><br />In more technical detail, memcached acts as a large hash table, caching data as it is being requested by clients. Although it was originally designed to improve the performance of database queries, it has been extended to cache server-side objects as well. In essence, any operation which is resource or time intensive can benefit from the use of memcached. It goes without saying that this technology is of great advantage to Web 2.0 applications, who by definition are very dynamic and data driven. This is in contrast to the static non-interactive web sites characteristic of the early years of the Web.<br /><br />Many websites who make use of memcached, such as LiveJournal, Slashdot and Wikipedia, also make use of MySQL.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-3839564083799596681?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8325770507519582808.post-8189105376704688412009-10-12T02:46:00.000-07:002009-10-12T02:46:31.613-07:00Webmaster Tools - Website VerificationIf you use Webmaster Tools, you're probably familiar with verifying ownership of your sites. Simply add a specific meta tag or file to your site, click a button, and you're a verified owner. Some websites and software have features that help you verify ownership by adding the meta tag or file for you. Google recently made a few small improvements to the process that google think will make it easier and more reliable for you. <br /><br />The first change is an improvement to the meta tag verification method. In the past, your verification meta tag was partially based on the email address of your Google Account. That meant that if you changed the email address in your account settings, your meta tags would also change (and you'd become unverified for any sites you had used the old tag on). Now Google created a new version of the verification meta tag which is unrelated to your email address. Once you verify with a new meta tag, you'll never become unverified by changing your email address.<br /><br />Google also revamped the HTML file verification. Previously, if your website returned an HTTP status code other than 404 for non-existent URLs, you would be unable to use the file verification method. A properly configured web server will return 404 for non-existent URLs, but it turns out that a lot of sites have problems with this requirement. Now Google have simplified the file verification process to eliminate the checks for non-existent URLs. Now, you just download the HTML file from the webmaster tools section and upload it to your site without modification. Google will check the contents of the file, and if they're correct, you're done.<br /><br />If you've already verified using the old methods, don't worry! Your existing verifications will continue to work. These changes only affect new verifications.<br /><br />In future, Google will begin showing the email addresses of all verified owners of a given site to the other verified owners of that site. However, if you're using an email address you wouldn't want the other owners of your site to see, now might be a good time to change it.<br /><br />For complete details, visit <a href="http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2009/10/changes-to-website-verification-in.html">Google Webmaster Central Blog</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8325770507519582808-818910537670468841?l=www.globalworldtech.com%2Fblog%2Findex.html' alt='' /></div>GlobalWorldTechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072688907524576960noreply@blogger.com0