Top 8 Points On Google’s New Privacy Policy

March 1 has finally come, which means Google’s long talked-about new privacy policy is now in place. The rumors about the changes have been flying wildly since Google first announced them back in January, but the truth is that very few people have actually taken the time to learn what the new policy really means.  But since Google is now operating under the new policy, it’s more important than ever to understand how it will affect you.  

Below are the top eight points you should know about Google’s new privacy policy.

1. Google is not selling your personal data

When Google first announced these changes, there was a popular belief that the cloud service provider would begin selling user’s personal data.  However, this is simply a myth.  Google is not selling your information, or even sharing it, with anyone.

2. Google has simply consolidated its many privacy policies into one

The big change for the new privacy policy is actually quite simple.  Previously, Google had a distinct privacy policy for each of its many services.  Now, Google has one, giant policy for the majority of its services.  This change means a simpler, easier-to-understand privacy policy that applies to most of the Google platforms you use regularly.

3. Google now has a complete snapshot of your web presence

Since Google now has one all-encompassing privacy policy, it now has a complete snapshot of your internet activity.  Basically, this means Google can track your activity as one user across its many platforms, which enables it to put together a complete picture of you as a Google user.  Why is this important?  Google plans to use this information to improve its services.  To get a better idea of exactly what this means, you can use the Google Dashboard to see your activity across all Google platforms just like Google does.

4. You will soon see more personalization

A major component of the improved services is more personalization.  With its complete user picture, Google will soon get a better idea of who you are online - how and where you spend your time on the web, what you tend to look for, and what you usually find the most beneficial.  Google will use this information to give you more of what you like and less of what you don’t, therefore personalizing its services to suit your individual needs.  Examples of this personalization include automatic spelling corrections, suggested contact lists, better search results, and advertisements geared toward your interests.  You can even contribute to the personalization with tools like the Ads Preference Manager, which allows you to designate what kinds of ads you want to see.

5. Google’s platforms are now working together

Because most of Google’s platforms now share the same privacy policy, they are working together more than ever before.  This close integration allows for a smoother connection when working across multiple Google platforms, such as Gmail and Google Docs.  How will this connection actually affect you?  There are many ways, one of which is notifications.  With the changes in place, if you use Google Calendar to mark appointments and Google Maps to get to these appointments, you may now receive a notification indicating whether or not you’ll make it to the appointment on time.  This is because the two platforms can now share information with one another like you’re destination, the time you need to be there, you’re current location, and traffic conditions.

6. To experience more personalization and collaboration, you need to use more Google services

Google is able to offer this more personalized service because of the way it can now see your complete user data across all of its platforms.  To receive the most personalized services, as well as to get the most benefits from the increased collaboration between platforms, you need to use a variety of Google services on a regular basis.  This is because the more services you use, and the more often you use them, the more information about you Google will have to draw on when it comes to personalization.  Given this, Google Apps users, who tend to use the most Google platforms regularly, are likely to see the most changes in the shortest amount of time.

7. You can still use Google without having information tracked

These changes may be a lot for some people to take in, which is why there are ways you can still use Google services without having your information tracked.  Examples of tools that allow this are the “incognito window” in the Google Chrome web browser, which allows you to slip off Google’s radar, and “off the record” chat in Gmail.  Additionally, if you want to conduct a simple search or watch YouTube videos without Google noticing, you can easily sign out of your Google account.

8. Google will now be meeting your needs better and faster

Now that all of these changes are in place, you can expect Google to meet your needs better and faster.  From more personalized services to increased collaboration across platforms, the changes resulting from Google’s new privacy policy are all poised to improve your user experience.

Cloud Sherpas is a leading cloud service provider and was named the “Google Enterprise 2011 Partner of the Year.” As one of the first Google Enterprise partners, Cloud Sherpas has migrated over one million users across a variety of industries from legacy, on-premise messaging systems to Google Apps, helping organizations adopt cloud computing to innovate and dramatically reduce their IT expenses. Headquartered in Atlanta, Cloud Sherpas has regional offices in locations including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Austin and Sydney, and has more Google Apps Certified Deployment Specialists than any other partner in the world.

Technology to Get Internet Service without Phone Lines is Easy to Find and Install

In an economy where spending extra money is a financial burden, we tend to save more by cutting various expenses. In this regard, paying a telephone bill is a household expenditure we want to get rid of. This is mainly because of the fact that its utility has vanished over the years. Now we all have cell phones for making calls.

The trend of installing phone lines is diminishing day by day. Eventually, almost everyone will get rid of it because there are so many advanced options available for connecting to the internet. Regarding this, internet service providers look forward to this technology. They cater internet users from all segments. Availability of different internet packages makes it possible for everyone to go for it.

We needed a traditional telephone line just for the sake of connecting to the internet. But now, new technology has brought convenience for us. You can get internet services through various options. Some most popular options are mentioned below:

Wireless Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)

There are many users who want to get rid of using Internet through a telephone line. These users prefer switching to DSL. Getting a DSL was a difficult task some years ago. This is because it always required the installation of a phone line. However, you can connect to the Internet with having DSL without installing a phone line. DSL is a high speed internet service that is easily available.

Cable

You can also consider cable as a convenient option for selecting a high speed internet service provider. Some internet service providers offer their customers hardware such as cable modems. It is a wired solution. However, it does not require installing a phone line. To give their customers an addition in value, some companies also offer them other services along with internet services. These also include television packages.

For making international calls at relatively cheap rates, using cable can be the best option. For this reason, you can avail the benefits of a new technology called Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Due to the fact that different companies offer different plans to their customers, their packages vary a lot according to different areas. 

Satellite

Satellite network service is another good option for you if you do not want to use a phone line. Although Satellite network services are very similar to cable services, they can also be available to people living in rural areas. The cost of having cable services and satellite network services is same. However, you can have reduced costs if you subscribe to its bundled packages.

First of all, you will have to put a satellite dish on your building. Satellite internet service offers high-speed internet connection. However, the main issue with this service is that it is not as resistant to bad weather as other internet services. For instance, if it rains or snows, internet users find themselves unable to feel the consistency in their internet connection. The reason behind it is that the signals cannot be transmitted if there is moisture in the air.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is the best technology for connecting to the internet wherever you are. If you want to use Wi-Fi and avail its advantages of unlimited broadband, then you need to find out how you can have access over a hub. The internet signals are transmitted by this hub. There are various local businesses that help you get access to Wi-Fi. Although it has data security issues, it provides the fastest service.

What to Choose

Due to an increased number of choices in the world of internet, sometimes it is difficult to decide which internet service to choose. Although all the above mentioned services do not require you to take the burden of installing a phone line, you still have to make some considerations. 

In order to make a decision, doing a bit of research is always good. Since different companies charge differently because each one has a different package to offer you, make sure that you know quite well about the latest prices. The strategy of internet service providers is to attract maximum customers. That is why they offer internet services for competitive prices.

If they are offering their services on the basis of any promotion, ensure that the promotion period has not expired yet.

The above article is composed and edited by Eva K. She is associated with many technology and web communities as their freelance writer and adviser. In her free time she writes articles related to broadband deals, technology, mobile applications, etc

Infographics: Smartphone and APP Growth Soars

A smartphone is a mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a mobile phone or camera phone. Today's models also serve to combine the functions of portable media players, low-end compact digital cameras, pocket video cameras, and GPS navigation units. Modern smartphones typically also include high-resolution touchscreens, web browsers that can access and properly display standard web pages rather than just mobile-optimized sites, and high-speed data access via Wi-Fi and mobile broadband.

The most common mobile operating systems (OS) used by modern smartphones include Apple's iOS, Google's Android, Microsoft's Windows Phone, Nokia's Symbian, RIM's BlackBerry OS, and embedded Linux distributions such as Maemo and MeeGo. Such operating systems can be installed on many different phone models, and typically each device can receive multiple OS software updates over its lifetime.

Apps is a software that is use for different application. The infographics below shows how the smartphone and Apps growth has been this several years.

VIA: Columnfivemedia.com and blog.mylookout.com

Grabatron - Android Game Review

There are many, many Android games available, and there are more coming out all the time. One of these new games is Grabatron. At the low price of only USD $1.00, it certainly is inexpensive, but is this game worth the time it takes to download it and start trying it out.

What is it?

Grabatron is a game that puts you in space, controlling a UFO with a claw arm. Using your claw, you can grab things off the earth and either get rid of it or consume it. This isn’t all there is to this space game; you will also have to avoid the human military defenses and other enemies.

Game Play

It is easy to get into this game, even if you are a complete novice. When the game starts, you are given instruction screens to guide you. Game ply is easy because you control your ship by tilting your Android, and you control your claw with the touch screen. As you play, you are given missions – clear objectives to meet in order to progress. You will also need to keep yourself alive by dodging the aforementioned human defenses. All in all, however, many could well find the game play a bit boring after some time, as there is really only so much abducting one can do.

Graphics

For a somewhat simple game conceptually, this game has quite sharp graphics. These beautiful graphics look the best on dual core Android products and will show up the best on some of the higher-end devices. The graphics can lag a bit on some devices.

Additional Content

While this game costs USD $1.00, you will probably spend more than that as you get into this game. You can find a special screen for buying extras such as additional levels or some added firepower. This is similar to how premium games work. This can help to make the initial purchase price of the game low and inexpensive for the casual gamer, this method can and up for much more pricey gaming experiences in the long run.

Trying it Yourself

Before shelling out the dollar, or more if you are lured in by extras, you can try this game. Grabitron Country is available for your Android. This pared down version of the game features the entire first level, and it should give you a very good idea of what to expect from subsequent levels if you pay for the full version of the game. Additionally, the game is similar to Hungry Shark, a title by the same developers. If you have played Hungry Shark, picture the game taking place in the sky instead of the sea and you will know exactly what to expect from this title.

Conclusion

This game can be fun and addictive, but it can also get a bit boring and repetitive as it stays very much on theme. Similar to Hungry Shark, it can be a good time waster, and the low price tag really is a plus. The biggest downside is the additional paid content, which is not necessary to enjoying the game, but it can get awfully tempting and terribly expensive.

Kate Greenberg is freelance writer and member of entrepreneur association, online games, roaming sim cards and new technologies.

Infographics: New Technology Tools for Schools

In today's education or classroom setting, technology is becoming a necessity in the delivery of instruction and learning. Compare a decade ago wherein slide projector is a main technology use to make learning more innovative. Now the digital projector is in use to replace the old technology slide projector. The reliable blackboard is slowly being replaced by the digital board for a more comprehensive and informative learning. The internet has become the source of information use in the content of some study material and most for reference purposes.

A simple infographics below shows how the old technology is slowly being replaced by the new technology in a classroom setting.

[Via: Colorado Technical University online learning]

Infographics: About Typography

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading (line spacing), adjusting the spaces between groups of letters (tracking) and adjusting the space between pairs of letters (kerning). Type design is a closely related craft, which some consider distinct and others a part of typography; most typographers do not design typefaces, and some type designers do not consider themselves typographers. In modern times, typography has been put into motion—in film, television and online broadcasts—to add emotion to mass communication.

Typography is performed by typesetters, compositors, typographers, graphic designers, art directors, comic book artists, graffiti artists, clerical workers, and anyone else who arranges type for a product. Until the Digital Age, typography was a specialized occupation. Digitization opened up typography to new generations of visual designers and lay users, and it has been said that "typography is now something everybody does."

by COLOURlovers.

Infographics: The People's Tech TakeOver

A digital camera (or digicam) is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. It is the main device used in the field of digital photography. Most 21st century cameras are digital.Digital cameras are incorporated into many devices ranging from PDAs and mobile phones (called camera phones) to vehicles. The Hubble Space Telescope and other astronomical devices are essentially specialized digital cameras.

Digital cameras can do things film cameras cannot: displaying images on a screen immediately after they are recorded, storing thousands of images on a single small memory device, and deleting images to free storage space. The majority, including most compact cameras, can record moving video with sound as well as still photographs. Some can crop and stitch pictures and perform other elementary image editing. Some have a GPS receiver built in, and can produce Geo-tagged photographs.

Source: http://frugaldad.com

Infographics: Google Panda in Plain English

Google Panda is a change to the Google's search results ranking algorithm that was first released in February 2011 . The change aimed to lower the rank of "low-quality sites", and return higher-quality sites near the top of the search results. CNET reported a surge in the rankings of news websites and social Networking sites, and a drop in rankings for sites containing large amounts of advertising. This change reportedly affected the rankings of almost 12 percent of all search results. 

Soon after the Panda roll-out, many websites, including Google's webmaster forum, became filled with complaints of scrapers/copyright inf-ringers getting better rankings than sites with original content. At one point, Google publicly asked for data points  to help detect scrapers better. Google's Panda has received several updates since the original roll-out in February 2011, and the effect went global in April 2011. To help affected publishers, Google published an advisory on its blog, thus giving some direction for self-evaluation of a website's quality.

[Via: Single Grain - A Digital Marketing Agency]

Taking a New and Flexible Approach to Communications

Many providers of VoIP services to businesses were able to grow significantly throughout 2011. Mobile VoIP expanded by 113 per cent, according to Allot Communications, which indicates that the availability of high-speed data connections on modern business mobiles is making it easier for companies to eschew traditional voice calls in favor of an IP-based solution across multiple platforms. 2012 is expected to feature even greater growth in the VoIP industry, as more and more businesses become convinced of its benefits.

Reduce Costs

The first thing which makes VoIP an advantage in a business environment is the cost, because it is possible to make significant long-term savings if you invest in this type of technology rather than a traditional telephone system. This is primarily possible because you will no longer need multiple PSTN lines linking your premises to the network, as a single broadband connection will be able to handle multiple simultaneous calls. This means that there will be no additional line-rental charges to pay and you can instantly revise budgets downwards.

Image via Wikipedia

Cost savings also come when you look at the price of making a VoIP call when compared with a standard landline call. Any call made between two on-net users will cost absolutely nothing, so if you have more than one site for your business then it will not cost a penny for staff to stay in touch. In addition, you can call any landline or mobile number using a VoIP service and enjoy average call costs that are lower than their PSTN equivalent.

Because VoIP can be leased efficiently, with little to no upfront investment required and a per-user pricing package, your budget will also be under less strain. In addition, the scalability of VoIP far exceeds that of older business phone systems. You can add new handsets to your set-up as the growth of your business leads to new employees being taken on and the price of doing so will not be a burden.

Increase Productivity

In terms of productivity, VoIP comes into its own when you consider its application in the facilitation of remote working. The virtualised nature of VoIP means that you can allocate a single number to an employee on which clients and colleagues will then be able to reach them, whether they are in the office, at home or out in the field. As long as there is a means to connect to the network, then staff can make VoIP calls when on the move just as easily as if they were at their desk. This is not only more convenient and efficient, but also means that the reduced call costs will lead to much greater savings on calls over time.

Image via Wikipedia

Fully Flexible

The flexible, mobile nature of VoIP is not only useful on an everyday basis, but can also ensure that your business is resilient in the face of disastrous circumstances. If you are unable to get to a phone in the office or elsewhere, then VoIP will be able to automatically re-route calls appropriately, which would be impossible to achieve if you were relying on in-house systems that been damaged in an emergency.

Converged Solutions

Convergence of multiple communications platforms is possible thanks to VoIP because voice calls are not the only feature available from providers. You can also integrate a host of other services, such as fax, SMS texts, voicemail and many more, enabling you to receive everything through a single portal. Along with the cost savings, added flexibility and business resilience which it affords most of its users, this is the icing on the cake of VoIP that should help to make it a great impact on your business.

Hosted VoIP systems from Daisy Group plc allow companies to take advantage of the many advanced features provided by IP Telephony. Unlike traditional telephony suppliers, Daisy has over 12 years experience in cloud, data hosting, networking solutions and voice services enabling us to provide businesses withed-to-end solutions to help maximize the benefits of data (data replication, backup) and voice (IP Telephony (VoIP).

Daisy Group plc are leading providers of business telephone systems including Hosted VoIP and IP telephony phone systems to UK SME, Corporate and public sector customers.

Infographic: Reveals the Evolution of Web Hosting

A web hоsting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server owned or leased for use by clients, as well as, providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center. Web hosts can also provide data center space and connectivity to the Internet for other servers located in their data center, called co-location, also known as Housing in Latin America or France.

The scope of web hosting services varies greatly. The most basic is web page and small-scale file hosting, where files can be uploaded via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or a Web interface. The files are usually delivered to the Web "as is" or with minimal processing. Many Internet service providers (ISPs) offer this service free to subscribers. Individuals and organizations may also obtain Web page hosting from alternative service providers. Personal web site hosting is typically free, advertisement-sponsored, or inexpensive. Business web site hosting often has a higher expense.

The infographics below shows how web hosting has evolved.






Cloud Hosting Infographic Created by PEER 1 Hosting

Real Time Information and Payroll Software

Real Time Information (RTI) is being introduced by HM Revenue & Customs and will radically change the way in which all employers make their Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and National Insurance Contributions (NIC) returns. RTI will have significant implications for payroll software. Although not yet in place, HMRC expects all employers to be providing RTI by October 2013.

Under the current system, employers send information about tax and NIC deductions for each employee to HMRC at the end of each tax year. Under the new RTI system, employers will tell HMRC about these deductions either before, or when they actually occur.

The fundamentals of PAYE will remain unchanged. Employers will still deduct tax and National insurance but it is the frequency of reporting these deductions which will change.

The reasons for these changes are listed as; the need to improve the way the PAYE system operates, making the process simpler and less of a burden for employers (although HMRC accept there will be transitional costs), making PAYE more accurate, allowing HMRC to ensure the correct deductions are made, and making the calculation of Universal Credits more straightforward, where applicable.

RTI reporting must become integral to normal payroll operations. Software systems will be required to gather the information and send it to HMRC via the internet, through the Government Gateway, or by using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), which is expected to be available at least until 2014. RTI is likely to require payroll software systems to provide HMRC with a significant amount of information about each employee and successful submissions will be dependent upon the collection and accuracy of this data as compliance checks will be carried out after the data has been sent.

For the longer term, HMRC expect systems to become available that would allow employers who pay their employees electronically by BACS to automatically send their RTI at the same time.

HMRC are to pilot the system with a number of software developers, commencing in April 2012. The pilot will last for 12 months with all employers being expected to have joined the RTI system by October 2013, although most are expected to join in April 2013 so that their systems are properly embedded by the October deadline.

Rashed Khan hold an MSc in Software Engineering and enjoys guest posting on business/technology related topics. 

Related articles

• Payroll Real Time Information - An Accountants View (sage.co.uk)
• Getting your data ready for Payroll Real Time Information (sage.co.uk)
• The way you do your payroll is changing (sage.co.uk)
• PAYE - why there could be a nasty surprise in the post (simplybusiness.co.uk)

 

Infographics: Class Of 2011: If Social Media Were a High School

The infographics below show how most the top social media site in the web will look like if they where represented as an student high school setting. Read and enjoy.



Flowtown - Social Media Marketing Application

Infographics: How to Spot a Tumblr User

Tumblr is a microblogging platform and social networking website, owned and operated by Tumblr, Inc. Emphasizing its ease of use, the service allows users to post content to a short-form blog, named a "tumblelog." Users can follow other users' blogs, as well as make their blogs private. Much of the website's features are accessed from the "dashboard" interface, where the option to post content and posts of followed blogs appear.

As of February 19, 2012, Tumblr had over 45.1 million blogs and more than 17 billion total posts. As of September 2011, the website receives more than 13 billion views per month.[15] As of July 2010, the site receives 25,000 new users each day and as of September 2011, 40 million posts are created on the site each day. An analysis by AddThis of shares through their service in 2011 noted that Tumblr sharing had increased by 1299.5%.

The service is most popular with the teen and college-aged user segments; fifty percent of Tumblr's visitor base is under the age of 25. As of 2009, Tumblr had an 85% retention rate, compared with 40% for Twitter.

Things to Consider Before Getting Your Teen a Cellphone

The pace at which technology has been changing seems to have sped up tremendously over the last few years and with this change, so have the prices as well. When cellular telephones made their debut, they where rather bulky  and pricey. There were no prepaid options available and you would be tied down to a contract for a minimum period. The charges associated with these contracts were expensive and coverage was sketchy at best. Those who owned cellular telephones in those days can attest to the weak signal, dropped calls and high bills. Bringing me to a very vital point when  considering buying a cellular telephone for your teenager:The bill.

Monthly Bill

If your teenager has been nagging you to purchase a cell phone for them, then I would advise that you inform them before hand of the implications of overspending. They came to you for the phone, so it would only be prudent that they pay for a portion of the bill from their monthly/weekly allowance. This will not only discourage them from racking up enormous bills, but will also help them to learn some financial management skills. Another good option would be to offer them a prepaid telephone. The call rates on this option are a bit higher, but they will think twice before making a call.

Driving

For many parents, having their child give them a call once they have arrived safely at a particular destination  - or if they are in trouble - would be reason enough to buy them a cell phone. The prudent thing to do, however, is to ensure that if they will be driving, that they make use of either a hands free kit or an ear piece. There is a huge drive the world over to impose heavy fines for anyone caught either talking or SMS’ing while driving. Many accidents have been caused by teenagers who have  either been talking or SMS’ing while behind the wheel of their cars. They get wrapped up in their conversations and lose focus on the road ahead.

Ensuring discipline

With the constant change in technology, the cell phone of old has changed and is now able to not only make calls, but also take photographs and videos and a few can facilitate live video chats. Many would use these functions for harmless fun, but there have been a few recorded instances where predators have made contact with teenagers via social sites and exploited the teenagers via these functions. Educate your teens on the positives of these functionality, as well as the very dangerous negatives.

A cell phone for many teens is seen as a stepping stone in your trust relationship on their journey into adulthood and as the parent, you have to walk the tightrope with ensuring that the methods that you employ to keep your child safe and your bill low are openly discussed.

Nathan Johnston has children of its own and enjoys writing about how he raises them especially when a blackberry curve 8520 black and samsung s5570 galaxy mini are among the goods they demand.

Infographics: A Comprehensive History of Computers

A computer is a programmable machine designed to automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem. An important class of computer operations on some computing platforms is the accepting of input from human operators and the output of results formatted for human consumption. The interface between the computer and the human operator is known as the user interface.

Conventionally a computer consists of some form of memory, at least one element that carries out arithmetic and logic operations, and a sequencing and control unit that can change the order of operations based on the information that is stored. Peripheral devices allow information to be entered from an external source, and allow the results of operations to be sent out.

The first electronic digital computers were developed in the mid-20th century (1940–1945). Originally, they were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers (PCs). In this era mechanical analog computers were used for military applications.

A Comprehensive History of Computers by Tech King

Infographics: The Social Nieghbors

Social media includes web-based and mobile technologies used to turn communication into interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content." Social media is media for social interaction as a super-set beyond social communication. Enabled by ubiquitously accessible and scalable communication techniques, social media has substantially changed the way organizations, communities, and individuals communicate.

Kietzmann et al. (2011) present a honeycomb framework that defines how social media services focus on some or all of seven functional building blocks (identity, conversations, sharing, presence, relationships, reputation, and groups). These building blocks help understand the engagement needs of the social media audience. For instance, LinkedIn users care mostly about identity, reputation and relationships, whereas YouTube’s primary building blocks are sharing, conversations, groups and reputation. Many companies build their own social containers that attempt to link the seven functional building blocks around their brands. These are private communities that engage people around a more narrow theme, as in around a particular brand, vocation or hobby, than social media containers such as Facebook or Google+.

Infographic by: Column Five Media

Infographics: Meet the Twitters

Twitter is an online social networking service and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, known as "tweets". It was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July. The service rapidly gained worldwide popularity, with over 300 million users as of 2011,[6] generating over 300 million tweets and handling over 1.6 billion search queries per day. It has been described as "the SMS of the Internet."

The first Twitter prototype was used as an internal service for Odeo employees and the full version was introduced publicly on July 15, 2006. In October 2006, Biz Stone, Evan Williams, Dorsey, and other members of Odeo formed Obvious Corporation and acquired Odeo and all of its assets – including Odeo.com and Twitter.com – from the investors and shareholders.[16] Williams fired Glass who was silent about his part in Twitter's startup until 2011. Twitter spun off into its own company in April 2007.

Infographic by: Column Five Media

Infographics: The Evolution of Traditional Telephone

The telephone colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other. Developed in the mid-1870s by Alexander Graham Bell and others, the telephone has long been considered indispensable to businesses, households and governments, is now one of the most common appliances in the developed world. The word "telephone" has been adapted to many languages and is now recognized around the world.

All modern telephones have a microphone to speak into, an earphone (or 'speaker') which reproduces the voice of the other person, a ringer which makes a sound to alert the owner when a call is coming in, and a keypad (or on older phones a telephone dial) to enter the telephone number of the telephone to be called. The microphone and earphone are usually built into a handset which is held up to the face to talk. The keypad may be part of the handset or of a base unit to which the handset would be connected. A landlines telephone is connected by a pair of wires to the telephone network, while a mobile phone (also called a cell phone) is portable and communicates with the telephone network by radio. A cordless telephone has a portable handset which communicates by radio with a base station connected by wire to the telephone network, and can only be used within a limited range of the base station.

Via the History of Phone [Infographics]

Re-tune the Focus in your Digital Age Home

It doesn't seem to matter how flat screen they get, whether they're HD and internet ready there is something about 'the box'; and it's not good.  Unless you're life revolves around the TV the simple fact is that these great big screens can dominate a room like nothing else.  You can spend thousands designing your perfect living space, that stylish reflection of your personal, unique taste.  Then there it is, looming large over everything else, overshadowing the tasteful antique Ming, the Van Gogh doesn't get a look in and as for the Kandinsky in the corner, well, that may as well go straight out of those picture windows.  OK, so we may not all have an art collection that's the envy of the National Gallery but however modest or cosy your living room is there's no escaping the big black hole that the TV carves in a room.  And that's the main reason they can be a design black hole; when they're off they're just a big blank screen punching a very noticeable hole at the center of the room.  So how do you 'design out' these technical details?

Old tricks

The none-too-dark-art of television design has been with us since they first found their way into our homes.  In fact early designers realized they were so out of place in homes of the 1930s and 40s that they came in big cabinets, usually wooden and with nice folding doors that could hide them away.  TVs blended in, sort of.  By the 1950s, TVs became common and they were something of a status symbol.  These days they are less prestigious as everyone has one, in most rooms and your laptop can perform pretty much the same function.  The interior design tricks to blend TVs have changed less than the TVs themselves.  The idea of containing them in a unit is still with us however, there are some new ideas that have developed alongside technological advances. 

Cheap and cheerful

The simplest way to hide your TV is in a fairly standard TV unit.  These can be purchased from all the usual suspects and help to frame the TV alongside other audio visual 'stuff'.  They work by splitting the focus in the room, creating an overall feature where no one appliance takes precedence.  You can incorporate the Ming vase or books and ornaments into the shelves of the units and minimize the effect of the TV.  As a cheap and cheerful budget solution they work well, although they don't make much of a statement about the individuality of your style and taste.  No Swedish names mentioned, but let’s face it, they get everywhere. 

Technical tricks

These days there are range of other options and they don't all cost the earth.  Cabinets that contain a mechanical 'lift' device are available that hide the TV away when not in use.  These cabinets come in a range of styles and designs which can fit various rooms.  Some take the form of a desk, which the TV magically appears from when needed.  Others are designed for bedrooms or living rooms.  There is a price attached, as with all things, and depending on the design and the mechanics involved the prices tend to be at the higher end of the market.  As a stylish solution to making a home out of a house, they work well. 

Hidden depths

Television frames are an old technique with some pleasant modern twists.  Framing your TV may seem like an odd way to make it less of a focal point; but that depends on the type of frame you use.  Manufacturers who make bespoke frames will offer a range of options, from luxury gold, museum quality frames to simple, modern stylish frames.  The clever bit comes with the addition of that Kandinsky when needed or the clever use of mirror glass to turn the TV into a useful, attractive and functional item when it's not in use.  Mirrored television frames are certainly one of the best, simplest and rather unique solutions.  They work well in any room and equally well in domestic properties, offices, showrooms and hotels.  Prices on this one vary, but for individual craftsman created pieces you may be surprised, pleasantly, at the competitive options available on the market.  As TVs get flatter by the week, the chances are that with the addition of television frames, they may finally blend into the background where they belong.

Finding ways to 'hide' TVs has been a problem for generations of designers.  Using simple television frames combined with mirror glass or traditional paintings can help to finally blend the TV into the background, in a stylish individual way.

Infographics:The Digital Classroom

Technology has become a vital in today's education. Today almost all advance countries integrate the use of technology in education. Since smartphone and tablet has become widely available, the education sector is beginning to embraced this devices. Traditional books which is big and heavy for a small child to carry to school is slowly being replaced by tablet. One very big advantage of a digital book is that all the book used by the student can fit inside a single tablet, therefore freeing the student of a very heavy burden literally. 

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The use of projectors in class has been around us for quite some time. Especially if the price of projector has gone down dramatically, wherein a projector cost around 50K to 60K in peso about five years ago would now only cost around 20k to 30K. As the price of devices continue to drop it has become more available to the public in generally. 

The infographics below should give you an idea in things to come for the digital classroom.

Via: Accredited Online Universities Guide

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Infographics:The Percentage between Ipad and Textbook

The Ipad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, apps and web content. Its size and weight fall between those of contemporary smartphones and laptop computers. The iPad runs on iOS, the same operating system used on the Apple's iPod Touch and iPhone, and can run its own applications as well as iPhone applications. Without modification, the iPad will only run programs approved by Apple and distributed via the Apple App Store (with the exception of programs that run inside the iPad's web browser).

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The iPad has several uses in the classroom, and has been praised as a valuable tool for homeschooling. Soon after the iPad was released, it was reported that 81% of the top book apps were for children. The iPad has also been called a revolutionary tool to help children with autism learn how to communicate and socialize more easily.[186] Many colleges and universities have also used the iPad. In 2010, Youngstown State University began offering three-hour rentals for the iPad.

Created by: OnlineTeachingDegree.com

Simple Explanation of Digital Assets and DAM

An asset is generally defined as any item or object that is owned and controlled either by an individual or by a business or corporation; assets are further defined in many instances by the monetary value they currently poses. Money in your wallet, your car, your house – all can be defined as individual assets. Property, equipment, real estate – these are examples of business assets. In addition to these two definitions, another type of asset has come to prominence over the past decade; a byproduct of the continued evolution of technology and personal devices – the digital asset.

Assets, as described above, tend to be actual physical objects or items, whereas anything digital is essentially an object or item that has been converted to a binary form.

So what exactly is a digital asset?

Simply put, a digital asset is form of media or content that is owned by an individual or organization, converted to a binary source and stored in digital form. Digital content can include, but is not limited to, items such as images, pictures, video and text documents. It can also include raw data and entire databases as well. Many companies today have vast amounts of digital assets at their disposal; however – an asset only carries value if you are aware that it is in your possession to being with. This is where asset management comes in to the picture.

Digital asset management (or "DAM") is the sorting and organization of digital assets. This is primarily achieved through usage of a specific application or software that assists in making digital assets easy to locate and access. Any business owner in an information economy can surely understand the significance and importance of handling and storage of business data efficiently.

The proliferation and continual advancement of technology in our everyday lives means we've all managed digital assets to some degree – if you've ever sorted and categorized your mp3 collection or transferred the photos on your camera or smartphone to your computer you've undertaken digital asset management (on a personal, smaller scale). In each instance, you've taken digital content from one medium to another and navigated a series of folders, labels and structures to place it somewhere else, all in the name of organization.

Of course, on a business or corporate level the assets number in a much higher volume and have significant value attached; quite often they must be readily accessible by many different people (and quite often over many different locations). This is where digital asset management applications become necessary.

A Digital Asset Management application is a tool that enables organization of digital media assets for both storage and easy retrieval. These tools can be used on an individual basis or they can be company-wide.

Identification of long term objectives can help determine to what scale a DAM application needs to be employed. DAM applications can:

• Eliminate redundancies and overlap
• Control brand consistency
• Assist in locating media content on demand
• Enable collaborative, creative environments
• Systemize workflow
• Manage rights and permissions
• Track and manage assets

Digital Asset Management systems can help businesses or organizations in saving both time and financial resources while maintaining organization of all digital assets with a great deal of ease. Digital assets are fast becoming the lifeblood of many businesses. If your business relies on production, storage, or distribution of digital information and media, a DAM system is the intelligent choice to assist in successful execution of strategies involving digital assets.

Jake Athey is a representative of Widen. Widen can help ypu take the pain out of getting your business organized. Providing you with web based digital asset management software, scalable cloud service, guided implementation and training, security, and much, much more. For more information, visit us online today.

Infographics: HTML5 vs Flash Games

HTML5 is a language for structuring and presenting content for the World Wide Web, and is a core technology of the Internet originally proposed by Opera Software. It is the fifth revision of the HTML standard and as of February 2012 is still under development. Its core aims have been to improve the language with support for the latest multimedia while keeping it easily readable by humans and consistently understood by computers and devices (web browsers, parsers, etc.). HTML5 is intended to subsume not only HTML 4, but XHTML 1 and DOM Level 2 HTML as well.

Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash) is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast. More recently, it has been positioned as a tool for "Rich Internet Applications" ("RIAs").

Flash manipulates vector and raster graphics to provide animation of text, drawings, and still images. It supports bidirectional streaming of audio and video, and it can capture user input via mouse, keyboard, microphone, and camera. Flash contains an object-oriented language called ActionScript and supports automation via the JavaScript Flash language (JSFL).

Flash content may be displayed on various computer systems and devices, using Adobe Flash Player, which is available free of charge for common web browsers, some mobile phones, and a few other electronic devices (using Flash Lite).

Created by: One More Level