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JUST 5 Steps to Create Social Media Icons & Share Counter with CSS3

Olukunle Moses — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:06:58 +0000

Social networking hubs like Facebook, Twitter, Google +, LinkedIn and many more has emerged as the most successful approach to promote a content or service. Every internet user wants to follow his beloved Brands, Authors and idols. Social networking websites helps the end users to connect with their favorite web pages and share the liking with their circle.

Whether it is a service providing website or an informational blog page; Social media icons are a part of every web design. Social Media icons are used to share the content on the social networking hubs and are also looked as a feedback collecting form for the author.

How to create social media icons for your website? Designing the Custom Social Media icons can be a complicated hassle for the beginners. To help everyone out there; with this post of mine I am explaining the simple steps to design Custom Social Media Icons in CSS3.

In this post we will design the social media icons and the sharing counters for Facebook, Twitter and Google+ profile. By following the basic algorithm behind the designing process; you can even extend the process further for more social networking platforms like Youtube, LinkedIn, Pinterest etc.

Step 1: Designing the Basic Button Layout

To design the social media buttons; we will start with designing the basic button shapes. Development of HTML5 is an easy and affordable process and hence everyone can make an attractive online presence with the trade. The HTML code for simple button shapes is provided below:

After defining the basic button shape; we will concentrate on shaping it as per the requirement in the proceeding steps. In the upcoming step we will use CSS to tweak the appearance of these icons.

body {

font: 0.875em/1.5 ’Helvetica Neue’, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;

padding: 42px 40px;

}

a {

text-decoration: none;

}

.share {

display: inline-block;

margin-right: 20px;

}

.share__count {

background-color: #fff;

border: solid 1px #a5b1bd;

border-radius: 3px;

/* add in vendor rules */

box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15);

/* add in vendor rules */

color: #424a4d;

float: left;

font-weight: bold;

margin-right: 10px;

padding: 4px 10px;

position: relative;

text-align: center;

}

Till this step we had successfully designed the basic layout for the social media buttons and share counter. To finalize the desired basic look; we have to add the below provided CSS Code to the program.

.share_size_large > .share__count {

display: block;

float: none;

font-size: 18px;

margin-right: 0;

margin-bottom: 12px;

padding: 10px 0;

}

.share__btn {

border: solid 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);

border-radius: 3px;

/* add in vendor rules */

box-shadow: inset 0 1px 3px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3), 0 1px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15);

/* add in vendor rules */

color: #fff;

display: inline-block;

font-size: 13px;

font-weight: bold;

padding: 5px 10px;

text-align: center;

text-shadow: 0 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);

}

Step 2: Styling the Buttons with CSS Elements

Step 2 concerns about the styling of the basic layout. In this step we will integrate the HTML code to the CSS element. I had provided the HTML code below which must be combined with the different share buttons you had designed. You can add the codes to the buttons as per their tag name; for example add “type_Twitter” for twitter style, “type_facebook” for the Facebook style and so on.

.share_size_large > .share__btn {

padding: 5px 0;

width: 100%;

}

.share_type_twitter > .share__btn {

background-color: #4099FF;

}

.share_type_facebook > .share__btn {

background-color: #3B5999;

}

.share_type_gplus > .share__btn {

background-color: #F90101;

}

Step 3: Designing the Share Counter

At this step we will integrate the Share counter to the social media buttons. You can add the below provided HTML code to the buttons which are employed to display the social media counters.

.share__count:before, .share__count:after {

content: ”;

display: block;

height: 0;

top: 50%;

position: absolute;

right: -14px;

width: 0;

margin-top: -6px;

}

.share_size_large > .share__count:before, .share_size_large > .share__count:after {

content: ”;

display: block;

height: 0;

left: 50%;

position: absolute;

top: auto;

width: 0;

}

Step 4: Finalizing the Design Interface

Up till this step you can see the actual interface of the social media buttons and we just need a few tweaks before finalizing the design. In this step we will add some basic styles and will fix Borders or Layout issue if any. Add the below provided code to the design to make it look more clean and fluid.

.share__count:before {

border: solid 7px transparent;

border-color: transparent transparent transparent #a5b1bd;

}

.share_size_large > .share__count:before {

border-color: #a5b1bd transparent transparent transparent;

bottom: -14px;

margin-left: -7px;

}

.share__count:after {

border: solid 6px transparent;

border-color: transparent transparent transparent #fff;

right: -12px;

margin-top: -5px;

}

.share_size_large > .share__count:after {

margin-left: -6px;

bottom: -12px;

border-color: #fff transparent transparent transparent;

}

Step 5: Linking the Counter with Social Website API

Congratulations! You had successfully designed the front End interface of the buttons till this step and now it’s time to make them functional. For this we have to use PHP.

Copy the below provided code and integrate this with your design. You have to replace the URL written (‘http://api.twitter.com/YOURPOST/PAGE’) after file_get_contents with the URL of your social media page/profile.

‘; $fbend = ”;

$fbpage = $facebook;

$fbparts = explode($fbbegin,$fbpage);

$fbpage = $fbparts[1];

$fbparts = explode($fbend,$fbpage);

$fbcount = $fbparts[0];

if($fbcount == ”) { $fbcount = ’0′; }

}

function twit_count() {

global $tcount;

$twit = file_get_contents(‘http://api.twitter.com/YOURPOST/PAGE’);

$begin = ”; $end = ”;

$page = $twit;

$parts = explode($begin,$page);

$page = $parts[1];

$parts = explode($end,$page);

$tcount = $parts[0];

if($tcount == ”) { $tcount = ’0′; }

}

After saving the file with the name Social.php; you can now attach the social media buttons to the actual share counters. You have to paste this PHP code at the fake counter numbers which are located near your social media buttons.

Conclusion

I hope you had successfully added the social media icons on your website. Finding any error? Please feel free to share that with us in the comment section below. You can even share the snapshots of the icons if you had done some more creative tweaks in the CSS styling.

David Meyer is a professional blogger with years of experience in web development. He is currently working with CSSCHOPPER; A renowned name to hire Web Developer from India. David is always keen to learn and share the latest web technology.

The post JUST 5 Steps to Create Social Media Icons & Share Counter with CSS3 appeared first on TechAtLast. c) 2013 TechAtLast International Publishing Limited, www.techatlast.com

List of the Best JavaScript and jQuery Books for novice & intermediates

Olukunle Moses — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:12:01 +0000

Today, you will find many sources to study new topics, but nicely printed books have the perfect charm and immersion for getting started. With the advent of handheld devices, the reader is surrounded by the multiple options to read the ebooks at your fingertips for immense convenience. Certainly, what I experienced during the course of digital reading that the reader is often disturbed by frequently popping up elements on the screen of the PCs s and tablets. This is why I prefer real learning through good printed books, where I can use my pencil/ marker to highlight any topic (I’m sure you also do the same). According to me, printed books will never lose its significance (if I’m not mistaken).

Today podcasts and ebooks are considered the most portable learning options, where the users can carry it everywhere without bearing extra load. Also, I admit that ebooks have speedy responses for reference look up than going through the index in a traditional book.

Through the featured blog, I have created a small compendium for beginners to render a smart start up to the JavaScript language. The featured books on this blog have been finely selected (after review) that possess powerful introduction and new concepts to learn JavaScript with useful illustrations. Also few books are focused on jQuery, as I know that being a JavaScript programmer, it is also an essential facet to learn JQuery framework. As professional Magento web developers can create rich-functional e-commerce store, similarly the seasoned JavaScript developers can produce fully-fledged dynamic web applications.

On Serious notes, you may go through the referred books to set a good command over the JavaScript and jQuery.

Learning Web Design: A Beginner’s Guide to HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Web Graphics

By Jennifer Niederst Robbins

‘Learning Web Design’ could prove a great book for enthusiasts that want to dive into the programming pool. The good thing about this book is that besides learning experience, the novices can refresh their knowledge with drill tests. At the end of the each chapter they can find “Test yourself” section that can be a great boon for the ones that want to revise and refresh their knowledge side by side. It has good programming concepts to learn JavaScript, especially for beginners who have never done programming before. Also, the book has maintained the interests all through the book, without actually making the learner bore.

JQuery Pocket Reference

By David Flanagan

David Flanagan is a renowned author, who is actively behind many programming languages. Learning jQuery from his perspective could be a great experience for novices. The ‘jQuery – Pocket Reference’ is a not any ordinary reference book but it is certainly designed for novices to understand and learn the framework in a friendly way. However, the experienced developers can even refer them to enhance their command over jQuery’s potentials & internal workings. As jQuery is one of the easy to use programming platforms that many developers start using it without actually getting into the details. For them it is also a good option to set a robust attempt towards jQuery.

Learning jQuery, Third Edition

By Jonathan Chaffer

The book begins with a brief and crisp introduction to jQuery. During the learning phase, the novices can get a clear understanding about jQuery and why it works so well. The book is packed with great illustrations that exhibit how complex logics can be made simple & possible through plain JavaScript (without actually using jQuery). Also it demonstrates the noticeable benefits of jQuery in regards of time. According to me the book is an ideal choice for both novices and seasoned jQuery lovers.

JavaScript & jQuery: The Missing Manual

By David Sawyer McFarland

Learning jQuery is a mandatory skill set of JavaScript framework. This book is good for novices to get good hands JavaScript and jQuery with the highly driven illustrations. The three beginning chapters of this book focus on JavaScript introduction to the root with robust understanding. The author wonderfully takes the interest from basic techniques to core advancement. You may discover that how to solve the complex stuffs using available jQuery Plugins.

JavaScript: The Good Parts

By Douglas Crockford

Without much introduction about ‘JavaScript: The Good Parts’, you can find this programming book in the library of many seasoned programmers. The book is a good pickup for novices as it has powerful overview and introduction elements to JavaScript. However, if you talk about the latest developments then it lacks behind, else a good startup for beginners.

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide

By David Flanagan

Remember David Flanagan as we have discussed about him in the previous section, who is an immensely active author on varied programming languages. ‘JavaScript – The Definite Guide’ is one of the popular editions, reckoned as the most mature books since 1996. With this book, the novices can incorporate the best development practices in their programming skills. It is a 6^th edition that highlights the major topics of ECMAScript and HTML5 that most of the enthusiasts were looking for.

In this latest revision of the book, new chapters are inscribed to give learning about server side JavaScript. The book has 4 divisions, i.e. Core JavaScript, the Core JavaScript Reference, Client-Side JavaScript, the Client-Side Reference.

Beginning JavaScript and CSS Development with jQuery

By Richard York

The best jQuery book (my personal) I would suggest to go for. The book has all the technical ingredients to diminish the coding load to write in JavaScript. The enthusiasts can step by step learn many interesting concepts about jQuery including the installation, slide, show, handle the array and more elements, very smoothly.

Professional JavaScript for Web Developers

By Nicholas C. Zakas

Well, if you prefer to learn from a professional level book then it depends upon you. Though, this book is good for the people that are already into programming but new to JavaScript then they can pick it confidently. The book adopts comprehensive approach and best practices for learning JavaScript.

David Meyer is a professional writer, working dedicatedly at CSS Chopper – Magento Development Company (in India) that is strongly engaged in leveraging the clients’ satisfaction through rendering prolific solutions for business enterprises.

The post List of the Best JavaScript and jQuery Books for novice & intermediates appeared first on TechAtLast. c) 2013 TechAtLast International Publishing Limited, www.techatlast.com

New Gadgets: Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 breakdown

Olawale Daniel — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:55:24 +0000

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is a tablet that support GSM voice with SMS and MMS. It is a phone tablet that could be blended to phablet. The device was announced back in February and made available around April.

It has an 8.0-inches display with TFT capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors, 800 x 1280 pixels with pixel density of ~189ppi, enables multitouch.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 has and internal storage option of 16 and 32 GB with 2 GB RAM. It is powered by Exynos 4412 Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A9 CPU and runs on Android 4.1.2 jelly Bean from factory

The Gadget has a primary camera with 5MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels with many features such as autofocus, touch focus, geo-tagging, image stabilization, and face detection. it also has a secondary camera with 1.3MP.

The Black and White/Silver Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 device supports all form of GSM network with data communication.

It support the latest bluetooth technology, infrared and USB. It also has sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro, proximity and compass, then support the GPS as A-GPS and GLONASS.

The non removable Li-Ion 4600 mAh battery could go 8 hour talk or multimedia time, and up to 120 hour of music play.

The phablet weighs 338g with dimension of 210.8 x 135.9 x 8 mm.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 supports HTML5 and blessed with other features that includes;

SNS integration
TV-out (via MHL A/V link)
MP4/DivX/Xvid/FLV/MKV/H.264/H.263 player
MP3/WAV/eAAC+/Flac player
Organizer
Image/video editor
Document editor/viewer
Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa
Voice memo/dial
Predictive text input (Swype)

Cash window reviewed some of the features in the latest gadget because we know you love them – so here’s our overview of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0
The latest tablet from Samsung lets you combine a busy home-life and work-life and share it with friends and work colleagues alike. It does this by using some great features including S Pen, DropBox, Multi-Window, Enterprise Ready, Polaris Office and Group Play, Watch On, Smart Remote, Music Hub, Air View and Awesome Note.

S Pen combines the control of a mouse with the comfort of a pen. Perfect for doodling, creating masterpieces, personalizing communications or jotting down notes.

Dropbox comes free for two years and allows you to store your files and access them from any of your devices.

Multi-window lets you use two applications at once, so finish those reports whilst you watch the afternoon match.

Polaris Office lets you open and edit documents in Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Enterprise Ready’s enhanced security and accessibility means you can use your device at work without the worry of compromising company secrets.
Group Play allows you to share your screen with everybody else; making presentations a doddle.

Watch On means you can start watching a film on your tablet on the way home and then transfer it to the TV when you arrive there.
Smart Remote is your personal TV guide and a universal remote.
Music Hub stores all your music in the cloud and lets you stream millions of songs.

Air View lets you view your files just by hovering the S Pen over them.
Awesome Note is the accepted best life-organisation app and it’s now exclusively available to Android on Galaxy Note 8.0.

The post New Gadgets: Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 breakdown appeared first on TechAtLast. c) 2013 TechAtLast International Publishing Limited, www.techatlast.com

Top 6 iPhone Apps For A Productive Business

Olawale Daniel — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:31:28 +0000

You can do way more with your cell phone than play Candy Crush; there are all sorts of helpful business apps that can increase your productivity. The problem is there are tons of apps on the market and trudging through the list of apps is far too time consuming for the average person. Rather than download useless apps, check out this list of business-tested apps that can help you.

Genius Scan

This handy little app is great for record keeping. Using the phone’s camera, this app can scan small documents and file them for you. The app works with your email account and other shareable documents like Google docs. It uses special digital technology that increases readability, so you won’t get blurry shots. Plus, it’s free. There is a $2.99 version that has upgraded features, but the free app allows you to scan all kinds of things like lunch receipts, business cards and brochures all with the swipe of a finger.

Voice Brief

On your way into work, why not have your phone read your emails, or catch you up on the morning news? An app can do that. Voice Brief is a fairly new app that reads text to you. It does cost $1.99, but it can read a variety of things including your social media updates and stock quotes.

Bump

You’ve seen the commercials for a phone that transfers information by touching phones, right? Well, it turns out there is an app that does that too. The app, Bump, has been around for a few months but it recently upgraded its product to user’s delight. Now you can bump phones with a friend to share things like contacts. It can also bump pictures from one device to another. So if you want your pictures from your laptop to your phone, all you have to do is bump them. It’s a free app.

Clear

If you’re a list-maker, Clear is an app you’ll want to add to your download list. This app is simple yet functional. With a color-coded list, you can add and remove things from your list with an easy flip of a finger. For those who are super organized, or those who wish to be that way, it’s a good investment. The price for this app varies, depending on your phone and the features you want. It ranges from $1.99 to $9.99.

Dragon Dictation

Got a great idea and can’t find a pen and paper? In a digital world, that’s far to old school. Just download Dragon Dictation and tell your phone your hot idea. It records your voice and flips into text. You can save the files or you can sync the app to your email or social media sites and send the information wherever you’d like. These kinds of voice-activated apps have come a long way and have fewer problems understanding words than early attempts. You won’t break the bank with this app either – it’s free.

Pageonce

This handy app will keep all of your financials in order. From paying utilities to insurance, this free app allows you to send payments, set alerts and organize your monthly bills. Business owners should also consider downloading a specific insurance app. Most providers, like Monkey, have interactive tools to stay on top of all your insurance needs.

Lori Robinson is a writer and journalist for Monkey, a leading insurance comparison site. At Monkey.co.uk, you can compare insurance for Public Liability, Property, Life, Car and a variety of others. Monkey gives back to the community by donating £10 to a charity of your choice for every car insurance quote taken out.

The post Top 6 iPhone Apps For A Productive Business appeared first on TechAtLast. c) 2013 TechAtLast International Publishing Limited, www.techatlast.com

How to Prevent Advanced Persistent Threats

Olawale Daniel — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:56:58 +0000

As a business owner you have two main things to protect – your assets and your employees. This makes you a prime target for people who are set on obtaining what it is you hold so dear, and the advancement in the technology sector has also resulted in an advancement in cybercrime.

One of the most dangerous forms of cyber-crime comes in the form of advanced persistent threats, also known in the tech world as APTs. The techniques used to acquire this precious information are more sophisticated than ever before; using a “low and slow” almost stealth-like approach and getting everything they want before you have the chance to react and change passwords or install new preventative software.

A lot of the most effective advanced persistent threats (APTs) have worked over a period of several months, burrowing their way into the systems through a series of internet malware infections, physical malware infections and external exploitation; and going undetected throughout.

Having done the “background work”, the cyber criminals can then secretly steal all of your most valuable details from the credit card details of your clients to your own payroll information and intellectual property.

If you’re a business owner reading this and you’re currently quaking in your boots because you don’t know what advanced persistent threats are, let me try and break it down for you. There is no set definition, because as the tech industry changes and develops, the cyber criminals and their strategies adapt with them. Instead, we can break down the definition into sections to try and make it clearer:

Advanced

The criminals working on the theft of your vital information are almost ‘professional.’ Certain parts of the cyber attack might not be the most complicated of procedures for those involved, but the combination of the numerous small attacks can be highly complex, allowing them to access more and more.

Persistent

The “low and slow” approach mentioned previously sums this up perfectly. The criminals won’t just go straight in and extract everything in one go, potentially leaving tracks behind; instead they’re likely to implement a number of attacks that go almost undetected.

Threat

The people carrying out the attack are clearly determined to access their target and the more and more they can gain access to, the bigger threat they become. Once they get a taste of what they can obtain, they’ll want more.

The best way that you can prevent APTs is to implement a tiered form of defense, ensuring that whatever the cyber-criminals try, they have to be highly skilled to actually obtain your valuable data. Simply installing anti-virus software is not the only answer, you’ll need to work out the best and most trusted system out there, something that is capable of breaking the infection process and stopping the criminals in their tracks.

What are the other prevention methods that we can use to secure our data against Advanced Persistent Threats from hackers? Do you have any idea to contribute or have questions to ask? Please endeavor to ask those questions and add to the discussion below. Thanks

The post How to Prevent Advanced Persistent Threats appeared first on TechAtLast. c) 2013 TechAtLast International Publishing Limited, www.techatlast.com

How to Land A Job Straight From Your iPad!

Olawale Daniel — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:06:02 +0000

A leading VoIP provider in the United States surveyed hundreds of small businesses to measure mobile device adoption and cloud service usage among today’s businesses. Tablet adoption among businesses has increased to 62% from just 28% two years ago, says RingCentral. Interestingly, cloud app popularity in the business community paralleled the unprecedented mobile gadget usage in enterprises.

For instance, businesses around the world are expected to buy more than 96.3 million tablets in the next three years, from just 13.6 million units in 2011. Piper Jaffray, an investment bank and managing firm based in the US, also said that tablet deployments in businesses can grow to 15% this year, about four-folds from 4% in 2012.

It doesn’t come as a surprise that most businesses use cloud services today to automate tasks crucial to their business, including their hiring process. In fact, cloud app usage among hiring teams or human resources officers are predicted to increase to 13% this year, according to the HR Systems Survey by CedarCrestone Inc.

Although on its road to recovery, the still-volatile US economy has shoved about 11.7 million Americans beneath the employment threshold. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 7.6% of the country’s entire labor force is currently unemployed.

And with an estimated 90 million tablet users in the US by 2014, businesses must’ve realized that hundreds of thousands of promising talents are now mobile. Thank heavens for cloud job hunting apps that can walk job seekers through finding employment in today’s economy. It’s high-time to take advantage of businesses’ mobile hiring processes through TechRadar’s job hunting apps for the iPad!

CV-Library HD

CV-Library HD is available for free in iPad. With about 50,000 real-time jobs available and 4.7 million users to boast of, this app can help you search for and land a job from across 70 industries in the country. Aside from finding the job that fits your skills and experience (coupled with useful info on the job description, salary, and company location), CV-Library HD also allows you to create and review your CV, just in time for your job application.

Interview Questions Pro

For a little less than a few dollars, you can download Interview Questions Pro to your handheld tablet. This app can make job interviews look like a walk in the park. After leafing through the classified ads and creating an impressive CV, Interview Questions Pro can prepare you for your big day—your job interview! Knock off the hiring manager from his seat with superb answers on categories such as behavioral aspects, work history, critical thinking, as well as questions about you—the candidate. Interview Questions Pro can also provide you with ideal questions to ask your boss to keep the conversation flowing.

Resume Designer

Resume Designer is a job hunting app that allows you to create your CV anytime and anywhere by simply filling out relevant information for your resume. Although for a fee, Resume Designer for iPad is a simple CV template tool you can take anywhere with you. Maybe you could try applying for a job even while enjoying a short vacation at the beach!

LinkedIn

Of course our list of the best job hunting apps in the app world wouldn’t be complete without social networking site LinkedIn on it. LinkedIn has a mobile version designed especially for your tablet PC. It is a business social network that allows you to create a virtual CV and upload it as your LinkedIn profile, keep in touch with colleagues, request recommendations, and look for job positions to apply for. Plus, you can keep posted with the latest industry news and company info using your LinkedIn account.

Edward is an article writer that talks about business and technology. He contributed different business and technology related articles like gadgets review, latest tech news, small business phone guides and business phone service in different websites. Aside from writing, he also loves to read books, to travel and do skydiving during his free time.

The post How to Land A Job Straight From Your iPad! appeared first on TechAtLast. c) 2013 TechAtLast International Publishing Limited, www.techatlast.com

The 7 Weirdest Hybrid Gadgets of All Time

Olawale Daniel — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:14:34 +0000

Probably one of the coolest hybrid gadgets we’ve ever seen in movies is Maxwell Smart’s Swiss Army Knife, which holds a flamethrower, blowgun, chisel, and a crossbow that shoots a mini harpoon. It’s right up there with Nigel Powers’ Mini Cooper, which can turn into a submarine and Al Czervik’s golf bag from Caddyshack that’s “loaded with a remote-controlled club-ejector, built-in stereo, and more.” Of course, while reel hybrid gadgets are cool and all, they’re no match for real life hybrid devices like the ones described below.

Escopetarra

What do you do when you see a soldier holding a gun like a guitar? Well, if you’re César López, you create an escopetarra, a guitar made from a modified gun to make a statement about peace. You see, López is a Colombian peace activist and he wanted to say that it’s better to make music and not violence. The first escopetarra was born in 2003, made from a Winchester rifle and a Stratocaster electric guitar.

VN-CX1A/B

One thing is for sure: voip service providers (read more) are not the ones who thought of this mouse cum internet phone device. We don’t really understand why Sony even developed such a product, when it’s easy enough to call someone using a standard laptop with a built-in microphone. So yeah, the VN-CX1A/B might be a cool idea—but it “needlessly complicates both your phone call and your mousing.”

Nokia NGage

Honestly, we can’t remember anyone who bought an N-Gage when it was released in 2003. Maybe because everyone we know had a Game Boy Advance or at least wanted one, which could be the reason for its lack of popularity among our circle of friends. It seems that this gadget “meant as much for play as it was for communications” was just not everyone’s cup of tea, though, only selling 5,000 decks in the US and 800 in the U.K.

Flowbee

There’s this scene in Sweet November, where Charlize Theron’s character uses a Flowbee to cut her hair. Now, just in case you’re not familiar with the Flowbee, it’s actually “an electrically powered vacuum cleaner attachment made for cutting hair.” It was invented by Rick Hunt, a San Diego carpenter, in 1988. To use this nifty device, you don’t need to buy a special vacuum, just use your “standard home vacuum to deliver a neat and efficient home haircut solution.”

Taser + Leopard Print + MP3 Player

Don’t get us wrong. We love our iPod as much as the next guy; but we also can’t leave the house without our ever-reliable Taser. It’s a good thing, then, that Taser “released a belt holster that can be loaded up with 1GB of MP3s.” Sure, it’s not exactly as posh as our iPod but it’s not like the latter can prevent us from being mugged—so there’s always that to consider. Oh, and did we tell you that the holster comes in leopard print? That’s double the fierce, if you ask us.

Livescribe Pentop

We don’t do a lot of note taking, but we can see ourselves buying the Livescribe if, for some reason, we are tasked to take notes by hand. Simply put, it’s a pen that can record audio as you write notes and it can synchronize said audio recordings with what you’ve written down so far. It can also do “relatively simple calculations, such as mathematical operations and language translations.”

Radio Toaster

Breakfast plus morning news? Well, why not? Created by Hammacher Schlemmer, the Radio Toaster is described as “the only toaster to combine fully customizable toasting options with a built-in FM radio for convenient news, traffic, or music as you prepare breakfast.” Now, we don’t know about you, but we’re pretty sold on this gadget, considering it has Bagel and Thaw as toasting settings, and an adjustable antenna for the radio.

The author juggles being a wife to an engineer and a mother to a witty toddler. In her spare time, she involves herself in getting the word out about office phone systems. Find Monique on Google+.

The post The 7 Weirdest Hybrid Gadgets of All Time appeared first on TechAtLast. c) 2013 TechAtLast International Publishing Limited, www.techatlast.com

The History of the Web Apps

Olawale Daniel — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:51:30 +0000

Ever wondered how the humble app came into being? We discuss how the app has developed through time to become what it is today, an integral part of everyday life…

What is a Web App?

Web apps are applications intended for access over the Internet, but the term can also be used to refer to computer software which is coded in a language supported by web browsers (example: JavaScript), and dependent on a web browser for its execution and implementation. Web apps are popular because browsers are ubiquitous, and they are prized for their ease of use. They can be maintained and updated without distributing software to thousands of clients, and they have great cross-platform compatibility.

Web apps are built using basic technology. Distinguishing a web app from a website is as simple as this:

Web apps are installed by a user (think of all of those apps you’ve downloaded for your tablet or phone). These apps can be built to run offline and don’t necessarily need a browser window open to function correctly.

Here, you will learn a little about the history of the app, and how they are created by the app developer.

The Beginning of the App…

The earliest apps had their load shared between code on the server and client sides; each app had a client program which served as a UI and required separate installation on each computer. When server-side code was upgraded, client-side code also had to be upgraded individually, contributing to higher costs and lower productivity.

By comparison, modern web apps use documents written in formats like JavaScript and HTML, which are almost universally supported by web browsers. They’re essentially a variation on client/server software, where that software is downloaded when a client user visits a web page. Software updates can happen each time a page is visited, and during each session, pages are interpreted and displayed by the browser, which serves as a universal client.

Breaking Down the App…

Web apps are broken into segments called ”tiers”, and every tier has a distinct role. A traditional app has only one tier, which is located on the client side, but web apps can have an unlimited number of tiers. The most commonly-used structure has three tiers, which are usually designated as presentation, application and storage. The web browser is the first tier, an engine using technology such as Python, ColdFusion, or ASP is the second tier, and the third tier is a database. The app works when a request is sent by the browser to the middle tier, which fulfills the request by querying the database and generating a UI.

Today web apps are used for all manner of (excuse the pun) applications, from gaming, satellite navigation and marketing through to business uses such as remote monitoring and access, and financial management.

Modern web apps, such as the Microsoft Office Web Apps, allow you to access and share documents with the browser-based versions of their most popular software: Word, Powerpoint, OneNote and Excel. Another example is the Google Calendar which allows you to connect to your calendar whilst you’re out and about and even share your diary with friends, colleagues and family. Apps are everywhere and they make sharing information, connecting with people and keeping up to date with the latest goings on an absolute cinch.

The Future of the App…

So, what does the future of the app look like? The honest answer is; who know what the future holds! With futuristic gadgets such as Google’s augmented reality glasses (also known as Google Glass) now part of our reality, it seems that the possibilities for internet applications are endless! Where do you think that the app is headed?

Crispin jones is a freelance writer for Insignia – his two main passions in life are business and technology. Insignia are a communications consultancy form the UK

The post The History of the Web Apps appeared first on TechAtLast. c) 2013 TechAtLast International Publishing Limited, www.techatlast.com

What will be the future of RIM as it Launches BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) on iOS and Android?

Olukunle Moses — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:30:25 +0000

Research in Motion (RIM) is the owner of the BlackBerry brand. The Blackberry was the first to offer the most exciting features in the history of smartphone, the Canadian phone maker ruled the industry for so many years before the rivals came and took the market. It was like RIM was sleeping, didn’t upgrade to what consumers desires most until the rivals took over.

The BlackBerry Messenger, was the first successful mobile to mobile instant messenger, and RIM used this feature to rule the smartphone world. Even till date, so many people are fund of “Pinging”. Except in Canada which is the home country, most smartphone users in the developed nations where RIM operates has switched to iPhone and Android, but around the developing nation, the “PING” still reigns and RIM has a large market exploration.

For few years back, in the US, UK and around the major markets, the BlackBerry brand is almost going into extinction as the RIM stock was continually drowning every single quarter. Thanks to the latest BlackBerry product, BlackBerry 10, I will tag it “RIM’s Revival”. RIM bounced back with the BlackBerry 10 early this year with great and fascinating features.

The new BlackBerry 10 with its great features, and the ancient BlackBerry Messenger remained what RIM is holding up to to stay in the competition.

No smartphone maker has been able to achieve the kind of success RIM has gotten with the BlackBerry Messenger except recently when a third party developer, developed an a messenger app that works and has the layout of the BlackBerry Messenger. The app I am referring to is called “WhatsApp.” Within few months of launch, the WhatsApp app is already contending with the BBM because it was a cross platform messenger. BBM users can only chat, send voice and share files with BlackBerry users, but in addition to this features, the WhatsApp works on iOS, Android, Nokia Symbian and even on BlackBerry, meaning that you can interconnect on these platforms.

This became a point of concern to RIM, and recently on the BlackBerry Blog, I saw a press release with headline “BlackBerry Plans To Launch BBM Across Multiple Platforms This Summer.” Reading the story, I got to know that a BBM app for the iOS and Android had been submitted for approval on the Apple store and Google Play, and according to plan, it should start download this summer.

Now, BlackBerry users can connect with the iPhone and Android users. Great inter-connectivity, I love it, my fiancee is an Android user and I have got a BlackBerry.

Since the BlackBerry Messenger will now be coming on Android and iOS, I wonder what the future holds for BlackBerry? The BBM has been a great strategy for long, making the market for RIM.

Is RIM gradually succumbing to the big players? Or it is already planning a new strategy?

This is a great issue in the history of smartphone, share your thought in the comment box below!

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How to Boost your iPhone Battery Life and Enhance Life Span

Olukunle Moses — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:26:00 +0000

One of the major problem most Smartphone user faces is quick battery run out and depreciation in battery lifespan. iPhone users often complain of this battery problem and blame Apple for making low capacity batteries.

Actually, Apple is not the problem; the company has tried his best making good batteries on those iPhone. The real problem is you.

Some iPhone user opens numerous applications that run underground, without knowing the impact of this on their battery. There are some important tips you have to put in mind to make your iPhone battery lifespan last longer.

It is recommended that you keep your iPhone from direct sunlight and heat, don’t leave your phone in hot cars, even in glove box. Heat is a factor that degrades battery performance the most.

Apple specifically explained that iPhone works best at 32° F – 95° F. It should be stored under -4° to 113° F which is 0° to 35° C and -20° to 45° C for the metrically inclined. Keep your iPhone near to room temperature.

Definitions:

Battery Life: This the time your phone runs before the battery is recharged.

Battery Lifespan: This means the amount of time your iPhone battery laps before it get replaced.

One of the important ways of improving your iPhone battery life is by monitoring iPhone battery usage stat. You can access this by tapping on “Settings” on your home screen, chose “General” then “Usage,” Under “Time since last full charge” you will see Usage and Standby

Usage: This is the amount of time your iPhone has been awake and being use since the last time of charge, when on calls, email, music, browsing, and text messaging, and even when applications are open on background, such as auto-checking emails.

Standby: It is the amount of time the iPhone has been on since the last time it was fully charged, including the times the phone was on sleep.

Tips to optimizing your iPhone battery life

Update to latest iOS

Most times, Apple releases updates to its iOS, bug are fixed, new features added. Those news features may include some battery optimization wares. This can be done through the iTunes.

Configure your settings

Your iPhone battery life may get depreciated based on some configurations. If you auto-receive emails so often; be rest assured that you will be consuming more of your iPhone battery.

Here are few configuration tips to help you manage your iPhone battery

Adjust your brightness:

Not only on iPhone, if you reduce the brightness of any gadget with screen display, you will have a longer battery life. It also works well for the iPhone batteries. Dimming your iPhone screen makes you use your gadget much longer. The battery life is extended. You can also set and auto-brightness which auto-adjust your screen based on environmental light.

Turn Push mail off

Microsoft exchange and Yahoo! are examples of push mails, when you don’t need this service, you can simply turn them off to elongate your iPhone battery life. The messages will now be received as global fetch setting rather than coming straight as they arrive.

Don’t frequently fetch new data

You can set mail to “fetch data wirelessly” at some interval. iPhone battery drains quickly when data are frequently fetched. You can set the “fetch new data” based on hours.

Turn push notifications off

On the Apple iOS, new data are mostly alerted by Push Notification. Applications such as instant messaging fully depend on push notification, this fully impact battery life. You may disable “Push Notification, this does not affect receiving of new messages.

Don’t use the location service so often

Its so much fun for some people to make use of the location service on their device. The location service such as map makes use of the satellite technology; it has so much impact on your iPhone battery life. It is advisable that you use this services only when needed.

The Airplane Mode also helps

In areas of low or no coverage, always set your iPhone to “Airplane mode.”

Your iPhone will always make all effort to connect to the cellular network. it consumes more power in areas of low or no network. You will enhance your iPhone battery life by setting your device to “Airplane Mode” in this kind of situation, but you will cut out on calls.

Other tips

Lock your iPhone screen

When you aren’t using your device, make secure you set it on lock. You can manually or automatically set this. You will be able to receive calls and messages, but other programs will be rendered dormant. This will help in saving your iPhone battery.

Regularly use your iPhone

The Lithium ion batteries require continues flow of electron to render is active. One more important tip to help enhance your iPhone battery lifespan is a complete cycle at least once in a month. This includes you completely draining your battery and charges it back to 100% full. The battery life will not be easily depreciated.

These are tips to help enhance your iPhone battery life and lifespan. Feel free to give us a feedback if these tips really worked for you.

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