Author: Ajay Meher

Ajay is the editor and webmaster of Techie Zone . He is also a Wordpress expert and provides Wordpress consultancy and web services. Recently he has launched his maiden start-up Qlogix Solutions. You can follow him in twitter @ajaykumarmeher

Categories
General Reviews

Review of Sell Cell: A site to sell your old mobiles

Mobile phones are now an indispensable part of our lives. Studies suggest that an average mobile phone user uses his mobile phone for around 20% time of the day. The wear and tear caused by this high usage is the primary reason why people change their mobile phones very frequently. The worst part about buying a new mobile phone is to think what to do with the old one.

The answer to this question is Sell Cell. SellCell.com is a website which provides you option to sell your old mobile phones online at the highest prices possible. It guarantees to provide you deals for selling your old mobile phone at highest price online. It is ranked USA’s No. 1 cell phone recycling price comparison site.

What’s Good:

• Provides an eco-friendly way to dispose or recycle your old cell phone. Moreover, you get paid for it.

• The procedure to sell mobile phones is very simple.

• Searching for your mobile phone is also very easy.

What’s Not Good:

• If your phone is not in the list you may find it tougher to sell

• Shipping is not always free.

• Works only in the US.

There are a lot of websites on the internet which allow people to sell their old mobile phone. These websites, in turn, sell these phones to mobile recycling companies or the mobile phone manufacturers who dispose or recycle these old mobile phones. SellCell doesn’t buy the mobile phone itself but instead it searches these (vendor) sites for the mobile model specified and then provides you with the maximum price at which that model can be sold.

These comparison websites include Totem, Simple Sellular, Bikair, BuyBack, CellTrade, Recellular and lots of other websites. After providing you with a deal, it redirects you to the sites where you can actually sell your cell phone.

Selling your mobile through SellCell is a four step procedure. Firstly you have to search for you mobile model on the website and then it will present you deals to sell your phone. Secondly, you have to select the best deal for selling your phone. After selecting the deal, you just have to fill a few details and you will be provided the instruction on how to parcel them your old mobile phone (shipping will be free in most cases). Once the cell phone reaches the company and they have checked it, you will receive your payment via cash or vouchers.

Conclusion:

SellCell provides a very easy and a simple method to get rid of your old phone for some cash in exchange. So I guess it’s a win-win situation for the user. Head on to SellCell and get rid of your old mobile phone now.

Categories
General Reviews

Sell your Old Mobile Phones through SellMyMobile

Things whose charm never goes off are the mobile phones. It’s true that we buy one and the other model glitters in the advertisement. Quiet often it is the case that the cell phones that we trusted for years run out and then there is a need to recycle them. All you have to do is you just need to be sure you pick the right recycling centre. You just need to remove your SIM card and as long as data is cleared completely including any saved files you had on the computer or mobile phone, it will be totally ok to recycle it.

It is in fact preferred if the device does not work whenever it goes to the recycling center, but if you really want to get your value out of the old electronic, it is better to sell a working electronic device.

What is SellMyMobile?

Sell My Mobile is the official UK’s no. 1 mobile phone price comparison website for recycling purpose. Established years ago, they are a highly trusted brand. You can sell your mobile at a cost that you find is appropriate and much greater than the cost provided by the owners. What SellMyMobile really do is take your old cell phone recycles it and then resells it.

The process behind recycling is: – They take out the memory or hard disk that stored everything and then set your phone for factory settings that remove all your stored passwords and codes created by you. Factory settings bring the phone back to the form
which it was when you bought it.

Advantages :

1. They compare more phone buyers than any other website and that too in seconds reducing your tedious task. Hence, it becomes a lot easier to use SellMyMobile to sell your cell phone at the rate you want.

2. There is a minimum quality standard required by each buyer to fulfil it. If the buyer is unable to maintain such standards then he/she is removed from the site.

3. The prices that are offered to the buyers are unbiased and you have a guaranteed best price offer from the website.

4. The recycling of your cell phones requires the recycling company agree to take it.

Most of the recycling partners are exclusive to the type of comparison browsed on.

Type of Phone it Accepts :

Below are the mentioned criteria which must be fulfilled by your phone to get accepted as a working phone: –

● Be able to turn on and off otherwise it really is considered as non-working.

● There are no problems if your phone contain scratches, it is normal as in every phone tends to have it due to everyday use.

● The cell phone must have a battery as well as the screen should be in the working mode.

● You shouldn’t send the SIM card and the memory cards along with your phones as it would be thrown out anyway.

● The phone should never be crushed nor had a dip in water.

The prices available for the working as well as non-working cell phones differ and the comparisons are done under different categories. The prices quoted will be valid only for 14 days.

The Payment Method :

Different payment options are available. The most common are cheque, bank transfer, PayPal, Pay Offline, Postal Order, same day payment and shopping vouchers. Any of the suggested methods that suit you can be opted. To see which methods each phone buyer offers enter the make and model of your phone into the search box at www.SellMyMobile.com and then click GO.

Ways to Send your Phones :

You can send as many phones as you want. If you are sending more than 10 some of the phone buyers offer a free courier service. Click through to their websites and see their sites for more details. Though one company won’t always offer the best price for every single
phone: it is advisable to use the mobile phone price comparison service and check who is offering the best price for each separate phone in your collection: that way you won’t miss out any excellent offer from one company for a specific phone.

Categories
General Internet

Web and Video conferencing and their benefits

Today technology has evolved so much that there is no need to be present physically at a location to take part in a meeting or to take classes. Everyone prefers to live in a virtual world and so do they want to work virtually. The technology that powers this kind of virtual communication is called Web conferencing.

Web conferencing is a service that allows real conference to happen virtually. People present at different locations can take part in a conference and present things as if they are physically present in the conference room. The web conference is made possible through Internet Technology with the help of TCP/IP protocols. The web conferencing technology helps in transmission of voice, text as well as video through the network across geographically distributed locations.

Video conference is another similar technology but with few limitations e.g in Video conferencing only picture and voice can be transmitted in real-time but it does not offer desktop sharing. So it is not the preferred choice in corporate conferencing. However video conferencing is used while transmitting a live event with an added advantage of 2 way communication.

In most if the situations, web conferencing combined with video conferencing gives the optimum result as it offers the best of both the technologies. For this reason many service providers like Powwownow are offering both web conferencing as well as video conferencing solutions.

Features of Powwownow video conferencing:

The video conferencing solution provided by Powwownow is customized for both desktop and mobile. It provides HD video quality with no delays and dropped calls. Main benefit of this is it does not require any additional hardware as you can use your existing PC with a microphone and web camera.

Usage of Powwownow video conferencing:

The video conferencing solutions from Powwownow can be used to deliver effective training without the need for the trainees to be physically present. It can be used to give presentation to customers and clients without you leaving your office. You can even conduct virtual interview using this.

Features of Powwownow Web conferencing:

The Powwownow web conferencing solutions is a featured packed solutions offering all the functionality offered by paid web conferencing solutions. This is absolutely free and too easy to use and set up. It offers desktop sharing so that you can have a guided tour on your computer sitting at your office and clients sitting at various different locations. Another great feature is, with Powwownow web conferencing, only the host has to download and install the software in his/her system, the viewers do not need to download anything. They just need a web browser with Internet connection.

Usage of Powwownow video conferencing:

You can use this web conferencing solutions to facilitate group training for employees situated at various office locations. You can have interactive presentations with your team members. You can use this to present company updates.

The kind of new technologies like web and video conferencing system are making our life so easy. Now executives and trainers do not need to travel places to discuss and give training to their clients and students. This can help in saving travelling time as well as money. Even people can opt for working from home and use this facility to interact with their team members. Such kind of technological improvements are boon to the society.

 

Categories
Internet

How to Use Internet Technology to increase Business Profits

The internet is a massive resource for businesses looking to increase market share and maximize profit margins. The best advantage of the internet is that it offers an equal opportunity of growth to all businesses regardless of their market share, size or capital. This may at times even give relatively new businesses an edge over bigger market players. The manifold benefits of the internet have been realized by businesses on both global as well as local level. Here are some reasons why many businesses believe that internet technology can help them realize higher profits:

Globalization

Where some businesses owners are only too keen to blame computers for encouraging laziness in the workplace, statistics clearly stands against such opinions. Computers open new frontiers of trade and new windows of opportunity for businesses. For businesses that have integrated internet technology into their system, it is much easier to forge relationships on a global level. With a host of new vendors at the businesses threshold, businesses can grow in leaps and bounds in a seemingly shorter amount of time than it world otherwise take them.

Communication

It is hard to fathom how businesses would communicate with a global audience effectively if it were not for the internet. With the advent of internet technology, marketing strategies and advertising campaigns have gone online allowing businesses easier access to international markets. This has enabled even smaller businesses with limited resources to cater to a global audience. Internet technology has also accelerated sales processes by blessing businesses with higher efficiency levels and quicker processing time.

Cost Effectiveness

It wouldn’t be controversial to say that the biggest benefit that internet technology has offered businesses is that of economy. Businesses with massive operations spread across many countries require huge investment of money and a lot of meticulous planning and yet most businesses are only able to generate small profits. This is because marketing campaigns and other costs related to business operations can have an adverse effect on the financial budget of a business. Internet technology can be of tremendous help to businesses at such a time as it allows easier and quicker communication, greater market penetration, and allows them to interact with a larger audience. This reduces costs while also stretching profit margins.

Marketing and Advertising

Simply by establishing their very own online presence, a business can greatly boost its prospects of targeting a larger market share. A website provides businesses with the opportunity to market their products to a larger audience without having to worry about operational and monetary hassles related with conventional marketing campaigns. Businesses can save costs associated with various marketing material such as print media (fliers, mailings or newspaper ads). Online means of marketing and advertising are also more focused on their approach as they can be easily customized to appeal to a specific market. Most businesses have different sections on their websites for different markets and this allows them greater flexibility in their dealings with different niches.

Larger Customer Base

Internet technology has greatly assisted businesses in their endeavors to expand their customer base. Smaller businesses have a tough time making ends meet when they are operating in a market predominantly ruled by big market players. In such a scenario, internet technology offers them a greater chance of success. A small business having its own website stands a better chance of stretching its profits beyond projected margins.

Other Advantages

Most small businesses that are newly established take the online route to evade the crippling taxes that reduce profit margins. Internet technology helps businesses reduce their tax liabilities considerably as they can benefit from tax deductions. Apart from these considerations, businesses can also save on regular traveling expenses related to product marketing and launches in new markets.

Conclusion

Considering the manifold benefits that internet technology offers businesses today, it is of little wonder why many businesses have integrated it into their business model. Internet technology offers a quick, cheap and highly effective way of promoting products and services. Now, smaller businesses with limited resources have an equal chance of appealing to a target market as bigger market players. In addition to this, already established businesses can put internet technology to effective use to maximize profits.

Author Bio:

Erika Jonathon is a freelance writer by profession. She has worked with internet service providers for years and is the best person to consult when it comes to any information regarding internet service providers.

Categories
Apple Mobile

Use your iPhone to get car insurance

How do you usually buy car insurance? On the phone? On car insurance comparison sites like Moneysupermarket?

Well, now the UK’s leading price comparison site has made it even easier to get cheap cover, especially if you own an iPhone.

The Moneysupermarket car insurance app is the first car insurance comparison app to be launched in the UK. Although it has initially been released for iPhone users only, it’s expected to be made available for Android phones over the next few months.

The free app could help cash-strapped motorists make average car insurance savings of £375 and is remarkably easy to use. Insert all your relevant details and then trawl through the vast array of quotes generated in just a few seconds. Make use of the ‘click to call’ function if you want to talk to a particular insurer and do it over for the phone. Alternatively, though, complete the transaction there and then without needing to go through all the hassle of having to talk to anybody.

Julie Fisher, from Moneysupermarket, commented: “The cost of running a car has been increasing markedly over the last few years, with petrol prices on the up and car insurance a yearly necessity for all drivers.

“People are naturally keen to take action, and shop around to switch to the best possible car insurance deal.

“The launch of the Moneysupermarket car insurance app has made it even easier for people to find the right car cover for the best possible price – allowing people to compare a huge range of quotes quickly and easily – anytime, anywhere. It’s another example of how Moneysupermarket is helping people to make the most of their money.”

Categories
Android Mobile

Hands on review of Google Nexus S

Whole of last week I was in a dilemma to choose the best Android phone for me. I zeroed in on HTC Desire S, Samsung Galaxy S and Google (Samsung) Nexus S. These 3 phones were short-listed as they were perfectly fitting in my budget and had all the features I wanted. So the final visit to my regular shop in MG Road, Bangalore let me go for Google Nexus S. And today I am quite happy about making the best choice to own the Nexus S phone. When I paid the money (that’s when I actually owned the phone 🙂 ) and got my hands first time on Google Nexus S, the experience was amazing. I am constantly glued to it after that and have examined it quite closely. I came across very good results offered by Nexus S. Here are some of the features of this incredible Smartphone.

Google Nexus S

Design

When I first unpacked Nexus S, first I noted its similitude with that of Galaxy S. However, little detailed look introduced me with the slightest curve that Smartphone features, which is believed to be optimized for better grip. Though device is as light as 4.5 ounce, I felt it solid and comfortable to handle but my fingers left their marks on back.

Google-Nexus-S-Side-View

Scrutinizing it introduced me with power button on right side and volume controller on left side. It doesn’t feature camera launch key. Headphone jack and microUSB are present at the bottom, which I believe is a work of design creativity.

Google-Nexus-S-Display

4” Super AMOLED display has 4 touch buttons located at the bottom viz back, menu, search and home when looked from left to right. Display offers quite brilliant experience that hardly let users go for those keys and same happened with me! Device is loaded with two cameras- 5 megapixels with LED flash located at the back and VGA camera right beside ear piece for video calling.

Features Offered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Being a pure Google phone, Nexus S is the first device to introduce Android 2.3 Gingerbread. And it has the purest form of Gingerbread if you ever wish to experience it.  Others like HTC and Samsung use modified ROMs with their own interface. I was totally excited to check out features offered by this new OS and believe me; it was not at all disappointing. Gingerbread has some tiny features that are quite interesting. For example, it suggests end of list in particular menu by glowing orange colored bar. Also, connectivity indicator turned green only when I synchronized my Google Account with it.

I don’t have enough words to describe incredible interface of Android 2.3. Black notification bars consume less power and also provide regal look to gadget. I just had to keep menu key pressed to check out which applications were still running and eating valuable battery life. For sake of some detailed knowledge, I used battery tool to find out which apps are eating up more energy and turned them off!

Android_2.3

Customizable home screens, and that too 5 of them, is what fascinated me most. All 5 home screens can be familiarized with numerous widgets as per your taste. One of them on mine features many exciting games from Android Market.

Most attractive update of Android Gingerbread is sophisticated keyboard. Wider space and multi touch approach helped me type faster than that of other high-end Smartphones in market. I hardly turned device in landscape mode; so you can understand how spacious it was! Typing special characters and numbers is not at all cumbersome as tasks can be easily done by pressing respective key a little longer.

gingerbread-keyboard

Web Browsing, Hot Spot and Apps

Being fond of sports, first I opened ESPN official website to check out updates and it took around 9 seconds for site to load fully, which is same as that of many Android devices in market. Though device can be used as Wi-Fi hot spot, I didn’t find any dedicated app for it. Sadly, I had to go into wireless settings each time I tried to use it Wi-Fi hot spot.

When it comes to apps, device is undoubtedly the king. I was delighted to see Google Apps, which includes Maps, Google Earth and much more, were preloaded in the gadget. Nexus S also automatically install apps that you download.

Camera and Multimedia

What made me feel depressing is that 5 megapixels camera of Nexus S couldn’t record 720p videos. It can be considered as severe drawback of the device. While taking still pictures, camera worked really well both outdoor and indoor but when I used flash, it took considerable time to process image and save it on memory. Front facing VGA camera is meant for services like Skype or Google Talk but it lacks clarity.

samsung-nexus-s-camera

Music experience offered by Nexus S was quite brilliant. Though there is no software like iTunes in case of Android, listening to the songs from Amazon or Pandora was quite delighting experience. Super AMOLED display did its task while playing videos where colors looked more vivid.

Technical Specifications of Google Nexus S

  • Processor: 1 GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird Processor
  • Operating System: Android 2.3 Gingerbread
  • Internal Memory: 16 GB
  • Camera: Primary 5 megapixels with LED flash, secondary VGA front facing camera
  • Display: 4” Super AMOLED display (480 x 800)
  • Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
  • Ports: 3.5 mm Audio jack and microUSB
  • Dimensions: 2.4 x 4.8 x 0.4 inches
  • Weight: 4.5 Ounce

Google-Nexus-S_final

Verdict

If you are going to buy gadget that looks trendy, user friendly interface, long battery life and experience the power of Android Gingerbread in it’s truest form, go for Google Nexus S. You will always praise yourself for making a wise decision.

Categories
Gadgets

Technology goes waterproof to protect beach-going gadget heads

Waterproof mobile phones, MP3 players, cameras and Bluetooth headsets are appearing at beaches all over the country this summer after technology retailer Expansys launched its Expansys Summer Essentials range.

While the gadget market has exploded in recent years with the launch of popular devices such as smartphones, sophisticated MP3 players and tablet computers, users have often run into difficulties in summer time when trying to use their new toys by the beach, at the poolside or at music festivals and in parks.

Water damage has claimed the lives of many an expensive gadget in the past, but a new selection of waterproof devices launched by UK retailer Expansys promises to make drowning gadgets a thing of the past.

Anthony Catterson from Expansys said: “Our new Summer Essentials range answers the call from the many thousands of gadget lovers who want to be able to relax with their favourite gadgets in the outdoors this summer, without the worry of water, sand or weather damage. Many people in the UK own technology that has become an indispensable part of their lives, so why should they have to stop using it when summer rolls around?

“The new range includes a number of waterproof gadgets that will survive being dropped in the pool, soaked by a spilt cocktail and even thrown into the sea!”

Leading the range is the Lavod AquaCube LFA-296s waterproof MP3 player, which is fully functional in up to three metres of water, making it the ideal music player to take with you when you go for a swim in the pool or head out for a surf. Both player and accompanying headphones are fully waterproof up to three metres and, with 4GB of memory, there’s room for your entire music collection on there.

Amongst the most popular items in the new Expansys range is the Waterproof Smartphone Case. With smartphones playing such a fundamental role in the organisation and enjoyment of day-to-day life for so many people, the risk of water damage on a summer holiday simply isn’t worth the risk. The Expansys Waterproof Case protects smartphones in up to six metres of water, as well as protecting against dirt and dust, and comes in black, pink and yellow designs with 16 individual sealing points.

Waterproof camera cases and Bluetooth headsets are also available, as well as a full range of ultra-portable versions of popular household gadgets, such as computer hard drives, video cameras, wireless routers and battery packs.

Mr Catterson added: “We’ve got everything that a British holidaymaker needs for the summer, from satellite navigation systems for car journeys and travelling on foot, to portable hard drives, flip cameras, and even mobile cinema systems.”

This is a Press release from Expansys.

Categories
Internet

iVPN: the best VPN service provider

Couple of weeks back I was in dearth need of a VPN service and while doing my research, I came across numerous VPN service provider. None of them were fulfilling my requirement, in a sense they were not offering what I was looking for. Just then one of my friend suggested me this VPN service called iVPN. I went deeper into their site and got in touch with their customer service to clarify few of my queries and guess what ‘” I found exactly what I was looking for”. This review is based upon my personal experience with iVPN service for last couple of weeks.

For those who are not sure what exactly is a VPN, let me take this opportunity to define it. A Virtual Private Network or a VPN (in short) is a secured way of connecting to a private network (LAN) present in a remote location through an unsecured public network like Internet. You can use VPN service to connect to your office network from your home which majority of us do. But the VPN service comes in handy in many other ways too.

The speciality of iVPN:

If you go with the enormous amount of VPN service provider available in the Internet you will find many loopholes in the service and most of the time you have to pay a hefty price as your security might be compromised. Some of them are such a waste that you will neither get security nor the speed and do not ask about the worst customer service. generally when we look for a VPN we primarily consider the security and speed. So without this the service is a waste.

The iVPN offers the best security as it is built with most secured Open Source software available today like OpenVPN, IPSec and freeRADIUS. (Most of other providers use insecured protocol like PPTP where data can be sniffed easily). The traffic between the client machine and iVPN network is encrypted with AES 256 bit encryption.

IVPN offers maximum speed as they offers very low subscribers ratio and offer premium bandwidth through their Gigabit network. Hardly ever your connection will be dropped.

Apart from this they offers maximum privacy as they do not collect any personally identifiable information except the mail ID. Backed by all this they have a fantastic support team who are always ready to help.

Signup and Setup:


In order to start using the iVPN service you need to signup to iVPN as a subscriber. You have the flexibility to pay monthly, quarterly or annually. They also have a very attractive pricing plan with a reducing price for increased duration. If you want to try the service before buying, they offer a 7 days risk free trial without any obligation.

The signup process is fairly simple and takes less than 30 seconds as they do not collect any information apart from the mail ID and password. After signing up, you will receive an email with setup instructions and the Username and Password to connect to the iVPN network.

Depending upon the type of protocol you will be using like an OpenVPN or IPSec, you will need to download the client program and configuration file. I prefer OpenVPN as it is slightly faster, more stable and can pass some firewall restriction which IPSec cannot.

For OpenVPN, the downloader is available here and the ones for IPSec/L2TP are available here. You can also follow the extensive step by step tutorials for setup by visiting the iVPN knowledge base.

Once you download the client for the type of connection, double click on the installer to start installation and proceed with the default options.

I would advice to use the automatic setup scripts for configuration available in the download page as manual configuration is too complicated and making something wrong will not allow you to connect.

This iVPN has served my purpose and I am overall quite happy with the service and I would rate them 8.5 out of 10.

If you happen to use the service of iVPN or any other VPN service provider, do not forget to write your opinion through comment.

Categories
Webmaster Wordpress

WordPress 3.2 features and test drive

Automattic seems to be in a spree to bring new and exciting features to it’s most widely used bogging platform WordPress. In the last few months we have seen WordPress is going constant overhaul. And we saw the platform has evolved tremendously. Just recently we heard about WordPress 3.0 and then it WordPress 3.1 was released soon after. Now the talk of the bogging arean is the release of WordPress 3.2. The beta version of WordPress 3.2 is already available for download and the final stable version is expected quite soon.

WordPress 3.2 is expected with a lot of new and exciting features, so we downloaded the beta version to give it a try. And guess what, this version of WordPress is just amazing. Some of the notable features in WordPress 3.2 are a new User Interface for Admin, Distraction free writing, New default theme, change in system requirement and a much anticipated Faster WordPress.

New User Interface for Dashboard:

The Admin Interface in WordPress 3.2 s not a complete makeover but a slight change as compared to it’s predecessor 3.x. This new look good cool and elegant and occupy less space. There is also a new option at the bottom to collapse the menu which will then show the icons for different section of the menu and hovering on the icons will reveal the menu options. The footer area in the Admin dashboard has also got a facelift. Also the Favorite menu at the top right is removed. This new Admin Interface looks quite professional and neat. Overall I like it pretty much.

New Default theme Twenty Eleven:

As we are already in 2011, so the default theme Twenty Ten that comes with current versions of WordPress also need a change. Matt finally realized that and the default theme from WordPress 3.2 will be Twenty Eleven. It does not mean they are scrapping out the Twenty Ten theme. hence WordPress 3.2 will come with 2 themes like the 2.x versions but Twenty Eleven will be installed by default.

Clutter Free Write Panel:

Don’t you feel like putting your complete concentration on the content while writing a post? I surely do. To help us concentrate in creating a better post, the WordPress 3.2 will feature a less cluttered and clean write panel. By default all the options like Excerpts, trackbacks, custom fields etc will be hidden. So if you do not see those excerpts or custom filed, do not panic, you just need to Click oN Screen Options at the top right and check the options which you really need.

If that is not enough, you click on full screen mode and you will see a completely new write panel which you will fall in love with for sure. This full screen write panel is definitely a boon. I am going to utilize this feature to the fullest.

Performance Improvement:

While everything being the same, WordPress 3.2 provides a better performance and a faster site load as compared to it’s predecessors. This is very much essential considering Google is now taking into account the page load time while ranking websites.

Change in System requirement:

If you are quite excited with all these new features and are in a hurry to upgrade to WordPress 3.2 when the stable release comes in, you need to first check with your hosting provider to verify if your server meets the system requirement for WordPress 3.2. As going forward WordPress will require PHP 5.2.4 and MySql 5.0. Once you are sure your host meets the requirement, then you decide to upgrade.

Also WordPress 3.2 will not support Internet Explorer 6. Though the front end of your website/blog will not receive any warning, when you try to log into the Admin Dashboard you will be warn that you are using an unsecured version of Internet Explorer and it will ask you to upgrade the browser.

The current release of WordPress 3.2 is a beta version, so do not use it on your live site. As lot of bug is expected and site might become unstable.

If you have not yet tried the WordPress 3.2 beta, we have setup a WordPress 3.2 test drive site so that you can try it on our server and familiarize yourself with the features. use the username and Password both as qlogix to login.

Categories
Mobile WinMo

Features and the future of Windows Phone 7

The race to produce the world’s best smartphone was and truly opened up with the release of the Windows Phone 7 OS in October last year. While there have been complaints from critics that the range of available apps is poor and that the first release of the new OS was lacking in basic multitasking capabilities, Windows really is stepping up to the plate and seems to be picking up quite a pace to catch up with and surpass the likes of Android and iOS.

At Mobile World Congress (MWC) held in February 2011, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced a major update to Windows Phone 7 due towards the end of this year. The update will see the inclusion of a mobile version of Internet Explorer 9 that supports the same web standards (e.g. HTML5) and hardware-accelerated graphics as its PC counterpart.

By all accounts, this is going to be pretty exciting stuff – demonstrating the new browser during a keynote speech by Mr Ballmer at the MWC, Microsoft’s corporate vice president, Joe Belfiore, used a fish tank video to show off the updated OS’s speed and graphical capabilities. Mr Belfiore also compared the smooth motion of the tank’s 50 fish with the same video on an unnamed HTC model (surely not the HTC 7 Pro?), demonstrating just how fast and flawless the movement was with IE9 compared with its Safari (iPhone) counterpart.

While Belfiore didn’t really emphasize the fact that this version of IE9 wouldn’t be due until towards the end of this year, and while it was also indicative of the strength of Windows Phone 7’s competitive edge, it’s also very likely that Safari will be subject to similar standard of improvement, given Apple’s track record.

Even more exciting news, according to gottabemobile.com, Windows Phone 7 will also, thanks to their alliance with Nokia, be the forerunner of the smartphone OS industry by 2013. Having conducted research into the growth of the various leading smartphone OS giants such as iOS, Android and Blackberry, Pyramid Research’s senior analyst, Stela Bokun, prophesised that WP 7 will beat previous predictions that it will be ahead of the game by 2015 in two years.

Bokun proffered the idea that while Android’s primary strength has always been its availability with the various members of its Open Handset Alliance, WP 7’s availability on a variety of hardware besides Nokia will see WP 7 enjoy similar success. Bokun explained: “While Android will continue to grow beyond 2013, its growth will slow down compared to the skyrocketing surge in 2010 and 2011. Even though WP will maintain the leadership from 2013 through 2015, the battle with Android will be fierce going forward and will result in many overtakings and ties between the two operating systems going forward – all at the expense of iOS and BlackBerry, which will experience a losing streak.

“While RIM and Apple are powerful players in the smartphone market, their desire to limit their mobile operating systems to their own hardware has antagonized large manufacturers, such as Samsung, LG and Nokia, who have the capacity to enjoy the benefits of economies of scale and whose devices account for an overwhelming portion of the smartphone market.”

Expected Features in Windows Phone 7:

With regards to specifics about the updates, Microsoft revealed earlier this month that Bing on WP 7 will be subject to a major overhaul. Bing Navigation will be updated to give people faster access to common searches like ‘movies’ and ‘traffic’, while also providing a handy satellite navigation service (turn-by-turn voice navigation).

Not only that, but the Windows Phone Dev Podcast – which featured Windows Phone 7 director Brandon Watson as a guest – announced that a new function called Bing Audio will be featured in the new updates. If you’re familiar with Shazam, you’ll know that it’s able to recognise music and tell you that artists, track and album. Bing Audio will do just that, whilst also being able to sell users the tracks through Zune.

Next, Bing Vision – it’ll use your smartphone’s camera to read barcodes and do optical character recognition, while it may also offer support for augmented reality apps. Updates may also include voice-to-text for SMS messages, allowing users to send texts without the need to type. All in all, Windows Phone 7 has an exciting future ahead of it – and we can’t wait to try out the new updates. Watch this space.

Further reading:

Winning with Watson Windows Phone will beat Android Mobile IE 9 review Nokia and Microsoft partnership

Image courtesy of Expansys