Meet the Future with Google Glass

There has been quite a lot of talking on the web about Google Glass but some people still have failed to get the hang of it. Here we’ll go through the basics & every other thing related to the hyped product.

What are Google Glasses?

Google Glasses is Google’s take at wearable computing. Like you might have seen in various science fiction movies.

Google Glasses consist of a frame made almost like that of a normal spectacle but is a lot more technical. A screen on the glasses that will display an interface from where you’ll be able to carry out various functions. This video will help you know more about the interface and how the whole thing works.

Check below video to have an idea of the capabilities of Google Glasses

 

The hardware and connectivity

The right side of the frame boasts a touchpad. The part of the glass behind your ears is where the battery is placed. The front part has a camera but more importantly a small, transparent screen which acts like a display.

Inside the frame, there’s a CPU, RAM, a mic and a speaker. The glasses will have motion sensors. They will most-probably support 3G and 4G connections and also GPS. They’ll be Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatible with Android smartphones.

How do they work and what can they do?

The OS running on the glasses will be Android. You will be able to scroll through the interface just by moving your head around and by voice input.

The Glasses will allow you to make voice and video calls, plan routes, know about the places in your surroundings, play music, taking photos (and sharing them through G+), remind you of your time-table & about the weather, send messages and a lot more.

Google Glasses will make the world around you interactive. Google is also working on a special pair of glasses for people who already wear glasses.

Live Demo of Google Glass

I am sure you wouldn’t want to miss this live demo of Google Glasses at Google I/O event in which number of Skydivers and stunt bikers performed together hanging out of Google Plus wearing Google Glasses.

 

The bad

Some trade-offs will have to be made. The glasses will be available at a price comparable to that of a high-end smartphone, so don’t expect them to come cheap. Also lets hope that the glasses won’t have any troubles in recognizing your voice and accent.

Hopefully the camera will not be as blurry as the one shown at Google I/O 2012 by the Skydivers (but we’ve got to admit that was an extreme test). Also a pair of glasses should be made with a screen on the left side of the glasses for people with more-capable left eye. But worst of all, the glasses can be dangerous too.

They can distract you from your surroundings during operation. This can cause accidents on roads where the user can be distracted.

And of course, the people on the road (who will be unable to see the glass) will get the impression that you are talking to the surroundings. Also expect the glasses to display advertisements as well.

Availability

Google co-founder Sergery Brin said that he ‘expects’ the glasses to be available some time next year but wasn’t very sure when they’ll be released. So expect the glasses to be released in 2014.

This means you’ll have to wait for quite a time but the glasses are only in their developing stage now. The developers who’ve been to the Google I/O can pre-order the glasses for $1500 and will get them early next year. But they’ll be far from the final product too and the experience won’t be very good.

The Verdict

Google glasses is an extra-ordinary idea which seems to be really advanced and from the future. But the product will come with some disadvantages. And will the glasses work as good in Pakistan as they will in the US? I don’t think so. We can only hope the end product to be cheap, user-friendly and of course useable

Microsoft Jumps into Tablet Business – Announces Surface and Surface

Monday saw Microsoft coming into the tablet business directly challenging Apple’s iPad. Microsoft announced 2 tablets, in fact two versions of same tablets with variation in specifications. Surface which is a lower-end tablet and Surface Pro is said to be a higher-end tablet.

Those who had the chance to experience Windows Surface tablets in a press event yesterday are throwing positive reviews about the hardware as well as for software.

Analysts are calling these two tabs a new era in mobile computing.

Here are the specs of the both tablets:

Surface

• Windows RT operating system
• Weight: 676 grams
• Nvidia Tegra ARM CPU
• 10.6 inch display
• Thickness: 9.3mm
• 32/64 Gb versions
• MicroSD card slot
• MicroHD video
• USB 2.0
• 2×2 MIMO Wifi antennae
• Battery 31.5 W-h
• Front and rear facing HD cameras
• Kickstand

Surface Pro

• Windows 8 operating system
• Weight 903 grams
• Intel Core i5 CPU
• 10.6 inch display
• Thickness: 13.5mm
• 64/128 Gb versions
• MicroSDXC card slot
• USB 3.0
• Micro DisplayPort video
• 2×2 MIMO Wifi antennae
• Battery 42 W-h
• Front and rear facing HD cameras
• Kickstand

Microsoft also announced the Touch cover and Type cover. Both are keyboards that attach to the tablet. Type cover is a 5mm thick keyboard with physical buttons and trackpad while Touch cover is a 3mm thick keyboard with no physical keys and trackpad.

Microsoft remained quite on pricing and availability but its expected this fall, sometime after tha release of Windows 8.

 

 

Will iPhone 5 Look Like This? Confirmed Leak Pictures

Will it be the return of the King of phones or will Samsung continue to dominate the smartphone market? There is no doubt that in recent times, Samsung has given a whole new taste and dimension to smart phones and has therefore stood out as the leader in technology. But Apple will certainly try to maintain its position as the “smartphone leader”. However, this will not be possible, unless Apple manages to include some “WoW” features in their upcoming device to regain its popularity.

In recent times, we have seen many designs and concepts of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5, including the famous iPhone 5 LiquidMetal concept. But now we have got some confirmed (from various sources) leak pictures and a video regarding iPhone 5 shape and design.

Looking at the shape and size, Apple has focused on enlarging the display and reducing the thickness of phone. Moreover, the back of the phone has been replaced with some metal brushed coating. The design has more or less a resemblance to its predecessors.

Although these are dubbed as “confirmed leak” images of the iPhone 5, we cannot be sure of their originality. We can’t say if Apple will carry the same design or will there be some changes in the final product. For now watch the gallery of this leaked design and stay tuned for more updates.

Facebook Mobile Ads Are Clicked 13X More, Earn 11X More Money Than Its Desktop Ads

How will Facebook monetize mobile? Its organic-seeming Sponsored Stories ad format may be the answer. Mobile Sponsored Stories are getting over 13 times the click-through rates and earn 11.2 times the money per impression (eCPM) on mobile compared to all of Facebook’s desktop ads, and 1.93 times the CTR and 2.65 times the eCPM of Sponsored Stories on the web in the two weeks since Facebook began selling them separate from web ads.

The data comes from new studies by TBG Digital, AdParlor, and Spruce Media, three of Facebook’s biggest Ads API partners that help brands buy ads. Since Sponsored Stories slip into content feeds so seamlessly, Facebook may actually be better equipped to handle the shift to mobile advertising than other web-first tech companies. Let’s check out the early proof.

Much of the doubt surrounding Facebook’s IPO came from evidence that the social network’s user base was shifting away from the web to mobile, where Facebook only began testing ads in February. On the web users are shown up to seven ads per page and some spend big sums on social games, but on mobile they’re only shown a couple of ads per day and few pay for games on Facebook’s HTML5 gaming platform.

Fears about Facebook’s mobile future are partly to blame for its share price sinking from its $38 opening to around $31.50 today. But earlier this month, Facebook began allowing advertisers to specify that they wanted their ads only shown on mobile, and now the world is getting its first deep look at how Facebook mobile ads perform. The results could make investors more optimistic.

TBG Digital’s CEO Simon Mansell tells me “this is huge news that show mobile is potentially going to be the big revenue driver that Facebook needs, especially because the usage in there.” Here’s the results of two data sets shared exclusively with TechCrunch plus more confirmations from the ad industry.

Facebook Ads Performance: Mobile vs Web

According to a new study by TBG Digital on 278,389,453 Sponsored Story ad impressions across 17 clients, mobile news feed Sponsored Stories (the only ads Facebook shows on mobile) have a stunning click-through rate of 1.14% at a $0.86 CPC. That means Facebook earns $9.86 per 1000 impressions (eCPM), and that could actually rise as more advertisers realize the power of mobile Sponsored Stories and compete for impressions there.

Compare those numbers to the desktop news feed Sponsored Stories that get a 0.588% CTR at $0.63 CPC and earn Facebook an eCPM of $3.72, and Facebook is getting 1.93x the CTR and earning 2.65x as much on mobile sponsored stories compared to what it makes on the web.

And look at Facebook’s desktop ads as a whole, including both Sponsored Stories and the traditional sidebars ads. They’re getting just 0.083% CTR at a $0.88 CPC earning Facebook an eCPM of only $0.74, so mobile Sponsored Stories have 13.7X the CTR and earn Facebook 11.2x as much as its combined desktop ad offering.

Meanwhile, a quick look at a campaign in the tends of thousands of dollars by AdParlor showed that mobile ads have a CTR of 0.821% while traditional Facebook ad campaigns that mostly show up in the web sidebar with some presence in the web and mobile news feed had a CTR of regular ads have a CTR of just 0.032%. That’s a 25x better CTR on mobile. The campaign at gaining new fans for a Facebook page, and while the click-to-fan conversion rate on mobile was slightly worse – 55% on mobile versus 72% across placements – the improved in CTR makes up for it many times over.

Other sources in the ad industry confirm the high performance of Facebook mobile ads. Another Ads API giant Spruce Media told MediaPost that its tests with Facebook mobile sponsored stories have seen click-through rates from .8% to 1.7%, the same range as TBG Digital and AdParlor. This doesn’t seem like users are just clicking the relatively new, three month old ad units out of curiosity. It looks like users are actually perceiving them as content, and are clicking through to learn more about the Pages and apps their friends interact with.

Cracking The Code For Mobile Ads

Attaining such a high click-through rate for mobile Sponsored Stories is game-changing for Facebook, because there’s simply not as much room for it or any service to advertise on mobile.

There’s no space for an ads sidebar and if far too many ads are injected into the content feed, users could get angry and stop browsing. But the impressively high CTR and eCPM mean Facebook doesn’t have to show too many Sponsored Stories to make a ton of money off of them.

And advertisers are lining up to buy them, says AdParlor CEO Hussein Fazal, “By allowing advertisers to show ads only on mobile – Facebook is definitely going to be able to generate more revenue. We have seen a ton of interest from advertisers who want to advertise just on mobile.”

Other social sites like Google+ and Twitter don’t have the scale, social graph, or on-site activity to serve Sponsored Stories that are as effective as Facebook’s. While Twitter and G+’s interest graph can power accurate ad targeting, only Facebook know who your closest friends are thanks to photo tags, wall posts, messages, and more. Its massive time-on-site also produces lots of interactions with brands and local businesses that can be turned into Sponsored Stories ads.

And Facebook is just getting started. Sources say it’s working on a hyper-local mobile ad targeting product that could serve extremely relevant local business ads to users within a few hundred feet of a brick and mortar store. Thanks to the new Facebook Exchange real-time bidding system, Facebook could drive up CPC or CPM prices by getting advertisers to compete to reach specific mobile users, including ones who’ve been retargeted after visiting sites that indicate purchase intent.

Legality is one of the last hurdles to the success of Sponsored Stories. Facebook settled a class-action lawsuit in California last week for using people’s likenesses in ads. It doesn’t currently offer an opt out for Sponsored Stories, but may eventually have to. Still, the setting would likely be buried deep enough to avoid too many people turning the offer the money-maker.

In the last two weeks, Facebook’s stock price has climbed nearly 20%, regaining a big chunk of what it lost since the IPO. Those who bought in at the bottom are looking wiser now. High mobile Sponsored Story CTRs indicate at least some users don’t hate the ads, and wouldn’t rebel if they see more.

Now Facebook has to strike the right balance of how many mobile ads to show. If it succeeds, it could walk the tightrope of the shift to mobile, end up a very rich company on the other side, and generate the returns that so many have hoped for.

Pakistan to Have 10 Million Facebook Users by 2013 [Infographic]

Pakistan will have 10 million Facebook users by 2013, said an inforgraphic published by B Solutions, a social media strategy company.

B solutions projected that estimated number of Facebook users in Pakistan will cross 10 million mark by 2013, which are currently reported to be around 6.4 million users.

Infographic said that 18-24 years of age group constitutes a total of 51 percent users on Facebook from Pakistan. Overall there are 69 percent male users as compared to 31 percent female Facebook users in Pakistan.

Check following infographic for further details:

Apple Introduces iOS 6………:)

Today at Apple’s WWDC keynote, far and away the most exciting product announced has to be refreshed and replenished mobile operating system. The days of iOS 6 are upon us, and the platter of 200 new features Apple is serving up is more than enough to make any fanboi’s mouth water.

Up until now, we’d swallowed down a hearty rumor stew, complete with trusted source claims, leaked beta sites, rumors, and pure speculation. We’ve more-than expected Apple Maps, iCloud features, and Facebook integration, but the rumor mill had taken us further than that, with hopes of Siri APIs, Siri for iPad, and even deeper customization, with live apps not unlike the live tiles seen in Windows Phone’s metro UI.

So which dreams came true, and which will be left for later generations of the software?

All that after the break (and I’ll be updating as the announcement is made so be sure to hit refresh).

New Siri Abilities:

• Siri pulls in sports info from Yahoo, allowing you to get game updates.
• Sports include Football, Baseball, Basketball, and possibly more. Those were the sports demoed.
• Siri has also gotten better at restaurant/Yelp integration, offering average price per menu item, reviews and Yelp rating.
• Siri also partnered with Rotten Tomatoes to watch trailers, etc.
• You can ask for “movies with Scarlett Johansen” or “movies playing at the HERP DERP theater.
• And the moment we’ve all been waiting for: Siri can launch apps. Simply say something like “Play Temple Run.
• Siri will also let you Tweet by voice.
• Siri may come packaged nicely in a button on some car’s steering wheels. Brands include BMW, GM, Land Rover, Audi, and Honda, among many more.

Some Thoughts: The fact that Siri is tapping into other apps to launch, and playing so nicely with Twitter leads us to believe that Siri APIs aren’t far off, even if Apple doesn’t announce them today. That’s clearly the direction we’re headed in.

Siri for iPad:

• Siri is now available on the iPad.
• You can access Siri by hold-tapping the home button on the iPad.
• Siri only takes up a small portion of the bottom half of the screen, popping up with rounded corners and the same blue linen finish as on the iPhone version.

Some Thoughts: We always knew Siri would make her way over to the iPad. We just didn’t know when. But alas, today is the day. Unfortunately, most users report that their main tasks for Siri involved placing a call or setting a reminder. Email, which should come in handy on the iPad, seems split down the middle with around a quarter of users saying they email with Siri daily, and another 30 percent saying they don’t use Siri for email at all. That said, watching how people use Siri on a tablet rather than a phone should prove interesting.

Facebook Integration:

• Facebook is now a baked-in part of iOS
• Just sign-in once through settings and everything is set up
• You can share photos, links, maps, iTunes links, and Game Center content.
• Maybe and RSVPed Facebook Events are automatically added to Calendar
• Birthdays, too.
• Phone numbers will appear in Contacts list.

Some Thoughts: Facebook and Apple have always shared a happy relationship. But with Tim Cook’s loaded “stay tuned,” at D10 this year, we more than expected a marriage between the two companies.

Considering that it was beneficial for Twitter to be baked in to iOS 5 (with three times the sign-ups), Facebook will surely enjoy getting in on that fun.

Plus, Facebook won’t have to spend as much time, energy or resources on its Facebook app as usage will slowly be divided between the app and the operating system. Win for everyone.

New Phone app:

• The app will set a reminder to call someone back if you don’t want to pick up when they’re calling.
• You can choose to send a message instead of pick up the call.
• Geo-fence feature allows you to be reminded to call someone when you leave a certain area.
• DO NOT DISTURB feature: Lets you tell your phone not to bother you with alerts or badges. Messages come through but there is no alert paired with its delivery.
• A little like Mail VIPs, the DO NOT DISTURB feature lets you assign certain contacts to let through during DO NOT DISTURB mode.
• Two calls in a row will be sent through, in case of emergencies.

FaceTime over Wireless:

• FaceTime has long been a Wifi-only experience, but iOS 6 brings it to wireless status.
• You will have a unifying phone number and Apple ID for FaceTime, as well as Messages.

Safari/iCloud Tabs:

• iCloud Tabs will work in Safari only. (Duh.)
• The feature does not automatically synchronize browser tabs at all times. Instead, it offers a synchronized list of tabs open across all iDevices.
• The feature is exclusive to OS X Mountain Lion and iOS 6

Tags: apple, iOS 6, iphone, wwdc

6.5 Million LinkedIn Passwords Reportedly Leaked, LinkedIn Is “Looking Into” It

If you’re a LinkedIn user, do yourself a favor and change your password right now — according to a new report from Dagens IT, nearly 6.5 million encrypted LinkedIn passwords were recently dumped onto a Russian hacker forum.

The news comes right on the heels of yet another user security kerfuffle, as the most recent LinkedIn for iOS update was found to transmit users’ meeting notes back to LinkedIn servers without their permission.

Of the millions of passwords dumped, Dagen IT claims that nearly 300,000 of them have been decrypted so far and that number seems sure to grow as users spread that hefty file around.

The passwords are stored as unsalted SHA-1 hashes, and multiple reports on Twitter indicate that users have found their own hashes buried in the massive text dump. While unsalted hashes are much less secure than their salted brethren, it still takes a non-trivial amount of time to decrypt unless a user opted to use a common dictionary word as their password. It’s currently unknown whether or not the email addresses that correspond to those passwords have also been dumped, though if they are in someone’s possession, they apparently don’t feel like sharing.

Considering that LinkedIn reported back in February that 150 million people use the professional networking service (a number that has certainly grown since then), the breach represents a relatively small number of users. Though chances are slim that you yourself are personally affected — 6.5 million people makes up less than 5% of LinkedIn’s userbase — those odds seem unlikely to assuage the concerns of people who are.

For what it’s worth, LinkedIn has just acknowledged that they are aware of these reports, though their most recent tweet doesn’t offer up any additional information:

UPDATE: LinkedIn has just taken to Twitter again to say that after a bit of investigation, they are “still unable to confirm that any security breach has occurred.” Stay tuned for further updates.

 

Facebook removes Google Chrome from supported browsers

Facebook maintains a list of supported browsers (which isn’t that popular) which officially states all the browsers that Facebook runs perfectly on. Google Chrome, which has so far been on that list, is now removed for it, without any reasons given out by Facebook.

The list mentions Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Opera. If you visit the page in Chrome, Facebook greets you with the message – “You are using a web browser that we don’t support”.

If there must be any reason behind this, it must be because of Facebook planning to acquire Operaand that Google(Chrome) , one of the rivals of Opera, would also become a rival of Facebook. So, it would only seem sensible for Facebook to remove Google’s browser – Chrome, from the list of supported browsers.

Whatever Facebook is doing, looks like it just started a fresh war with Google.

Angry Imran Makes it to Android Store

Angry Imran, an android game – inspired by Angry Bird – has hit android store.

Game is apparently a satirical work where players have use Angry Imran to kick other politicians out of screen to clear levels.

Scope of game is limited and you might not enjoy the luxury of features offered in Angry Birds, but it is a fascinating game I would say (as far as game is concerned), however, it might get negative reviews from players having anti-Imran sentiments.

Though Brain freeze, the developer of the game, said that they aren’t associate or affiliated with any political party, but fact remains the same that its Pro-Imran game. In fact game intro says:

Imran’s Tsunami in the Android Store!

Angry Imran is a game whose main theme is inspired from Angry Birds. This is the result of a request from a group of friends. It is a tribute to the emerging leader of Pakistan, Mr. Imran Khan.

Angry Imran is compatible with all Android devices. Developers said that Angry Imran is currently in beta, hence we can expect more levels, features and enhancement in Angry Imran in coming days.

Grab your copy of Angry Imran by clicking this link (Game is free)

Check below few screens from Angry Imran:

FIRST HARD DISK drive with 5 MB of storage.

This Picture was Taken in 1956.Thats a HARD DISK drive with 5 MB of storage. In September 1956, IBM launched the 305 RAMAC, the first ‘SUPER’ computer with a hard disk drive (HDD). The HDD weighed over a ton and stored 5 MB of data.