23 December 2013

5 Things We Learned About Online Security in 2013



nsaspying

The days of newscasters fretting the entire Internet might be shut down by a simple (but effective) computer worm are over, but that doesn’t mean that online security is no longer a worry. Threats have become more complex and, worse, are now coming from places that most would never expect – like the government. Here are 5 hard lessons we learned about online security in 2013. The Government Is Watching You… The biggest computer security talking point of 2013 was, of course, the revelation that portions of the United States government (primarily the National Security Agency) have been spying on...


Read the full article: 5 Things We Learned About Online Security in 2013



Teach Yourself Anything: 3 Ways To Create Your Own Learning Playlists



learning

The Internet is a fire hose. Whether it’s a casual browse or a conscious one, getting “drenched” is almost given. Fortunately, the same fire hose of information can quench your thirst for learning a new skill. Learning playlists are nothing but an organized way to collect the right resources in the form of articles, videos, links, images etc. in a semblance of order. Think of it as tying together all the information you find into a thread that helps you grasp it from the beginning to the end. Learning playlists are just as useful for flipped teaching as they are...


Read the full article: Teach Yourself Anything: 3 Ways To Create Your Own Learning Playlists



Make Windows 8.1 Apps Without Breaking A Sweat With Microsoft’s Project Siena



Windows8.1

Being an “app designer” is a trend that’s on the upswing. Microsoft is stoking the creative fire with Project Siena. Project Siena is designed to be a user-friendly way for everyone to build their own Windows 8.1 programs with the same knowhow that goes into using Microsoft PowerPoint or Microsoft Excel. Project Siena is also a “Metro” app, so you can just as easily use it on your Windows touch-enabled tablet. It is a 3.4 MB sized free download for Windows 8.1. Siena apps are all HTML5 and JavaScript, so they are easily extensible to any kind of use you...


Read the full article: Make Windows 8.1 Apps Without Breaking A Sweat With Microsoft’s Project Siena



Mobo Live - Fully Featured Android Launcher from Moborobo



Android is trending today of-course its going crazy because of wide range of features it offers. Android apps are one main thing and only reason that made to out rank it's competitors. From the millions of apps the most like is Android Launchers. Using android launchers we can customize your device the way you want. Here in this article we are introducing one best and fully featured Android launcher developed by Moborobo Team.



Read more »

Android and Google's Shifting Priorities



I've been reading Fred Vogelstein's book "Dogfight: How Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Revolution" (Amazon, Google Play) and realized that Android wasn't that important for Google until 2009-2010. It was an operating system designed to compete with Microsoft's Windows Mobile that ended up competing with Apple's iOS. Back in 2007 and 2008, Google's partnership with Apple was more important than Android, a project that was understaffed. Android only became important when Google realized that Apple's dominance in the mobile space could spell trouble for Google.






Here are some quotes:



1. "Gundotra was putting the Android team on the spot. “I said, 'Convince me that this [Android] is something we [Google] should believe in,' and I know they had never had anyone ask those questions, and it was tough for them. 'Who are you to ask these questions again?' they wondered.” A former senior member of the Android team echoed this feeling: “In the early days, Google Mobile [the team working with Apple on the iPhone] hated us. I mean, they thought we were the biggest pain in the ass in the world. I know Vic Gundotra [who now runs Google's competitor to Facebook, Google Plus] has come around and been a great advocate of Android, but he really hated it at first. He thought [Android] would be a distraction that would upset his relationship with Steve Jobs. There was a lot of butting of heads and arguments internally about strategy and things like that."



2. "The Jobs meeting was particularly difficult for Rubin, friends say. He was indeed as furious as Jobs described, and he almost quit Google over it. He understood what his bosses were saying intellectually. But Jobs had bullied him in front of his bosses, and they hadn't backed him up. For a while thereafter he had a sign on his office whiteboard that read STEVE JOBS STOLE MY LUNCH MONEY."



3. "Schmidt says today that not only had he and Jobs talked about Android, he'd made it clear to Jobs that in terms of Google priorities, iPhone came first. 'I think maybe Andy [Rubin] understood the importance of Android back then, but certainly the rest of Google did not. We were busy doing other things,' Schmidt said to me in 2011."



4. Eric Schmidt in 2011: "Larry and Sergey and I understood the strategic value of Android, but none of us I think foresaw how strategic it would become. Every once in a while a perfect storm occurs. Your competitors make some mistakes. You end up with the right product at the right time. There are really no other good choices of products. It all sort of happens in a moment. That's what happened with Android."