Below 18 Bloggers

Hi friends,
Blog4Info moving onto a new step. We are planning to make a list of all the bloggers below 18 around the world. Let us together work to promote our young blogs. All the bloggers below 18 are requested to post your name, blog address and date of birth in the comments form.

Hope everything works fine. Wait for more.....

Bon Voyage

Apple overtakes Microsoft as biggest tech company

Apple Inc shot past Microsoft Corp as the world's biggest tech company based on market value on Wednesday, the latest milestone in the resurgence of the maker of the iPhone, which nearly went out of business in the 1990s.
Apple's shares rose as much 2.8 per cent on Nasdaq on Wednesday, as Microsoft shares floundered, briefly pushing its market value above $229 billion, ahead of its longtime rival.
Both stocks ended down after a late-day sell-off, but Apple emerged ahead with a market value of about $222 billion, compared with Microsoft's $219 billion, according to Reuters data.
Apple shares closed down 0.4 per cent at $244.11 on Nasdaq, while Microsoft fell 4 per cent to a seven-month low of $25.01.
Shares of Apple are worth more than 10 times what they were 10 years ago, as it has profited from revolutionizing consumer electronics with its stylish, easy to use products such as the iPod, iPhone and MacBook laptops.
The last time Apple had a higher market value than Microsoft was Dec. 19, 1989, according to Thomson Reuters Datastream.
Microsoft, whose operating system runs on more than 90 percent of the world's personal computers, has not been able to match growth rates from its hey-day 1990s. Its stock is down 20 per cent from 10 years ago.
Apple, which struggled for many years to get its products into the mainstream, resorted to a $150 million investment from the much larger Microsoft in 1997 in order to keep it afloat. At that time, Microsoft's market value was more than five times that of Apple.
Microsoft still leads Apple in sales. In the latest quarter, Microsoft reported $14.5 billion in revenue compared with Apple's $13.5 billion.
Cupertino, California-based Apple is now the second-largest company on the Standard & Poor's 500 index by market value, behind energy behemoth Exxon Mobil Corp.
Thanks: gulfnews.com

Gmail favorite for Spammers and Hackers- Beware!

Hi friends,
Recently I received a mail from the address: verifyscieces@gmail.com, stating that the gmail database has been in congestion and would like to update their database. Thus they want me to send them my personal details such as password, date of birth, location etc.



Below is the content of the mail:
"Due to congestion in our database system, We have come to realize that your account information on our database system are out of date, as a result of that we require you to verify your Information. Failure to verify your information will result in account suspension. If you are still interested in using our email service, Please click the reply button and fill the below spaces as requested.
User name:
Password:
Birthday:
Location:

Note: This email is only for Gmail users.
Thank you for using Gmail !
The Gmail Team"


This is the first time I am receiving such a mail, in the name of gmail group. What I have understood from my knowledge is that gmail never sends mails asking for your personal data. Thus I marked it as spam.

I request all my readers to be alert and do not provide any personal information in any sites or mails. Have you ever experienced similar problems? Write to us through replies.

Facebook and YouTube now banned in Pakistan

The Pakistani government temporarily blocked Facebook and YouTube due to what it describes as sacrilegious content. A Facebook group encouraging the submission of images of Muhammad ignited protests throughout Pakistan, leading to a ruling that blocks the social network until May 31. Facebook responded to the incident with a cautious statement, while a Facebook group opposing the original group is attracting attention.

The Pakistani government temporarily blocked in-country access to YouTube May 20, a day after barring Facebook, and accused both Websites of sacrilege, following protests across Pakistan in reaction to a Facebook group titled, "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!"

That Facebook group asked users to draw and submit images of the Prophet Muhammad on May 20. "We are not trying to slander the average Muslim, it's not a Muslim/Islam hate page," the group's moderator wrote. "We simply want to show the extremists that threaten to harm people because of their Muhammad depictions that we're not afraid of them."

Some 99,754 people had clicked to "Like" the Facebook group by the afternoon of May 20 (At the same time 106,781 people have liked the group against this). In Pakistan, however, anger over the depictions of the prophet—forbidden by Islamic code—led to the blocking of not only Facebook, but also YouTube for a few hours.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority cited "growing sacrilegious contents" as the reason to act against YouTube,according to the Associated Press, as well as "derogatory material" on both the video-sharing site and Facebook. By midday May 20, though, the Wall Street Journal reported that the ban against YouTube had been lifted, apparently after unspecified offensive material was removed.

The ban on Facebook will stay in place until May 31, according to a Pakistani High Court ruling. Reactions within Pakistan seem mixed, according to news reports, with many suggesting that the specific Facebook group should have been banned instead of the entire Website; but other opinions range across the spectrum.

"Such malicious and insulting attacks hurt the sentiments of Muslims around the world and cannot be accepted under the garb of freedom of expression," Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Basit told the Associated Press May 20, in reference to the Facebook group.

Facebook's response to the matter seemed cautious:
"While the content does not violate our terms, we do understand it may not be legal in some countries," the social networking site said in a statement widely disseminated online. "In cases like this, the approach is sometimes to restrict certain content from being shown in specific countries."

Meanwhile, a Facebook group titled, "Against Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!" had been "Liked" by more than 106,781 people. This shows that the majority is against this group. So the justice is to block this group.

Non Latin Domain names now "ON"

Arab nations are leading a "historic" charge to make the world wide web live up to its name.


Net regulator Icann has switched on a system that allows full web addresses that contain no Latin characters.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the first countries to have so-called "country codes" written in Arabic scripts.
The move is the first step to allow web addresses in many scripts including Chinese, Thai and Tamil.
More than 20 countries have requested approval for international domains from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann).
It said the new domains were "available for use now" although it admitted there was still some work to do before they worked correctly for everyone. However, it said these were "mostly formalities".
Previously, websites could use some non-Latin letters, but the country codes such as .eg for Egypt had to be written in Latin script.
The three new suffixes will allow web addresses to be completely written in native characters...
The Emirates country code is امارات.
"All three are Arabic script domains, and will enable domain names written fully right-to-left," said Kim Davies of Icann in a blog post.
Egypt's communication and information technology minister Tarek Kamal told the Associated Press that three Egyptian companies were the first to receive registrar licences for the '.masr' domain, written in Arabic. But I couldn't find the site live.
More information in future posts.....

Fiber Optic Technology Successful - UAE


Hi friends,
It is really exciting to know that the Fiber Optic Technology is successful in UAE. UAE's Abu-Dhabi is supposed to be the world's number one city to be fully connected with fiber optic cables to the home.

What is optical fibre?
An optical fiber is made up of the core (carrying the light pulses), the cladding (reflecting the light pulses back into the core) and the buffer coating (protecting the core and cladding from moisture, damage, etc). Together, all of this creates a fiber optic which can carry up to 10 million messages at any time using light pulses. 

What is fiber optic communication?
Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of light through an optical fiber. The light forms an electromagnetic carrier wave that is modulated to carry information.

I am not aware whether the upgrade to fiber optic for the existing customers are free of cost or charged. I have not received the upgrade yet. But have witnessed it in many places. 
At the same time there are lots and lots of questions arising among the users. They include: 
  • Will the internet be faster? 
  • Will the service be cheaper? 
  • Will it be more efficient?
We cant answer all these questions now. Once I am onto it, I will try to answer all these questions. At the same time I will try to contact "Etisalat" for all these doubts. 

Bon Voyage. Wait for more updates.  

Misusing Blogger Addresses

Hi readers,

Today I am onto a very sad issue faced by the bloggers around the world. As you all know blogger is a free blogging platform, which is utilized by millions of people. Most of the "hot" addresses in blogger have been already registered, this is a happy news, but most of them are not using the addresses well and some of them don't even touch it.


As you all know the Fifa World Cup 2010 is approaching, less than a month left. There are many bloggers around the world trying to blog about the world's greatest football tournament. But the sad side is that, there aren't any suitable blog addresses available.


For example some of the misused blog addresses based on Fifa World Cup are:
http://fifaworldcup2010.blogspot.com/ - 0 Posts
http://worldcup2010.blogspot.com/     - 0 Posts
http://fifa2010.blogspot.com/               - 0 posts
http://fifaworldcup.blogspot.com/         - 0 Posts
http://worldcup.blogspot.com/             - Last post on Sunday, July 21, 2002
http://fifa.blogspot.com/                      - Last post on Monday, July 01, 2002 


If these blog addresses are used by deserved bloggers, lots and lots of latest Fifa World Cup buzz would have bashed into the internet. But all these addresses are just wasted. 


Why cant Google have a look on the misused blogger addresses? Why cant they remove these kind of misused registrations?  These type of misused addresses are there in all groups of addresses. Eg: technology, gadgets, nature, mankind, science etc etc.


I hereby request Google to take necessary steps on this issue and help the blogging community.


Are you facing the same trouble? Would like to say more? Start replying.

3G technology gets old, get your 4G now!


New technology allows real time video streaming

For consumers just getting used to 3G technology on their mobiles, along comes 4G.

Motorola steals the show at Shanghai World Expo and unveils latest technology that allows full-time video streaming on mobile devices

Long-gone is the time when mobile phones were simply that — a means to make a phone call or text someone.
Then came phones with cameras, then phones which allowed you to play your MP3 collection, listen to radio, then find out where your are, and watch videos when you want. And you can still make a call if you're not too busy watching videos.
To be hip, the mobile on your hip has to a smartphone, capable of having the functionality of a PC, flexible enough to be a video and audio entertainment centre and send and receive data.
"Above all, it has to be pocketable," said Mohommad Ahktar, corporate vice-president and general manager for Motorola's network divisions in the Asia-Pacific region.
"It has to be smaller than 4 and a half inches and has to be able to fit comfortably in your pocket," he added.
"That's a lot to ask for in a single device. People want their smartphones to be able to do all things. Most people now have a smartphone when they travel and a PC at home. It's really the culmination of mobile phone and mobile computing technology."
Impressive results
Akhtar's parent company is enjoying impressive results from its mobile phone sales, expecting to sell between 12 and 14 million of the devices alone this year.
Driven by strong sales of its Google Android-powered smartphones, Motorola turned in impressive first quarter results with net earnings of $69 million (Dh253.4 million) and generating positive operating cash flow of $485 million.
But with so many providers of handsets, the challenge isn't in providing mobiles; it's ensuring networks will have the ability to service growth and have the capacity to provide full data streaming.
And that's where Motorola's expertise is vital.
While consumers are still coming to grips with 3G technology, Motorola is using the Shanghai World Expo to unveil its 4G service.
Some 100 million visitors are expected at the $60 billion expo showcasing the latest technologies and national pavilions from nearly 200 countries. The expo started May 1 and runs through to the end of October.
So what's the difference between 3G and 4G technology? Night and day, simply put.
"3G networks opened the door to video streaming. 4G delivers full-time video streaming capabilities." said Bruce Brda, Motorola's vice-president for networks.
Using its TD-LTE technology, Motorola used the expo to demonstrate the potential of 4G. LTE stands for Long Term Evolution and allows for full wireless broadband streaming similar to that of fixed-line bandwidth.
A single TD-LTE dongle plugged into a laptop USB is capable of downloading 24 video streams at the same time. A dongle is a device similar to an oversized USB data storage key but about the size of a business card.
"No one is going to be able to watch 24 videos at once," Brda said.
"But our TD-LTE technology provides the capacity for full-time video streaming on mobile devices. We're proving that our TD-LTE technology provides broadband capacity to make that happen."
To drive home the point, Motorola's TD-LTE technology was installed on a modified Segway scooter, allowing for full-time video streaming on a laptop picking up the broadband stream via a USB dongle while also transmitting a live video stream to monitors.
In Japan, mobile provider KDDI has already selected LTE for the rollout of its 4G service.
"Consumers will be able to watch videos when and where they want. 4G technology is a commercial reality and LTE is the global standard," Akhtar said.
According to Ahktar, switching to 4G will fully implement the promise brought by the latest generation of smartphones.
"We have shown that 4G is a reality now," he said.
"You can stream and watch videos or process huge volumes of data over wireless broadband networks," he added.
"What is significant is that this technology opens the door for telecommunications providers to be able to offer very [cost-effective] data plans and packages to consumers; it opens the pipes to be able to supply huge amounts of data at a much cheaper rate then before. For consumers, this is a huge step forward."
By opening the pipes, Ahktar means that the capacity to supply huge streams of data more quickly is now possible, all with the TD-LTD technology.
But isn't there a fear that consumers will become fatigued with the quick pace of change.
"I think consumers have been fatigued by the fact that smartphones promise the potential to do so much," Ahktar said.
"What 4G does is to enable service providers to be able to deliver huge volumes of data, unleashing the full potential of the smartphones in attractively-price data plans. That's a win-win for providers and for consumers."
What is WiMAX?
WiMAX stands for Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access. Basically, it's an effective and proven means to provide advanced broadband access in fixed and mobile environments.
Is it different that WiFi?
Yes. It provides greater range because it can use more bandwidths, mostly in the 2.5-3.5 Gigahertz range.
Is it better than WiFi?
Absolutely. It is compatible with WiFi but has a wider range and is cheaper to deploy, bringing better wireless and broadband access to areas where it wasn't economical before.
Why is WiMAX important?
WiMAX technology as developed by Motorola has some 70 per cent commonality with LTE technology used for the latest 4G systems being rolled out.
In essence, the technology bridged the gap between 2G and the new 4G platforms, essentially making the existing 3G technology a stop-gap measure.
It's cheaper to deploy, tried and true and shows the possibilities of widespread wireless broadband regardless of the density of users or the environment.
Is WiMAX in Dubai?
Yes. Recently, for example, Motorola and du have tied up to provide a WiMAX network on Dubai Metro, providing mobile connectivity on train carriages and in Metro stations.

Secure your wireless network!

Hi,
Here are some ways to secure wireless network. (optimized for U.A.E)



1st Step: Secure your wireless network with a password.
The first step is to secure your wireless network with a password, WEP is recommended. Change the wireless network password provided by the network provider.


To change the password (in UAE): 

  • Type http://192.168.1.1 on the address bar.
  • Select wireless from the top menu bar.
  • Select security from the left menu bar.
  • In the password column type the desired password.
  • Now press the save button.
  • Then press the restart router button at the bottom.  

Step 2: Find if somebody is using your wireless network
Finding if somebody is using your network is very simple. See whether the LED named "wireless" is blinking in your router.(first disable wireless connection in your computer)
If it is blinking, that means that somebody is using your network.

Step 3: Block the mac address of the trespasser
To find the mac address of the intruder and block them: 

  • Type: 102.168.1.1 in  your address bar.
  • Select wireless from top menu bar.
  • Select Manage from the left menu bar.
  • Select Associated Stations from the middle of the page.
  • Copy the mac address of the computer connected to tour network.
  • Select Access List from the middle of the page.
  • Tick enable access list
  • Select Ban
  • Enter the mac address
  • Now restart your router.


Hope this post will help you secure your network.

What if an iPad 3G Gets Microwaved

If you've ever wanted to see an iPad microwaved, you can thank Dovetastic Microwave Theater for making your dreams come true. Dovetastic runs a YouTube channel, which provides videos of various items being microwaved, and the latest is an iPad - and not just an iPad, but the new 3G 64GB iPad. 


This is not the first time we've seen the destruction of an iPad in a YouTube video, but I haven't seen one microwaved until this point. Some will call these people names like "imbeciles", but it is clear that Dovetastic takes its work seriously. It calls itself a "performance art website subsidiary of Perfectlymadebirds Co.




In case you're wondering what Perfectlymadebirds Co. is, it's an eBay shop that claims to have "the largest selection of doll eyes on Ebay at low prices." They also have various Quizno's kitchen equipment listed, and of course, the Microwaved iPad itself, which currently has 14 bids, and is up to $132.49. 




Interesting!

I think my favorite comment involving iPad and microwaving is totally unrelated to the microwaving of this iPad. @Daking75 on Twitter says, "The ipad needs to microwave burritos then I will buy one!!"

On a related note, Apple has sold over a million iPads in a month. I'd be curious to know how many of them have been destroyed.



Thanks: webpronews, Dovetastic Microwave Theater. 

Yahoo CEO: "Google Is Going To Have A Problem"



Dear readers,
Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz told Jonathan Fildes, "Google is going to have a problem because Google is only known for search.  It is only half our business; it's 99.9% of their business.  They've got to find other things to do."

Do you think that this statement is correct? Post your ideas and stand as comments!

Blog4Info Comments on these words:
According to Wikipedia (Recognized encyclopedia): The revenue of Yahoo US$6.460 billion (2009), which has fallen down these days, where as Google's revenue is US$23.651 billion (2009), which has risen these days. 

So that the statement that Yahoo is more stable is irrelevant. 
And according to Alexa: Google has traffic rank of "1" and Yahoo has traffic rank of "4". 

Hope you got a clear picture of the situation!

Sites for "SSLC" results!


Please visit the below websites for the SSLC (Kerala Syllabus) exam results. (to be published on 03/05/10)


My best wishes for all the examinees. 

Blog4Info