Google is set to invade the TV world with its new project called the Google TV. Google in association with Android OS system plans to provide television content to the viewer either by set top box or directly to TV sets provided that the software is integrated. Hence it is not long that our own DVD player and the LCD screen at our homes will serve as a web interface. Manufacturing companies nowadays are entering into the web based programming world by enabling them to plug into the internet. Hence Google wants to cash in on this booming sector by teaming up with these corporations to provide the platform for this kind of a set up through the Android platform. Although Google had attempted to enter this market, with products like Nexus One, Google Wave etc etc however it wasn’t a runaway success.

According to reports Google TV is to be used on an Android based Television software called Dragon Point. Also Google is hoping for collaborations with companies like Sony, Logitech and Intel which will allow the TV sets to directly access the content from the internet very easily.

Hence with the use of this new program the users can not only provide a completely new interface for the Television but most importantly it allows us to get all the latest audio and video content from the internet from certain online facilities.

This could allow certain web applications like online gaming and social networking along with widgets to be easily executed on these devices.

Intel is also working on scaled down versions of its processor Atom to work with the internet and integrate TV guides. This venture has certainly launched a new competition for the web programming industry.

Further more Google are reportedly trying to manufacture their line of set top boxes which will carry the application built in with it. Therefore with this, Google can convert our HDTV to an internet service interface providing all kinds of web search facilities and video of the highest quality.

Not will this new product allow Google to send their online ads to a huge number of people. For the consumer, this web based television allows them to choose more flexible payment options as compared to the usual satellite television bundles which makes them pay for all thee channels whether they want to or not.

What is good about this new venture is that the web television market still remains largely unexplored and if this one works, then Google is set to make a huge profit. Although many consumers are still unaware of this kind of latest technology and this is still a very niche market. Similarly this technology also has its own glitches. However Google has always been the innovator and if this web to TV based technology works out in their favor, this can totally change the face of the television as we know it. However it is true that what is needed to boost the user response in favor of this new technology is some kind of incentive or cost savings associated with the web to TV integration.

On April 12th, Adobe has officially launched Creative Suite 5 and is termed to be a leading breakthrough release tool for web design and development. It has a brand new component called the Adobe Flash Catalyst that gives you the utility to design content without the necessity of writing code and thus, enhancing the collaborative process between the web designer and the developer. Along with Adobe Flash Builder 4, it brings a host of creative tools to capture, analyze and store all the information that is generated by various websites and other associated sources. This is in fact a boon for the designers and developers.

Adobe CS was first released in September 2003 and since then, professionals and novices could never really get enough of it. The latest version, Adobe CS5 is highly impressive and the reviews of the same have started to trickle in from the day it was launched. Here are some of the best features that this software is offering for the design professionals:

Photography

Well this is in fact a Slam Dunk! This is the best that one can find in any designing software. With the help of CS5, one is able to remove a person or object from an image and then automatically fill in the space with the background color. Thus, you would no more have to follow the long process and get the same thing done with the click of your mouse. But there are limitations of this too and CS5 fails to get the same background filling job for a complex or cluttered background. It is better to opt for removing the components individually in case you have a cluttered or complex background.

The other great feature is the Puppet Warp tool. You can use this to set articulation points and rotate the image in a natural manner to bring in changes in the position.

Web Design

Whether you are newbie or an expert in web design, you can now jump-start your standards-based website design with updated and simplified CSS starter layouts in Dreamweaver CS5. Simply pick the layouts that are available in Welcome Screen and you are ready to go.

Adobe BrowserLab is integrated into Dreamweaver CS5 to allow you to view/test your web pages on different browsers.

Video

Adobe After Effects comes packed with Native 64-bit OS support which helps to make optimum use of your RAM. The new Roto Brush tool delivers rotoscoping results in a fraction of the time.

Aha and Oho! My Magic Mouse arrived a couple of hours ago via DHL express. Fantastic. I’d debated long and hard over adopting the mouse, having lost faith in Apple’s wireless mice due to having TWO of these faulty creatures. However, as with all things Apple, the Magic Mouse’s sleek shape and contemporary design was simply just too hard to resist. And there now it sits on my table, ergonomically shaped: handsome. Turn it over to reveal Apple’s famous stainless steel aluminum coat base.

Perhaps one of the best things about the Magic Mouse is it’s slim approach to hand support: short and low, making it feel decidedly more comfortable compared to Logitech’s arch-backed gaming mice. Another much improved feature of the Magic Mouse is its back metal plate covering the batteries that slides on and off easily enough but clicks firmly back into position with just a slight push. Perfect, compared to the Mighty Mouse which drove me up the wall every time I changed its batteries.

Arrival

Top & Base Profiles

The only set back is that you’ll have to get used to it, considering its rather awkward narrow profile. The trick is to “palm” the mouse, rather than resting your hand on it, and there you go! All in all, I’d have to agree that the Magic Mouse is undoubtedly Apple’s best mouse to date, both in terms of design and functionality. It’s multitouch controls correspond closely with the ones you might already be used to from a multi-touch enabled MacBook: drag one finger around on the surface without clicking to scroll in any direction, hold down control and drag to zoom in, or use two-fingered swipes to the right or left to navigate forward and back.

In Conclusion:

Pros:

• Absolutely handsome. Apple fans will love it.
• Very affordable.
• Ease of use: sleek, extremely smooth scrolling, and adds interactivity to web browsers and media.
• Intuitive one-fingered scrolling
• MUCH less annoying than the Mighty Mouse.

Cons:

• Would need some time getting used to due to its narrow shape
• Side-to-side swiping: IMPOSSIBLE
• Horizontal swiping: Arrrr…. I’d say thumb buttons were a lot easier to maneuver

The bottom line:

Love its sleek design with multitouch controls. Is a definite improvement from its ancestors, though I’d frankly, expected something better from Apple, considering its killer macs, stunning iPhone and powerful OS. However, I’m not one to pass on Apple’s new Magic Mouse, since I’m in desperate need of a new mouse before considering smashing the Mighty Mouse against the wall. Grrrr!

Group Shot: The Magic Mouse & Its Ancestors

Article contributed by Isis of Daily Overview.

If you are an Analytics addict who is currently residing in Malaysia or Singapore, mark your calendar for Google’s upcoming Google Analytics Master Class on Actionable Insights. Please see details below. I might be joining the class, are you?

Singapore

9 March 2010 (Tuesday) from 1.30pm – 6.00pm
[register here]

Venue
Meritus Mandarin
Orchard, Ballroom 1
333 Orchard Road
Singapore 238867

Malaysia

11 March 2010 (Thursday) from 1.30pm -6.00pm
[register here]

Venue
Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Ballroom A
3 Jalan Stesen Sentral,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 50470

Most (if not all) bloggers would like to see their blog’s traffic shoot up as high as possible in a shortest period of time.  One quick and effective way is to submit your RSS feed to tons of RSS directories available on the internet. Though it is a tedious process but it is worth doing so.

I have compiled a list of RSS Feed Directories that are STILL ACTIVE and here they are:-

1. Blogbal (reciprocal link is required)
2. Blogcatalog
3. Blogdigger
4. Blogbunch
5. Blogoriffic
6. Blogpulse
7. Boing Boing
8. Dr. 5z5
9. Feedbase
10. Feedbomb
11. Feedcat (registration is required)
12. Feedest
13. Feedgy
14. Feedfury (completion of  a survey is required)
15. Feedmap
16. Feedmil
17. Feednut (registration is required)
18. Feedplex
19. Feeds4all (submit feed through email)
20. Feedsee (Need to answer an IQ question.. weird)
21. Fybersearch
22. Feedzie
23. GoldenFeed
24. IceRocket
25. Jordomedia
26. Keegy
27. LeighRSS
28. Metafeeder
29. Million RSS
30. News Knowledge
31. Plazoo (Use IE to submit your feed, the form does not work on Firefox)
32. Read a Blog
33. RSS Feeds Submission (reciprocal link is required)
34. RSS001 (registration is required)
35. RSSRoot.com
36. RSSxpress
37. RSSHugger (registration is required)
38. RSS Micro
39. RSSMotron
40. RSS Mountain (registration is required)
41. RSS Network
42. RSS Top 10 (reciprocal link  is required)
43. Syndic8 (registration is required)
44. Xmeta.net
45. Zimbio.com (registration is required)

That’s it! All the best fellow bloggers.

Wordpress has just released version 2.9.2 to fix a bug where logged in users can peek at trashed posts belonging to other authors. If you have untrusted users signed up on your blog and sensitive posts in the trash, you should upgrade to 2.9.2. As always, you can visit the Tools->Upgrade menu to upgrade.

Source : Wordpress.org

OpenOffice releases its latest version 3.2 on Feb 11, 2010 with improvements on start-up speed and compatibility issues with other office software programs as well  as addressing some bugs reported in the previous version.

All existing users are advised to upgrade to the latest version due to potential security vulnerability that may exist in the version 3.1.1 and before.

Ever since version 3.0 was released in October 2008, OpenOffice was downloaded more than 100,000,000 times and it has proved to be the excellent choice for suitable for Budget-minded small business owners.

For those who have not heard of OpenOffice, here is a short intro from Mr. Wiki

OpenOffice.org (OO.o or OOo), commonly known as OpenOffice, is an open source software application suite available for a number of different computer operating systems. It is distributed as free software and written using its own GUI toolkit. It supports the ISO/IEC standard OpenDocument Format (ODF) for data interchange as its default file format, as well as Microsoft Office formats among others.

In a less-complicated explanation, it is open-source version of Microsoft Office. 

Though it is not as powerful as Microsoft Office, sometimes, a “simpler + FREE” version seems to be an easier choice.

What do you think?

Download it and try it today!

Gone are the days when it is impossible to edit a document or an Excel file on iPhone.. thanks to QuickOffice. Though it does not come free (USD 19.99) but it is worthy application to be added into your iPhone. It delivers all the features you’ve been waiting for, including cut-and-paste.

You can also format text, add bullets, and work in landscape mode. In Excel docs, you can use over 125 functions and advanced formulas. The suite also includes a files tool that lets you load documents over a WiFi connection or from a MobileMe iDisk account.

Read more at QuickOffice official website or download it right away from iTunes!

I came upon this interesting website, BlogTV.com which allow users to create, share and watch live broadcast online. It seems to be a pretty busy site and it has been around since 2006. Yeah, it is a bit late though for a short review on this site.  

The design of the site is quite user friendly as I find it easy to navigate the site. The main page itself is interesting enough.. I spent some time watching the featured live show and others that were ‘on air’ at that time. BlogTV offers great variety of live shows and it has the following channels :

• News and Views
• Music
• Travel and Places
• Comedy
• Art and Entertainment
• How to & DIY
• Sports 
• Tech and Games

And if you find live shows that are good, you can subscribe to them. In case when someone is hogging the TV, you can opt for live tv at BlogTV.com.

Hi all,I am sorry that I have not been updating my blog regularly as I am currently working a project which eats up much of my time. It will (and should) be completed by end March. Please bear with me.  Besides, it is Chinese New Year now and here, I would like to wish you all : “GONG XI FA CHAI”