The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012 saw a wide range of gadgets and electronic appliances that could further enhance the lifestyle of mankind. You could see various technological giants like Sony, Samsung, LG, and many others fighting it out, by coming up with innovations beyond the wildest of dreams. While all these companies were trying to catch the world’s eye with their mesmerizing products comprising of TVs, smartphones, tablets, music systems, laptops, etc., there was one company that captured not just the eyes, but also the voices of those visiting the show.

Blue Microphones are at it again. When it comes to capturing voices, they are a force to reckon with and they have now come out with their new microphones. Yes, the event saw the unveiling of three new microphones, namely the Apple-centric Mickey Digital, the studio-grade Spark Digital and the USB-stick-like Tiki. If you thought that the Mickey for Flip and the Yeti Pro microphones from Blue (presented at the previous CES) were impressive, wait till you get your hands on these gems.

Las Vegas was not to be disappointed and the latest microphones are already making their presence felt. Let’s go through some of the main features of these Apple related microphones.

Apple-Centric Mickey Digital

As the name suggests, this slick microphone targets users of Apple devices such as the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. The same two custom-tuned condenser capsules used in Yeti USB are reused. It also sports a built-in high-quality microphone preamplifier and a CD-quality analog-digital converter. The LED clipping indicator allows user to detect distortions in volume levels. Mickey Digital has a reported frequency response of 35Hz to 20kHz. It also has a 3.5 mm auxiliary input which enables connection to various audio sources – for recording or mixing. Optimal positioning can be achieved thanks to the 230-degree rotating head. This beauty has a 44.1 kHz/16-bit audio sampling rate.

Spark Digital
Introduced as the world’s first studio-grade condenser microphone to offer both USB and iPad connectivity, the Spark Digital is a masterpiece from Blue Microphones. In addition to all the features of the original Spark for the same sonic detail and unmatched recording experience, it also has Focus control unlike its predecessor. If enabled, the device can record powerful audio with enhanced low frequency sensitivity crisply, thereby bringing clarity and quality for the audio being recorded.

If you think this is awesome, the Spark Digital also comes with a zero-latency headphone jack with its own angle-adjustable desk stand. Direct monitoring is made possible with a Y-cable included in the set. The Spark Digital has a 28 mV/Pa sensitivity, a signal-to-noise ratio of 84 dB and a frequency response of 26Hz to 20 kHz.

Summary

2012 has got off to a wonderful start in the field of technology with many top-grade products being showcased in CES 2012 at Las Vegas. Blue Microphones have made clear that they are here to revolutionize the world of voice capture with their extraordinary microphones. One thing is certain; this is definitely not the end and we can hope for more astounding products. Till then, enjoy yourself with these advanced gadgets from Blue Microphones.

Cloud computing is a concept we have been hearing for a while. Though many were using cloud services, the term wasn’t much popular as cloud was more of a concept than a resource like the Internet. Cloud computing has gained more visibility with each passing day and now, it looks like Cloud Services are here to stay and has become the future.

Cloud computing, as per definition laid down by National Institute of Standards and Technology, is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.

In simple terms, cloud computing is just a massively distributed Internet based computing model that allows users to share information and access applications, without installing them from anywhere in the world, provided the user has a computer and an Internet connection.

(Image Credit: computerrepairmaintenance.com)

Advantages

One of the many advantages of cloud computing is that it spares local machines from forfeiting its resources and space to beefy applications and software. As you step into the world of cloud computing, you will find that the cloud, which has a network of computers, is designed to tolerate and accommodate heavy loaded applications.

Thus cloud computing saves your money that you would, otherwise, have been spending on

1. Buying expensive software and applications
2. Employing resources to manage and run those applications and software
3. Managing your time and effort in running an additional task or business activity

You can redeploy all these money, resources, and effort, that you save, to further streamlining and improving your core business activities.

Another advantage of cloud computing is that it assures 24/7 access to your data. Also, as these cloud servers are usually maintained in at least two different synchronized locations, your data is well protected from natural calamities.

Cloud Services

The best examples of cloud services are Google Docs and Microsoft Office Live.  Another example of cloud computing that we use on a daily basis is the mail service like Yahoo Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, etc. You don’t have the server or email management software required to run them but they are in the cloud and the service provider manages them. You just access the services with your internet connection. How convenient, right?

Today, there are a many cloud applications available in the market and they serve different needs of customers. Evernote, iCloud, Spotify, CloudApp, Waze, Box.net, Joukuu, Do.com., etc are few among them.
Amazon, Google, Rackspace, VMware, Microsoft etc are some of the top cloud computing service providers. You may get in touch with us to know more on Amazon Web Services(AWS).

Cloud Concerns

Though cloud computing is all set to establish itself as an ultimate solution for many existing business concerns, some geeks believe that the cloud still suffers privacy and security issues.

As everything is located outside the LAN, the concept of building a secure fortress no longer applies with the cloud! Also, it is practically impossible to draw a visible boundary lines inside the cloud.

The authentication and authorization processes are complex in cloud computing. Where should the corporates build their security? Is it in the cloud or for the cloud or from the cloud? – geeks ask!

Addressing the concerns

Cloud service providers, themselves, are more concerned about the privacy and security of the cloud than anybody else as these directly impact their business. Obviously, customers wouldn’t opt for a service which is not safe and secure and they know this very well. For the same reason, they work relentlessly to provide superior services to their customers.

Besides, strong authentication and access controls further enhances the  cloud security. Users also have the option to improve their cloud security by applying stringent registration and validation processes and also by performing more deliberate monitoring and coordination throughout the computing platform.

Looking Forward

The benefits of cloud computing far outweigh its concerns because of its sheer effectiveness. It can streamline your business and break down the complexity of your business problems. Cloud computing also saves you from the headaches and costs of running and managing complex servers and storage, technical teams to keep them running, and upgrades to your software. Thus cloud computing positions itself as a cost effective, reliable, and scalable solution for many of the business concerns.

Get in touch with our expert team to know more about our cloud services and the benefits we could offer to your business.

Have you ever thought of removing space eating applications from your system drive to free up drive space? I bet you have, because we all go for default installation locations in a hurry. After your system drive gets full, you probably go for uninstalling the application and reinstall it on some other drive. What if you get a chance to relocate your applications to another drive on the go?

Yes, I’ve found a way to free up the system drive. The warning message “Your C:/ drive is running out of space” will no more bug you. The tool Application Mover will help you relocate your applications from one drive to another just like that.

Application Mover is a tool which allows you to relocate your applications. It takes files from the current installation path and then moves them to a new path. Apart from that, it automatically scans the Windows registry and changes the application path to new ones. It also changes all the Windows shortcuts and path references accordingly. The installation logs and *.ini files are also scanned for a string match with the old path and if found, is replaced with the new one. After confirmation of relocation, the application is moved to the new location and it asks for a reboot.

Application Mover can be used to move applications to different paths on the same drive or to another one. The software is now compatible with Windows 2000/XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista (all versions), and Windows 7. 32-bit and 64-bit (x64) versions.

It is not recommended to relocate MS office Suite or Anti virus software and do not relocate programs across networks unless they are mapped. I don’t need to remind you not to move C:Program Files or My Documents, do I?

Download the software here.

QBurst - Flex

As we all know, China is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that they are also the largest market for smartphones.

According to Strategy Analytics, a global research and consulting firm headquartered in Boston, USA, China has overshot the United States in Q3 2011, to become the world’s largest smartphone market by volume.

This sudden growth in smartphone sales dates back to the previous quarter when the market share in China grew by 58 percent with sales touching 24 million. The US market however fell by seven percent, with just over 23 million handsets sold in the same quarter.

Although the rapid growth trend in China may seem impressive at one glance, studies carried out by Strategy Analytics indicate a few underlying factors that have caused this explosion in sales.

China is flooded with a variety of low-end phones like ZTE smartphones. The infamous Shanzhai brand of smartphones, for example, is an exact replica of well known mobile brands with names such as “Blockberry’ and “Nckia” that are sold to low-end users at cheaper rates.  These heavily subsidized models along with the promotion of 3G data plans by operators have added to the rapid increase in smartphone sales in China.

According to Tom Kang, Director at Strategy Analytics, the growth in market is driven by  factors such as:

1. Increased availability of smartphones in retail channels
2. Aggressive subsidizing by operators of high-end models like the Apple iPhones
3. An emerging wave of low-cost Android models from local Chinese brands such as ZTE

Even though companies like Apple report good growth in China, it’s not their performance alone that has helped China become the world’s largest smartphone market. As can be seen in the table below, Nokia rules the smartphone market in China with an unbeaten 28 percent, with Samsung claiming second place at 17.6 percent. All other brands including Apple, fall under the remaining 54 percent.

HTC on the other hand, heads the US market with a 24 percent market share, as can be seen in the table below. Apple comes second with a 20.6 percent share in the market i.e., a shipped quantity of 4.8 million units in Q3 2011.

According to Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, the United States still remains the world’s largest smartphone market by revenue with China overtaking them only in terms of volume of sales. China is now at the forefront of the worldwide mobile computing boom with a growing smartphone market that no hardware vendor, component maker or content developer can afford to ignore.

Blogosphere is the collection of all blogs on the Internet. There are more than 172 million blogs in the blogosphere. Bloggers create more than 1 million new posts in the blogosphere every day. With the Internet dominating the world in the recent past, demand for creative writers has grown tremendously. QBurst has a solid group of creative writers who contribute to various blogs. In this post, we plan to analyze the career of blogging.

Blogging as a Career:
By using the term ‘blogging’, we do not point to one blog/website built in Blogspot or WordPress. We rather put the focus on the writer and his articles in various websites. The writer or blogger may have his own website but does not limit to contributing to his website alone. There are 20 million people in the U.S. who have blogging as a career. Guy Kawasaki is a known blogger. He writes for many websites. A collection of his articles for American Express Open forum can be found here. Pete Cashmore, the owner of Mashable is another known figure in the blogosphere.

Benefits of a Blogging Career:
Another Source of Income: There is so much of global uncertainty in all sectors. Having multiple sources of income is always wise. Blogging need not be a full-time career. More than 75% of bloggers have blogging as a part-time job. eMarketer estimates that advertising on blogs will reach $746 million by 2012. A talented blogger earns up to $200 in the U.S. for one good post.

Share/Contribute to Activities & Interests: Websites are platforms that can be used to share our activities and contribute to the areas of our interests. There are news blogs, food blogs, gadget blogs, economics blogs, sports blogs, etc. Articles are also written to promote products of companies. Our QBurst blog oscillates around the services we offer and latest developments in the web and mobile fields. There is a sense of satisfaction in contributing to the things we are passionate about.

Boost Our Career: An article may not give a clear picture of the author. But many articles written by the same author, over a period of time, will reveal the depth of knowledge the author has. So if the blogs we write are related to our main-line career, they are definitely a boost. Many QBurst developers/designers have their own blogs. Some of them write for third party websites too.

Keys to Become a Pro Blogger:
Here are a few guidelines to become professional blogger. Every post must emerge as a result of hard work and dedication. The author must be passionate on every article that he writes. The author must make sure that the article is useful to the target audience in some way.

One bad article is sufficient to degrade the author. Duplication of content not only has negative technical consequences for the website but also spoils the reputation earned by the author.

Consistency is very important. Disappointing the readers when they look for new posts will create negative impact on the author. The author must have a long-term vision about his career.

We can find articles of successful bloggers in more than one website. This must be part of the game. TechCrunch, Mashable and ReadWriteWeb are currently the best tech blogs in the blogosphere. They are always in need of writers.

An isolated blogger will find it difficult to succeed. Networking within the blogosphere will help in mutual promotion. In addition to networking, social media can also play an important role. Viral sharing of articles through Facebook and Twitter will increase the number of readers.

If you are passionate to enter blogosphere, look for open positions in QBurst.

Some time back, eBay launched Paypal Access – a universal login system for the web, and the first of its kind for ecommerce websites. Popular ecommerce web sites, as of now, have their own registration process that every new user must go through. They manage and maintain all the information provided by users, including credit card and SSN numbers. Paypal Access has been launched with a vision to change this and increase the number of sales for small ecommerce store owners.

The Product
Paypal users can now log into any ecommerce website that supports Paypal Access, and make purchases without the need of for going through a separate registration process at the website. Paypal Access can be integrated either through OpenID 2.0 specification or OAuth protocol. The feature can also be implemented for mobile versions.

Let’s see how Paypal Access integration can contribute to increased sales for a web store.

1. Professional reputation for your website: As an established company having more than 100 million accounts, Paypal has earned sufficient reputation in the Internet, which is evident from its steep growth in the online payments sector during the past decade. People who trust Paypal will trust your website. The yellow Paypal icon on any website has come to be the symbol of reputation.

2. Secure transactions for the user: Most prospective buyers are hesitant to provide confidential information to ‘not-so-popular’ websites. With the increase in the number of cyber fraud activities, it is only natural for users to double check before providing credit card/ debit card numbers. They would prefer to buy from ecommerce giants like Amazon, who they know can protect their information, rather than risk buying from smaller providers. With Paypal integrated into your website, there will be no need for users to share confidential information anymore. They can be rest assured that they are making purchases safely and securely.

3. No registration hassles for the user: Research says that 80% of users are reluctant to continue shopping for a product when faced with a multi-step registration process. Though a tedious registration process is essential to help ship purchased products, it is by no way a pleasant experience to shoppers. However, a Paypal Access integrated website can forego this uncomfortable process since the website already has access to the user’s information from the Paypal server. The user only needs to authenticate his information which is as simple as authenticating apps for Twitter/Facebook. This greatly saves on any purchasing hassles for the user.

4. Mobile access: The m-commerce market seems to be slowly but steadily increasing, although it is yet to catch the fancy of most online shoppers as it should. This could mainly be due to the difficulty faced by buyers in determining if a website is credible or not from their mobile devices. However, it really doesn’t matter whether the website is accessed through PC or mobile with Paypal Access integration.

5. Easy auto creation of profiles: Most ecommerce websites have individual profiles for all users with their interests and wish lists. When a website is authenticated by Paypal Access, it is possible to auto create profiles and make the buyer feel at home in the website.

We can soon expect competition for Paypal in this domain. Google and Facebook will definitely look to take the top spot. At QBurst, we have been offering ecommerce solutions using the latest technologies. Reach out to us if you are looking for an ecommerce solution.

During the summer of 2011, some tech blogs talked about a cool new wristwatch that would allow users to communicate with each other! Many people chose to ignore this news as it seemed too good to be true. However, a few who accepted the simple fact that they lived in a world where fantasy could at any moment turn into reality, chose to believe it.

And for them, it didn’t come as a surprise when Blue Sky announced the launch of ‘I’m Watch’, the first real smart wristwatch ever made.

One thing we know for sure is, we are not far away from a time when we could be sporting smart watches that allow us to access our calls, text notifications, photos, emails, music, and notifications from Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare.

Doesn’t that sound simply amazing! This technology is brought to us by an Italian company called Blue Sky.

Under the hood, this Android watch houses a Freescale IMX233 application processor with 64MB of RAM, 4GB of flash storage, a Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR for smartphone tethering and a 450mAh Li-Po battery that offers a talk time of up to 2 hours or a standby 48 hours without Bluetooth and up to 30 hours with Bluetooth. On the surface, it features a 1.54-inch curved capacitive TFT LCD with 240 x 240 pixel resolution.

Though I’m Watch is not an Android phone, it can run Android apps and can pair with Android devices, iPhone 3GS (with iOS 4.3 or superior), iPhone 4 / 4S and eventually with the Blackberry and Windows Phone 7.

So, how does this stuff work?

I’m Watch connects with your smart phone via Bluetooth and lets you see caller details on your watch screen when someone calls. Since the device comes with a mic and a speaker, you can accept the call just by tapping on the button on the watch screen, and start talking straight away!

In addition to this, you will also get your text and email alerts along with your Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare notifications.

All this being said, doesn’t this smart watch sound like a gadget worth going after? And I’m sure you’re also  eager to know its price. Although actual price details are not available yet, rumor has it that the base model could start at €299.

And if your pockets are much more deeper, you can add some luxury to your smart watch. The company offers a wide range of expensive makes, like the ones in Titanium, yellow gold, white gold, diamonds, etc. You can pre-order your I’m Watch at Blue Sky’s official I’m Watch website.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSRmzVK0L4Y

We’re not too far off from the days when you would be searching for apps on your smart watch. And if, at any point, you want to make an app for your smart devices, you know where to find us.

An idea or information represented in visual form is an infographic. It may contain graphics, images, charts (pie, bar, column, etc.), graphs, Venn diagrams or familiar icons. An ideal infographic may scroll to at least two web pages in length. Recently, the use of infographics in the Internet has significantly increased. Research companies like Forrester release data as infographics. The best internet companies like Webs, Volusion use infographics either to communicate company information or to explain their products.

This sample infographic explains activities on the internet in 60 seconds.


The Secret Behind Infographics
Pictures convey more than words: Infographics is the applied engineering of the old Chinese adage ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’ A picture can convey more than words. Our human mind is capable of absorbing more from images rather than from words.

Information is made interesting: By a mix of data and images, and attractive colors, complex information is broken down and easily conveyed in infographics. Business milestones, company revenue information are boring reading stuff unless the reader is interested. Here is a company that has used infographics and made it interesting for its readers.

Can be quickly read: One infographic is equivalent to an article of at least 1000 words. Our human brain takes less time to go through an infographic than it takes to read 1000 words. The various histograms and graphics in the infographic provides an overview of the entire information almost immediately.

Infographics Helps Businesses
Improves the company website’s SEO ranking: Back links are close friends of search engine bots. When infographics get shared on the Internet. they generate back links to the parent website. The title can also be used as a target keyword. Another method is to educate the target audience on industry trends and best practices using infographics to make clients/customers keep coming back to the website often. This can be done in the company blog.

Company activities will reach clients/customers: Unless the business is among the top players in the market, we cannot expect clients / customers to eagerly look for the developments in the company. Latest developments in the company, when communicated as Infographics will reach many.

Improvised marketing strategy: Email communication becomes more effective with infographics. This is a good method to bring in more leads. An attractive infographic can allure more business prospects than a dull one with only words.

Expertise Is Required
Just like infographics can deliver more, infographics demands more dedication and hard work for its creation. There are many automated tools available on the Internet. However, we need a designer’s touch to make the infographic a hit. Infographics can be a mess if careful attention is not given to details. A bad infographic will not only devalue the information but also spoil the reputation of the company producing it.

1. Color scheme and layouts are the backbone of any design. A designer geek alone can choose the right color combination for the content of the infographic.
2. Typography may not be important in articles but they certainly play a vital role in infographics. There must be different typography for different sub-titles and all of them need to be catchy. Too much of variety could reduce the professionalism in the infographic. Only a web expert will be able to strike a balance between variety and professionalism.
3. Right words must be used. Words used in infographics are few. Conveying information in few words is complicated. Even the title must be crisp and to the point. Unless a content specialist works with the designer, producing an effective infographic will be difficult.

Explore some of the best infographics in the web and reach out to us for customized solutions.

Microsoft, one of the oldest tablet developing companies, released their first tablet 10 years ago with Chairman Bill Gate’s prediction that within five years it will be the most popular form of PC sold in America. The release was a complete failure mainly because of the operating system they had used in it – Windows XP, which was originally developed for Desktop PC customers. Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, recognized the importance of having a different operating system for tablets from Microsoft’s failure. Apple wrote its name in golden letters in the history of tablets, by introducing iPad in which they included a new operating system called iOS. iPad was a big hit in the US market and very soon Google followed with Android based tablets.

Recently, Microsoft released the preview of their newest operating system called Windows 8, to compete with iPad and Android based tablets. This operating system is being developed for both Desktop and Tablet PC customers. The Windows 8 tablets will have a marvellous new interface that looks rather like Windows Phone 7, called Metro. The Windows 8 Metro interface is well-suited for tablets with the UI designed and optimized for touch.

Windows 8 introduces a number of features in its tablet and PC versions.

Windows Store:- Windows 8 comes with Windows Store that is similar to Apple Store and Android Market. Application developers will be able to upload their applications to Windows Store.

Support for NFC:- Windows 8 also introduces APIs to support Near Field Communication (NFC) on Windows 8 devices, allowing functionality like launching URLs/applications and sharing of information between NFC supported devices just by touching the devices.

USB 3.0 Support:- In addition to USB 2.0 support, Windows 8 will have USB 3.0 support for higher data transfer.

Windows Live ID Integration:- Customers will be able to link their Windows Live ID with their Windows 8 operating system. This can be used to synchronise their settings and files across multiple computers running on Windows 8 operating system.

Windows To Go:- This feature allows Windows 8 to boot from a USB device. Windows To Go works both on USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 connections.

Protogon Filesystem:- News update states that Windows 8 will support a new file system called Protogon. However, the Microsoft team hasn’t released any more information about this file system or its features.

ARM Processor Support:- Windows 8 will will support ARM based processors in addition to AMD and Intel processors. There will be separate editions of Windows 8 for ARM based processors and x86 based processors such as AMD and Intel. ARM based processors consume less energy and this will be a plus for Windows 8 based tablets.

Windows 8 based tablets are expected to be released in the mid of 2012. The preview build released recently is getting the attention of the mobile and tablet application developers because of the wide array of supporting features and its fresh GUI.

QBurst, is eagerly awaiting the release of Windows 8 to see how it competes with iPhone and Android markets in the coming years. If you would like to hear more about apps development on various tablet platforms, just shoot us an email or contact us today.

The new USB gadget reinvented – iTwin. I was quite impressed with the technology this little instrument used. The tag line, “Simple, Secure and Private Internet File Access” caught my attention as I do file uploads through file hosting servers, which eat up most of my time. iTwin is a one-time investment gadget which allows users to transfer or access unlimited data anywhere in the world.

iTwin is a USB service consisting of two identical halves  Its operation is quite simple. Connect one half of iTwin to your computer where you have your files, with an Internet connection. The device will  install its drivers as it is a plug’n'play device. Then it will create an iTwin folder on your machine to which you can remotely access. Now comes the magic. Connect the other half to any other system with an Internet connection, anywhere in the world and you can access your files. iTwin actually gets connected to its cloud. So none of the data is stored on in the drive. The device only keeps log information.

Here are a few of questions which needs to be answered.

So, how good is the device?

The device can be setup instantaneously as it is a plug’n'play device. The data transfer actually depends upon a lot of factors, but mainly on the speed of your Internet connection. Accessing, editing and copying files from one system to the other is smooth and brilliant. And you can easily close the connection by simply unplugging. With a high speed Internet connection, you can securely transfer your whole disk pretty easily.

And how secure is the device?

The device uses a two-way authentication system. The pair generates a 265 AES encryption key every time they are paired and connected. When the pair is connected the owner gets a “Disable Code” via email with which the pair can be disconnected remotely. So you don’t need to worry if you lose one half of your iTwin. When the pair gets connected, the device gets authenticated by iTwin Trust Server. The communication between the server is via HTTPS (RSA 1024 bit, 128 bit RC4) protocol and all data are compressed and encrypted.

And how does iTwin differ from Cloud based applications?

Simple! You don’t need to install any third party software on to your system. Your system is your personal cloud. As the files reside on your system, there is no storage limit, if u have enough disk space. iTwin makes it possible to remotely edit the files. So there won’t be multiple versions of files here and there. And most importantly accidental removal of files from the iTwin folder does not delete the files on the original location. Now that’s impressive!

And here we go! iTwin is a perfect companion for users having those GB limits on file hosting servers. The main reason behind that is you can even have your whole disk on cloud. And its more secure.

To find more about iTwin, click here