Right from the time Facebook took over the as the king of social market, drowning Myspace, there has been no real fight for the throne. It’s time we saw a good competitor for Facebook.

Google has attempted to break the Facebook wall many times before, only to bruise itself. Google Waves had to be shut down and Google Buzz doesn’t seem to be picking up. After these failed attempts Google has now come up with another weapon to breach the great wall of Facebook. This is Google Plus (+1). Let’s see what this product has in store.

1. Circles: Circles are groups that can be created for restricted communication and sharing. This is like having separate communities for your friends, family, colleagues, etc. You can create any number of circles.

2. Sparks: Sparks track the latest and the most relevant of your interests. You can create sparks and have them listed on your home page. Google provides live search results when you click on them.

3. Hangouts: Hangouts are for collaborating and planning with buddies in your circle. You can have on-screen video chat with up to 10 people simultaneously.

4. Huddles: Huddles are for the mobile freaks. This is a group messaging system to update those in a circle.

The look and feel is exactly Facebook replicate. Techcrunch says you need two extensions to clone Google Plus into Facebook. Unfortunately Facebook has most of the features also. The multi video chat could be one that’s missing and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook CEO) would have already started working on it now. Yakity, TinyChat already offer them. All these have made the mood among Google investors go pessimistic.

So is it any good for businesses? We cannot answer this now since the product is still in trial field. There is nothing specific like Facebook pages that we can find right now. But we can take it for granted that Google guarantees higher positioning of your business in its search results if you get more +1s.

Simply put, Google Plus has nothing spectacular for Facebookers to turn into +1ers.

mCommerce

Mobile commerce or m-Commerce is creating a lot of buzz in the web space and is poised for further growth. It has never been easy to shop online any time, anywhere from the comfort of our palm. According to a study by ABI Research, it is estimated that people around the world will spend around $119 billion shopping online. There’s a massive opportunity for not only improving the way mobile purchasing works but also for inventing new ways to sharing and promoting services and merchandises.

Strategies for mCommerce

Even though e-commerce has flourished into a billion dollar market, most of the e-commerce retailers are not willing to cater to this ever growing market of net savy mobile shoppers. “Let’s develop an app” seems to be the game plan for many vendors – which is not enough. Below are some of the online marketing strategies that all the online vendors need to consider if they are looking to unleash the power of mCommerce.

• Search Engine Optimisation & Search Engine Marketing
• Affiliate tracking tools
• Mobile web analytics
• Social media presence and compatibility

Mobile web has the power to implement a complete m-Commerce portal. The above listed strategies work on mobile web pages. But it’s quite impossible to fully accomplish these in native apps. Native apps have to be discovered, purchased & downloaded prior to use.

According to market share data published by AdMob earlier this year, iOS makes up 50% of the worldwide smartphone market, with the next-highest OS on the list being Android at 24%. We can still create robust, native-looking web applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Even though Safari on iPhone OS does not support flash, we have to agree that it is still a really great browser. It is also one of the most efficient browsers with its out of the box slick interface elements, which at times may vary between the iPhone and iPad.

Web Apps

Not everyone out there are aware of the fact that Apple has a section called “web apps” featured on its website, which is dedicated to showcasing optimized websites. Web applications or “web apps” as apple calls it - amalgamates the power of the Internet with the simplicity of multi-touch technology, all on a minuscule 3.5-inch screen. Visit the tApple website to check the 1700+ web apps featured in .

Below are the advantages of building a web app instead of a native app.

Advantages:

• No Apple approval process or red tape, which is especially important given the terms of service dispute going on right now.
• Optimizing the app for other popular platforms like Android, Blackberry, etc with the same code is comparatively easier and cost effective.
• Don’t have to learn Objective-C or download iPhone SDK.
• Don’t have to share any revenue with Apple.
• 100% control over the means of payment, promotion and distribution to the user.

If you haven’t spotted this niche yet, it’s time to dive in and familiarize yourself with the tools required to optimize websites and web applications for this OS, because it’s going to be very exciting to watch this space unfold in 2011.

QBurst has an excellent track record in developing web apps for iPhone, iPads, iPod touch and other major mobile operating systems including Android, Blackberry and Windows Mobile. QBurst have all the tools needed to create a great web experience on the platform that’s currently dominating the mobile space are out there. Visit QBurst Mobile Apps page for more information.

As per Google Android’s developer forum, Android 2.2 is indeed a minor platform release including user and developer features, API changes, and bug fixes. A reading on developer features and API changes can be had on Framework API section. Android 2.2 platform is available to developers as a downloadable component for the Android SDK and it includes a fully compliant Android library and system image, as well as a set of emulator skins and sample applications.

Android 2.2 Froyo(Frozen Yoghurt) offers the following variances compared to Android 2.1 Eclair.

JIT Comparison: Android 2.2 Froyo Vs Android 2.1 Eclair

Froyo makes Google-based phones faster and more powerful with added features. It has:

o JIT(Just In Time) compiler
o Free additional RAM
o OpenGL ES 2.0 enhancements
o Wifi and USB tethering
o Flash 10.1 support
o Fixed problem with “crazy screen” / Resolution of cross multi touch
o Activation of Color Trackball
o Enable FM radio

Features like Hot Spot Tethering and USB Tethering make it more appealing. Wifi tethering is now available on Android phone. Certain devices like the Nexus One can be turned into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that can be shared with up to 8 devices.You can use your Android-powered phone as a 3G connection for a Windows or Linux laptop by connecting their phone to the computer with a USB cable. The connection is then shared between the two devices. Watch how

Ending all the speculation as to whether it will be possible to install applications directly into the SD card and run it, this feature is enabled with Froyo. Now, Froyo will update all market applications simply by the click of one button: Update all.

It can be concluded that Android 2.2 makes Google-based phones faster and more powerful with added features

o Ignore this, the ones who do not like Flash, Froyo has it.
o Froyo also has HTML5, the rival Web content standard that Apple prefers, and it does it faster than the iPhone.
o Froyo also makes existing Android phones run faster – up to 4x faster, according to early reports.(Seven reasons why Android 2.2 Froyo beats the iPhone)
o Other useful features that the iPhone doesn’t have: native Wi-Fi and USB tethering and native Web apps.

To know more about how you can leverage these to benefit your Android application development, please get in touch with bdg@qburst.com.

Open Source Application

Skipfish is an open source scanner written in C language used to detect vulnerabilities in web applications. Users can compile the code and execute it for installation. Skipfish crawls through the web application, detects the security probes and generates a report for security assessments.

Features

Skipfish overcomes some of the common issues associated with other web security scanners. It is designed for high performance. It can handle 7000+ requests per second against local instances, 2000+ for LAN/MAN networks and 500+ against Internet targets. Its usability extends even to websites with multi-frameworks and different filtering rules. It also chalks out tricky scenarios including stored XSS (path, parameters, headers), blind SQL and XML injection.

The main security checks performed by the scanner are categorized based on the risk levels and are listed in the Skipfish wiki. This tool is expected to support Linux, FreeBSD 7.0+, MacOS X, and Windows (Cygwin) environments.

Limitations

However, Skipfish is not found to satisfy some of the major requirements charted out in the WASC (Web Application Security Scanner Evaluation Criteria).

The Skipfish 1.29 beta version is currently available for download.

Finally Google has arrived at the ‘Micro-blogging’ platform with a real ‘buzz’. On 9th February 2010, Google introduced ‘Buzz’, the new social networking application to embark on its battle to limit the popularity of Twitter. So, now there are lot of competitions going on in the Internet space. Google Vs Microsoft (Operating System & Enterprise Application Suits), Orkut (Owned by Google) Vs Facebook (Social Networking) Google vs Apple (Smart phone market). Before acquiring YouTube, they fought against them with Google Videos. So what we understand from all these competitions is that Google is not just targeting a niche or industry, rather it want to rule the entire IT Business.

At the first look, we may feel that Google Buzz is an integration of Facebook and Twitter, but it is beyond that. First and foremost advantage is that you don’t have to go to another web page to see the ‘buzz’, it’s there right below the inbox in  the Gmail. The conversation will go like an email thread which is the fascinating aspect of Buzz. You can post in the Buzz, which can be held as private or public. Also, you can connect your profiles in Flickr, Piccasa, Google Reader and Twitter to Buzz. That means you aren’t missing any of your friends and by start ‘Buzzing’, you are increasing your friend and professional network. See this wondeful Video of Buzz, to get more insights.

Now we can perhaps clearly say that it is now ‘Google Vs. Rest of the World’. Apple and Microsoft are companies that are worth more than  $ 100 billion each, Facebook and Twitter are the champs of their respective niche, though they are not monetizing it well. There is no doubt that the internet and enterprise software market will come under the reign of Google, which is not far away.

After months of anxiety and speculation Apple has finally launched their latest creation, the iPad Tablet. Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs, unveiled the breakthrough product in a grand meet held at San Francisco on 27th Jan 2010. Apple’s iPad is developed for people on the go to ease their online usage and other PC related tasks.The iPad is neither an iPhone nor a PC but a gadget that bridges the gap between the two. With its small size and touch screen technology, Apple’s iPad  is all set to create a new era of Tablet Computing. Although the device lacks complex functionalities when compared to a PC, it is equipped with much desired functions like web browsing, delivering media, capsuling literature, video gaming etc.
The 9.7 inch device with half an inch thickness weighs just 1.5 pounds. It features a touch screen and is available in 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes of flash memory storage.

Competitors

Analysts foresee Apple’s launch of this handy device, as a possible threat to the notebook and PC makers like HP, Dell, and Acer who have attained considerable growth in the notebook market in recent quarters.

Pricing

Aiming at a deeper market penetration, Apple has reasonably priced the Tablet at $500. Surveys project a sales estimate of approximately 3 – 4 million Tablets in the first year.

Available Models

Three basic models were introduced at the launch with WiFi capabilities. However, 3G connectivity which is expected towards March 2010 needs to be ordered separately. Price tag starts from $500 with 16GB of memory increasing to $600 and $700 for 32GB and 64GB memory. The device comes with a Dock connector to USB cable, 10W Power Adapter and documentation.

Interested to know more on iPad Tablet? Find it here: Apple.com.

When Google announced its intentions to become a universal search engine in 2007, the very first step it took was to index all videos in the web. It seems, the web giant had predicted that video would be the pick of the world in search among all sources. Suranga Chandratillake took the same initiative when he started his video search website, Blinkx, which has today become the world’s largest single index of rich media content on the web and probably the best video search engine. Senior Analysts in eMarketer say that online video content is on a clear upward trajectory. The demographic range of the viewing population is expanding and the content mix is evolving from short, snack-type clips to long-form content such as TV shows and feature films.

The dominance of video has also made the web a great place for video advertisements. There are different advertising methods that are in existence. Let us explore them briefly.

Video Ad Methods

1.    In Stream Video Ads – The advertisement appears in the bottom or top of the video player when the video is streaming. Here is a sample.

In this sample, the advertisement is displayed on the top as the video streams.

2.    With Video Ads – Pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads constitute this method. The advertisements appear before, in the middle and after the streaming of the video respectively.

The sample below shows the advertisement being played in the entire section of the video player.

3.    Around Video Ads – This advertisement comes in video oriented sites in a variety of ad formats including standard text ads and image ads.

In the above sample, the publisher website Hulu has customized the surrounding areas of the video player for the advertisement that plays within the player.

Video Ad Production

Gone are the days when companies had to invest huge amount of money and time for video advertisements. Similar to the DIY (Do It Yourself) website creation tools, today we have DIY video ad creation tools. And these packages start from as low as $500. Few web companies provide huge database of already prepared advertising videos from which the customer can choose and customize.

There are also on-location ad production companies who come to the spot, shoot the video and do the customization. These methods are however complicated when compared with the DIY methods which specialize mostly in creating montages.

Video ads are short. The very lengthy ones could span to 60 seconds and they are very rarely made. Most of the ads are 15 to 30 seconds long.

Video Ad Distribution

When we think about video, the first picture that comes to our mind is television. So can we bring our web made advertisement into TV? If you have that question, the answer is yes. There are companies that function exclusively for this. The platform which they provide enables a customer to create a video ad, bid for TV spots and schedule airing time. Spotrunner was the company to pioneer this service. Soon to compete with them was Google. Now we have many companies which offer a similar platform and they distribute the video ad not only in TV but also in online TVs like Hulu, Veoh and various ad networks like YuMe, ScanScout and Right Media.

Video ads are also distributed in online advertising campaigns, business directory listings, Internet yellow pages, local search directories, online newspapers, video sharing sites, social networks, eCommerce sites, etc.

Are you a business owner finding difficulty in locating customers for your service? Maybe it’s time to invest in video ads.

Google comes up with so many innovative as well as user friendly ideas at reasonable price. When compared to Lotus notes or Microsoft Exchange, Google Apps provides tools at a very low price. Services provided by Google App engine makes it easier for an employee  to work smoothly and efficiently. What makes Google Apps special ?? . Answer to that question will be ” Google gives good quality services to any person or organization at affordable cost “.

Google Apps provides many services. Among them the most widely used and appreciated tools include

• GMail: Run your business, not your server
• Google Docs: Manage meetings online with Google calendar
• Google Calendar: Online docs with real time collaboration
• Google Sites: Create dynamic web pages in an easy way as creating a document
• Google Talk: Make calls and get your chat on
• Google Videos: Google hosted video. Saves you time and money

These itself could support the various levels of communication in an organization in a more simpler and more effective way. Adding cherry to the cake is the price. These Google App engine tools come at affordable prices and that too in different editions.

1. Premium edition ($50 per user per year)
2. Education/Non-profit edition (comes free to a limited number of users)
3. Standard edition (comes free to individual users)

You can compare the different editions:

1. Standard Vs Premium
2. Education/Non-profit Vs Premium

You can visit these links to get more information about Google Apps

http://www.google.com/apps/

http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/index.html#utm_medium=et&utm_source=catch_all

Google has made some pretty major improvements to the camera application in Android 2.0. This includes more control over white balance, focal length, flash settings, and effects. To complement this Motorola has smartly outfitted the DROID with a 5 megapixel camera coupled with an LED flash. However many initial users claim that the camera is painfully slow to focus and take a snap.

The system comes with a 1400 mAh removable battery which is not bad at all but we expect that it won’t deliver the rated 270 hours standby time or 6 hrs 25 min talktime, especially comparing it to the previous CLIQ. However Motorola has managed to provide a decent talktime of around 5 hrs 30 min, thanks to the somewhat ironic under-clocked CPU!

Since its launch about a year ago, Google Chrome has been in the limelight every now and then; and for good reasons too. The latest news has Chrome further zeroing in on its arch rival in a more creative fashion. On September 22, 2009, Google launched Google Chrome Frame “an open source plug-in that brings HTML5 and other open web technologies to Internet Explorer.”
According to Google, with GCF, you can:

• Start using open web technologies – like the HTML5 canvas tag and even technologies that aren’t yet supported in Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8 – right away.
• Take advantage of JavaScript performance improvements to make your apps faster and more responsive.

IE6 is a nightmare, especially for developers. However, almost up to 25% of the world’s browsing is still done in this outdated browser. No matter how hard you cry out to kill IE6 and save the web world, it is still going to be around awhile. Accepting this fact, Google is trying to make life a bit easier –both for developers and users. For those users who have tasted the Chrome it is life as usual. But for those hard-core IE6 loyalists, this is a chance to enhance browsing experience without having to shift allegiance. The Google Chrome Frame promises the “lightening Chrome” experience within the familiar Internet Explorer interface.

As a developer, to make a webpage work with Google Chrome Frame all that needs to be done is to add a single tag to the page –”<meta http-equiv=”X-UA-Compatible” content=”chrome=1″>” . GFC detects the tag added and works automatically. For more advanced options you can check the GFC Developer’s Guide.

Having said that, it is a fact that users have to install Google Chrome Frame in the first place. So the ball is still in their court – The IE Users! It remains to be seen what percentage of them will opt to install the Chrome Frame. Let’s hope at least some of them will and help the web move on.