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

Version controlling is one of the main tasks in developing an application, no matter how big the application is. The developer will enjoy developing applications when file version control system (VCS) is used. The software life cycle consists of many phases. The major phases are “Integration” and “Maintenance”. VCS is a solution for many problems that a developer faces during the development and maintenance phases of the software life cycle. VCS helps a developer to complete these phases without much struggle, by keeping a log of all changes made by the developer

If you develop and deploy medium to large scale applications, you would have used version control system. The most widely used version control system is Apache Subversion. Apache Subversion or SVN in short, is a Centralized Version Control System. In this system, there is a single central repository. All changes made to documents/codes are saved in this repository. There can be many users (or developers) but all the changes are updated to this central database instantly.

This scenario has changed with the release of a Distributed Version Control System called Git, by the creator of Linux Kernel Linus Torvalds, who is referred to as the creator of Linux!

What Is Git?
From their website:
“Git is a free & open source, distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. Every Git clone is a full-fledged repository with complete history and full revision tracking capabilities, that does not dependent on network access or a central server. Branching and merging are fast and easy to do”

In other words, Git is a open source version control software that makes use of the distributed model system. The central repository can be hosted on a remote server. Developers can clone the central remote repository to their own local machine and start working on the local repository. This makes the version controlling even faster. When the work is done in the local repository, developers can commit changes to the remote repository.

Git platform is becoming very popular now because of the usability features and multiple platform support. Git is primarily developed on Linux, but can be used on other Unix-like operating systems including BSD, Solaris and Darwin. Git also runs on Microsoft Windows.

Why Is GIT Better Than Apache Subversion (SVN)?
Git is far better than SVN for the following reasons:

1. Distributed: Git is distributed, while SVN is client-server model. This means a lot to  developers who work on a single project from multiple countries across the world.

2. Works Off-line: Yes, this is the coolest and a remarkable feature of Git. Since Git is a distributed version control system, it allows “Local Repositories” to be created on the user’s machine in addition to the remote repository which is the master database. This makes Git very fast to operate and reduces the need for network connection. SVN does not provide this feature as the user must be online in order to push the files to the remote repository from the working copy.

3. No Duplication: Git does not duplicate files while saving into the repository. While updating revisions, Git will make a link to the file in the old revision, if the file is not changed. It uses index files for this purpose while SVN always saves two copies of the versioned file which makes SVN database considerably bigger than the Git database.

4. Coolest Clone Feature: One of the main reasons for Gitsters to like Git is the clone feature in Git. As Git also allows local repositories, every user can have the repositories cloned to their own system and work on that cloned repository, which doesn’t even require a network connection or Internet access. Once changes are made, users will be able to “push” those changes to the central master database which may be hosted on a remote server.

5. No or Less Data Loss: As Git allows to clone the central database, all users can have their own local copies of the master database. Therefore there is less chance for data to get lost. This is not the case with SVN, as the data will be lost if the central database becomes corrupt.

6. Integration With File Browsers: Git has integration with file browsers on various operating systems such as Ubuntu and Windows. RabbitVCS is a good application for Ubuntu users. Git for Windows is also available free of cost. SmartGit is a good choice for advanced users

7. Branching: One of the useful features of Git is branching. Git allows to have multiple local branches that can be completely independent. This way,  developers can test their application without depending on the remote repository or local repositories of other users.

8. Multiple Remote Servers for a Single Repository: With SVN, we can only have one remote repository for a single project. Git supports a multiple remote repository concept so that developers can commit changes to multiple remote repositories at the same time. This is a great feature if the developer wants to set up a backup server of the main repository server.

How Easy Is It To Adopt Git?
Git is a fairly easy and straightforward tool that makes life easy. Git commands are very similar to that of SVN and there is a crash course available now to study Git commands and technical terms.

Git is becoming very popular with the release of major application packages such as JQuery, Mootools etc. Many application developers are moving from SVN and other VCSs to Git. There are many reasons why you should move to Git. Support for cloning and branching, low resource usage, offline mode, etc. Interestingly, many developers are getting familiar with Git through the famous Repository Hosting website GitHub

At QBurst, we strive to adopt new technologies for the fast development of our organization and we are one of the proud users of Git – the coolest version control system that we have seen so far. Contact us for more information.

What is Competitive Intelligence?

Working as a Competitive Intelligence analyst, I am able to see Competitive Intelligence as an important organ in the business body. Wikipedia defines CI as ‘The action of defining, gathering, analyzing, and distributing intelligence about products, customers, competitors and any aspect of the environment needed to support executives and managers in making strategic decisions for an organization.’ Competitive Intelligence reports are mainly prepared for a product that a company might be offering. Not restricted to this, there are market reports, company profile analyses and many others that a CI Analyst prepares for his company. Few product reports focused on web products that support senior level management are listed.

1. Feature Analysis Report – This is a comprehensive analysis which helps the management to view all available features of any product and their distribution across various competitors.
2. Positioning Report – The way a product is messaged in the web varies from competitor to competitor. The reader of this report gets an overall picture of how the product is presented and messaged by the leading players in the market.
3. Marketing Analysis Report – This report covers the various marketing strategies used by competitors to promote the product.
4. Pricing & Discount Report- The pricing methodology used has to be easily understood by the customer. In other words, the most prevalent methodology used in the market has to be followed in order to remain competitive. This report helps the management to satisfy its customers with pricing.
5. Competitor News Report – Latest trends in the market, new initiatives to promote the product and every move the competitors make. This report has them all.

Competitive Intelligence Analyst and Business Intelligence Analyst

CI analysts are often considered similar to BI analysts. Although both these professionals aim to support business decision making, they vary in the way they work. The table below has few differences.

Competitive Intelligence Tools

There are tools available for CI analysts to aid in the Intelligence work. Here are a few of them.

• Similar Sites – This tool helps in Competitor Identification phase. It identifies websites of companies offering similar products.
• Crunchbase – A directory maintained by Techcrunch; this tool helps in Competitor Identification phase.
• Compete – The Company with more customers has more visits to its website. Compete tool helps in Competitor Culling phase to filter companies before Feature Capturing phase.
• Copernic Tracker – Offers, discounts, seasonal changes get reflected in the company website. Copernic tracker tool tracks any change in the website and is mainly supportive for the Competitor News reports.
• KeywordSpy – Marketing in the internet is mainly done by promoting the product for keywords in various public portals. This tool gives data on efforts made by competitors in popular portals thereby helping in Product Marketing reports.
• Forrester – Trends, market predictions, competitor performance, researches by senior analysts; here we get information needed for any Market Analysis report.

CI Reports – The Making

CI reports go through many phases before it reaches the senior management team. After every phase, the report gets its version number incremented. Here let us get a glimpse of how a product feature analysis report is prepared. A successful product feature analysis report (useful for the management team to make strategic decisions) should have gone through the following phases.

1. Competitor Identification Phase
2. Competitor Culling Phase
3. Feature Capturing Phase
4. Value Propositions Identification Phase
5. Categorisation and Simplification Phase
6. Data to Graph Phase
7. Change Demanding Points Presentation Phase
8. Report Aesthetics Phase

If you like to know these phases in detail, you can contact us. We would be glad to educate and help you take right decisions in your business. The team @ QBurst has been providing intelligence to some of the leading tech companies like Network Solutions and ClearSpring. Our experience will certainly help you grow in your business.

The latest news about Apple launching an app store for Macs is creating waves in all the tech circles. A few days back, the company unveiled the eighth version of its operating system, OS X. The OS is dubbed  ‘Lion‘. During this function, Steve Jobs also spoke about the Mac App Store. This move by Apple is supportive to developers who are ‘objective C’ nerds.

Just a year back, Apple introduced the app store for iPhones. The introduction was made by an upgrade through iTunes. Applications were developed in iPhone SDK and put in the app store. The store was a hit and the developers were allowed to take away 70% of the revenue the app generated. Following this success, Apple is now attempting to bring the same into the Macs. OS X is scheduled to be available only next year. However app developers may not need to wait for such a long period for Mac App Store. The store will be ready to kick off in 90 days.

The Mac App Store is similar to the app store for iPhones. The app store will be first available in the current OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard. From the user’s point of view, there is no need for a separate account to use the app store. With the same iTunes credentials, one can browse through various apps that are listed categorically, scan a few screenshots and make a preferred order. There will also be free apps which can be installed immediately. Apple says, the installation will happen in one step. The apps, when installed will update automatically allowing the user to use the latest of the app.

For developers, it’s the same 70 – 30 proportion on revenue as it is with iPhone apps. Apple has listed various guidelines for developers to adhere with. These guidelines are accessible only after registration. A few to list:

• No betas
• No duplicates
• No frequent updates
• No third party installers. Only XCode
• No location based APIs
• No complex UI
• No change to the native UI element and behaviour of the OS
• No stores inside the app
• No pornography

Developers will be able to learn more about the store in Apple website. Apple will start to accept apps from next month. Jobs is striving to move things faster and to get the store fully functional before 3 months. QBurst has good experience in developing apps for iPhones and iPads. After dropping many apps into the iPhone App store, QBurst developers are all set to deliver apps for the Mac.

Do you wish to answer an incoming SMS, complete taking a friend’s picture, chat with your boss, answer a call, and then go back to keep playing a game, just where you left it before switching to any of those tasks? If you think this “resume” ability (or in iPhone lingo – “multitasking and fast app switching”) makes an OS golden, you will be happy to know that Apple is definitely going in the right direction. The iPhone 4.0 is almost here.

So, what makes iPhone 4.0 superior?
Why should I have it?

1) Multitasking
A simple task switcher (might remind you of a windows task manager plus app switching ability) can be used to see all running applications while allowing user to switch between running applications. For now, the multitasking is limited to audio streaming, VoIP and GPS applications. Other applications can be suspended in the background. The question of whether it is actually multitasking is valid. To the user, it is, but under the hood, all system resources are available to all applications, with the system assuming the role of a traffic controller, giving preference to some tasks and less preference to others as needed. Obviously, the question of RAM involved will be raised — but it is to be remembered that iPhone does not load the entire application to the memory; only that part that accesses the service is loaded. Hence, there will not be an issue of slower performance on devices with lesser RAM.

2) Information Safety and security
From the perspective of an IT manager, the number one feature of iPhone 4.0 is that the device pass key is used as an encryption key to protect email messages and attachments stored on iPhone 3GS. This security enhancement means that business critical information is safe even if the device is compromised.

3) Resume or fast application switching
With iPhone’s multitasking, actually, certain functions of applications (GPS lock or video stream) can be “paused” so that it gives the feel that the application is running the background. When the application is re-opened, they are restored to exactly the same state they were in when they were closed/switched.

4) Alerts and notifications
Would you like to know when your farm is ready to be harvested when you are using another application on your iPhone? Since the iPhone does not have a start bar or a dock-type interface, it might be assumed to be difficult. Well, rejoice! Notifications will be sent between applications on the phone and not just from remote servers. In other words, if something important or fun happens in an application you have opened and moved away from, a notification will pop up in the application you’re using at the time.

5) Better Mail
This is a feature that makes iPhone 4.0 so much better than its predecessor. The OS allows users to set up multiple Exchange ActiveSync accounts and now works with Exchange Server 2010. The new unified inbox feature allows users to see messages from all their email accounts conveniently displayed in a single inbox, or they can quickly switch between inboxes to see messages from any single account. If users receive an attachment that they want to save or edit, Mail now lets you open attachments with compatible apps from the App Store.

6) Application sharing
Apps can be updated without requiring users to connect to their computers or go through the App Store. iPhone OS 4 enables enterprises to securely host and wirelessly distribute in-house applications to employees over Wi-Fi and 3G. This is bound to increase popularity of iPhone OS 4.0 in enterprises.

Pushing past the observation that there seems to be a 4 application limit, the point that not much RAM will be used may not be all that great after all. Lets say, iPhone comes up with a device with enough RAM, it might never be used. It is questionable how much it will benefit a user, which means Apple may have no need to give users more RAM. The penalty is that developers are more limited to what they can do in the background.

QBurst Technologies has already starting working on the iPhone OS 4.0′s development kit (SDK). If you wish to know more, do not hesitate to contact us at: 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.

There is good news for e-book lovers from Amazon.

Amazon’s kindle, a wireless electronic portable reader which facilitates e-book reading has now become more capsuled, making it more convenient for people on the go.  BlackBerry users no longer need to carry a separate kindle to read their favorite e-books. Amazon, has now launched a Kindle app for BlackBerry, enabling the readers to purchase and read e-books. The iPhone/iTouch users already having Amazon’s kindle app, can sync the BlackBerry app with it.  The readers can thus maintain their book marks consistently across devices. Users can download the kindle app free of cost. Just like subscribing for magazines, books and news papers  using the Amazon kindle, readers need to pay only for the content they wish to download and read.

BlackBerry models, Curve 8520 & 8900, Tour 9630, Bold 9000 & 9700, Storm 9500, 9530, & 9550, supports this kindle app.

However, the user experience through a BlackBerry screen needs to be judged when compared to a Kindle device that provides a crisp black-and-white screen with regular paper readability.

Amazon is further in the process of developing similar kindle app versions for Mac and iPad.

Click here to read more.

QBurst introduces “theapps.mobi” which gives you instant access to your favorite iPod/iPhone apps without installing itunes. theapps.mobi brings you a faster and easier to use platform with different categories of iPhone and iPod touch apps, ranging from Education, Business and Entertainment to Travel, Weather, Lifestyle and Games. 

The website showcases the latest products to stuff your iPhone and iPod touch and that too with regular updates. This site enables users to post comments, reviews and rate the available apps.  This in turn helps to easily locate the desired category and effectively sort the applications based on rating and price preferences.

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.

Apple is all set to unveil their breakthrough product Apple Tablet / iSlate. Amidst the  uncertainties and rumors crawling around the product, technology addicts are eagerly waiting to get a glimpse of the device. The launch is planned for 27th January 2010 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. The main theme of the event is “latest creation”, which may showcase extreme functionalities of the device. A CNBC interview excerpt gives confirmation from McGraw-Hill’s CEO that Apple Tablet will soon capsule their text books. It is also understood that the Apple iSlate will be an iPhone OS based machine and hence the contents will be transferable. McGraw-Hill considers this feature will  be really helpful in penetrating the professional education market.

The device is expected to deliver a combined functionality of an iPhone and Mac Book. However, it remains to be seen whether the device is compatible with the existing apps available through the App Store.

The rumors with respect to the price tag is speculated to be around $1000 / £600. Another uncertainty is that the Tablet is said to feature an OLED screen which alone would cost  $400. There are also rumors that iSlate will be available in more than one version, even with an LCD touch screen.