The mobile phone market has changed over recent years. It used to be the case that a phone was for talking and receiving voicemails. Nowadays, we spend more time browsing the Internet, sending e-mails, and streaming movies than we do talking on our phones. Few people couldâ??ve predicted the dramatic shift in the industry when you looked at it 10 years ago.
iPhone Sales
The iPhone has been an incredibly popular series of phones. The iPhone 5 sold 5 million phones in three days. In a quarter, they sold almost 50 million handsets. These numbers are phenomenal, especially considering the massive price of the phone.
The Apple brand sure has captivated the public and the iPhone has become the go to smartphone for a significant portion of the consumer market.
The most phone sales ever
That iPhone 5 has a long way to go to match the biggest phone seller ever. The Nokia 1100 has sold over 300 million handsets worldwide. Thatâ??s one for just about everybody in America.
So whatâ??s the root of the 1100â??s success?
These phones are very basic but provide excellent features including a camera and radio. They are the type of phone thatâ??s perfectly suited to the developing world, as well as the developed world.
Smartphones and the World Markets
With mobile phone markets becoming more developed, smartphones are coming to the fore. In 2012, 45% of all phones sold were smartphone. Considering the biggest mobile phone consumers in the world itâ??s not hard to see how basic phones and feature phones are still thriving.
China is the biggest market in the world; the market HTC is looking to top very soon with their budget smartphone. Even Nigera in the top 10, with 100 million handsets sold per year. MTNâ??s marketing department said that Nigeria was the fastest growing mobile market ever when penetration began. There is a tendency to think in terms of the UK when we think about mobile phones, but the UK doesnâ??t even come in the top 10 markets in the world.
Itâ??s interesting that HTC are focusing their efforts towards China. China is a relatively untapped smartphone market where HTC may be able to gain first movers advantage. With such a huge base of consumers, the company that wins significant share in China will have huge profits and a superb platform to attack the rest of the world.
Nokia 1100: Unbeatable Record?
Only time will tell whether the iPhone 5 or any other handset has a chance of beating the Nokia 1100 and gaining the mantle of most popular mobile phone in the world. However, these days, things change so quickly. Phones only last 6 months or so before they are upgraded and â??outdatedâ?.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 has been a tremendous phone that has been extremely popular and sold millions. March weâ??ll see the S4 released and the S3 will gradually go out of fashion. The nature of the market means weâ??re unlikely to see another handset sell 300 million and so Nokia will at least retain that number 1 slot, probably forever. Theyâ??re certainly no longer number one vendor by volume in the world, that mantle has been snatched from them by Samsung.
Phil Turner has switched phone networks a lot over the past few years and getting the PAC number he needed to use his phone on a different network was always a piece of cake.
One of the most impressive feats that you can accomplish with high-end photo editing programs is that of creating a 360 degree panorama. And as you will soon discover, it is not really hard: so long as you have the right software, and the basic skills to use the software.
You certainly don’t need to be a professional graphic designer to create a 360 panorama using the software that is available nowadays. The panorama software handles most of the challenging aspects of the task for you.
The five main steps in the process of making a 360 degree panorama are:
- The software launch step: the software that you need to use in order to create a 360 degree panorama can be launched like any other software. This is, of course, assuming that you already have such panorama software on your computer. If you don’t have it, then there will be a preceding step of installing it, before being able to launch it. In the Windows operating system, the launching step may involve going to the ‘start’ button, then clicking on ‘all programs’ and then selecting this specific application before clicking on it (or pressing the ‘enter’ button) to launch it.
- The photo importation step: to make a 360 degree panorama, you will probably need several photos. You have to bring these photos into the software you are using for the task. With the best programs, this should be just a matter of dragging and dropping the photos via the Graphical User Interface (GUI) â?? that is, in simple words, using your mouse.
- The photo stitching step: this is the most crucial step in the process, because it is the step during which you actually make the 360 panorama. The previous steps were preparatory steps, and the ones that follow are just meant to complete/perfect the work. But the actual work is done in this step. This is where the importance of using special panorama creation software becomes clear. With such software, you just specify the order in which you want the photos in the panorama to appear, then you click on the appropriate stitching button, and voila, the (seamless) panorama is created. If you were to attempt to accomplish the same task manually, using an ordinary graphics suite, you’d probably end up sweating profusely by the end of the painstaking process.
- The advanced editing step: this is where you perfect the work by, say, adjusting the contrast (of the now complete panorama), so that it is just right. You may also find it necessary, at this particular step, to crop some things from the panorama, and perhaps also to add some frames to make it look professional. Whatever you decide to do, so long as you are using the right software, you won’t find any major limitations.
- The end-result output step: you may be required to make a decision on the format in which you will be saving the complete panorama. Then you will need to make a decision on what to do with it: which could be anything from printing to sharing online and onto pretty much anything else you can think of.
Annabel Lee knows how to stitch pictures for the past few months. Sheâ??s busy creating and sharing 360 panorama with her new found friend, panorama software.
Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman / freedigitalphotos.net
Over the past few years there has been an increase in the amount of driving related gadgets available to the discerning motorist.
Some of them have been okay but many more have been nothing more than a waste of time and money. After all, the last thing we need nowadays is a distraction out there on the increasingly busy roads. Many accidents have been caused by drivers who are not fully tuned into their driving activities. This article has unearthed some new innovations that actually bring some real usefulness to the driving table for once. If you are interested in making your motoring experience a little more easy and enjoyable, please read on!
Hands-Free Boot Opening â?? POA â?? Various Manufacturers
This is currently an optional extra being offered by some of the car manufacturers at the moment and very handy it is too! Although it has nothing to do with driver safety, it is definitely very useful for those moments when you have your hands full after a trip or a shopping expedition. Picture the scene, you have 3 full bags of groceries in each hand and the rain is absolutely sheeting down on a cold and windy evening. The car park floor is plagued with deep puddles and you have just about had enough of the whole thing. You approach your car and with a waggle of your foot, under the rear bumper, the boot/trunk opens up obediently! This is one of those moments when you are pleased you paid that small premium for this fabulous gadget. As long as you have the car key on your person, you will never again have to scrabble around in the dark and rain for those precious keys. A fantastic extra and will surely be offered as standard before too long!
Self-Parking â?? POA â?? Various Manufacturers Â
Not all of us happen to have been blessed with silky parking skills and this can be a very stressful activity for the less spatially aware out there. As well as taking a considerable amount of time, you can easily turn this manoeuvre into an expensive dilemma if you scratch the paintwork of that brand new Ferrari parked smugly alongside you. Well fear no longer, this device will help you park that car with ease, and then some! The sensors work their magic and all that is required from the driver is to operate the gas, clutch and brake pedal. We are not quite sure how this magical activity works, but we are sure glad it does. If your partner is a bit ham-fisted when it comes to those oh so tight parking spaces, just install this bad boy on the car and your dents worries are well and truly over. The cost of this extra may not be cheap but that will depend on your car manufacturer. The BMW and Mercedes drivers may baulk at the premium cost, but thatâ??s what you get for driving a German piece of perfect engineering after all! We love this gadget and believe it will soon be available for all makes of car.
Driving Made A Little Easier!
So there we have two very useful extras that will surely make your driving hassles shrink away before too long!
Featured images:
Todayâ??s feature writer, Harry Blake, is a sports car enthusiast and a frequent blogger. He likes to know about the latest gadgets and is a fan of customized cars. He suggests car owners to get bf goodrich tires in Canada due to their strong and reliable nature.
Whether you talk about photography, animation, film or even 3D rendering, any type of visual medium relies heavily on lighting in order to convey the message that you are trying to send in an adequate way.
Good lighting is crucial, and getting good lighting can be very difficult.
Professionals who work in Hollywood or other industries that produce visual content constantly have to deal with how to replicate specific situations through their art, whether it is a sunset, a sunny day, light from realistic sources, or even if you just want a good looking portrait. This is why some basic lighting models were invented that allow photographers and artists to get a good reason, regardless of the situation. The most commonly used setup is called the three point lighting, and is something any aspiring visual art professional should know.
Before we go through what this system involves, it is important to note that the field of lighting is a complex one, and in order to get the best result, you will want to use one of many different setups available to you. But if you just want to get started, or achieve a decent result without spending a lot of time or money on your setup, then the three point lighting is the best way to achieve that. As the name says, this system involves three specific lights. The first one is called the key light, or highlight. It is a frontal light source which illuminates your target. For example, if you are a photographer attempting to take a portrait, then your key light would be the light that shines in your model’s face. To get the best result, you typically want to position it slightly to the side of the camera and up. For this one you can use a spot, or some other directional light. The second source is called the fill light, and it provides the ambient lighting. Here you may want to use a light panel, or a source which will spread your light all around. You can place it slightly lower and on the other side of the camera.
Finally, the third light is called the back light, and should be used to light the back of your model so that they can have a small glow, a visible shine from behind. It is usually positioned lower and to one side. It helps provide an highlight around the silhouette of your model, or the object you are filming. Together, these three lights provide a good basis for a photo or video, providing enough lights and shadows to make your subject look good in almost any situation. This is a setup that anyone can do, and does not cost a lot of money, since you can achieve this result with just three simple lights. Of course, should you wish to get more control over your lighting, then you can start looking at four point lighting and other, more complex lighting setups.
Written by Dendory.
Step back into the 12th century, during the reign of Ibn Sabbah to serve as a protector for the castle of Alamut.
To do your duty as protector of the castle you must first undergo training to evade such hazards as axes and kernels. You must also hone your treasure seeking skills to uncover treasures and artifacts.
There are 45 levels within the game with an interesting twist . . . 15 of these levels take place in darkness, where you must rely on the light of a flame to navigate around whilst battling with enemies.
Appscraft has been generous in giving us 4 codes. The game only costs under $1 if the codes run out. So, put on your armour and steady your sword, to prepare for your enemysâ?? plots and plans to destroy your precious castle . . .
Promo Codes:
E7LW6RPYNW6R
6XNEAELXTPKY
467XNKHTRL6R
FR3MYJPNHHHJ
Mad Chickens by Schon Entertainment is a fun physics based game where you have to destroy the mad chickens and their eggs.
With 30 levels to test your skills and dexterity, you must wield your axe and cause optimal damage to ingenious structures in order to destroy the mad chickens and their eggs. To quote a classic Bananarama song ‘It’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it, and that’s what gets results.’ In other words, how you plan to wreak havoc with your axe and where you strike determines the outcome of your score and level award.
The main screen when you open the app has great sound control options, as you can either turn the music on or off or alternatively turn the sound of the chickens on or off. This sound control is present on all levels throughout the game. From the main screen you can check out your high scores or go straight into gameplay.
Each level is signified by a bird’s nest which is a really fun touch by the developer. The first level that you play involves touching various objects such as wood or ice to cause damage to a crazy looking lone chicken with her eggs. You must tap the screen to bring up an axe and do some damage. One thing I noticed is that the developer has really paid attention to detail on the levels, for instance, if I try to use the axe on metal a metallic sound can be heard.
When you clear a level you are notified of any new high score you’ve obtained and are given a rank for how well you cleared the level, such as ‘Beginner’, ‘Not Bad!, ‘Incredible!’ or ‘Awesome!’. You can see the score you achieved together with a click bonus and there are three navigation buttons where you can replay, move to the next level or go to the main menu.
The background art is really nice with cartoon landscapes in a strong style. You are sometimes given prompts and tips on some levels which pop up every now and again which help you learn the actions involved. When I first saw this app on the app store I initially thought that it would be a ‘Crush The Castle’ type game involving launching a missile at various structures. I was pleasantly surprised that Mad Chickens was instead something quite different and unique.
There are coloured diamonds which give you extra points, TNT crates, stone pillars,boulders, wooden beams and ice, which can be chopped up with your axe and there are many creative variations on each level. The developer has obviously planned out each level well before programming the physics objects into the game. When a level has been completed, you are given a few seconds to enable all physics objects to fall and settle in case this gives you extra points, plus you have the option of doing a few more chops with your axe to get those extra diamonds. The chickens are well animated, as they turn their heads to the side, blink and even flap their wings. When you chop at a piece of wood or ice you must determine the best strike point strategically to create the collapse of structures within the game.
Mission Accomplished
As I’ve said previously, I was pleasantly surprised that this was not a ‘launch a missile’ type game and instead was quite unique in the fact that you use touch to wield an axe to destroy structures. The game is fun to play and the mad chickens are great characters. The interface is simple and straightforward and not over complicated which made jumping into the actual gameplay easy, with prompts to give you tips on tactics to use. The game is fun to play and the website connected with the game has been very well put together by the developer.
The game has a well compressed, compact size of only 11.2 MB, which is amazing considering the graphics and physics objects involved.
Room to improve
Some of the prompts had slight grammatical errors, this is no big deal however and can be easily corrected on the next update. I will send corrected versions to the developer. Obviously, people will be demanding more levels in the game so I’d suggest adding levels in increments of ten up to at least 60 to provide even more gameplay for downloaders of Mad Chickens.
When I saw the app description on the App Store, I instinctively thought that it would be a ‘launch a missile at structures’ game as I’m sure a lot of other people will think too. Therefore, it may be a good idea to stress on the app description that this game is unique in that there is a touch screen controlled axe that causes damage.
As for ideas on additions to this fun app, here are some suggested enhancements:
Perhaps a short animation that plays just once when you first open the app would be a good idea. The reason being is that people like a strong story behind a game and a clear idea of just why they are targeting crazy chickens. Take Sega’s Sonic The Hedgehog for example, where the character sells the games.
Hidden bonus levels that can only be unlocked if you score high in previous levels would provide an extra incentive for gamers to go after those high scores and replay levels..
I’d also like to suggest to the developer that including particle emitters in the game might be a fun idea, as you could have snow falling, rain, lightening or leaves falling in the background, set at a low emission rate obviously as otherwise it would slow the game down. Also, a layered background might be a consideration, as you could have clouds passing in the sky or air balloons flying past in the background, set in front of the background but behind the physics objects.
Conclusion
A really fun game to play and a physics game with a twist, where you don’t launch things at structures, but instead you use an axe and touch to control the aiming of your chops. I really enjoyed playing Mad Chickens and the chickens were really funny. Mad Chickens is offbeat, whacky and fun and brought a smile to my face.
If you are planning to set up a new office, one thing you have to think about is the equipment. Office equipment plays a very important role in the running of a business and it is important to invest in the latest technology. The right equipment will ensure that you run the business cost effectively.
Make sure that you carry out due diligence to determine the equipment that you need for an efficient working environment. Investing in multi-purpose equipment can help to save on cost and ensure efficiency. Following are some tips that can help you when choosing office equipment or software.
1. The cost of the equipment/software
The cost of the equipment/software is an important factor to consider. You need to consider the cost of purchase as well as long-term cost of maintenance. In most cases, good quality equipment will be more costly than equipment of lower quality. When you invest in cheap equipment or software programs, you will very likely need to spend more money on repair and part replacements, making this a poor investment. Compare a wide range of products from different manufacturers before you make the final choice.
2. The equipment/ software usage
Another major factor of consideration is the usage. Decide how often you will use it as well as the function. This will help you to look for the features that will help to enhance operations and ensure that the job is completed effectively and in a timely manner. For example, if you rarely perform any printing jobs, investing in a printer is not a wise idea. Carry out a survey to establish the equipment you need to run an efficient business.
3. Your employees’ skills level
You need to think about the end-users when buying equipment or software. When you invest in the latest technology, you need to know that you have employees who have the necessary skills to use the equipment/software. Find out if you will need to train the employees to use the equipment effectively. You have to think about maintenance and after sales service that you will get. You should never invest in equipment that might end up unused in a corner of the office or a software program that has limited functions that is shunned by your employees.
4. Software updates and technical support
Before investing in equipment, make sure that you read the terms and conditions that come with the purchase. You need to look for office equipment/software from a dealer who offers the technical support you need and also provides software updates when needed. 24-hour technical support will help to ensure that your business does not suffer downtime due to equipment malfunction. You need to confirm that you can get all the parts and consumables that you need for the equipment.
At the end of the day, you need to carry out research and due diligence so that you can get the best equipment/software for your office. Equipment wise, you need to determine the equipment make and model that will give you the features that best suit the needs of your business. Do not rush into a purchase but make sure that you choose the equipment/software that is most beneficial for the end-users in your company to enhance productivity.
Todayâ??s featured writer, Thomas Philip, specializes in office moving service. He is a fun-loving person and a technology enthusiast. He often writes articles for blogs in his free time.
The question of what time it is, precisely, is not a simple one.
It is somewhat miraculous that our forefathers were able to invent a machine that could answer that question and shrink it down to fit in our pockets. Without a clock or a watch the hours of the day cannot be divided up with much precision. If we were left without watches, then we have no way to track the time except by the sun and the stars. Our ancestors exploited these resources to their fullest.
Telling Time By The Sun
The ancient Romans told time by looking at their shadow. If their shadow fell directly beneath them, it was noon. They would make appointments for the evening by saying, “Let us meet when our shadows are three times taller than us.” Until the invention and perfection of clocks, an epic tale in and of itself, the only way to tell time with precision was a sundial. This was more reliable than you might think, because the sun traces a very predictable path in the sky. If you pick a free-standing object and trace a line around its shadow when the shadow is smallest, every day for a year, then you will discover two things. First, your drawings of the shadows will make a figure eight shape, where the line formed by the tops of the shadows moves out and then doubles back onto itself. The second thing is that your shadow will return to precisely the same spot on the same day every year. Shadow clocks and sundials work because of these two principles. The path of the shadow cast by the sun is carefully charted over the course of a year, making sure to keep the sundial in the same position. The moment when the shadow is smallest is taken for noon, and the time before and after is algebraically divided up into hours. The sundial was often the social center of the town. People would go to the sundial to “check the time” and pass the day.
Telling Time By The Stars
Our regular progression around the sun is one of the most reliably known facts of the universe. We all know that the sun comes up a little bit earlier in the summer and a little bit later in the winter. The ancients knew a lot more than this. They knew the path of the sun, the planets, and the stars as well. Unfortunately, telling time by the stars is much more difficult than the sun. In the northern hemisphere there is tremendous folkloric information telling which stars rise at what times of the year and how they can be found. Most of these systems revolve around the constellations of the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia, as those are the two collections of stars with the most direct relationship to the North Star. Once a series of astronomical facts are in place, such as the knowledge that Orion rises early in fall and late in winter, the hour of the night can be told with some precision. These small feats of engineering were of great consequence to prehistoric culture. It is interesting that prehistoric cultures chose to communicate the hour of the night through folklore.
Dividing the day up into hours is one of the simplest and most profound of human technologies. The elegance and ingenuity that it takes to record the time precisely, to express that knowledge in gears and springs, and then to build a machine that carries out that task precisely is well worth celebrating. In our modern world a watch is not only a useful object, but a functioning work of art. Modern watchmakers might not have the same motivations as the ancients, but they carry on the tradition of timekeeping in their own ways.
Daniel Swann is a writer living between the UK and Shanghai. He mainly works for the travel sector, and when he’s not writing or researching his main interests are urban trekking and cooking.
Every five or so years, comes a landmark time for gamers: the release of a new games console.
This year, weâ??ll be lucky enough to enjoy two new major games console releases, making 2013 a mouthwatering year for technology enthusiasts worldwide. The PS4 will go head to head with the Xbox One, in the biggest tech battle of the decade so far. Here is a sneak peak into what we can expect from both.
The first thing that must be mentioned in regards to the Xbox One and PS4, is that Microsoft and Sony have actually pitched themselves quite differently. Microsoft have shown us the Xbox One and its controller already, while talking a lot about the multimedia aspects of the console and not so much about the games.
Sony on the other hand, have only showed us the controller and based much of their marketing campaign around the games and titles that weâ??ll soon be seeing on PS4 consoles.
We expect this to turn on its head pretty soon however, with Microsoft talking about its game titles and Sony showing us what the PS4 looks like.
RAM
RAM is going to be a really important battleground. Thereâ??s already a lot of talk about the PS4 using GDDR5 RAM (a type of high performance graphics card memory designed for computer applications requiring high bandwidth) and 8GB of it. The Xbox One also has 8GB of RAM, however it is using DDR3, which is a bit slower.
How much of an advantage this will be for the PS4 will depend on developers and whether they will use the PS4â??s extra memory to really do something impressive. In essence, we probably wonâ??t see too much of a difference when playing games on both consoles.
Controllers
A consoleâ??s controller is obviously a major part of the gaming experience.
At the PS4 launch event, Sony did not show the console but spoke a lot about the controller. We know that game developers such as Evolution Studios (the team behind MotorStorm and Drive Club) had a say in the controllerâ??s design. The gamepad also has a cool touchpad, which will offer a range of new ways for interacting in game, though we havenâ??t seen that used to its full potential yet.
With the Xbox One controller, there arenâ??t actually too many differences between that and the Xbox 360 controller. A few tweaks have been made however, such as differences to the D-Pad, while the home button has been moved up. One nice new feature is the impulse triggers, which offer a whole new set of vibrations inside the trigger.
Kinect VS PS EYE
A big thing this generation of consoles will be competing in motion control. The Xbox 360 obviously had real success with Kinect, whereas the PS3 Move faded into the background a little bit. Sony will therefore be very aware that in the PS EYE they really need to prove theyâ??ve nailed it. Saying that however, the Xbox Kinect looks like itâ??s really improved in this generation. It has a much better camera, which can not only deal with more people at the same time, but also deal with smaller rooms.
Itâ??ll be really interesting to see if the PS EYE can compete with Kinect, with Visopix Android TV and other innovations proving the importance of internet entertainment television systems.
Exclusive Content
A big win for the Xbox One is the exclusive content itâ??s been promised. Microsoft has said that theyâ??ll be fifteen exclusive games coming to the console in the first year, eight of which will be brand new intellectual properties. EA has also said that FIFA 14 will be getting some exclusive content on the console, and we know that Call of Duty Ghosts will receive its download content to the Xbox One before anyone else.
The PS4 on the other hand, also has a range of exclusive titles, such as Drive Club and Kill Zone ShadowFall, which is promising to be a great game. There was generally a greater range of games shown off at the PS4 launch event to get gamers excited.
GPU
Itâ??s really interesting that both, PS4 and the Xbox One are going to use an AMD chipset. In GPU terms, the PS4 has gone for quite a powerful option. The Xbox One however, has gone for a system on a chip option. We do not yet know which one is better than the other however, and the games will pretty much end up looking very similar across both of them, because the developers wonâ??t want to be concentrating on one platform or another.
Have you already made your choice concerning the Xbox One and PS4?
John Smith is a free-lance writer in London passionate about gaming and technologies.
CC image courtesy of Wikipedia
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