Here's An App That Helps In Avoiding Traffic Jams!

Kochi-based start-up has developed an Android app, which helps you reach your destination smoothly. 

Start-up firm, AmidRay Technologies, based in Kochi has started a community Android app, which will help you avoid jammed roads. The application is gaining fame as India's first easy traffic mobile application for drivers and travelers.

The application will work on the basis of inputs taken from the community members. Any person can become a member simply by downloading the app. Members can report a jam by using 'I am stuck' buttons whenever they face a blockage. And if the prompted road falls in 25-30 KM radius of any other community member, he will receive a blockout alert carrying the road's name, direction and time stamp. Exact location of the members will be tracked by GPS for which the phone must have an active Internet connection. 


Keeping in mind the greater percentage of Android users in India, 'Blockout traffic' is currently available for Android users only and can be downloaded from Google play store. The application can also be downloaded for free from http://www.amidray.com/. Though AmidRay is planning to develop and release this application on other platforms as well. In the upcoming versions the users can also expect an auto traffic update system.

Let us see if this social app can make people help each other in solving the dire traffic jam issues. 

http://www.efytimes.com

Firm explains approved Premier League goal-line system

England's top-flight football clubs have voted to introduce Hawk-Eye goal-line technology to the Premier League.

The division had already said it wanted to use it "as soon as possible".

The 20 Premier League chairmen have given the go-ahead so it can be installed for next season, although the FA will install a system at Wembley Stadium in time for the Community Shield in August.

Four Fifa-approved goal-line technology (GLT) companies were being considered.

Look at pictures of some of the world's most famous "ghost goals".

Last week German firm GoalControl, which uses a camera system, was handed a contract to supply GLT to this summer's Confederations Cup.

They were also in the running for the Premier League deal, along with two other German based companies.

Cairos and GoalRef both use a sensor inside the ball to detect if a goal has been scored.

Hawk-Eye, a system well known for providing tennis and cricket with ball-tracking technology, also uses cameras.

Using seven cameras per goal to detect the ball, Hawk-Eye claims to be "millimetre accurate".

Laurence Upshon, 24, is working on the project.

"Our technology is based on high-speed cameras, triangulating where a ball is on the field and it can be used as an officiating aid or for TV," he said.

"If the ball crosses the goal-line it then sends a signal to the referee within a second."

The 20 Premier League grounds and Wembley will have the necessary equipment installed during the close season.

"We've had really good feedback from players because we don't influence their playing environment, they're happy," added Laurence.

"It was disappointing to lose out on the Confederations Cup but we can focus on other contracts."

Laurence Upshon, who joined the Sony-owned company after finishing university, said he would have been disappointed if they had missed out on the Premier League deal.

"We've put in a lot of hard work, it's fantastic news and I will have a very busy summer ahead."

bbc

Google chief urges action to regulate mini-drones

The influential head of Google, Eric Schmidt, has called for civilian drone technology to be regulated, warning about privacy and security concerns.

Cheap miniature versions of the unmanned aircraft used by militaries could fall into the wrong hands, he told the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Quarrelling neighbours, he suggested, might end up buzzing each other with private surveillance drones.

He also warned of the risk of terrorists using the new technology.

Mr Schmidt is believed to have close relations with US President Barack Obama, whom he advises on matters of science and technology.

"You're having a dispute with your neighbour," he told The Guardian in an interview printed on Saturday.

 

"How would you feel if your neighbour went over and bought a commercial observation drone that they can launch from their backyard. It just flies over your house all day. How would you feel about it?"

Warning of mini-drones' potential as a terrorist weapon, he said: "I'm not going to pass judgment on whether armies should exist, but I would prefer to not spread and democratise the ability to fight war to every single human being."

"It's got to be regulated... It's one thing for governments, who have some legitimacy in what they're doing, but have other people doing it... it's not going to happen."

Small drones, such as flying cameras, are already available worldwide, and non-military surveillance were recently introduced to track poachers in the remote Indian state of Assam.

The US and Israel have led the way in recent years in using drones as weapons of war as well as for surveillance.

America's Federal Aviation Administration is currently exploring how commercial drones, or unmanned aircraft systems, can be safely introduced into US airspace.

bbc.com

Top Five Waterproof Smartphones In Indian Market

Have you ever dropped your phone in water? Well, the new waterproof phones in the market will put aside your fear, once and for all. We share with you the top 5 waterproof phones available in India. Sony Xperia Z Running on Android v4.1 (Jelly Bean) and sporting a 12.7-cm (5-inch) HD display, the recently launched high-end phone from Sony proved to be viral since its launch. The dust and water resistant phone is engraved with an excellent 13 megapixel rear camera and 3.2 mega pixel front camera. Sony Xperia Z has 16 GB of internal memory expandable upto 32 GB.

Specs overview of Sony Xperia Z:

Android Jelly Bean v4.1 [OS].
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad-core 1.5GHz processor.
5-inch HD display.
1920 x 1080 pixel resolution.
13MP rear camera.
3.2MP front camera
2GB of Ram and 16GB in-built memory.
2330 mAh Li-Ion battery.

HTC Butterfly

HTC Butterfly is one of HTC's flagship devices. The phone runs on Android Jelly Bean 4.1 powered by a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor. The beautifully designed phone is one of the costliest in the Indian market. It sports an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 2.1 megapixel front facing camera. In addition, it has 16 GB of memory storage which can be expanded up to 32 GB.

Specs overview HTC Butterfly:

Android v4.1 Jelly Bean [OS].
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad-core 1.5 Ghz processor.
5-inch Super LCD 3 capacitive touch screen.
2GB RAM.
16GB on-board memory.
8MP rear camera and 2.1MP front-facing camera.

Sony Xperia Go 

Launched in 2012, this dust resistant and waterproof phone runs on Android v2.3 (Ginger Bread). It features an 8.88-cm (3.5-inch) scratch resistant reality display. It has a 5 mega pixel camera with LED flash, 512 MB RAM and 8GB built in storage.

Specs overview of Sony Xperia Go:

Android v2.3 Gingerbread [OS].
ARM Cortex A-9 dual core 1GHz processor.
8.88 CM (3.5 inch) TFT LCD capacitive touch screen.
480 x 320 pixel resolution.
512MB RAM.
8GB in built memory.
5MP rear camera.
1305 mAh battery.

Motorola Defy+

Running Android Gingerbread v.2.3 [OS], Defy+ is powered by 1 GHz A-8 processor. It has a 9.3-cm (3.7-inch) TFT LCD display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels. It weighs 118 gms and comes only in graphite grey colour. The waterproof and dust proof device supports a 5MP back-facing camera and is available in market for Rs 11,990 only!

Specs overview of Motorola Defy+:

Android Gingerbread v.2.3 [OS].
ARM Cortex A-8 1Ghz processor.
3.7-inch TFT LCD display.
854 x 480 pixel resolution.
512MB RAM.
2GB internal memory.
5MP back-facing camera.
Li-Po 1700 mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2

The smartphone runs Android v4.1 (Jelly Bean) and sports a 10.6-cm (4-inch) scratch proof display, the device can be kept under 1 meter water for atleast 30 minutes. The phone carries 5 Mega Pixel Rear camera and a VGA front camera.

Specs overview of Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2:

Android v4.1 Jelly Bean [OS].
Cortex-A9 dual-core 1GHz processor
4-inch TFT capacitive touch screen.
480x800 pixel resolution.
1GB RAM and 4GB in-built memory.
5MP rear camera and secondary VGA camera.
Li-Ion 1700 mAh battery. 

EFYTIMES News Network 

IBM, AMA team up to make Accra city smarter

Global computing giant IBM has identified three major challenges facing Accra which it wants the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to address for the betterment of residents. IBM has identified revenue leakages, traffic congestion and energy as the biggest challenges confronting the country’s capital city -- which it wants to provide smart technologies to tackle.

Subsequently, IBM on Wednesday presented a white paper on Accra challenges to the AMA, which the Assembly has begun to implement to seal its revenue potholes and facilitate transportation. The white paper is aligned to the National Urban Policy Framework and Action plan, which is aimed at improving infrastructure and raising revenue to reduce poverty and tackle the city’s growth challenges.

The Country General Manager of IBM, Joe Mensah, said the white paper on the smarter city project for Accra follows work by the firm’s executives, who visited the capital and spent about a month to identify and understand the challenges of the city. “Mastercard’s African cities growth index ranked Accra as one of the top cities in terms of economic potential over the next five years. Everyone sees Accra as a city that is ready to take off, yet we do have challenges we need to confront to ensure that type of growth and potential become a reality.

“The National Urban Policy framework that has been put together is the beginning of how we can go about handling the challenges facing Accra and alleviate poverty within the Accra environment, hence the IBM report on Accra dubbed ‘A vision for smarter growth: an IBM smarter cities report on Accra, Ghana’. “This report that we have launched came about as a result of the smart city challenge that Accra won some years ago, when IBM committed funds for executives to visit the city and spent about a month to identify and understand the challenges of the city,” he said.

According to the report, AMA is losing about half of its revenue from city services due to its inability to map populations and at the same time control the number of vehicles on the roads, 70 percent of which carry only 30 percent of the people. Additionally, the frequent blackouts and load-shedding of power have been found to impact negatively the business operations that have proliferated as a result of increased economic activities – and which have put a strain on the energy resources of the country. IBM has concluded that these challenges confronting the city of Accra can be resolved through mobile payment systems that could help make the process of paying property taxes easier for residents.

More so, smart and networked traffic lights could help to ease the flow of traffic through the city as well as the use of smart meters and grids that can help to reduce the strain on existing resources -- enabling businesses and energy-providers to save money and generate additional revenue.

The Mayor of AMA, Dr. Alfred Vanderpuije, said the Assembly has begun to implement some of the recommendations in the IBM report to peg, especially, revenue leakages in the Assembly. He said the AMA is currently using Point of Sale terminals in the collection of revenue within the Accra metropolis following deliberations with officials of IBM. Dr. Vanderpuije said the Assembly has intensified its revenue collection efforts and will not hesitate to take legal action against offenders including state-run institutions.

“I want to send a strong message to Government institutions which have not been paying their revenue as they should to do so. In June this year, any institution in the city -- including MMDA’s who would fail to pay their revenue to the Assembly -- will be prosecuted to get revenue to do what we have to do. “We have already begun with residents of Accra, and will take it to business establishments and Government institutions,” he said.

B&FT

Google Will Take Care Of Your E-mails After You Die

Ever wondered what will happen to your digital data once you die. What if someone sneaks into your very confidential e-mails? Well Google has a solution!

Google has launched its inactive account manager page where you decide what will happen to your Blogger, Contacts and Circles, Drive, Gmail, Google+ Profiles, Pages and Streams, Picasa Web Albums, Google Voice and YouTube accounts and data after you die. You can choose between passing on the data to a close family member, notifying your contacts or deleting your account after inactivity. The feature allows you to specify total number of inactive months before killing your account. You can choose between 3, 6, 9 or 12 months. Prior to performing the chosen options Google will send a reminder mail to your alternative e-mail. The feature is available in your Google accounts settings page.

Google said via their blogpost, "We hope that this new feature will enable you to plan your digital afterlife - in a way that protects your privacy and security - and make life easier for your loved ones after you're gone.” Popular social networking website Facebook has an app called 'if I die' that passes across a last message and gives you the option to pick your trustee after your death. 

 EFYTIMES News Network 

Now Create Your Apps For Free With Open-Source Livecode 6.0

 
After successfully concluding its Kickstarter campaign, which helped the RunRev raise approximately $760,500, has launched the first open-source version of its award winning cross-platform app development environment.

This cross-platform application developer can be used to create apps for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux and server. Once created, you can deploy the app easily on all mobile, desktop and server platforms. Though because of license incompatibilities, the free source version will not work for Apple's App store. 

The software's easy-to-learn English-like language and drag-and-drop interface, makes LiveCode a comfortable software for students, business professionals and novice developers. LiveCode “academies” are also available for step by step video and documented guides together with two manual ebook guides.

RunRev CEO Kevin Miller says, “I’m so pleased we've been able to deliver this first release of LiveCode Community Edition just five weeks after the close of our Kickstarter campaign. By introducing the first open source version to the community we’re introducing significant new features that our customers have been asking for, all designed to improve productivity and workflow. For users new and old, LiveCode 6.0 is our most exciting release yet and will truly change the way people learn and establish careers around programming and development.”

LiveCode 6.0 version is updated with new features and benefits which include: 
Free to use and develop Community Edition open source version 
Improved image handling and caching that results in faster performance 
Addition of autocomplete in the message box 
New Project Browser.

http://www.efytimes.com

Going Mobile: Does Your Business Need an App?

With the ubiquity of smartphones, it’s easy to get caught up in the app hype. But the question is, should you?

While there’s no doubt that mobile applications can be great for keeping customers engaged with your brand, they aren’t right for everyone. Among other reasons, roughly 80 percent of apps get fewer than 1,000 downloads, and a huge chunk of them register very few downloads at all. They’ll often get buried under the other million-plus apps in every app store.

It can also be costly to develop a mobile application. According to Blue Cloud Solutions, an iPhone app consultancy, you’re going to pay between $1,000 and $4,000 for the most basic of mobile apps. If you want features like in-app purchasing or connection to a database, you’ll see costs increase substantially.

So, how do you decide if your business needs an app or not? Here are three questions to ask yourself before going down the app development path:

1. Who are your customers, and what do they expect? Believe it or not, not everyone has a smartphone (only about 50 percent of U.S. consumers, according to Comscore’s “2013 Mobile Future in Focus” report), and not everyone with a smartphone downloads and uses apps. Evaluate your customer base and determine how useful a mobile app will be to them. If it’s not obvious, a survey of your market is a great way to get the answers you need.

Related: Have an App Idea But Don’t Know Code? Here’s An Action Plan

2. Will a mobile website accomplish what you need? Once you figure out the needs of your customers, it might be clear that a good looking, easy to navigate mobile site is what you really need. A mobile site is also a great transition into mobile if app development is outside your budget right now. The other advantage of this approach is that it works across all smartphone platforms, whereas you need to develop different apps specific to iPhone, Android, Microsoft and (maybe) Blackberry.

Related:  The Basics: 3 Important Tips for Creating Killer Mobile Apps

3. Do you have the bandwidth to maintain an effective mobile app? A mobile app isn’t something you can just set and forget. Not only do platform updates demand frequent upgrades to your app, but if you want your app to be a success, it needs to be refreshed and updated on a regular basis. Developing new content and functionality takes time and money, so be sure you know what you’re getting into.

Related: The New Cool Kids: Teenage-App Developers

Bottom line:Ask yourself why you want to develop an app. Are you getting caught up in the fury of activity in this space and afraid you’re missing out? Or do you have a genuine need to develop a mobile app for your business? If you find that an app would benefit your company, engage your clientele and be cost-effective, go for it!

http://www.youngentrepreneur.com

Ghana Records 26 Million Mobile SIM Subscribers

The first mobile market share report for the year 2013 has shown that there are over 26 million mobile SIM subscribers in Ghana.

According to the latest report by the National Communications Authority as at end of January 2013, there are marginal changes in mobile operators’ market share.

“The Total Cellular/Mobile Voice Subscriber Base in Ghana as at January, 2013 stood at 26,086,795,” the NCA said on its website.

According to the telecoms regulator, MTN’s market share increased marginally from 11,734,500 to 11,857,772 during the period under review, and similarly, Vodafone’s share rose by 3.1% to stand at 5,423,932.
Airtel’s market share also increased to 3,273,048, posting a growth of 2.5%, it said.

The NCA stated that there was an increase in the market share of Expresso from 165,863 to 212,804, same with Glo whose subscriber base increase marginally to 1,649,767.

However, the NCA said Tigo’s market share dropped to 3,669,472 from 3,698,409, representing a decrease of 0.79%.

http://gh.pctechmag.com

Google Secures New URL Shortener Domain, YT.Be

Google has secured a new domain name, YT.be, which it started forwarding to its goo.gl URL shortening service today.Presumably, Google will use the domain name for shortened links to YouTube videos. Today, the company uses another .be domain name to do that, namely youtu.be.

Google acquired the domain name, which was originally registered back in May 2003, from a Belgian Internet entrepreneur, but didn’t make its identity known throughout the purchasing process. But you can see Google is the owner of the domain name these days by simply looking up the WHOIS information.

It is not yet clear how much Google paid for the domain, but It’s worth noting that Google actually owns an even shorter domain name,g.co, but it only uses it for Google websites – likely for branding reasons.

Google started using goo.gl in December 2009, but only opened it up to the public in September 2010. It’s unlikely to switch to yt.be for all URL shortening (again, for branding reasons) but it is expect the company will start using it for links to YouTube videos.

YouTube’s 1 billion monthly users are sharing a ton of videos on social networking sites, where every character counts. On Twitter, approximately 700 YouTube videos are shared every minute – that’s more than 1 million shares per day.

If Google switches from youtu.be to yt.be, it would theoretically be cutting the number of characters needed per day to tweet links to YouTube videos down by about 3 million daily, if Twitter weren’t using a t.co wrapper to shorten all Web addresses.

Credit: TNW

How to make Windows 8 look like Windows 7

Windows 8 is provoking a Marmite-like reaction among users, but that doesn't mean you'll fall directly into the love or hate camps. It's more likely you'll find certain new features useful and others unnecessary. If you're pining for features no longer present, this article is for you.

In this how-to guide, I'll reveal how to water down or ignore some of Windows 8's more controversial features and restore functionality you thought had gone forever. While these tips aren't strictly about making Windows 8 like Windows 7, they address a few annoying niggles.

Bypass the Start screen and disable hotspots

When Windows 8 first loads, you'll notice how it defaults to the new Start screen. If you'd rather go straight to the traditional desktop we all know and love, download a free tool called Skip Metro Suite. Once installed, launch the program and verify 'Skip Start Screen' is ticked.

While you're here, you'll notice that you can also disable some or all of Windows 8's hotspots, allowing you to safely roll your mouse into the corners of the screen, without worrying about triggering the charms bar, apps switcher or Start button. They're all enabled by default, so simply untick those features you wish to keep before clicking Save Settings.

Restore the classic Start menu

The lack of a Start button (never mind Start menu) on the Windows 8 desktop is annoying, but there are plenty of options for getting it back. Stardock's Start8 costs $4.99 (about £3) for a Windows 8-friendly design. But if you want something more traditional (and free), install the Classic Start Menu portion of Classic Shell instead.

Once installed, you'll see the Start button appear -- click this to open the Settings menu and pick your Start menu design ('classic', XP and Vista/7 are all supported). Click OK and your new Start menu is ready to go.

Access Metro apps from the classic desktop

It's possible, by installing Classic Start Menu and Skip Metro Suite, to avoid the Start screen entirely, but how do you access modern apps without it? Simple, add a new shortcut folder on your classic desktop. Right-click a blank area of the desktop and choose New > Shortcut. Now carefully type the following (or copy and paste it) into the location box:

• %windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{4234d49b-0245-4df3-b780-3893943456e1}

Click Next, give your shortcut a suitably descriptive name -- like Modern Apps -- and click Finish.

Customise the Win+X menu

In lieu of the missing Start menu, Windows 8 provides a handy selection of shortcuts when you press Win+X. Customising this list can be done by hand by browsing to a hidden folder -- press Win+R, type 'appdata' and press Enter. Now browse to Local\Microsoft\Windows\WinX, where you'll find three sub-folders -- Group1, Group2 and Group3. Inside these are your various shortcuts.

You can add, move and delete shortcuts from these folders, plus add more groups. If all of this sounds like hard work, try WinAero's free Win+X Menu Editor instead.

Dump the File Explorer ribbon

I quite like the new ribbon-like user interface added to the File Explorer in Windows 8, but if you prefer how things were in Windows 7, you can disable the ribbon quickly and easily usingWinAero's Ribbon Disabler tool.

Just launch the tool after unzipping it (choose the x64 version if you're running Windows 8 64-bit), and click Disable Ribbon Explorer, logging off and back on again when prompted to effect the change.

Stop opening files in modern apps

Double-click a media file in the classic desktop and it'll open it in the corresponding modern user interface app. To revert to traditional desktop apps for your music, photos and videos, open the Control Panel and choose Programs, followed by Default Programs. Select Set Default Programs, pick your chosen app -- such as Windows Picture Viewer for photos, or Windows Media Player for music and video -- and click 'Set this program as default'.

Restore the Windows briefcase

Microsoft thinks everyone wants to use cloud services like SkyDrive to keep their files synced across multiple computers. If you're a fan of the old Windows briefcase, however, you'll be glad to learn it's possible to get it back in Windows 8 with a rather convoluted Registry tweak. Click here to download a pair of Registry files that simplify the process of switching the briefcase feature on and off again.

Access POP email in Mail

The Mail app doesn't like POP email accounts, but you can gain access to them. The secret is to configure your web mail account to access your POP mail, which in turn can be read in Mail. Why not use your Hotmail account -- log on at mail.live.com and head over to Settings > 'More mail settings' to add accounts by choosing 'Sending/receiving email from other accounts'.

Restore gadgets

If you're unhappy that the traditional desktop no longer supports desktop gadgets in Windows 8 (Microsoft would prefer it if you used Modern apps instead), you'll be pleased to learn you can restore the functionality with the help of a free tool called 8GadgetPack.

Just download and install the tool -- when the SmartScreen Filter appears, click Details followed by Run Anyway to ignore it. Once installed -- it's quite a slow process -- your new sidebar will appear, which works in exactly the same way as it does in previous versions of Windows. If you'd rather your gadgets were individually floating on your desktop rather than pinned to the sidebar, just right-click the sidebar and choose Close Sidebar.

Pin any file or folder to the Start screen

The Windows 8 Start Screen lets you pin programs and apps with no problems, but if you want to go further and pin shortcuts to files, folders or certain special shortcuts like the Control Panel, you'll need help in the form of Start Screen Pinner. Download, extract and launch this portable app, then simply add whichever shortcuts you need, which will subsequently appear on the Start screen for easy access.

And another thing...

If you're the only user of your PC, then having to swipe the lock screen and then enter your password might seem like a waste of time each morning. Removing these annoyances is a two-part process. Dumping the lock screen requires a trip to the Registry Editor -- press Win+R, type 'regedit' and press Enter. Now browse to the following Registry key:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows

Look for a Personalization key -- if it's not present, right-click the Windows key in the left-hand pane and choose New > Key and call it Personalization. With Personalization selected, choose Edit > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Change its name to NoLockScreen, double-click it and set its value to 1. Click OK, close Registry Editor and reboot to effect the change.

Logging in automatically from here is mercifully much simpler. Press Win+R again, but this time type 'netplwiz' and press Enter. Select your username, then untick 'Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer'. Click OK, enter your user password twice and click OK again. Job done.

And finally...

Windows 8 will no longer support the playback of DVD movies, but you won't have to shell out for the privilege of using a third-party tool if you install VLC Media Player. Just install the app with the default settings -- again, ignore the SmartScreen Filter warning -- and you'll find your DVDs now play perfectly in VLC.

cnet.com

Google is expanding its Map Maker edit tools to the UK.

The browser-based software allows users to add details about buildings, hiking trails, vegetation and other features to its maps of the country.

Suggested additions and amendments are reviewed by other users and the firm's own staff before going live.

The move comes at a time when Apple, Nokia and others are investing heavily in rival "free-to-use" mapping technologies.

Experts suggest the rise of GPS-enabled devices means the efforts could hold the key to future profits if the firms add location-triggered adverts or use the data to promote situation-specific services.

But for now they see little or no financial return from their current smartphone map apps beyond the value added to their brands.

Codebreaking cartographers

Google first launched its Map Maker service in 2008 to allow users to help it add details to its maps of Pakistan, Vietnam and just over a dozen other countries.

It allowed the firm to fill in blanks to the third-party data it had licensed at a time when its own cartographers were focused on other territories.

The company later extended the facility to much of the rest of the world including the US, France and Australia - countries where it also uses sensor-equipped cars to collect mapping data.

Google said there were "technical obstacles to overcome" when merging any of its existing data with Map Maker, helping explain why it had taken until now to bring it to the UK.

Ahead of the launch workers at Bletchley Park - the site of Britain's World War II codebreaking efforts - trialled the software to help promote the roll-out. The search giant had previously donated money towards the estate's restoration fund.

Trust score

Map Maker users are presented with an interface allowing them to add four types of content:

• Places - such as a gym, bank, cinema or bus station.
• Roads, Rivers and Railways - including hiking trails and bicycle routes.
• Building Outlines - allowing the inclusion of 3D graphics for offices, houses, monuments and other structures.
• Natural Features and Political Boundaries - including lakes, parks and shrubbery.

Users can draw new features onto the firm's maps and then provide details about their additions via a set of menus

Click-through menus allow specific details about each feature and relevant internet links to be added. There is also an option to edit pre-existing objects.

Users wishing to amend the firm's UK maps had previously only been able to report problems or suggest limited changes.

Before alterations are made to Google's live maps other contributors must review the suggestions.

To encourage this Google lets users click a button to show proposed alterations in their neighbourhood, and Map Maker Pulse - a constantly updatingdisplay of submissions made across the UK, each one shown seconds after it is uploaded.

Volunteers build up a confidence score as more of their submissions are approved and after a while require fewer checks.

"We have a trust moderation system in place and that algorithmically figures out whether we can trust this person and how sensitive the feature is," project manager Jessica Pfund told the BBC.

"No matter how trusted you are if you change a very prominent feature, like a Tate art gallery, it's going to have to go through a lot more moderation than if you add a small restaurant to the rural countryside."

She added that users could expect accurate additions to go live within a few days of them being proposed.

Market leader

Ms Pfund acknowledged that in its current state Map Maker did not work well on mobile devices, recommending it only be used on PCs.

Users may also wish to bear in mind the firm's terms and conditionswhich state: "You give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive licence to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display, distribute, and create derivative works of the user submission."

Nokia is also seeking map changes in parts of Africa and South America

Google is not alone in seeking to outsource part of its cartographic efforts to volunteers.

Apple's chief executive, Tim Cook, said his firm appreciated feedback when he apologised in September for the rocky start to the iPhone maker's own app, promising "the more our customers use our Maps the better it will get".

Nokia is also beta testing its own browser-based Map Creator facility for its Here maps product - but within Europe the tool is currently limited to a few islands belonging to Norway and Denmark.

Tech consultancy Gartner says Google's market leading position as the most popular map data provider for smart devices remained secure for now, but adds it will be mindful of rivals' efforts.

"Google needs to continue to continue to invest to stay ahead - it's not going to be a free run as it has been so far," said consumer devices analyst Carolina Milanesi.

bbc.com

Ubuntu 13.04 Linux Is Better Than Apple OS X 10.8.3

After the recent benchmarking results of Ubuntu 13.04, there have been similar benchmark testing done for Apple's OS X 10.8.3 operating system on MacBook Pro compared to Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS, Ubuntu 12.10, and the latest Ubuntu 13.04 (post Beta 2) state. Ubuntu 13.04 is typically known to be competitive with OS X 10.8 but now reports suggest that the Ubuntu 13.04 is actually outperforming Apple's operating system on its own MacBook hardware in some areas. 

According to the report , the same Apple MacBook Pro hardware was used for the testing both the operating systems with Intel integrated graphics. In terms of hardware specs of the Apple MacBook Pro used for benchmark testing, it was powered by an Intel Core i5 520M processor, 4 GB RAM, 120GB OCZ Agility 2 SSD, and Intel "Ironlake" IGP graphics. 


Benchmarking on the Apple OS X and Ubuntu Linux was managed and undertaken by Phoronix Test Suite, which is an open-source benchmarking software. Users can check the detailed benchmarking results on OpenBenchmarking.org.

The fact that Ubuntu 13.04 performs better than Apple OS X on devices like Apple MacBook Pro is clearly an indication that the open-source Linux based operating system has enough juice to out-run the best in the business.

http://www.efytimes.com 

Apple and Yahoo said to be in talks for deeper iPhone partnership

SANFRANCISCO -- Yahoo is said to be in discussions with Apple to make some of its services more prominent on Apple's iPhone and iPad.

The two Silicon Valley companies are talking about getting more sports and news content loaded onto Apple devices and to expand a partnership with voice activated assistant Siri, which bypasses search and gives users information directly when they speak into their phones, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Yahoo, which is keen to forge partnerships with mobile players, has also looked into making Web search results available to Apple so that it could rely less heavily on Google, the report said. One hitch would be Yahoo's partnership with Microsoft's Bing search engine, which provides Yahoo's search results.

Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer has said it’s a top priority to expand Yahoo’s footprint on mobile devices.

Apple has been seeking ways to rely less heavily on Google, even in search. Unlike Google, which builds devices and Android mobile operating software, Yahoo does not pose a direct competitive threat.

Mayer has said that Yahoo must grow mobile usage to increase revenue. But BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis said a tie-up with Apple would not do that.

The talks with Yahoo are indicative of Apple's "bad blood" with Google, but would not help Yahoo much, Gillis said.

"It would have a minimal impact on revenue, and it doesn't solve the problems Yahoo is facing,” Gillis said.

Should Apple move forward with the partnership, "we'll see if Apple is doing a service or disservice to users," he added.

A representative for Yahoo declined to comment. Apple could not be reached for comment.

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