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Google IO 2013 Complete Coverage

rahul247rocks — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:34:30 +0000

With only a couple of hours left before Google officially kicks of their IO 2013 conference, a lot of people are writing about their own predictions and expectations from the 3 hour long opening day keynote. Google IO 2013 is certainly going to be an announcement platform for the company and there are a ton of new products that are currently into development which could come to the limelight. In this blog post I am going to cover everything you need to know about this highly anticipated event. Please check back often because I am going to constantly update this post with new content and announcements as they happen.

Things to Expect At Google IO 2013

A Music Subscription Service – Google is expected to launch a brand new music subscription service to complete with Spotify. This is the latest rumor that’s making the rounds at IO 2013. Details about the product is pretty much vague and unclear but I am sure we will know a lot by the end of the day.

Babel Chat Service – Traditional Gtalk is not working anymore. We live in a world dominated by WhatsApp, iChat, Viber etc. that provides the same version of their optimized universal chat client for almost all devices on the planet. It is expected that Google will launch a WhatsApp like service called Babel that will utilize your Google account and sync conversations across all devices. You can also expect the launch of Babel apps for Windows 8 Mobile, iOS and of course Android.

A new Google Maps – Last week we saw a brand new image of what’s supposedly being called as the next generation Google Maps. The design is much clearer with lots of information floating about inside the map itself. Expect a long announcement for Maps today.

A new Gmail – Google IO 2013 will witness the launch of a brand new Gmail for their millions of users. A few weeks back we did see a slight change in the way we compose and create new messages. Today you can expect a major haul that will add lots of new features and a brand new look for Gmail.

Game Center for Android – This is one update that Google is clearly copying after seeing the success of iOS GameCenter. The next Android update will include a full-fledged GameCenter for Android. Although we don’t have any details but there are rumors that the new GameCenter will be deeply integrated with your Google+ account and feature a full gamification mechanism.

Start of IO Conference – 12 PM Eastern Time 15^th May 2013

Google Play Music All Access

Google Just announced Google Play Music that allows you to access millions of song within Google Music using their unique subscription service.

Adobe adopts full-fledged Creative Cloud monthly subscriptions, ditches boxed software versions

rahul247rocks — Tue, 07 May 2013 07:44:16 +0000

Was I the only one who saw this coming, an inevitable move to check on the growing piracy of Adobe softwares? If you are using any of Adobe’s tools for daily needs then you must read this blog post because the new subscription based model will affect millions of graphic designers, web developers, editors etc. throughout the world. Previously you could just pay a flat price and get the software DVD or some license keys to a legit digital download. If you were running a professional organization then you would have bought multiple license keys for each user. However, starting from next month i.e. June 2013, Adobe is shifting to their creative cloud permanently.

Creative cloud is monthly subscription system that lets you use all of Adobe’s software both online and offline. Since you need to download and sync all your stuff to your personal cloud there is hardly any chance of piracy. As a matter of fact I truly believe that this new approach will not only help shape Adobe’s finances but also define new possibilities with the creative cloud users. A monthly plan is sometimes a hell of a lot better than any packaged bundle software. You don’t need to save cash for the next major Adobe update, spend extra money for new softwares, worry about storing your work and the list goes on.

The only thing that you need for a hassle free experience is a fast internet connection and 50 dollars a month. I know that this amount might not sound reasonable especially people living in countries like India, Singapore, China etc. but the amount of help and service that you are getting with the Creative Cloud is unlike anything you have ever experienced in the Adobe ecosystem.

Adobe announced at their Los Angeles MAX Conference that the introduction of creative could late last year was an astounding success. Over half million users joined the new model of getting the latest software and the number count is rising fast. In 2013 the company is shifting to a whole new business structure aimed at providing all their services to anybody. They will also stop updating their CS series like they used to over the last couple of years. Instead, the updates are going to be small, frequent and often driven by user demands.

It would be interesting to see how the entire creative community responds to such a radical change in Adobe’s consumer model. Feel free to comment your thoughts below and let me know how this new system is going to affect you as a designer/developer.

3 new GTA 5 trailers released, each showcasing the different characters

rahul247rocks — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:11:57 +0000

Rockstar Games just released not one but 3 brand new trailers for their upcoming GTA 5 game. Each trailer is dedicated to one of the three main characters of the game that includes Michael, Trevor and Franklin. All of these 1min trailers will give a rough idea about the character and their distinctiveness from each other. While Michael is a long lost crime boss trying to find a balance between good and bad life, Franklin is learning the moves of the street and trying to establish himself in the crime world. My personal favorite is Trevor (Michael’s old buddy) who is new in town. Apart from their characteristics these trailers also showcase the diverse neighborhoods in GTA 5. You can clearly make out that Michael is rich and stays in a very posh area while Trevor and Franklin are from the suburbs.

The new trailers also focus on showing some awesome cut scenes from various missions. I think that GTA 5 will be the best one in the GTA series. The graphics and in-game mechanics are more realistic than ever. You can check out the clips below and share your thoughts on the upcoming game slated for a September 17^th release.

Michael Trailer

Trevor Trailer

Franklin Trailer

Twitter Reports Boston Marathon Explosion: 2 Dead 28 Injured so far

rahul247rocks — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:16:27 +0000

The famous Boston Marathon came to a disastrous conclusion when two bombs exploded at the end of the finishing line. The first reactions immediately started pouring in from the different social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. People used several apps like Instagram, Vine and YouTube to upload their pictures and photos of the incident. According to CNN the entire security of Boston has been heightened and they are particularly interested in hotels and other important places. While many critics claim that it’s some sort of an electrical failure the video shows that it’s defiantly some sort of a bomb.

We just got confirmed reports that 2 people are dead and many others are being admitted to nearby hospitals. Below are some snippets of the social media coverage from the Boston incident. Let us know what you guys think, is it just a failure or a deliberate attempt?

What the fuck just happened?#bostonmarathon twitter.com/theoriginalwak…

— Tyler Wakstein (@theoriginalwak) April 15, 2013

Facebook Home: The Ultra Customized Android Launcher [Video]

rahul247rocks — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:31:36 +0000

Facebook is really taking the mobile market very seriously. Last year when Mark Zuckerberg announced the exponential growth of mobile social networking users, it was evident that the company would be investing a lot of time and effort in improving the experience. While there were rumors of a full-featured Facebook phone the release of Facebook Home cleared all the dust and shadows of the company’s approach towards Android users (for now). If you are hearing the term “Facebook Home” for the first time then let me tell you that it’s a customized Android launcher with the mission of putting people before applications. Below is a short video explaining some of the basic elements of the new launcher.

In this event HTC also announced a brand new smartphone called the HTC First that’s gonna support all the features of Facebook Home. As of now there are selected devices that can use this feature slated for an April 12th release.

Smartphones Supporting Facebook Home

HTC First
HTC One X
HTC One X+
Samsung Galaxy S3
Samsung Galaxy S4

[More smartphone support coming real soon]

Google Introduces Gmail Blue April Fool Concept for 2013

rahul247rocks — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:49:41 +0000

Google is following their old tradition of fooling millions of users on April 1st. This year they decided to go with another Gmail spoof called “Gmail Blue”. It’s a professional looking video explaining the advantages of turning the entire Gmail experience to blue. Blue Fonts, Buttons, Links etc. and then there is some weird guy telling us the relationship between this color and nature. Personally, I think that last year’s Gmail Tap Norse Code video was more interesting and less predictable. This year one can make out that’s it’s an April Fool Prank by the time you reach the first half of the video. Then there is also another YouTube prank going around stating that you can no longer upload videos starting today. Google is a company known for its fun-cool factor and it’s good to see that they are maintaining their style. Below is a link to both the videos. Let me know what you think.

Twitter celebrates it’s 7th birthday by highlight top moments [Video]

rahul247rocks — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 06:06:58 +0000

Twitter a social networking websites for events, promotions and connecting with like-minded people. Whether you are a small business or a heart throbbing celebrity, the chances are you already have an engaging Twitter account with that blue checkmark sign beside you profile. Launched in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Twitter grew popular over the years to accommodate 200 million active users sending more than 400 Million Tweets every day. Yesterday, the micro-blogging site celebrated their 7th birthday showcasing some of the favorite moments from the last couple of years. You can share your thoughts and opinions using hashtag #twitter7.

Last year the company launched sponsored tweets in order to bring some real income to their inventory. While sponsored tweets have not been as successful as Google Adsense or Facebook Ads, they are constantly working to improve it. A few days ago Twitter announced that they are launching detailed analytics for all advertisers. We hope that this social networking giant will continue to grow over the next couple of years as well. Below is the video that will take you down the Twitter memory lane.

Samsung Launches Galaxy S4 with innovative new features

rahul247rocks — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 06:41:03 +0000

Samsung just unveiled their flagship Galaxy S4 at an event in New York. I can’t help but wonder why every smartphone manufacturer is choosing NY as their launch destination. The Galaxy S4 looks pretty similar to the earlier SGS3 model but comes packed with some innovative new features. First of all you have a full HD 1080p display with 441 Pixels per Inch (PPI) making it as crisp as the recently launched HTC One. Apart from the 5 inch screen the SGS4 comes packed with the latest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean mobile operating system.

While you might complain that there is not much difference outside when you look at phone, the wide range of improvements are fitted inside with some pretty cool features. Firstly, you have an all-new 13 Megapixel Camera that records 1080o video. The front 2 MP camera is also HD and there is an inbuilt software which allows you to record both the cameras at the same time and merge them into a single video file. The software is kind of similar to what we are used to doing in iMovie. Another major advancement for the Galaxy S4 is the inclusion of a brand new way to interact with your phone. AirView and AirGestures allow you to control the screen without touching it. You heard me right! Just swipe on top of the screen and the Galaxy S4 will track and respond to each and every gesture. AirView is something that we have not seen in any other smartphone till date.

This version of Jelly Bean comes pre-loaded with a bunch of Samsung optimized software. One of the most notable software is something called S-Health that tracks your steps, heartbeat, food-consumption and maintains an appropriate health chart. There are two models of 32 and 64 GB with support of Micro-SD card slots. The Galaxy S4 will be available in Q2 to almost all major countries and carriers across the globe. This is by far the biggest and fastest smartphone release we have ever seen. As of pricing, Samsung hasn’t confirmed anything yet but you can expect the 32 GB S4 (unlocked) to cost around 600 USD.

How Twitter Reacted to new pope Francis Announcement [Video]

rahul247rocks — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 19:57:12 +0000

The biggest announcement for today is the successful election of a new pope named Pope Francis. While most you were glued to your television waiting for those doors to open and the new pope to emerge in front of the massive crowd, I being an internet savvy person went to Twitter and started tracking various keywords that are trending on this occasion. Below is a video where I show you a live feed of updating tweets. It’s impossible for you to read them since there are thousands of tweets arriving each second but it should give you a clear understanding of how Twitter reacted to this event.

Some Trending Tags

#HabemusPapam

#popefrancis

#PrimerasPalabrasDelPapa

Update: Pope Francis just sent out the first tweet from his Official Twitter Account that reads “HABEMUS PAPAM FRANCISCUM“. The Account that was deactivated after Benedict’s retirement was re-activated again on Wednesday. It currently has just short of 2 million followers. His first tweet has been retweeted over 50k times.

HABEMUS PAPAM FRANCISCUM

— Pontifex (@Pontifex) March 13, 2013

Pinterest adds Analytics Support for their Pinboards [Video]

rahul247rocks — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:36:24 +0000

Pinterest just launched a brand new analytics panel that lets users keep track of their pinners. In order to activate this feature one must have the latest version of Pinterest and a verified website associated with your account. Pinterest is now a full blown image browsing and collection system. A lot of business started using this service to attract new visitors and leads to their website. If you are in the design, DIY or fashion filed then you definitely need to use this social network and promote your products. The analytics will help brand owners figure out a soild strategy for Pinterest campaigns Check out our video below where we explain everything about this new addition is details.