Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is my name and I see myself as a devoted and hard working software engineer striving to keep up to date with the latest inventions and technologies in the IT world. Likeness for writing is one of the reasons that brought me here.I relish and strive on facing challenges and coming out of them with flying colors.
Homepage: http://www.geekword.net/
Posts by Muhammad Ali
First real photos of BlackBerry 9630 leaked
Mar 5th
Yes you heard it right, first real snaps of BlackBerry 9630 Niagara have been leaked. Recall the keyboard of BlackBerry Bold and the slinky chassis of the BlackBerry Curve, combine the two eye catching features, mingle a little bit of CDMA connectivity into it, and what you will get is BlackBerry 9630 presumably. Don’t belive take a look by yourself:
From the leaked specifications , the information i got was that it is possibly a CDMA World Phone, which means not only will it play happily on Verizon’s network in the US, gobbling up EVDO Rev.A signals with gleeful abandon, but GSM too. What more, even quadband GSM is promised, with support for everything from GPRS through EDGE to UMTS for high-speed internet access. The phone also features a 3.2 megapixel camera. Thats all the information which i managed to gather from the leaked specifications, but i would be back with more information once i get access to it.
Google announces Google Code Labs
Mar 5th
Keeping in view the ever rising growth of Google developer’s program, Google on 3rd March, announced the launch of Google Code Labs.
Google Code Labs is intended to be a home for developer and their products which are in their early stages of development. Google hopes that all of their valuable developer products mature and get huge success. Having said, one should keep in mind the very true fact that every single product ma not reach that goal. The Labs program provides engineering teams and the developer community a chance to explore ideas and get involved early.
With the launch of Google Code Labs, several well known and widely used APIs and tools are the first set of Google Code Labs to get graduated. App Engine, Maps API, Earth API, Calendar Data API, YouTube APIs are just a few among many to get graduated.
For these graduates, Google have planned of increasing their commitment with published deprecation policies and other critical support services. The Visualization API terms, Contacts Data API terms, and Picasa Web Albums Data API terms are a few good examples of transparent deprecation policies. They state that we’ll support each version for at least 3 years from when it’s deprecated or a newer version is introduced. We’re working to get policies posted for the other graduates as well, though the time period may vary a bit from product to product. It will be 3 years for most, but it might be less for some. The AdWords API, for example, has a policy of supporting old versions for 4 months.
Offline access for Google Calendar
Mar 5th
Google, in the month of January enabled offline access for Gmail, has now enabled Google Calendar to be accessed and used offline.
In scenarios where you are travelling, or you dont have a strong internet connection, offline feature for Google Calendar makes it possible for you to view your planned schedules, events and other activities. One thing to keep in mind is that in the offline mode, you can only view your planned activities, and cannot edit them. What this feature does is that it relieves you from the burden of printing out your calendar the night before your trip. This offline feature was enabled for schools and other institutions using Google Apps for a period close to one month.
As was the case with Gmail, Google Calendar also makes use of the functionality offered by Gears, an open source browser extension, to incorporate the offline functionality.
To enable offline Calendar access and use it to its full potential , sign in to Google Calendar and look for the “Offline Beta” link in the upper right-hand corner of your respective account, right next to your username.
There are more than one ways to view your calendar, when you are not on your desk. One option is the offline access fo the Calendar. Besides that, Google provides two-way sync for iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile and Blackberry devices. That means wherever you go Google Calendar is there with you.
Mozilla Labs roll out a developer release for Weave
Mar 4th
Mozilla Labs have rolled out a developer release named Weave M4 Development Milestone for the Weave Client. The current release is targeted solely towards testing.
Weave, launched way back in 2007, is an experiment by Mozilla Labs attempts to identify ways for enhancing Firefox user experience, providing users more control over their personal information. It also focuses on providing developers various options for building innovative online experiences.One important area for exploration is the blending of the desktop and the Web through deeper integration of the browser with online services.
The development uptil now has focused mainly on enabling Weave Sync to encrypt and synchronize the Firefox experience across multiple browsers, between desktop and mobile devices to be specific, in a secured manner.
The M4 development milestone is an developer release of the Weave client released early. The release is on track with the planned development milestones. This development milestone is available only for testing purposes, and to solicit wider testing and feedback from the Mozilla community.
The new features in M4 are :
- Preliminary support for Fennec for all data types, i.e. bookmarks, history, tabs, and saved passwords.
- Redesigned sync protocol and server architecture.
- Client optimization to improve CPU and memory efficiency.
- services.mozilla.com now hosted on a redesigned hardware server cluster.
If you are interested in getting yourself involved with testing and development tasks, register yourself for a Weave account, install the latest development milestone and get your hands dirty.
Yuhua reveals Android based Xphone-SDK
Mar 3rd
Yuhua, a Chinese based ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) just a few days back unveiled their latest hardware design reference. Yuhua (known more formally as “Yuhuatel”) offers a variety of handset designs that run Java and Linux, including an iPhone-like CPhone design running a 2.4-series kernel.
From the initial looks, it seems to be targeted towards an Android based handset. The phone is given the title “Xphone-SDK”. Xphone-SDK is just a design reference, and it is yet to be built.
As far as its specifications are concerned, Xphone-SDK has a 3 inch display screen with 240*400 resolution. It also provides Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g support, Bluetooth 2.0. In addition to that it comprises of a 3 megapixel camera alongwith a microSD card slot that can support maximum of 16GB data. So a lot of data can be stored.
Here is a list of the features that this design reference provides :
- Processor — Marvell PXA-310 624Mhz
- Memory — 128MB SDRAM; 256MB internal ROM
- Flash — MicroSD card slot for up to 16GB external
- Cellular — 900/1800/1900MHz GPRS/EDGE
- Display — 3-inch TFT WQVGA (240 x 400)
- WiFi — 802.11b/g
- Bluetooth — Bluetooth 2.0
- Camera — 3Mpix camera (no flash)
- Video playback — H.264, streaming, 3GPP, MPEG4, Codec 3GP
- Audio playback — G-streamer based engine supports major codec media files, including MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, MPEG4, WAV, MIDI
- Image support — JPG, BMP, PNG, GIF
- Web and messaging — HTTP, WAP Push, xHTML, SMS, MMS
- Other features — Data kits for USB/JTAG connectivity
- Battery — 1000mAh
- Operating system — Android (Linux/Java)
GETAC releases Rugged smartphone
Mar 3rd
GETAC, manufacturers of rugged mobile products announced the release of GETAC PS535F handheld smartphone. GETAC’s (which also manufactures rugged notebooks and tablets) latest smartphone release is a fully rugged GPS-enabled PDA containing a built in 3 megapixel auto-focus camera, along with an altimeter and E-compass. These features will make it possible for field based employees to capture field data on-site and transmit that data back to the headquarters in real time.
Besides its GPS system, the product’s built-in altimeter and E-compass provide advanced navigation features such as fixed positioning of longitude, latitude and altitude, as well as the ability to provide directional relations between the targeted subject and the user’s position. The PS535F also features comprehensive wireless connectivity options, including integrated Bluetooth V2.0 and 802.11b/g WiFi. Users can connect the PS535F to a GIS server and instantly transmit or process data in the field using a GETAC Bluetooth modem or mobile phone.
The GETAC PS535F uses Windows Mobile 6.1 as its operationg system, which al lows quick access to email, Internet, texting and other means of mobile communications. The smartphone weights a mere 10.7 ounces, and can operate at full capacity for up to 8-hours on a fully-charged battery and is MIL-STD 810F compliant and IP54 certaified to operate without failure under the most extreme weather conditions, environments and everyday abuse associated with its user base.
The Main features of this product include :
- 3.5” VGA Touch Screen Display
- 533MHz Samsung 2450 processor
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1
- 128Mb onboard MDDR
- 2GB onboard NAND Flash Storage ROM
- MIL-STD 810F and IP54 compliant
- Embedded GPS Receiver
- 3.0 Megapixel On-Board Camera
- Altimeter and E-Compass
- Integrated Bluetooth V2.0 and 802.11b/g capability
- Sunlight Readable Display solution (optional)
- 8 Hour Battery Life
- Dimensions: 5.7″ x 3.2″ x 1.2″
- Weight: 10.6 oz
Introducing MIT’s Solar Car named Eleanor
Mar 1st
Solar Vehicle team at MIT during the course of this week completed construction of its latest high-tech car.
The Solar energy based car dubbed as “Eleanor” is taller and larger in size in comparison to its earlier version. This allows the driver to sit in a better and more comfortable upright position. However the newly built car has exactly the same drag area (a measure of its wind resistance) as its previous models, all of this was purely because of the sophisticated aerodynamic design and wide-tunnel testing.
The car comprises of six square meters of monocrystalline silicon solar cells and improved electronic systems and design. The car can run all day on a sunny day at a steady speed of 55 mph.
The car is set to compete in the month of October in the World Solar Challenge race across Australia. In order to prepare themselves for the competition the team plans to drive the car across the United States over the summer. About a dozen team members are expected to go to Australia for the race, even though only four will drive the solar car in the competition.
The new vehicle is also equipped with wireless links so that the lead and chase vehicles during the race will be able to monitor every aspect of the car’s electrical performance in real time. Its batteries have enough energy, making it possible (when fully charged) for the car to travel from Boston to New York City without need of sunlight.
David Sanchez, a senior in Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics who happens to be the aerodynamics lead for the team, has been working on the project for more than two years stated :
There’s no better project for a young guy who wants to do aerodynamics, all the way from conception to design to construction
Samsung introduces first LCD with Internet TV Widgets
Feb 28th
If you are planning to upscale your DVDs, don’t do that. Samsung’s 2009 range of LCD and plasma TVs will do a much better job than any player. At least that is what the company claims.
Samsung’s senior engineer Boo Taeck Lim stated:
We have invested over a billion dollars in R&D to develop and produce our own scaling technology. Previously we used a chip sourced from Taiwan but now we have our own single chip scaling solution and it marks an enormous improvement in picture quality. It will appear in all mid- and up-market Samsung TVs this year. The new chip can auto-sense the original resolution of any source material, and will convert it back to whatever its original resolution was, before upscaling it to match the panel.
Samsung is of the view that it will be the first TV maker to offer Yahoo’s Internet Widget service in the UK. This product is set to be launched in March in a variety of screen sizes and with various Plasma and LCD configurations.
The Korean giant says that this year it will separate LED backlit models out from its LCD ranges and sell them under a new ‘LED TV’ monicker. ‘We expect all our LED screens to be displayed away from normal CCFL backlit TVs in high-streets stores, ‘ Petersen told us. Samsung’s member denied the fact that Samsung was exploiting possible confusion with OLED TV. Samsung’s LED TVs offer clear benefits in power consumption, slimness and picture quality.By way of comparison, Samsung’s first generation 55in LED LCD TV utilised an array of 1,700 bulbs. The new edge-LED model has only 370 bulbs.
Like some of their rivals, Samsung’s 2009 LED models use an edge-LED lighting technique to reduce their depth. Boo Taeck Lim explained:
However, we have developed our own reflective light guide plates,which enable us to produce edge-LED screens much larger than our competitors.
The new screens are also much more efficient than previous models . Their new 55in screen consumes only as much power as an older 32in model.This reduction in power has been made possible because the TVs use far fewer LED bulbs for backlighting purposes.
Chrome uses Distributed Reliability Testing
Feb 27th
Every software developer want their software to be stable. Same is the case with Google Chrome. Google Chrome team wants to ensure that Google Chrome should never crash, no matter which website you browse. This is one of their goal. In order to ensure that they achieve their stability goal, they have employed a tool which they name it “Distributed Reality Testing“.
Being a part of Google, one of the advantages that Google Chrome team gets is their access to large amount of information over the Web, not to forget a huge amount of computers on which to perform testing operations.
Every hour, their distributed test tool takes the latest version of Google Chrome in development and uses it in an automated manner to automatically load a large number of pages, which are most popular according to Google collected statistics. Once done with this testing it produces the result which is something like this
Results for top 500 web sites:
success: 499; crashes: 0; crash dumps: 0; timeout: 1
Results for top 500 web sites without sandbox:
success: 463; crashes: 0; crash dumps: 0; timeout: 2
Results for extended list of web sites:
success: 99768; crashes: 3; crash dumps: 3; timeout: 463
Besides this, the Google Chrome team also performed “fuzz-test” on the user interface, automatically performing random sequence of actions(opening a tab, opening various dialogs, etc). In total there are more than 30 possible actions related to the user interface. These tests are also performed in the distributed testing environment.The result of this interface related test looks something like this
Results for automated UI test:
success: 64643; crashes: 0; crash dumps: 0; timeout: 0
This sort of large-scale testing is advantageous in the sense that it helps in finding crashes that happen only rarely, or that only affect pages that developers wouldn’t have visited as part of their haphazard manual testing. By catching a problem right away even if it’s very rare, it becomes easier for developers to figure out the factors that caused the error and fix it before it ever gets close to showing up in Google Chrome itself.
