31772a6dd13fa30012a6de614c7ac0fc9734955e5797a33812 Money And Knowledge: 2012

How to download free ebooks


If you are in college or in school or even if your kids are in school/college you might need lots of books to satisfy your intellectual needs . But, its not possible and feasible to buy each and every book online or offline . Sometimes ,its even not needed as you will most probably get the same knowledge from else freely. So, today we creating a top 5 list of websites from where you can download ebooks freely online.
Top 5 ebook downloading sites are:
1 .Scribd.com : The ultimate place to find any presentation/pdf . Here, you can lots of literature about everything you need . It  also sometimes termed as Youtube for ebooks as you will find almost everything shared there sometimes even copyrighted materials too .
2. Project Gutenberg : Project Gutenberg is the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Project Gutenberg currently have more than 33,000 ebooks in their site.These are the books that out of copyright and available for anyone to use for any purpose.
3. SlideShare : SlideShare is the best way to share your presentations with the world. You will very good amount presentations from this site about almost any topic. Let your ideas reach a broad audience. Share publicly or privately. Add audio to create a webinar.
4. Bookyards :Bookyards has a total of 17,009 books, 32,963 Ebook links and access to hundreds of online libraries (800,000 Ebooks) for your reading pleasure.

5. OnlineComputerBooks : OnlineComputerBooks.com contains details about , free ebooks, free programming books, free online books and sample chapters related to Information and Communication Technology, Computer Science, Internet, Engineering, Business, Marketing, Maths, Electronics, Physics and Science which are provided by publishers or authors on their websites legally and free of charge.
Hopefully , you will like our ebook collection . There’s lot more websites which offer free ebook download. If you download from some other place, please let me know .


How to Boot Windows XP Fast


Follow the following steps to boot Windows XP fast :
1. Open notepad.exe, type “del c:\windows\prefetch\ntosboot-*.* /q” (without the quotes) & save as “ntosboot.bat” in c:\
2. From the Start menu, select “Run…” & type “gpedit.msc”.
3. Double click “Windows Settings” under “Computer Configuration” and double click again on “Shutdown” in the right window.
4. In the new window, click “add”, “Browse”, locate your “ntosboot.bat” file & click “Open”.
5. Click “OK”, “Apply” & “OK” once again to exit.
6. From the Start menu, select “Run…” & type “devmgmt.msc”.
7. Double click on “IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers”
8. Right click on “Primary IDE Channel” and select “Properties”.
9. Select the “Advanced Settings” tab then on the device or 1 that doesn’t have ‘device type’ greyed out select ‘none’ instead of ‘autodetect’ & click “OK”.
10. Right click on “Secondary IDE channel”, select “Properties” and repeat step 9.
11. Reboot your computer.

Teach Kids programming with Small Basic from Microsoft


If you want to teach your younger brothers/sisters(in the age group 10-16) programming then you should consider Microsoft Small Basic which is a wonderful language for kids in that age group .
Microsoft Small Basic is a simplified variant of the BASIC programming language introduced by Microsoft in October 2008. With a bare minimum of concepts, Microsoft touts this as an easy programming language for beginners to grasp. The language itself has only 14 keywords, and the environment is beginner friendly with a straight-forward interface.
Microsoft Small basic works on Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 and you need to have Microsoft .NET framework 3.5 .
You can download Small Basic from here and you can download the manual from here .

LibreOffice announced : Open-source giants hand in hand for new Office suite


These are exciting days in opensource community. Adding to the excitement, The Open Office development community today announced the setting up of The Document Foundation which will fork (develop its own version from source code of ) Open Office. The foundation will be supported by Open-Source giants like Google, Red Hat, FSF, Canonical (sponsors of Ubuntu project ), and Novell ( Powerhouse driving the openSuse Project ). Oracle, the current owner of OpenOffice has also been invited to join the group. The team currently consists of some of the pioneering developers of OpenOffice itself.
A beta1 release of LibreOffice is also available for download.
Mark Shuttleworth, founder and major shareholder of Canonical, the makers of Ubuntu, has declared: “Office productivity software is a critical component of the free software desktop, and the Ubuntu Project will be pleased to ship LibreOffice from The Document Foundation in future releases of Ubuntu. The Document Foundation’s stewardship of LibreOffice provides Ubuntu developers an effective forum for collaboration around the code that makes Ubuntu an effective solution for the desktop in office environments“.
Lets hope The Document Foundation can come up with an amazing product. [:)]

Download Skype 5 for Windows with facebook integration and group calling


If you are a VOIP user then you might be using Skype for Audio/Video calling as it is the best client for audio/video calling . In the recent version of Skype ,more social stuff has been added to it . The major updates  has been Facebook integration and Group calling .
I downloaded the skype 5 and tried it on my Windows 7 and it seems cool with a all new tabbed look .
For facebook addicts it also integrates the Facebook news feed into skype feed and you can also call or send them sms your facebook friends from Skype .
One more feature is group video calling which will really help people connecting with their families and friends or even office guys can use it to have a meeting sort of thing .
One more important feature is that if your call drops due to poor quality it will try to automatically connect again .
Download Skype 5 for Windows from here .

7 Best Apps to carry on your USB stick


The world is not a perfect place. Ever so often, one has to work on someone’s computer which is lacking in some small irritating way compared to yours. You are craving for what you’re used to, yet don’t want to change anything on the machine.
We tell you the best portable apps to carry around in your USB stick and use at work, school or any other place. These small executables are self-sufficient  and don’t modify anything on the computer, making them extremely handy in a number of situations.
1. VLC Media Player – Multi-format Media Player
The world’s favorite all-format media player is the most obvious inclusion. You’ll no longer curse the computer for not having the codecs to run your video file, or rather any video file. Simple and powerful : a must have!
2. Foxit PDF Reader – PDF file Viewer
The stupid machine doesn’t open .pdf files? No qualms, just use this lightweight reader. In fact, we recommend this over Adobe Reader for day-to-day use. Unlike the former, it doesn’t take ages to load and is especially great for computers low on resources.Foxit Reader Portable

3. Miranda IM – Chat Client
Compact and portable instant messaging for GTalk, Facebook, Yahoo!, MSN, ICQ, IRC and more!Miranda IM Portable

4. Google Chrome Portable - Web Browser
Arguably the fastest browser today, it can often save you the option of working on Internet Explorer (oh, the horrors!!) on a surprisingly large number of computers.Google Chrome Portable
5. 7zip – File Archiver and Extractor
Quickly extract .zip, .rar, and .7z with this tiny freeware.
6. Everything - Superfast Search Tool
Use this little-known tool to search the computer for anything blazing fast. Takes half a minute on first launch to scan the entire disk, but then spurts out search results amazingly fast. Supports matching options and regular expressions.
7. Tools from NirSoft - Password Recovery
Check out NirSoft’s utilities. You never know when you might need one on a remote computer. ‘Nuff said.

No more Uninor in West Bengal after Jan 18, 2013!


Telecom operator Uninor, stated on Monday that it is going to stop its services in West Bengal and Kolkata circles starting Jan 19, 2013. Uninor was one of the operators whose license was cancelled in February by the Supreme Court.
Uninor stated the following :
“The Supreme Court had quashed Uninor’s licences through its order on February 2, 2012. With no new 1,800 Mhz spectrum auctions being indicated by the authorities and 900 Mhz spectrum also likely not be available to auction winners in 2013, the company will have to stop its operations in the two circles of Kolkata and West Bengal on January 19, 2013″
“The company will issue a public notice to all its customers in Kolkata and West Bengal requesting them to exhaust their balance by January 18, 2013, and utilise mobile number portability to port out to any other operator of choice”
Uninor’s services however would continue the operations in Mumbai circle as Telenor Group(which holds a majority stake in Uninor) stated,
” (Telenor) evaluates the possibility of participating in the second auction for spectrum in Mumbai indicated by the Indian authorities”
The company has a subscriber base of about 5.6 million in the two circles.The company now focuses to conduct the closure process with full transparency and responsibility.
They company said that they would help the employees relocate from West Bengal and Kolkata circles to other circles and also provide assistance in securing employment outside the company. After January 18, assets and business of Uninor will be transferred to a new entity ‘Telewings Communications’, in which Norwegian firm Telenor has 74 per cent stake.
If you have any friends who are going to be affected by this, do let them know ASAP.

Security Tips To Keep Your Computer Away From Hackers


Computer hacking serves to be the malicious act and so it is crucial for the computer and details to safeguard from hacking. PC hacking refers to process of creating malicious changes to software or hardware to achieve the aim outside the creator’s objective.
What can be lost or stolen?
So, whether you are at home or work, your computer contains the documents with some personal details like client date or important household records. These are indeed the files that you would prefer that the stranger not watch in case the computer was to be stolen, lost or accessed by the hackers.
Antivirus helps
In order to safeguard the computer from hacking, you can install antivirus program. The antivirus safeguards computer virus that lodges it deep into the hard drive and thus copy the data and so transfer to the server where one would not wish confidential data to be the hacker’s server. In case someone sends virus intentionally, antivirus detects virus and thus damages it. Keep the antivirus updated. Set the antivirus so that you can schedule the weekly scan for hard drives in the computer. Check the list of free antivirus for Windows 7 and you also download these malware removal tools .
Be careful always
Always scan the attachments and documents using antivirus before you open it or run it or even install it on the computer. Install the firewall to keep hackers at bay as well. Firewall will keep the check on data that is exchanged between the computer and others each time you log on to the web. This way, you will be safeguarded from the unwanted codes or applications that get downloaded on the PC inadvertently. The details which do not meet security requirements that are set up by the program developer get barred from entering the PC by firewall. So, it is best to keep the firewall updated from time to time.
Keep secure passwords and change them often
Choosing safe password is also a great idea to keep the computer hacking free. Make sure that you do not share your password with others. Keep the password at least 6 characters in its length using the lowercase, uppercase letters, numbers and punctuation marks all combined in. Check the post on how to create a strong password .
Also, make sure that you change the password frequently so that no one gets to know about it. More frequently you modify the password or change it, less are the chances that it will get stolen.
Have different individual accounts
In case your PC is used not just by you, but by others as well, you can create different accounts for all individuals. The individual accounts help to protect the computer from all sorts of changes that the kids may make and that may destroy the system or the files on your PC.
Never store the personal details in your PC. The data like social security code, pins, telephone numbers, back account details and credit card numbers. This way, you will be able to safeguard your PC from hackers.

Android Beats iPhone in US

If you are to believe leading marketing tracking firm, comScore, Google’s Android has beaten Apple’s iPhone and is inching closer to the Blackberry to become the most sought-after smart phone in the United States!
comScore also confirmed 63.2 Americans were priviledged to own a smartphone, the numbers rising from the previous year by about 60%.
Research in Motion, the Blackberry manufacturer still occupied the top position with a market share of 31.6 percent at the end of December. But the alarming factor for Blackberry is that its share fell from 37.3 percent in the previous quarter, as reported by comScore.
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Google’s Android came a close second with 28.7 percent of the share at the end of the fourth quarter.So its all cheers for Android with its market share shooting up from 21.4% in the last quarter.
Apple finished third, having its hold on 25% of the market, a slight increase from 24.3% at September end, comScore said. Microsoft has hold over 8.7 percent of the smartphone market in the US, which was down from 9.9 % in the last quarter. Hewlett-Packard’s palm’s marketshare in smartphones slipped from 4.2% to 3.7%.
So don’t be surprised if Android goes past Blackberry in the near future!

How to block all spam facebook applications

Facebook Application Spam is sometimes that annoys everyone. If you are not interested in apps of Facebook then it’s better to remove all spam related notifications. Today we will provide you a way on how you can completely disable Facebook Spam apps notification.
We all hate getting facebook invites requesting us to install Facebook applications that are of no interest to us. There’s a way to permanently block all those annoying Facebook applications. This will make your profile inaccessible to all other facebook applications. You just need to follow the screenshot below:
Block all Facebook Apps
Block all Facebook Apps
In words:
1. Log in to your Facebook account,
2. Select Privacy Settings under Account and then
3. Click “Edit your settings” under the Applications and Websites section. Here you’ll see an option to turn off all the platform applications with a single click as depicted in the image above.

Making Money Online With Facebook

There are many ways to make money online. The only unfortunate bit is that not every method works for everybody. Most people believe in instant gratification- the need to get results when the first effort is applied. But with the internet, patience is a desired trait if you want to achieve anything worthwhile. There is an abundance of methods and schemes that can help you make money online, as you are probably aware, but not all of them work.
facebook
One that does work is Facebook. Since its inception in the previous decade, this social networking platform has transformed the way we stay in touch. However its role goes much deeper than helping us keep tabs on each other, because with the right method, you can make money off it.

Apart from Facebook, there is a bunch of affiliate programs you can drive traffic to. Leadsgate affiliate program is one of them.

Invest for advertising before You earn

The first easy method is advertising. Because of the diversity that this platform provides, it becomes easy to reach massive audiences across different regions. Creating a page is simply not enough. You need to get people to ‘Like’ the page, so you can be able to keep them engaged. If you own a website, this is one of the great ways of motivating traffic towards your site.

Find right fans for your page

If you are in the business of offering services, you can find your clients through Facebook page. It does not really matter what your niche is- writing, photography or programming- it is entirely possible to find clients who would be interested in working with you.
Facebook marketplace offers a convenient alternative to other classifieds. You can sell your stuff there, or look for a job through it. It is really diversified, and gives you a portal through which you can sell the stuff you don’t need or find stuff that is selling cheaply and resell it for profit.
Before optimizing your facebook page for your business, make sure that the Facebook page doesn’t harm your business.

Turn ads into income

Facebook ads offer yet another avenue of making money. While you pay to have your ad included in the site, the amount you pay is minimal enough to enable you profit from it.  You can advertise products you are selling, or simply use the ads to redirect people to your website. The best part of using these ads is that they are placed in the pages of your target audience or market, making it easy to close a sale, or get a visitor. As far as getting visibility for your business or service is concerned, having a creative Facebook ad that reaches a large audience is arguably the most important thing you can do.

Earning from Facebook Apps

Facebook applications give yet another avenue of generating income. If you are a developer with a creative mind, you can develop an application, and should it register well with an audience, you will reap heavily from it.
These are only a few of the methods that you can use to generate some income from the colossal networking site. Some methods may be more involving than others, and you may need to get completely involved, but in the end, you get something to show for your efforts. On making money with Facebook, a little creativity goes a long way.

Step by step guide on jailbreaking iOS 6.0.1

Millions of customers today are beloved users of iOS although a large number of them also find the walled garden by Apple much more constricting. Thankfully for them, iOS jail breaking is all they need to enjoy their devices to the fullest and below are informative guidelines on how to jailbreak your lovely iOS 6.0.1.
ios-6-0-1
Get your device updated to iOS 6.0.1
Just in case your device is not already using iOS 6.0.1, you should update your device first. In case it is already jailbroken, you can connect to iTunes easily and follow the instructions given. If you are not jailbroken but on iOS 6.0.1, perform an OTA-over the air via the software update option of your gadget.
Download Redsn0w
You need to download and install Redsn0w for both Windows and Mac OS X from online resources. iOS 6.0.1 is not officially supported by the current Redsn0w version so you need to have an iOS 6.0.1 copy with you to assist in your iOS jail breaking. Jail breaking instructions are easy and very straight forward. After opening redsn0w, just select Extras and choose IPSAW. After you are prompted, select IPSW file which you have located. Then, select proper build and return to redsn0w main screen. The next thing is simply to ‘jailbreak’ your device. From this point, instructions on redsn0w are easy to follow and just ensure that your gadget is well connected and then follow along. First you will be asked to enter the DFU mode. Do these by holding as you release home buttons and power at certain times.
Download Redsn0w from: http://www.iphonehacks.com/download-redsn0w
Cydia installation
Contrally to the previous iOS 6.0.1 version, Cydia will now get installed automatically by redsn0w and after the process has been complete, iOS jail breaking store will be there waiting for you. In case the Cydia icon cannot be seen, follow the instructions given here below in ‘booting’ section.
Booting
The jailbreak in this case is a tethered one implying that when rebooting, you are required to make a reconnection to redsn0w.
Moving forward
Users of the recently released A5 and A6 iOS devices might take sometime before being able to jailbreak their gadgets. Being a beta release, you can rest assured that it is completely stable and you can start enjoying your device with no limitations.
Benefits of iOS jail breaking
Owning a device that is jailbroken comes with many benefits starting with enjoying great freedom free App store. iOS jail breaking allows you to practically install any application you would wish to have in your hardware either from first or third parties. The capability of a jailbroken device is also broadened and deepened at the same time. This way, you can enjoy storing extra apps in the dock. Next, you also enjoy extreme personalization of your gadget. It makes your gadget a truly unique one and none like the rest of them out there. And the best thing with iOS jail breaking is that it is not just legal but also easily reversible as well.

Trick to open blocked websites

There are many Google Chrome Extensions to browse anonymously without being blocked from any website at either your school or work place. One such extension is Proxy SwtichySharp. Follow these simple steps and surf through the Internet breaching your firewall.
Before installing the extension, you will have to install Tor on you PC. Check out our previous post : How to Access Blocked Sites using Tor
Installing Proxy SwitchySharp
Go to Chrome web store and search for the Proxy SwitchySharp extension.

Click on the ADD TO CHROME button. Once done, a confirmation dialog box appears. Click on Add.

You have successfully added the extension to Google Chrome.
After installation, you need to configure your network proxy settings.
Configuring Proxy SwitchySharp
Set the Profile Name as Tor and Enter 127.0.0.1 and 9050 next to SOCKS Host and Port respectively.
Check the SOCKS v4 radio button.
Make sure that Tor is running on your PC.

Your setting should look similar to the one shown in the image below.

Click on Save and then choose the TOR profile.

Blocked website before using Proxy SwtichySharp:



Unblocked website after using Proxy SwtichySharp:

Videocon launches phone with dual-core processor


 Videocon has launched two budget Android smartphones in India, named A20 and A30. With these two devices, the Indian manufacturer takes on phones by rivals like Micromax and Samsung. Interestingly, Videocon's flagship device shares the name with Karbonn's smartphone with a 5.9-inch screen, which was officially launched today.

The all-new Videocon A30 features a 4-inch screen and is powered by Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). The device runs on a dual-core 1GHz processor with 512MB RAM and comes with 4GB internal memory and support for 32GB microSD card. This smartphone is compatible with 3G, 2G and Wi-Fi networks and can transfer files via Bluetooth 3.0.

A30 sports a 5MP camera with LED flash on the rear, while the front panel has a VGA snapper. The dual-sim smartphone has a 1,500mAh battery and boasts of FM radio with recording. The manufacturer is retailing the device at Rs 7,299 in the Indian smartphone market.

Videocon A20 is the smaller sibling of A30 and runs on the out-of-date Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system. It features a 3.5-inch touchscreen and is powered by a 1GHz processor with 256MB RAM. Onboard memory in the device is restricted to 512MB, though storage can be expanded up to 16GB via microSD card.

Connectivity suite of Videocon A20 consists of 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This dual-sim device has a 3MP rear snapper and VGA front camera and features FM radio with recording. Running on a 1,350mAh battery, this smartphone will be available in India at Rs 4,999.

4 Ways to Earn Revenue from Android Apps


Before Android became the world’s most used mobile platform, developers believed that iPhone apps were the way to go for successful monetization. Since it started in 2008, Apple App Store has always seen more success with paid apps. On the other hand, Google Play was slower in taking off and relies heavily on free apps. With this, it’s easy to assume that being on Apple App Store is the obvious choice for earning revenue from mobile apps.
However, this is not necessarily true. Granted that Apple’s daily revenue from apps is around five times more than that of Google Play, but according to a recent Distimo survey across 20 countries, daily revenue from Android apps have increased by approximately 43% as against just 21% on the Apple App Store.
The gap between the stores of Google and Apple is reducing. So, if you are developing mobile apps, it’s not advisable to write off Play store. Here are some ideas on how to earn money from Android mobile apps, irrespective of whether you are developing a cross platform app or one exclusively for Android.
Android In-App Ads
Google Play Store users are not reputed to be big spenders, unlike their Apple App Store counterparts. The majority of apps on Google Play offer free download, but combining in-app ads can be an effective means of earning revenue from them. In-app ads work best with gaming apps where users are willing to pay to advance to the next level, once they are hooked. The best known example of this is Rovio’s Angry Birds. While the app is offered on Apple Store at a price of $0.99, it is free on Google Play, but comes with in-app ads.

Android Freemium Model
Another option is to go the freemium way. Freemium apps account for around 75% of Play Store. Apps are offered free up to a point after which users have to pay additionally for services or items. Freemium apps are most commonly used in games, where they usually  include in-app purchases or limited time trials. Zynga Poker Freemium is a good example of a successful freemium app on Google Play, where players have to purchase additional items in order to move to the next level.
Android Paid Apps
For apps that offer a unique experience or service, which makes users willing to pay for downloading it, paid is the best way to go. However, keep in mind that with the large number of apps available on Play Store the competition is intense, and unless your app is indispensable in terms of what it offers, monetization may not be that easy. The top paid apps on Google Play are usually business or utility apps such as SwiftKey 3 Keyboard and Smart Tools.

Android In-App Subscriptions
The fourth alternative is to offer apps that earn revenue from subscriptions (usually monthly). While this ensures a continuous inflow of revenue compared to a paid app, it’s likely to work better for gaming, publications, entertainment or even some utility apps for which users are willing to pay a monthly subscription fee. Popular subscription-based  apps on Google Play include Frontline Commando, Netflix and Sky Sports, among others.
Before you do mobile app design for Android, it is important to have an app monetization strategy in place. Firstly, you will need to decide whether your revenue will come directly from users or from advertisers. If your app offers a fabulous service or an unmatched user interface that will ensure a long-term relationship with customers, then paid apps, freemium or subscriptions are all options. On the other hand, if you feel more secure with getting revenue from mobile advertising, in-apps might be more suitable. However, ensure that the ads don’t interfere with user experience. So, plan ahead and include one or more of these mobile monetization strategies to ensure that your app is a success on Google Play.

How Google is hurting Microsoft‘s revenues

It has taken years, but Google seems to be cutting into Microsoft's stronghold - businesses.

Google's software for businesses, Google Apps, consists of applications for document writing, collaboration, and text and video communications - all cloud-based, so that none of the software is on an office worker's computer. Google has been promoting the idea for more than six years, and it seemed that it was going to appeal mostly to small businesses and tech startups.

But the notion is catching on with larger enterprises. In the last year Google has scored an impressive string of wins, including at the Swiss drug-maker Hoffmann-La Roche, where more than 80,000 employees use the package, and at the Interior Department, where 90,000 use it.

One big reason is price. Google charges $50 a year for each person using its product, a price that has not changed since it made its commercial debut, even though Google has added features. This year, for example, Google added the ability to work offline, as well as security and data management that comply with more stringent European standards. That made it much easier to sell the product to multinationals and companies in Europe.

Many companies that sell software over the cloud add features without raising prices, but also break from traditional industry practice by rarely offering discounts from the list price.

Microsoft's Office suite of software, which does not include email, is installed on a desktop PC or laptop. In 2013, the list price for businesses will be $400 per computer, but many companies pay half that after negotiating a volume deal.

At the same time, Microsoft has built its business on raising prices for extra features and services. The 2013 version of Office, for example, costs up to $50 more than its predecessor.

"Google is getting traction" on Microsoft, said Melissa Webster, an analyst with IDC. "Its 'good enough' product has become pretty good. It looks like 2013 is going to be the year for content and collaboration in the cloud."

Microsoft has also jumped on the office-in-the-cloud trend. In June 2011, it released Office 365, and now offers its software in both a cloud version and a hybrid version that uses cloud computing and conventional servers. Office 365 starts at a list price of $72 a year, per person, and can cost as much as $240 a person annually, in versions that offer many more features and software development capabilities.

Microsoft says it offers more than Google for the money, but the product has not won many converts from Google.

In a recent report, Gartner, the information technology research company, called Google "the only strong competitor" to Microsoft in cloud-based business productivity software, though it warned that "enterprise concerns may not be of paramount importance to the search giant."

Google is tight-lipped about how many people use Google Apps, saying only that in June more than 5 million businesses were using it, up from 4 million in late 2011. Almost all these companies are tiny, but in early December, Google announced that even companies with fewer than 10 employees, which used to get Google Apps free, would have to pay.

Google's revenue from Apps, according to a former executive who asked not to be named in order to maintain good relations with Google, amounted to perhaps $1 billion of the $37.9 billion Google earned in 2011.

Shaw Industries, a carpet maker in Dalton, Ga., with about 30,000 employees, switched to Google Apps this year for communication tools like email and videoconferencing. Jim Nielsen, the company's manager of enterprise technology, calculated that using Google instead of similar Microsoft products would cost, over seven years, about one-thirteenth Microsoft's price.

Shaw is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, run by Warren Buffett, but the close friendship of Buffett and Microsoft's founder, Bill Gates, did not sway Nielsen. "When you add it up, the numbers are pretty compelling," he said.

In addition to the lower price, Google has simplicity in pricing. Nielsen said he had to sort through 11 pricing models to figure out what he would pay Microsoft.

But his prime motive in choosing Google, he said, was online collaboration. "As people in their daily lives become more electronically social, they want to bring that into the office," Nielsen said. "Video is more appealing than a written letter."

Google, he said, is "constantly making it better for teams to work, inside and outside the company, with controlled access."

Microsoft says it does not yet see a threat. Google "has not yet shown they are truly serious," said Julia White, a general manager in Microsoft's business division. "From the outside, they are an advertising company." In 2011, 96 per cent of Google's revenue came from advertising.

Even though Microsoft sells a similar product, she said most companies did not want to depend exclusively on clouds for documents and communication. Microsoft now has some of its own workers entirely online, she said, while others use both local computers and the cloud, to get a feel for how various companies work.

Although she would not break out numbers, White said Office 365 was "on track to be our fastest-growing business." She said that Google, to be a threat, would need to "provide a quality enterprise experience" in areas like "privacy, data handling and security."

But according to the General Services Administration, out of 42 federal government contracts for which Google and Microsoft competed in 2012, Google won 23 deals, and Microsoft 10. The rest went to another company, Zimbra, which is owned by VMware, a maker of cloud software.

Microsoft's biggest and most profitable sector, its business division, brought in nearly $24 billion in the 2012 fiscal year that ended in June. Almost none of that came from Office 365, but from the familiar older-style software that depends on computers within the corporation.

As the two behemoths slug it out in the enterprise market, their cloud-computing software is changing the way businesses operate. Internet-based computing makes it easier to communicate both within and outside a company. Fixing software and adding features can be done automatically, the way consumers get the latest version of Facebook when they go to its site.

"People were looking for cheap email at first, but now it's about collaboration, calendaring and data storage online," said Webster of IDC. Over time, her firm says, software revenue will be at least 50 per cent from the cloud, which could challenge the complex way Microsoft prices and discounts its products.

White, the Microsoft manager, said Google "helped amplify a lot of the conversation around cloud productivity." That is a far cry from last February, when Microsoft put a video on Google'sYouTube website lampooning Google with a parody of the old television show "Moonlighting."

Google, the video suggested, would automatically change around a buyer's software. But cloud-based software is supposed to issue automatic updates and feature changes. Microsoft has issued several updates to Office 365, though, unlike Google, it lets customers delay the changes for up to a year.

Too much Internet use may leave kids ‘brain-dead‘: Expert

A 'Google generation' which relies on the Internet for everything is in danger of becoming 'brain-dead', a leading UK inventor has warned.

Trevor Baylis, who invented the wind-up radio, said children are losing creativity and practical skills because they spend too much time in front of screens.

The 75-year-old from Twickenham, south-west London, said he fears that the next generation of inventors is being lost, with young people often unable to make anything with their hands, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

He said children could rediscover vital skills if schools used practical toys like Meccano, a model construction system.

"Children have got to be taught hands-on, and not to become mobile phone or computer dependent," Baylis said.

"They should use computers as and when, but there are so many people playing with their computers nowadays that spend all their time sitting there with a stomach," he said.

"They are dependent on Google searches. A lot of kids will become fairly brain-dead if they become so dependent on the Internet, because they will not be able to do things the old-fashioned way," he said.

Salaries in 2013: IT may not offer similar incentives as 2012

India Inc is expected to dole out an average pay hike of 11.2 per cent across job roles in 2013, lower than 12 per cent increase witnessed this year, says Hay Group. Global management consultancy Hay Group said pay for performance is the new mantra.

Noting that salary increases are projected to be 11.2 per cent next year, Hay Group said the "amount represents a slight reduction against an actual average salary increase of 12 per cent across India Inc in 2012".

The job roles into four levels - Clerical & Operations, Supervisory & Junior Professionals, Middle Management & Seasoned Professionals, and Senior Management & Executives.

"Clerical and Operations Professionals are expected to beat the average of 11.2 per cent across job levels, standing at 11.5 per cent, while Middle Management Professionals can expect an increase of about 10.9 per cent," it said.

The General Industry Compensation Report has pay insights on 418,414 jobs from 410 organisations spread across diverse sectors including Industrial Goods, FMCGs, Construction, Retail and Services.

However, compensation practices for CEOs and senior executives in middle to large organisations are not covered.

Hay Group India's Country Manager (Productised Services) Amer Haleem said creation of a pay-for-performance ethos is the number one priority amongst all respondents while putting a variable pay policy in place.

"The most commonly cited reason for modifying a company's existing variable pay plan was 'a change in business circumstances', pointing to the increasing trend of pay and rewards being treated as a business decision rather than only the domain of compensation experts," Haleem said.

Going by the report, median starting salaries for fresh graduates would be in the range of Rs 18,500 to 25,000, with engineering roles featuring at the top of the scale.

"Finance/Accounting and IT/ Telecommunication are amongst the other roles that are popular with the industry at present, while roles such as Administration/Support/Service and Health/Environment weigh in lower down the order," Hay Group said.

The study revealed over 80 per cent of organisations, use their own industry sectors or selected peer groups as reference markets while aligning their compensation levels.

"A relative industry-wide comparison shows Oil and Gas, Chemicals, and FMCG leading the pack in terms of the highest CTC," Hay Group said.

Haleem added that sectors such as infrastructure, real estate and IT may not be rewarding their performers with similar incentives as last year although some sectors like health and life sciences and FMCG seem to fare better.

Top 5 Cydia apps of 2012 to Empower your iOS Devices

1.SB Settings
It is one of most attention-grabbing applications in Cydia. It allows you to access the fundamental phone utilities like allowing or putting out of action the data network, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, your IP number and plenty of customizable switches.
sbsettings
Prior to iOS 5, the SB had a Settings menu itself. With the help of this new technique of notifications on the iPhone operating system, you can possibly assimilate the application in a straight line in the center of notifications and can access it from anyplace on the device.
Moreover, you can hit upon custom switches and compatibles with SB Settings within Cydia to additional applications and purposes of your smartphone. The application also provides with a far-reaching library of covers, the entire in high definition and well-matched with the retina display.
2.Activator
It is by and large installed with SB Settings, nevertheless you can also spot it, on the App Store Cydia with no difficulty. It provides innovative ways to run programs or functions.
activator
With Activator you can virtually use any gesture likely to tailor the application implementation e.g. you can program a device to open the browser when you quiver your iPhone.
Moreover, you can replace the function of the “Home” button for a different device, like making a phone call, also you can activate the camera of the device through the volume knob.
3. iFile
This application allows you to manage files on your iPhone. It provides you to completely access the total file configuration of the smartphone. You can also copy documents, items, unswervingly broadcast the Wi-Fi network, locate and deal with applications similar to the desktop.
ifile
It also facilitates you to preview a large number of documents such as DOC, PDF, audio files, text and image. You can compress items and directly import music into the library phone. You can send files like attachments in emails, copy and move files to a Dropbox account and also swap over files with other devices by means of Bluetooth.
iFile has both paid and free versions, in order to completely access all the functions you require to pay for a software license. The cost of this Cydia app is $ 4 on the App store.
4.iPicMyContacts
iPicMyContacts allows you to have a photo of your contacts in your list within the iPhone effortlessly. The application does not require to choose the images one at a time, for the reason that we do not have a picture of all the people of our list of items. The application also provides three individual alternatives.
ipicmycontacts cydia
a) Look for the pictures on Facebook from friends
b) Search directly on Facebook by the name of the person
c) Search for images directly to Google.
5. KillBackground
iOS allows you to run manifold applications concurrently. On the other hand, until the device actually wants the resources used by these applications, they linger open in the system memory.
kill background cydia app
In order to permanently shut the program, you have got to press the button two times “Home” and access the taskbar. After that you have to shut one application at a time, which is monotonous and time consuming.
By using KillBackground, you can close all programs at the same time, freeing system resources and thus your smartphone performs faster.
That doesn’t mean there are any less quality apps available in the iTunes tore. For example, there are some quality Google reader clients available for iPad. Gaming freaks would love to check out some high quality 3D games for iOS devices. Some of them are free while others are paid, but they are worth every penny.

RCom launches Unlimited Facebook Messenger Pack

Recently, Facebook made the Messenger App accessible to all Android users in India. Facebook Messenger is one of the top Android apps today. An Android user, need not be a Facebook user, can sign up with just his name and mobile number. To read more about Facebook Messenger App, visit
Facebook launches new messenger app for Android
fbmessenger
Reliance Communications (RCom) has launched a Unlimited Facebook Messenger Pack for all its prepaid GSM customers across the country. A Reliance GSM user can now enjoy unlimited usage of the Facebook Messenger at a cost of only Rs.16 per month. Once the user activates the plan, the Facebook Messenger app is available for 30 days from the date of recharge. After 30 days, the plan automatically gets renewed and a monthly rental of Rs.16 will be charged. If a user wants to stop using Facebook Messenger App, then he has to unsubscribe from the service. Reliance users can dial *777*16# or SMS ACTFB to 53739 to subscribe to the Unlimited Facebook Messenger Pack.
FBmassenger
Nilanjan Mukherjee, Wireless-Chief Revenue Officer at RCom, said, “We are confident that ‘Facebook Messenger Plan’ with unlimited usage of Facebook without any extra data charges is set to provide a compelling new experience with incredible affordability to Smartphone users across the country on our superior network. We are hoping this offer to trigger a significant shift of youth customers using Smartphones to our superior network.” 
For more details, visit RCom.

Top 5 Things to Check Before Choosing Your Online Cloud Storage

Online cloud storage is the latest development in the list of storage options for individuals and corporate firms. Online cloud storage offers profitability in terms of cost of storage, data security, ease of access and many more. However, with the increase in demand for cloud storage, many players have entered the market with some offering good while some offering average services and charging people accordingly.
Here under is a list of top 5 things to check before choosing your online cloud storage solution so that you know beforehand the services offered and the amount charged for them.
cloud storage + comptalks

Online Cloud Storage Features

There are many companies offering cloud storage services in the market and each one out there is offering different services and charging accordingly. Therefore, before finalizing the services of a particular company it will be good to enquire about the various services offered by all such companies, their features like file sharing, folder sharing, custom link sharing, their price and their reputation for after sales service.

Storage Space Provided in the Service

Storage space of data is a complicated issue and changes from time to time. Individuals often require very small space for their data as they are mainly photographs, some music albums and memories but companies of different sizes require varied amounts of space for their data according to their operations.
Keeping this in mind, online cloud storage companies offer diverse storage plans to customers starting from 1 GB and going on to unlimited and charge them according to the space offered. Since you have to pay according to the space and services desired, you should compare with other online cloud storage companies the services and plans for storage and choose the most affordable.

Flexible and Ease of Accessibility

As technology is evolving everyday so is the ease of use and accessibility. Technology today can be accessed from various points and at various levels. These days mobile and computer accessibility has become very common and is provided by all service providers. Before choosing the service check if the provider is offering you web access, mobile applications and desktop applications for these are not only vital but a must for you.

Protection and Security

As much it is important that every data on your system has a backup, equally it is important that the data is well protected and stored appropriately. Business data is very sensitive and some are very delicate and need to be guarded with highest level of security. At the time of choosing the online cloud storage enquire about the kind of security that each is offering for your data both for theft as well as against carious kinds of viruses that threaten loss of data.

Help and Support System

No matter how friendly and easy is the technology on the offer, every technology and service requires a well established help and support system that can help the user from small problems occurring on day to day basis. Further many problems require technological support from trained and dedicated staff of the service provider. Therefore, when choosing for your online cloud storage service provider just dwell deep into the kind of help and support system organized by him and then take your stand.

Top 10 Free Online Virus scanners

Top 10 free Online Virus Scanners are :

  • VirusTotal : VirusTotal is quite famous among downloaders and regular downloaders always do an online scanning before downloading a file from somewhere . Here you can either check the file by uploading or by URL . In Virustotal, there are more than 30 antivirus companies that participate in VirusTotal with their antivirus engines.

  • ESET Online Scanner : I have been using ESET Antvirus on my laptop and never had a virus problem in the last two year. So, I will be advising you guys to have a look at the ESET Online Virus Scanner . If you are mozilla firefox or any other browser  user other than Internet Explorer, then you’ll have to install a file/plugin and then run it . I tested it on Internet Explorer and it was working way cool .

  • BitDefender Online Scanner : BitDefender Online Scanners offers you a browser extension in Mozilla and Chrome. And scanning through both the extensions works way cooler than you might have thought of  . I have tested both the extensions and best thing about them is that they run simultaneously with your PC’s antivirus and you don’t have to uninstall that software.

  • McAfee Online Virus Scanner : McAfee Online Virus is another online virus scanning tool which works quite neatly for users,but right now it not available for Windows 7 .

  • Symantec Security Check : This is for all Norton Antivirus fans, which love using that antivirus even after its validity has expired. You can use this for checking some stuff on your computer . This too doesn’t work with Windows 7 .


  • Avast Online Scanner : This is for all Avast lovers,who love to use Avast antivirus. Although never been a fan of offline version ,this seems cool as you can individually scan an infected item given that it is less than 16 mb .

  • COMODO Online Scanner : Comodo AV Scanner is a free service that lets you quickly find out whether your computer is infected with viruses and spyware. The scanner requires the installation of a small browser plug-in.


  • Kaspersky Online Virus Scanner : This used to be a great tool for online virus scanning but now it has been disabled by Kaspersky as they are working on it to give you guys a better online scanner .

Hopefully ,this might help you solving your virus problems .

Top 10 Best Android Games of All Time

ndroid phones have become very popular in this generation. After iPhone, Android phones are the most widely used phones. These phones offer one of the best gaming experiences to gaming addicts.

Top 10 Best Android Games of All Time are:

1. Temple Run: This is the most famous game in the iPhone and Android Stores. The users were frantically awaiting its launch in the Google Play Store. However, the launch version was filled with bugs and users were extremely disappointed. Still, the game is a huge hit and gamers are waiting for a bug-free version to be launched.

Download Temple Run
2. Angry Birds Space: Angry Birds Space is the newest version of the Angry Birds series. The concept of the game remains the same, but the introduction of the concept of gravity adds a new twist to the game and gives it a fresh look. That’s the big reason that the game has crossed over ten million download in just a few days after the launch.

Download Angry Birds Space
3. Draw Something: In this game, you have to draw an image and then send it to an online opponent who will then guess what the image is about. It is like playing Pictionary. Draw Something is the most popular social drawing and guessing related game that can be enjoyed online.

Download Draw Something
4. Node.Hack: It is a strategy game where the player has to slide around in a grid and hack nodes to earn cash and to keep himself safe from enemy AI without getting caught. It induces fear and panic in the gamer. The Game costs a dollar but worth purchasing.

Download Node.Hack
5. Heist: The Score: It is a first person shooter game where guns are blazing from start to finish. It is a little too short for a game, but it is still the best shooting game in the Google Play Store. This is an amazing action shooter game with amazing 3D Graphics. The Game costs a dollar but worth purchasing.

Download Heist : The Score
6. C.H.A.O.S.: With a weird combination of touch and tilt controls, this game might be a little difficult to play. However, the fighting and attacking of enemy camps is a good spur to compel you to conquer this game.

Download C.H.A.O.S
7. Dungeon Village: It is a strategy game, where you are the mayor of a village who has to make his village popular and attract people who are willing to help slay the monsters outside the village.

Download Dungeon Village
8. Asphalt 6 : Adrenaline : Most thrilling and racing related game. Race online and enjoy with your friends The Game has over 42 card and bikes, beautiful graphics, and much more. The Game costs 1$ on the Google Play Store.

Download Asphalt 6 : Adrenaline
9. Tank Hero: Laser Wars: It is a game with 60 levels throughout which you have to navigate yourself and destroy enemy tanks. Enjoy the decent 3D Graphics with the split screen deathmatch mode specially for tablet users.

Download Tank Hero: Laser Wars
10. Quell Reflect: You have to swipe a drop of water and make it reach the exit with the help of the things around you. A zen puzzler game with over 80+ levels to enjoy from.

Download Quell Reflect
If you’re looking for a high performance Android Mobile Phone then I would recommend Galaxy Note or Samsung Galaxy S2 to you, these are the best devices ever created. Apart from this if you’re looking for Android Tablet then Galaxy tab and Motorola Xoom 2 are the best choices. All of these devices have the capability to drive high end games easily on them.