Google hoping Web surfers to ride Wave

Google is hatching a new species of e-mail and instant messaging, but the Internet search leader first wants the hybrid service to evolve even more with the help of independent computer programmers.

The free tool, called "Google Wave," runs in a Web browser and combines elements of e-mail, instant messaging, wikis and photo sharing in an effort to make online communication more dynamic. Google hopes Wave simplifies the way people collaborate on projects or exchange opinions about specific topics.

Google offered the first glimpse of its latest offering Thursday during the Mountain View, Calif.-based company's annual conference for software developers who build programs on top of its services. The rest of the Web-surfing public won't be able to hop on Google Wave until later in the year.

By the time Wave rolls out for everyone, Google hopes independent programmers will have found new ways to use the service.

Among other things, Google is counting on outsiders to figure out how to weave Wave into the popular Internet communications service Twitter, social networks like Facebook and existing Web-based e-mail services, said Lars Rasmussen, a Google engineering manager.

Rasmussen and his brother, Jens, helped build Google's online mapping service, which sprouted a variety of unforeseen uses after its 2005 debut because of the ingenuity of external programmers.

Having learned their lesson from the mapping experience, the Rasmussens wanted to give developers ample time to tinker with their newest creation before unleashing it on the rest of the world.

The Rasmussens broke away from Google's mapping service in 2006 to concentrate on building a service that would enable e-mail and instant messaging to embrace the Web's increasingly social nature. They contend e-mail hasn't changed that much since its invention during the 1960s.

Wave is designed to make it easier to converse over e-mail by providing tools to highlight particular parts of the written conversation. In instant messages, participants can see what everyone else is writing as they type, unless they choose a privacy control. Photos and other online applications known as "widgets" also can be transplanted into the service.

The service could easily accommodate advertising like Google's 5-year-old e-mail service already does, but Lars Rasmussen said it's still too early to predict how the company might profit from Wave.

Google wants developers to ride Wave

Google encouraged software developers to ride into the future of email with a project called "Wave," which opens inboxes to text, video, pictures, maps and even social network feeds.

"Wave" expands the capabilities of email to let people communicate and work together in real-time with text, photos, videos, maps, and more, according to Google software engineering manager Lars Rasmussen.

According to Rasmussen, "In Google Wave you create a wave and add people to it. Everyone on your wave can use richly formatted text, photos, gadgets, and even feeds from other sources on the web. You see on your screen nearly instantly what your fellow collaborators are typing in your wave."

A "wave" prototype built by a five-person team "holed up in a conference room in the Sydney office" for months was previewed at a Google developers conference in San Francisco on Thursday.

"After more than two years of expanding our ideas, our team, and our technology, we're very eager to return and see what the world might think," Rasmussen wrote.

A Wave software kit was provided to developers at the conference.

Wave allows for collaboration and communication by letting people send out pictures, messages, or videos that can be built on or modified as they stream from recipient to recipient.

Waves can be rewound to see how exchanges evolved, according to Google.

"Developers are going to see the potential of Google Wave as a platform; we hope they'll leap on it," said Wave engineer Adam Schuck.

"They'll be able to integrate it with existing systems they use today, or produce new tools that allow people to improve and manage their communications."

The computer code for Wave will be open source i.e developers are free to modify it as they wish.

"We're inviting developers to add all kinds of cool stuff before our public launch," Rasmussen wrote.

No launch date for Wave has been specified. Rasmussen and his brother, Jens, founded an online mapping firm bought by Google in 2004. The brothers' technology went into Google's free Internet map service.

Silicon Valley analyst Rob Enderle said that while the Wave goal is feasible, building a central station for various online photo, video, text and social networking feeds presents complex challenges.

Such a project also calls for cooperation from an array of technology firms, some of them Google rivals, according to Enderle.

"You start throwing these complex things together and things start breaking," Enderle said. "And, Google has not shown an ability to drive the kind of collaboration it would take to make it happen."

Google Wave has solved "a bunch of stuff that has traditionally been very hard" such as real-time collaboration and hosted data, according to team engineer Casey Whitelaw.

"Developers won't have to think about all of that, they'll be able to just build their app and go," Whitelaw said in the interview.

"The primary ideas are that everything is live, and everything is editable."

The Wave team in Sydney held weekly "team huddles" that evolved to include theme songs, prizes, and one member's quest to "help us develop our chocolate palate beyond M&M" candies, according to Whitelaw.

"Rather than try to anticipate every possible use it will be put to, we've made it open and extensible so developers can come up with what they think is cool and useful," Whitelaw said of Wave.

You can rely on adt home security

Who doesn’t care about loved ones? All of us do that. But protecting your home and family becomes far more easier when you count on adt security. Monitored by home security professionals 7 days a week, adt is something you can rely upon while safeguard of your home is concerned. Adt has been in the home protection service for 131 years and is the largest electronic security service provider to more than 6 million customers throughout America.

Adt home protection provides continuous security from five interconnected command centers. These command centers are backed by trained professionals and powerful equipments. The network of command centers are located throughout the US. In case of an emergency, the monitoring technicians at adt do alert local authorities so that they can easily respond to the emergency.

Adt home security handles almost everything. From severe weather events to computer crashes; every damageable event can be monitored using adt alarm system.

Adt offers different sorts of service packages to its customers. Once installed for $99, the services of adt can be availed almost at an average of $1 per day. This thing makes adt home security quite affordable for every household.

Adt helps secure 90 percent of the fortune 500 companies- it proves how trustworthy and reliable it could be. For more detailed info, you can visit its site.

Social Networking Service Twitter is not for sale

The popular micro-blogging and social networking service Twitter is not for sale, one of the co-founder of the company has declared.

Biz Stone made the declaration in an appearance on the ABC show "The View."

When host Barbara Walters - mentioning rumors that Google Inc, Microsoft Corp and Apple Inc might be interested in acquiring the company - asked whether Twitter is for sale, Stone answered, "no."

"We're just getting started as I've said. The company is two years old, we have so much to do, so much product stuff to fix, and so much growing to do."

Twitter has been the subject of takeover speculation since the company turned down a $500 million acquisition offer by social networking heavyweight Facebook.

Twitter is a free service that allows people to send short, 140-character text messages to their network of friends.

According to Nielsen Online, which measures Internet traffic, Twitter's website had more than 7 million unique visitors in February, compared to 475,000 in February 2008.

The company, based in San Francisco, California, is focusing on monetizing its service this year.

File Extension Ged -an useful editor file

Computer Softwares are found in plenty in today’s modern era. Some are meant for coding and decoding, some for programming, some for graphic designing and some for making computer search more efficient. One such application pack is the .GED file which was developed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints which is used for efficient computer search.

The File Extension GED is commonly used for seven applications, one of which being tracking and searching the Genealogical Data Communication (GEDCOM) flies which contains the family history data in ASCII text.

Alternatively, File Extension GED is also applicable to Arts & Letters Draw program which is an entry level drawing program. Here GED stands for Graphic Environment.

The File Extension GED can also be used as a Game Editor as it can act as a tool for creating 2-D computer games. It acts as a project file and holds game data and settings which help the game run.

Apart from these, File Extension GED is also used as an editor file for GoldEd compiled configuration files, Micrografx geometry files, EnerGraphics IMAGE EDITOR, and Wicat Image files.

Intuit releases Quicken Online Mobile, helps budget-minded iPhone users

Intuit has released Quicken Online Mobile which is an iPhone companion app to the company’s free Quicken Online personal money-management Web service, which went live recently in Apple's online App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch programs.

The iPhone program uses the Internet to sync with a free Quicken Online service that lets one set budget and keeps track of mortgages, credit cards, rent, and other coming expenses along with checking account balances and pay days.

The app also includes an integrated ATM finder that uses the iPhone 3G’s GPS capabilities to automatically locate nearby teller machines of banks where people have accounts to save them from getting charged usage fees. One can also enter a zip code to search for ATMs, which lets users to use the feature as well.

One has to set up a free account with the online Quicken service, and enter the login and password information for various financial account websites. Quicken Online and the Quicken Online Mobile app then lets see and tracks all of those accounts, downloading one’s financial data once a day.

For those worried about security, Intuit doesn’t store any of the financial passwords as the Quicken Online Mobile app uses a four-digit passcode for added protection on one’s iPhone. The iPhone program also does not allow financial transactions, so lost or stolen devices won't allow strangers to access accounts.

Quicken Online Mobile only works with Quicken Online, and requires iPhone OS 2.2 or later running on an iPhone or iPod touch. Intuit has plans to adapt the free program to other mobile devices if feedback indicates that there is demand.

Facebook launches Facebook Connect service for iPhone

Facebook has announced the new Facebook Connect for iPhone service at the SXSW Interactive conference in Austin, TX. Dave Morin, senior platform manager at Facebook, explained the new iPhone integration, the recently released Facebook features for brands and celebrities and the new homepage design.

Facebook Connect for iPhone is available now with several participating apps, and does for iPhone apps what Facebook Connect does for Web sites: users can link their apps with their Facebook profile to share their data with friends.

Morin invited several iPhone developers to show off their new functionality. Representatives from Playfish, Tapulous, and SGN showed off how Facebook Connect for iPhone will work with games. For instance, you can share you scores in your Facebook feed, see which of your friends are online, and invite both iPhone- and non-iPhone-using Facebook friends to play with you.

Other apps that are utilizing Facebook Connect include the popular Urbanspoon and Flixster Movies apps. Urbanspoon now lets users post restaurant pictures and reviews on their Facebook feeds, and Flixster does a similar thing for movies. Look for Facebook Connect-enabled apps soon from Citysearch, CitizenSports, Loopt, MTV, EA Sports, and several other companies.

Google to steer telephone traffic

Google is preparing to steer more telephone traffic with the introduction of Google Voice. Google Voice is based on the technology of Grand Central Communications, a company that Google acquired in July 2007.

Google is upgrading the service for GrandCentral's current users to include automated transcriptions of voicemails and discounts on international calls.

For now, Google Voice only will be available to the people who already have been relying on GrandCentral to manage incoming calls on their office, home and mobile phone lines. Google says several hundred thousand people have GrandCentral accounts.

The free service has been closed to new users while Google retooled the technology to handle a wider audience. Within the next few weeks, Google Voice will begin welcoming people who had signed up to be on the service's waiting list.

Here's how it works: Google Voice assigns a unique phone number to each user. Calls to the Google Voice number can then be directed to any other phone line. The service also provides a hub for all messages. The online command center also enables a user to customize greetings for friends and family or ward off unwelcome callers.

The move comes as Google increasingly branches out from its stronghold in Internet search, as it seeks to carve out a role in everything from cell phones to personal productivity software.

This isn't Google's first attempt to become a bigger player in the telecommunications market. The company has also built a software platform for mobile devices, called Android, that's designed to ensure that people on the go can easily access Google's services when they are away from home or the office.

Google makes money from selling enterprise versions of its applications to corporations. But the current priority is to make Google Voice a success as a free consumer product.

Google launches Interest Based Advertising System

Google has launched a test version of Interest Based Advertising System for its network of websites. Google will use its surveillance of web surfing habits to figure out which ads are best suited to each individual's interests.

Under this program, someone who frequently visits sites about cell phones might see more ads about cell phones even on sites that has nothing to do with cell phones.

The new system is designed to record the interests of users based on the pages they view and Internet searches they conduct, offering tailor-made advertising offers to match which can further be refined by the user.

The ads are set to debut within the next few weeks and will initially appear on Google's YouTube and thousands of other sites that belong to Google's ad network.

The tactic relies on technology that Google got last year in a $3.2 billion acquisition of the Internet ad service DoubleClick Inc.

According to Google, “Keyword advertising has been so successful because it's useful to users, advertisers and publishers - everyone's interests are aligned. We believe that interest based ads will create the same virtuous cycle, by giving users more relevant ads, while generating higher returns for advertisers and publishers”.

Google is following major rivals like Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. that already have been customizing ads based on the past activities of specific Web browsers. Until now, Google had been tying its ads solely to search requests and the general content on Web pages.

More on Interest Based Advertising from Official Google Blog

Nokia launches three music phones- 5730, 5330 and 5030

World top cell phone maker, Nokia has launched three new music phones. The all new music phone models from Nokia are Nokia 5730 XpressMusic, Nokia 5330 XpressMusic and Nokia 5030. The cell phone maker also laid emphasis on expansion plans for its music service as the company seeks additional revenue streams.

The 5730 XpressMusic model targets the social networking trend with a full sliding keyboard. This misic phone has been priced at 280 euros.

The 5330 XpressMusic model has been priced at 160 euros while the Nokia 5030 model has got a price tag of 40 euros. Here the subsidies and taxes have been excluded.

Nokia’s Comes with Music bundled service is currently available in Britain and Singapore. The company plans to expand this service to Australia later this month.

Additional launches, including Italy, Sweden and Mexico, are planned for the coming several months.

Comes with Music offers unlimited music from major music labels and a number of independents, and the music can be kept even after the yearly contract has expired.

$250,000 Turing Award to MIT Professor Barbara Liskov

MIT professor Barbara Liskov has been honoured with Turing Award. Google Inc and Intel Corp supported, Turing Award is one of the most prestigious honors in computing, which is given for helping to make computer programs more reliable, secure and easy to use. This time Turing Award worth $250,000 has been given to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor.

MIT professor Barbara Liskov was honored for pioneering new designs in computer languages that gird everyday digital applications. Professor Barbara Liskov is only the second woman to win this prestigious prize. The prize money for the Turing Award comes from Google Inc and Intel Corp.

The Association for Computing Machinery, which honors the Turing Award, said Barbara Liskov revolutionized the programming field after she was the first US woman to be awarded a Ph.D. in computer science. Liskov got her Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1968, and she has been an MIT professor since 1972.

According to MIT Provost L. Rafael Reif, “Her exceptional achievements have leapt from the halls of academia to transform daily life around the world. Every time you exchange e-mail with a friend, check your bank statement online or run a Google search, you are riding the momentum of her research.”

The prestigious Turing Award is named for the late British mathematician Alan Turing. Past winners of this award include Internet pioneers Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn. Professor Barbar Liskov will be honored with Turing Award on June 27 in San Diego.

On the occasion of her winning the Turing Award, Professor Barbara Liskov participated in an interview with the MIT News Office, which you can find here.

MIT Professor Barbara Liskov on winning Turing Award

Dell launches Latitude E6400 XFR -its First Rugged Touch Screen Laptop

Dell is going to launch the tough Latitude E6400 XFR laptop with a touch screen. Dell claims that the Latitude E6400 XFR laptop withstand drops, dust and high-pressure water sprays.

The tough laptop was designed according to US military specifications and is being targeted at users such as military personnel.

The Latitude E6400 XFR laptop is really tough. The laptop can withstand rain and wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour, and can work in temperatures from -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-33.88 degrees Celsius) to 145 degrees Fahrenheit (63 degrees Celsius). It can also work for an hour at an altitude of 15,000 feet.

The laptop is also designed to withstand drops of around 4 feet (48 inches) when not operating and 36 inches when operational. The LCD screen floats a little bit within the LCD cover so it can take impacts and shock.

It is Dell's first entrance into the rugged laptop space, where it will compete against companies like Lenovo and Panasonic. The world's second-largest PC maker already offers semi-rugged laptops, including the Latitude E6400 ATG laptop.

The Latitude E6400 XFR is powered by Intel's Core 2 Duo processor. It has a 14.1-inch screen and weighs 8.5 pounds (3.87 kilograms) with a six-cell battery and a solid-state storage drive. It comes with a graphics card, supports up to 8GB of RAM and up to 120GB of storage on a hard drive or 128GB of SSD storage. It runs Windows Vista and has Wi-Fi, 3G mobile broadband and GPS antennas.

The laptop will be available starting March 10 (today) in US, Canada, France, Spain, UK, Germany and Italy. The cost will be around US$4,299.