Technology

Woomark announced the launch of its new location-based geosocial network and Application for Android mobile devices.

Technology has evolved and the raise in popularity of Google maps, Street View and GPS, has created opportunities for new services like Foursquare, Yelp, Qype and Woomark to emerge.

Looking for places of interest anywhere in the world, such as a skydiving center in Autralia, places to practice Parkour in the UK, insolite restaurants in Italy, places to play Poker in Germany or places to go out in Moscow, is now made easy with the Woomark location-based services and Android App.

Users can register to Woomark for free by using their existing Facebook, Google or Yahoo accounts and can add, share and discover places around them either from the woomark.com website or directly from their mobile application using the GPS.

The Woomark web and mobile applications allow users to connect with like-minded people, to explore places of interests based on location and posted by other users. They can then share those one they like on Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz, Stumbleupon and other popular services.

Users can also join groups, create new ones, follow other users “a la Twitter” and even send each other private messages to get in touch.

Woomark is fully integrated into Google maps and Street view and users can get directions to places and get a print-friendly summary of their directions.

Visit www.woomark.com for more details.

Many apps(21) have been pulled from the Android Market because they have been infected with malware, reports Venturebeat.

Google removed the apps after being notified by Android Police bloggers, the apps in question have already been downloaded by at least 50,000 Android users.

“The infection is one of the worst to hit the mobile market, which has been relatively safe from malware attacks compared to the constant barrage of infections on PCs.

The malware attack shows that Android’s big advantage — the openness that gives it an edge over Apple’s closed mobile ecosystem — is also Android’s biggest disadvantage when it comes to protecting users against cyberattacks. While Apple screens its apps, Google allows just about anybody to upload apps into the Android Market.”

Users who have downloaded the infected apps may have had their data compromised.

Full Story: http://venturebeat.com/2011/03/02/dozens-of-android-apps-pulled-from-market-due-to-malware-infections/

China’s Huawei are offered to pick up a £50 million bill for equipment to line London’s sprawling subway system with mobile phone reception, a package it says it’s extending as a gift from Olympic host nation to another (London will host the 2012 Summer Olympics, reports Engadget.

The new system would enable emails and calls while on the tube.

Huawei said it would make its money back over time through maintenance contracts.

Full story: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/21/huawei-offers-to-build-out-london-underground-cellular-coverage/

Nokia will be giving away one E7 smartphone and one Nokia-made Windows Phone to each developer in Launchpad, it’s program for mobile app developers and waive its tech support charges for developers for the next three months, according to SlashGear.

Launchpad is Nokia’s mobile app development program, usually priced at €300 annually but currently free for the first year. Membership is available – on an approved application basis – for individuals and companies, and regularly includes early access to APIs and SDKs, promotions in the Ovi Store and invitations to training events.

More: http://www.slashgear.com/nokia-giving-developers-free-e7-and-free-wp7-device-18134435/

Smashingapps has posted an article “Seven Tools To Start Your Hassle-Free HTML5 Project” reviewing HTML5 tools.

Tools include:
Initializr a HTML5 templates generator to help you getting started with an HTML5 project. It is built on HTML5 Boilerplate, a powerful HTML5 template. It will generate for you a clean customizable template based on Boilerplate.

and

Modernizr
HTML5 test
What’s my IP
SproutCore
SwitchToHTML5
When can I use

Full article: http://www.smashingapps.com/2011/02/17/seven-tools-to-start-your-hassle-free-html5-project.html

Over the last few months, several large companies cited Android performance problems for not upgrading some of their products. In order to benchmark and stress-test any hardware and OS component, a sound performance test and benchmarking toolset is required. The proliferation of Android based systems, as well as the rather rapid release cycle of new Android OS versions, further intensifies the necessity for a sound Android performance evaluation and stress-testing toolset. In other words, it is paramount to hardware, as well as OS design and development engineers to have access to a comprehensive Android toolset that allows evaluating and quantifying performance under real-world conditions at any level of the systems hierarchy.

To illustrate, actual systems performance consists of an application driven workload, the speed and availability of the accessed OS components, as well as the speed and availability of the involved hardware resources. Every OS is basically an abstraction provider, a reactive entity whose performance depends on the pattern of the application load imposed to it. More specifically, OS performance depends on both, the capabilities of the hardware interface that is being abstracted, and the way the OS abstractions are utilized by an application. In reality, not every application is using the same OS abstractions, as each application has its own access (code) path through the OS. It is a fact that prior to releasing new systems/products, virtually no company truly stress-tests (benchmarks) the product from a HW AND an OS perspective.

The DHTDroid v3.2 toolset addresses the above discussed issues in a comprehensive, pragmatic, and scientific manner. The DHTDroid v3.2 toolset allows HW engineers and Android SW developers alike to understand how the major OS abstractions depend on the speed and availability of the underlying hardware platform. From the start, the goal for the DHTDroid project was to implement a set of Android based systems benchmarks that generate an OS and HW abstraction vector that can be mapped to an actual application load (hence the toolset is universally applicable). Further, the performance behavior of different Android OS versions can be compared, and HW cross-comparison studies can be conducted. The DHTDroid v3.2 toolset consists of 9 individual macro benchmarks that stress-test the CPU, the TLB, the cache, the memory, the IO, and the NW subsystems, respectively. Some of the macro benchmarks can be individually customized to reflect an actual application workload behavior. Further, DHTDroid v3.2 provides 4 systems/support tools that aid Android developers in engineering high-quality products and solutions.

The earlier version of DHTDroid (v2.8) has been very well received by the Android community. Several HW and SW companies already use DHTDroid to baseline, stress-test, and benchmark their Android based products. The new version (v3.2) significantly augments on the status-quo, by streamlining the existing benchmarks while adding additional tools. To illustrate, based on feedback from the Android community, additional memory and IO benchmarks were developed. Further, a tool that allows aging a file system (for benchmark purposes) was added as well. In version 3.2, a script is provided to illustrate how to bundle several DHTDroid benchmarks into a single execution entity. DHTechnologies (www.dhtusa.com) released the DHTDroid v3.2 Android performance and benchmark toolset to the community in February 2011. The toolset and the documentation can be downloaded from the Resource page on www.dhtusa.com

Nokia has today outlined its new strategic direction, including changes in leadership and operational structure to accelerate the company’s speed of execution in a dynamic competitive environment.

Elements of the new strategy include:

– Plans for a broad strategic partnership with Microsoft to build a new global mobile ecosystem; Windows Phone would serve as Nokia’s primary smartphone platform.
– A renewed approach to capture volume and value growth to connect “the next billion” to the Internet in developing growth markets
– Focused investments in next-generation disruptive technologies
– A new leadership team and organizational structure with a clear focus on speed, results and accountability

Nokia plans to form a strategic partnership with Microsoft to build a global mobile ecosystem based on highly complementary assets. The Nokia-Microsoft ecosystem targets to deliver differentiated and innovative products and have unrivalled scale, product breadth, geographical reach, and brand identity. With Windows Phone as its primary smartphone platform, Nokia would help drive the future of the platform by leveraging its expertise on hardware optimization, software customization, language support and scale. Nokia and Microsoft would also combine services assets to drive innovation. Nokia Maps, for example, would be at the heart of key Microsoft assets like Bing and AdCenter, and Nokia’s application and content store would be integrated into Microsoft Marketplace. Under the proposed partnership, Microsoft would provide developer tools, making it easier for application developers to leverage Nokia’s global scale.

With Nokia’s planned move to Windows Phone as its primary smartphone platform, Symbian becomes a franchise platform, leveraging previous investments to harvest additional value. This strategy recognizes the opportunity to retain and transition the installed base of 200 million Symbian owners. Nokia expects to sell approximately 150 million more Symbian devices in the years to come.

Canon Premieres the World’s Thinnest Camera with 24mm equivalent lens, 5x Optical Zoom; Rebrands the PowerShot ELPH Models and Introduces GPS Capabilities in the PowerShot SX230 HS Digital camera

Rebranding of the ELPH models:

Showcasing the true evolution of the ELPH brand, the new PowerShot ELPH models have now instituted a “HS” suffix to represent the inclusion of the HS SYSTEM in each model. The renaming of the ELPH model will help to better correlate with Canon’s ever-increasing capabilities in its PowerShot Digital cameras, while retaining its popular identity. With the ELPH 500 HS, ELPH 300 HS and ELPH 100 HS Digital cameras, the new names of the ELPH models will also serve as an easy solution to help consumers make an informed decision about which camera to purchase.

Introduced last year, the HS SYSTEM is a technology used to enhance image quality in low-light situations without the need for a flash. Making up the HS SYSTEM in these new models is Canon’s DIGIC 4 Image Processor combined with a High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor, which helps to reduce noise at high ISO levels and expand the camera’s dynamic range, ultimately capturing greater detail and color in images in darker settings, like a wedding reception. With the use of the HS SYSTEM, consumers are able to capture clearer images with less noise and blur, resulting in brilliant, sharp images.
It’s all about location, location, location

When vacationing in Venice or taking a family-camping trip, there are many opportunities to capture a keepsake photo. However, years later, it may be difficult to remember the location the image was taken. Canon’s new GPS feature in the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS model will help make it easier to pinpoint the exact spot2. Through a dedicated receiver, the camera is able to collect signals from GPS satellites to obtain the latitude, longitude and altitude and records this information to the image’s EXIF data3. The map utility software included with the camera permits viewing of photos on a map and shows the location of where the image was shot. The PowerShot SX230 HS also has an internal GPS logger, another first for a PowerShot model, helping to track the day’s route on a map, making it a useful application for long-term trips.
Shooting video like never before

Having the ability to shoot HD video is imperative when capturing a full sequence of events, such as attending a high-end runway show in New York City or witnessing a baby’s first steps. The Canon PowerShot SX230 HS, ELPH 500 HS, ELPH 300 HS and ELPH 100 HS now feature Full 1080p HD video with Dynamic Image Stabilizer, providing secure, stellar resolution in a compact frame. A new feature called Movie Digest mode can be found in all the new PowerShot models, allowing consumers to shoot a short video before capturing a still image and then combine a full day’s worth of videos into one clip, making it easier for consumers to relive those special moments again and again.
Increase intelligence with Smart AUTO

The quest to capture the perfect image can be difficult if the camera does not have the correct settings. Helping to make the photographic journey that much easier, the new Canon PowerShot Digital cameras have advanced Smart AUTO with 32 different shooting scenes. Smart AUTO is helpful since the camera will automatically select settings that match the scene without the need to switch modes, making it possible to take beautiful photos in a variety of situations. Tracking desired objects on a screen with ease, Advanced Subjection Detection has been added to the Smart AUTO function as well, providing the successful capture of fast moving objects, vehicles or birds flying across the sky. By simply pressing the shutter button, the Advanced Subject Detection automatically identifies certain objects like a fish in an aquarium. After pressing the shutter button, the Servo Auto Focus/Auto Exposure continues to function and the focus and exposure of the moving subject continues to be tracked, making it possible to shoot without the subject passing by.

Helping to add more artistic flair to images is the inclusion of Toy Camera effect and Monochrome effect to the scene mode category for all four of the new Canon PowerShot models. Toy Camera Effect adds a grainy, blurred look to soften photos, illustrating an old-school, 1960’s appearance and Monochrome mode can make a photo either have black-and-white, blue or sepia tones, displaying a more classic, antiqued appearance.
PowerShot SX230 HS Digital Camera:

Available in black, red and blue, the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS Digital camera features a 12.1-Megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS Sensor with a powerful 14X Optical Zoom with Optical Image Stabilization. This new camera also includes a wide-angle 28mm equivalent lens, aiding in the capture of group pictures and a 3.0-inch LCD screen for easy viewing and scrolling through menus.

The PowerShot SX230 HS will be available at the end of March for an estimated selling price of $349.99.
PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, ELPH 300 HS and ELPH 100 HS Digital cameras:

Available in silver, brown and pink, the Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS features a 3.2-inch wide, intuitive, touch-panel LCD screen. The PowerShot ELPH 500 HS also has a bright f/2.0 lens, enabling users to take photos without a flash, resulting in a more natural look while providing greater depth of field. The camera also possesses a 12.1-Megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor along with a 4.4X Optical Zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer and an ultra-wide angle 24mm equivalent lens, which is ideal for large group shots at a family reunion or high school graduation.

The Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS Digital camera has a 12.1-Megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor, 5X Optical Zoom, an ultra-wide angle 24mm equivalent lens along with a 2.7-inch LCD screen and is available in red, black and silver. The PowerShot ELPH 100 HS Digital camera possesses a 12.1-Megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor, 4X Optical Zoom, a wide angle 28mm equivalent lens and 3.0-inch LCD screen and comes in blue, gray, pink, silver, and orange.

The PowerShot ELPH 500 HS is scheduled to be available at the end of March for the estimated retail price of $299.99, while PowerShot ELPH 300 HS and PowerShot ELPH 100 HS Digital cameras are scheduled to be available in mid-March for an estimated selling price of $249.99 and $199.99 respectively.

www.usa.canon.com

Canon U.S.A., Inc., has announced the EOS Rebel T3i and EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR Cameras, providing numerous intelligent high-end features at attractive price points. Complementing the award-winning EOS Rebel T2i DSLR, the EOS Rebel T3i, Canon’s new flagship Rebel, offers fun and easy-to-use features for beginning photographers, and the EOS Rebel T3 provides a more attractively priced option for those looking to experience the pleasure of shooting with a DSLR camera. For the young enthusiast learning photography or the adult looking to learn more, Canon’s new Feature Guide instruction will walk Rebel T3i users through functions and provide recommendations for various settings, a great hands-on learning tool. Point-and-Shoot users looking to step-up to a DSLR will enjoy the T3i camera’s Scene Intelligent Auto mode, the most intuitive automatic camera mode available in a Canon Rebel camera to date, providing complete scene analysis and optimized settings. One of the most sought-after and requested features for a DSLR camera is now part of the new EOS Rebel T3i, Canon’s three-inch Vari-Angle Clear View LCD screen, ideal for properly composing those difficult overhead shots. Comfortable, lightweight and affordable, Canon’s new EOS Rebel T3 is a great camera to welcome users to the world of DSLR photography.

Canon’s new EOS Rebel T3i DSLR gives creative photographers some fun in-camera tools that enable users to apply Creative Filters to images after they have been shot without altering the original file. Canon’s new Creative Image Filters, familiar to Canon PowerShot and EOS 60D users, help make a great image more dynamic by creating an altered copy of the image through any of Canon’s four artistic filter options:

* The Soft Focus effect filter helps dramatize an image and smooth over shiny reflections.
* The Grainy Black and White filter can give a different nostalgic perspective to any shot.
* Canon’s “Toy Camera” filter deliberately adds vignetting and color shift for a creative option when shooting a colorful scene.
* Users can also make a scene appear like a small-scale model, simulating the look from a tilt-shift lens, with Canon’s Miniature Effect filter, great when shooting any scene from a high vantage point.

Each of these filters can be applied to a captured still image in-camera to create a second “filtered” JPEG version, leaving the original JPEG file unaffected.

Another addition to the camera’s Live View function is Canon’s new Aspect Ratio feature whereby the Live View screen can display cropping lines for 1:1, 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratios in addition to the standard 3:2 ratio. These cropping lines make it easier to compose images in Live View, and they can help to expedite printing when using Canon’s supplied Digital Photo Professional software. Custom aspect ratios are also applied to JPEG images captured directly in-camera.

EOS HD Video Specs

The EOS Rebel T3i with Full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution in selectable frame rates of 24p, 25p or 30p will grab the attention of film students and independent filmmakers alike. The Rebel T3i incorporates two Canon proprietary technologies for rendering amazing HD video, a DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor and a large APS-C–sized CMOS sensor capturing fine detail and color with an amazing cinematic depth of field. The Rebel T3i DSLR allows for three video recording modes – Full HD and HD in a 16:9 aspect ratio and Standard Definition (SD) in a 4:3 aspect ratio, all at selectable frame rates.

EOS HD Video: Ready For A Close-Up

When shooting Full HD video, the Rebel T3i digitally provides additional zoom power without sacrificing quality. The new Movie Digital Zoom feature, a first for Canon DSLRs, allows users to achieve 3x to 10x magnification while shooting Full HD video. Unlike standard digital zoom for still images, Movie Digital Zoom crops the video image directly from the CMOS sensor at Full HD resolution to preserve video quality and still provide amazing additional telephoto power beyond just the lens. The Movie Digital Zoom feature is great for those times when the lens isn’t enough to get you in close, but this feature provides the extra boost without a loss in video quality so a child’s smile on stage is just as clear and bright.

EOS Video Snapshot

Canon’s new EOS Video Snapshot feature borrows some innovation from Canon’s VIXIA line of camcorders for capturing, assembling and playing fun-to-watch video clips. EOS Video Snapshot enables users to capture the video highlights of family vacations, parties or milestone events, with the same ease as taking photos. Consumers can now record a series of two-, four- or eight-second video clips automatically. The scenes are assembled by the camera into continuous Video Snapshot Album files for easy playback and can even be further edited in camera or through Canon’s Video Snapshot Task software on a compatible personal computer for added flexibility and fun.

Valuable Additional Features

Along with the adjustable LCD screen, the new EOS Rebel T3i DSLR features a class-leading 18-megapixel Canon CMOS sensor, a proprietary DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor, a 9-point Autofocus system and a 63-zone dual-layer metering system. Capable of capturing kids at play or wildlife on the move, the Rebel T3i can shoot up to 34 consecutive full resolution JPEG still images or up to 11 consecutive RAW images at speeds up to 3.7-frames-per-second to either SD, SDHC or new extended capacity SDXC memory cards.

The Rebel T3i includes an ISO range from 100-6400, allowing it to capture beautiful images without the need for a flash during milestone events such as birthday celebrations, yet it still includes a built-in pop-up flash for those times requiring a little extra light. For the first time on a Rebel camera, the T3i features a built-in Integrated Speedlite Transmitter making it even easier to do multi-flash shoots and provide images with greater ambience. The new Integrated Speedlite settings are now even easier for beginners shooting with multiple flashes.

Pricing and Availability

The Canon EOS T3i Digital SLR camera is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers in the beginning of March, and will be sold in a body-only configuration at an estimated retail price of $799.99. It will also be offered in a kit version with Canon’s new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II zoom lens at an estimated retail price of $899.99. It will also be available in a second kit version with Canon’s EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens at an estimated retail price of $1099.00.

Rebel T3 Digital SLR Camera

Canon is happy to introduce a chic camera for beginners to ease into the exciting world of DSLR photography and videography; the new EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR camera. The Rebel T3 is designed to be the camera that can be expertly handled by anyone and allows great-looking photos to be taken with ease and style. The Rebel T3 is excellent in low-light shooting situations and simple to handle and operate.

Putting big imaging power in a small body, the new EOS Rebel T3 DSLR features a 12.2-megapixel Canon CMOS image sensor, a proprietary DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor, a 9-point Autofocus system and a 63-zone dual-layer metering system. With individual pixels measuring roughly 10x larger than a pixel from a point-and-shoot camera sensor, the Rebel T3 is able to absorb more light with less noise, making it ideal for capturing high-quality images in dimly lit situations. The increased efficiencies in gathering light also make the camera better suited to freeze fast-moving objects such as capturing images of children at play at speeds up to 3-frames per second. Compatible with SD, SDHC or new extended capacity SDXC memory cards, the Rebel T3 also shoots 1280×720 HD movies for amazing image quality for both stills and video. The Canon Rebel T3 features an ISO range from 100-6400 for capturing beautiful images in various light settings while also including a built-in pop-up flash. Designed for easy operation through the camera’s mode dial, users can go from taking great still images to great video quickly and easily, with simple to understand icons and buttons.

Pricing and Availability

The Canon EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR camera is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers at the end of March, and will be offered in a kit with Canon’s new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II zoom lens at an estimated retail price of $599.99.

Dean Evans has written an interesting article “iOS vs Android vs WebOS vs MeeGo In Depth: Four mobile operating systems compared” on Techradar.

The article makes some important points and concludes:
“Android is the next best thing (with judicious use of a task-killer), followed by iOS. Apple has been criticised for not offering true multi-tasking. Instead, iOS 4 suspends apps in the background or offers limited functionality. You can run a radio app in the background or stay signed in to Skype. But it’s a resource-saving approach compared to WebOS and Android.

Read more: http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/ios-vs-android-vs-webos-vs-meego-925580#ixzz1Co4KZwc0”

Demonstrating the versatility and benefits of its award-winning document scanning devices, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, will showcase its line of imageFORMULA solutions at LegalTech, the leading technology exposition in the legal arena. Attendees will have the opportunity for hands-on demonstrations of imageFORMULA products designed to meet the demands for precision, security and flexibility in the legal sector, in the Canon booth (Booth #1711) at the New York Hilton Hotel, January 31st – February 2nd, 2011.

“Canon is dedicated to addressing the changing needs of law firms and legal departments” said Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A. “We are excited to demonstrate our continued commitment to deliver scanning solutions, designed to improve practice management, collaboration and efficiency”

Canon will have a variety of its award-winning imageFORMULA devices on display during this year’s show, including:

* imageFORMULA P-150 “Scan-tini” Personal Document Scanner: The P-150’s compact size and ease-of-use is ideal for use by “road warriors” and office users in general-purpose distributed document scanning applications, as well as check scanning in remote deposit capture applications. Measuring 11-inches long, 3.7-inches wide, 1.6-inches high and weighing just over two pounds, the P-150 redefines the minimum dimensions of a document scanner with automatic document feeder.
* imageFORMULA DR-9050C Production Scanner: A high-volume, high image-quality document scanning solution, the DR-9050C scans at speeds up to 112 ppm/225 ipmi in color, grayscale and black and white. The DR-9050C captures images and text with clarity using three-line Contact Image Sensors at up to 600 dots-per-inch optical resolution, and incorporates a dust-free shading mechanism for exceptional image quality.
* imageFORMULA ScanFront 300P Network Scanner: The imageFORMULA ScanFront 300P network scanner is a full-featured, easy-to-use and manage device developed to capture, convert and share documents across a network while also improving the security of the data being shared and lowering overall workplace costs. Featuring a fingerprint reader to improve security, the ScanFront 300P is an ideal solution for capturing documents in decentralized environments and improves collaboration by allowing users to capture and share information seamlessly in central and field locations.

Further demonstrating the versatility and compatibility of its image capture devices, Canon U.S.A will feature a software partner, Drivve, showing its Drivve | Image Canon Edition software running in conjunction with the ScanFront 300P.

For more information visit www.usa.canon.com.

Google is trying to recruit dozens of software developers to create applications for smartphones and other mobile devices, according to The Wall Street Journal.

“The Internet company has begun recruiting software engineers, product managers, user-interface experts and others who have ideas for mobile apps.

Benjamin Ling, a Google product – management director, has been leading recruiting efforts, the people familiar with the matter said. Google declined to make him available for comment.”

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703554204576112723686094898.html#ixzz1Cc9c9KaB