The Best Mobile Business Apps to Make Your Job Easier

Scaling up is integral to every business, a high number of whom now hang on mobile apps for the purpose. The big impetus is a lucrative apps market driving a $19 billion apps economy and causing a radical shift in consumer engagement.

Today, more than 30% of US consumers own tablets even as overall Smartphone usage has crossed 130 million. That means multifold opportunities of engagement as a business. However, along with the opportunities comes the challenging proposition of a glutted apps world where standing out — matters.

To talk numbers, there are over 750,000 apps sitting on each of the two major apps stores — Apple Apps Store and Google Play. The other two subsidiary stores, Blackberry and Windows App Store have come off in a way that only adds to the competitive streak.

As a business seeking a mobile app, it is crucial that success essentials are charted upfront. With that in mind, Enda O’Reilly of Needa.ie shares the best mobile business apps to make your job easier.

Delete Your Oldest Tweets Using Twitter Archive Eraser

Looking for the awesome Twitter Archive Eraser?

Twitter Archive Eraser allows you to automatically delete tweets in bulk from your timeline, or erase your whole twitter archive if you would like so.

Several tools exist to help you delete your old tweets but, most of them do not work properly, if at all, due to Twitter API’s limitations. Twitter imposes a limit of 3200 tweets (the more recent ones that is) that an application can access.

Twitter enabled the option for users to download their whole archive of tweets, which contains among other things the IDs of all the tweets of a user: the exact piece of information that can be used to erase tweet.

Thus, a simple application called “Twitter Archive Eraser” developed by Martani Fakhrou that helps you delete the oldest tweets from your timeline, or erase the whole archive too if you would like so.

Download and setup the Twitter Archive Eraser app by visiting the link given below:

• http://martani.github.io/Twitter-Archive-Eraser/

There is two kinds of download app available:

• Standalone (portable) version: This version requires no installation and can be run directly.
• Installer version: The installer takes care of downloading the required libraries (.NET framework etc.), and installs the application to the start menu.

How to use “Twitter Archive Eraser”

The application is the simplest possible, it works in 3 steps: authenticate Twitter; select which tweets you want to delete; erase them.

Step 1

In this step, you give Twitter Archive Eraser access to your twitter account so that it can delete the tweets you select. This works by providing a PIN number that twitter provides after the authentication.

Note: You need to accept sharing several statistics to use Twitter Archive Eraser.

Step 2

After you download your Twitter archive (from https://twitter.com/settings/account) and you can load it directly as a zip file into Twitter Archive Eraser.

You can select which period of time you want to delete tweets from (grouped by month).

Step 3

Once you have selected the months, you are now presented with all the tweets in this period of time. By default, all the tweets are marked for deletion, if you want to keep any specific tweets, just uncheck them as shown in the following picture.

You can use regular expressions to filter specific tweets to check/uncheck them (you can click the “Erase?” checkbox on top to check uncheck all the filtered tweets).

You can also choose the degree of parallelism you want: that is how many tweets Twitter Archive Eraser deletes at a time: the more the better. Notice however that this parameter is limited by your network speed.

You can pause/resume the deletion process and check/uncheck tweets in between.

Common filtering expressions

Use the following filtering expressions (without quotes “”) to search for:

• Retweets: “^RT”
• Replies: “^@\w+”
• Reply to user martani_net: “^@martani_net”
• Mentions: “@\w+”
• Mentions of user martnai_net: “@martani_net”
  This will possibly return Retweets also
• Tweets containing a number with 4 digits or more: “\d{4}”
• Tweets containing the word ‘hello’: “hello”

You can find the code of the application on github: https://github.com/martani/Twitter-Archive-Eraser. Developer mentions that all the Twitter logic is done using the excellent LinqToTwitter library.

Sadly, this app works only with Windows OS and yet developer is not further planning to develop this app for any other OS like Mac or linux. But don’t worry you can use apps like VMware or VirtualBox to switch to Windows and use the Windows apps.

Video explaining how to use “Twitter Archive Eraser”

Video: Martani Fakhrou

32-bit [x86] and 64-bit [x64] Windows: Everything You Need to Know

Mostly, all the PC users are aware of the 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) operating system (OS) architecture versions of existence, but they hardly pay attention towards the difference between the two. Keeping the bigger-is-better philosophy aside, sometimes you might consider that which OS version you should actually install and how it will be affecting the performance of your PC? Some tech geeks may recommend that you should you use a 64-bit version of Windows, but here comes a big question — why? According to some researchers and PC experts, the 64-bit version is more efficient and rates higher on performance over than the less capable 32-bit version.

The terms 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) refer to the way a computer’s processor (also called a CPU), handles information. The 64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system.

In this article, you’ll read about various aspects of 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) versions of Windows with a conclusion to draw a clear picture about which one you should install and why?

How to check which OS architecture version do you have?

To check out that which version of Windows you are currently running on, all you need to do is reach the ‘System Properties’ in ‘Control Panel.’ You can also right-click on ‘My Computer’ icon, and choose ‘Properties’ from the drop-down menu. Always remember that in order to make your system run on a 64-bit OS version, your CPU must support the same. PCs running on a modern CPU should be fine, but some of the budget PCs don’t include/support for a 64-bit processor.

Do 32-bit PCs really have a memory limit?

Since the 32-bit operating system doesn’t support more than 4096 MB of RAM, the memory is limited to that value only. If you’re running on a 32-bit system, each running process will be given not more than 4 GB of virtual memory to play with, out of which 2 GB of user space is already fixed. Apart from this, your video card and motherboard BIOS will also take some place in that same 4 GB space, which makes your system slow and lagging. According to tech experts, the modern chips support PAE, a processor technology to permit OS to use a little bit more memory. But, it also requires special application support that needs to be installed on the system.

It’s a myth that only Windows-specific users will face this issue however, the fact is 32-bit Linux and Mac OS X users also have the same limitations and the same workarounds. To prove the same, experts tested the 32-bit Linux that comes with a facility of mapping table to access the extra memory. Apple’s OS X Snow Leopard is shipped with a 32-bit kernel, by default, and can’t access all the memory.

What’s different in 64-bit and why is it better?

Packed with super-performance features, a 64-bit OS version provides access to 17.2 billion GB of the system’s memory. This clearly means no matter how heavy your video cards and other devices will be, it will neither steal the usable memory space not it will impact the performance of the device. Windows 64-bit Home editions can only have up to 16 GB of RAM, but the Professional and Ultimate editions enjoy the liberty to use up to 192 GB of RAM.

Giving importance to the per-process limit, Windows 64-bit version has offered each application the ability to access up to 8 TB of virtual memory without adding any special API or installing any software. Therefore, users can easily choose this OS architecture version for performing various heavy tasks such as video editing, running heavy application with graphics, or creating systems into virtual machines.

Windows 64-bit versions are more secure and user-protected as they come with a technology that restricts hijacking the kernel, and provides support for data execution protection (hardware-enabled).

Do 32-bit applications work on 64-Bit?

Fortunately, you will find that all your 32-bit applications work just fine on 64-bit Windows version. Since, 64-bit version includes WoW64 compatibility layer, the entire system switches the processor back and forth between 32-bit and 64-bit modes to access the thread that requires to be executed. This back and forth switching of the processor makes a 32-bit software run smoothly on the 64-bit environment. Nothing comes without exceptions in this world and so does the OS architectural versions. The 32-bit device drivers and low-level system applications may not work without a 64-bit equivalent.

The verdict: Which one should you actually use?

If your budget is not a concern and you’re ordering a new PC with more than 4 GB of RAM, then you should go for a 64-bit version of Windows. Since the version supports a lot of features and performance enhancements, opting for 32-bit version will be a biggest mistake that you can ever make. Buying a 64-bit version will make you use all of the available memory and let you install large video cards and other devices without impacting the performance of the device. You should always remember that Windows Home editions can only support RAM up to 16 GB hence, if you wish to go for more then buy Professional or Ultimate Windows editions.

Why Firefox is Still Way Behind Google Chrome?

Which is better Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox? Statistics reveal that Chrome is a much more used browser as compared to Firefox. There are many points to justify why millions prefer Chrome over Firefox.

In order to catch up with Chrome, Firefox is incorporating many changes into its browser. But most of these changes are the copy of the features that are already present in Google Chrome for long. Rather than coming up with some astonishing innovation, Mozilla Firefox has just tried incorporating the features of Chrome browser. This in a way hints that Firefox efforts are just marginally enough to be at level with Chrome browser but not of the standard to surpass the Google browser.

Following are some of the convincing points that describe why Chrome is better than Firefox.

What Firefox doesn’t have but Chrome has?

Multi-Process Architecture

Nowadays, CPUs have become very capable of doing multiple works in parallel. Chrome makes the best out of it by using its multi-process architecture. In Chrome every website runs in its own process. Background processes like apps and extensions run in the background but these also run in their own environment. In short everything in Google browser including plug-ins run in its own process. However, with Firefox it’s not like that because Firefox uses single-process architecture.

Recently, it has started running its plug-ins in a separate process but it still doesn’t have multi-process architecture. Thus if you open five tabs in Firefox then the browser has to load and render all of them one-by-one as they are not running of their own. This makes Firefox less responsive or sluggish than Chrome at times.

Chrome-Task-Manager

To match up to the Chrome Task Manager Standard, Mozilla is working on something called Electrolysis, since 2009. It is a project to make Firefox a proper multi-process browser as Mozilla stated “Electrolysis is a huge undertaking.”

However, in 2011, Electrolysis was put on hold on grounds that Mozilla is pursuing a number of smaller initiatives that are targeted to improve the responsiveness of the browser. Again in May 2013, Mozilla restarted the Electrolysis project, which is still under process with no hint on when the end product will be delivered. You will be surprised to know that even Internet Explorer (IE) introduced multi-process features with Internet Explorer 8. So Firefox is way behind of Chrome and even IE in terms of multi-process features.

Use of Security Sandbox

To run browser processes, Chrome has adopted a modern Windows feature called ‘low integrity mode.’ This feature makes the Google browser more secured because even if the browser’s vulnerability gets discovered and exploited in Chrome, the exploiter would require using some sort of additional vulnerability to break the security offered by sandbox. Only after breaking the sandbox enabled security, he will be able to gain access to the system.

Chrome is offering this security coverage to Windows since the time of Windows Vista, which was released over six years ago. But Mozilla is still working on a similar kind of feature, which it has named as ‘low rights Firefox.’

Features that Firefox has got incorporated recently but were present in Chrome for Long

Listed below are some such features of Mozilla Firefox, which seem to be have copied from Google Chrome. These features were introduced by Chrome first and then Firefox came up with similar features in its browser much later.

• Multi-Window Private Browsing: Now, private browsing is available in Firefox and it is one of the much wished features. However, Chrome had it since its very beginning.

• Frequent Updates: Since its very beginning, Chrome has maintained the format of launching updates. But now even Firefox has started introducing frequent release updates.

• Extensions to Handle Browser Upgrades: Now on Firefox also, extension API has got updated that allows the extensions to get installed without restarting the browser. This feature enables the browser to function without breaking after browser-version upgrades. But Chrome has been offering this facility since long.

• PDF Viewer: This is another feature that Firefox has gained recently long after Google browser has launched it.

• User Interface (UI) Design: Chrome was first to switch to the minimal browser interface. Not just Firefox but all other browser have followed Google browser in this aspect.

• Out-of-Process Plug-ins: Till date, Mozilla browser doesn’t have proper multi-process features like Chrome. It has just managed to add feature like Flash. The Mozilla browser might get crashed if it supports multi-process features.

• JavaScript Performance: After Chrome immersed as a pioneer in JavaScript performance, all other browsers including Firefox tried improving its JavaScript performance.

Hence, if all the points are taken into consideration, then it is quite clear why Chrome is better than Firefox. Although, Mozilla is working on to enhance its browser’s features and security aspects, but right now Chrome is leading the pack in browser innovation since many years.

How to Access Blocked Websites and Bypass Filters

How can you access blocked sites and cross web filters? Many people deal with controlled access to specific websites. This happens especially in some countries where Internet censorship is applied and people’s access to specific websites is restricted. Also, these days more and more institutions, schools and companies are implementing this type of software on their computers. But Internet filtering is not a problem because there are many tools and methods that enable you to bypass filters and to unblock websites.

Many work places and schools are cracking down on the web sites and online services. Blocking access to social sites has been a common tactic. The most common websites that are blocked in schools include MySpace, Bebo and Facebook. There are however always legitimate reasons to bypass the internet filters and visit the blocked websites.

The following methods will help you access blocked websites in school, college or your company.

Anonymous Web Proxy

Using a web proxy to bypass restrictions. Proxies that focus on website browsing are called web proxies. A web proxy works by acting as a “middle man”: it downloads the requested pages to its proxy server and in turn you download the page, all images and other such objects from the proxy server to your browser, thus bypassing any filters and annoying firewalls.

One of the most popular methods is using a web proxy. An anonymous proxy server is an intermediate between your computer and the server you are requesting the information. Although this is an easy way it’s not the safest one. Even if the server does not have your information, the intermediate has it so you are not completely anonymous. The advantage of this method is that there are many free web proxies available over the Internet.

The most known resource for web proxies is Proxy.org. The list contains proxies all over the world, it’s periodically updated and provides link to specific web proxies in a random order. Due to the fact that the proxies are listed randomly, the chance of getting an over used proxy is considerably decreased. Other important resources of free web proxies are: Hide My Ass, Anonymouse.org, and Proxify.co.uk.

You can search on Google for “myspace proxy” and find a great deal of other web proxies as well.

But chances are that your school administration has already blocked access to most web proxies as well. In that case, you have other more options:

Hide IP address software

The second option is to use hide IP address applications. There are simple applications where with a simple click you can enable anonymity, or complex application that allows you to add manually proxies into the list, which will allow you to test proxies in advance and even clean cookies and temporary internet files. To be sure that the application suites your needs you should test the trial first and see how many proxies they have and from which countries.

The most known free hide IP address application is TOR Project. The application suits best to advanced Internet users because the configuration is not very simple. Other applications that are easy to use by anyone are: Ultra Surf, Anonymous Surfing, IP Privacy and Not My IP.

You can download Ultrasurf (search on Google for “Ultrasurf”) and save it to a USB stick. UltraSurf is a green software, which means no installation process is needed nor system setting is required to change when using the software. UltraSurf implements almost all browser functions based on HTTP and user needs, such as browsing websites, login and posting on web forums, using Web mail, uploading and downloading data files, real time audio, video and other multimedia programs, etc.

VPN connections

A third way used to unblock web sites is through a VPN. A VPN is a Virtual Private Network that is constructed by using public wires to connect nodes. A great advantage of these systems is that they use encryption and other security systems so only authorized users can access the network and the data cannot be tracked. Hotspot Shield is the most used these days and it’s 100% free. It creates a virtual private network (VPN) between your laptop or iPhone and our Internet gateway blocking snoopers, hackers, ISP’s, or other person from viewing your web browsing activities.

An important aspect that users must take in consideration is that before changing the IP address you must know what type of address your computer has. If you have a static IP address than you have to call your ISP and ask them to change it while if you have a dynamic IP address than you can apply any of the methods above.

The more people are aware of these tricks, the more likely your network administrators will catch on and find ways to shut them down. So be sure not to let others know how to do these tricks. Accessing unauthorized web sites using the above tricks may be considered a violation of school or work policies and might put you in trouble. Use them at your own risk.

Why is PHP a Better Option for Web Design?

When it comes to web designing, PHP is one of the most favored tools owing to a number of reasons. PHP comes up with certain unique features that make it one of the most adored, preferred as well as appropriate options for the purpose of web designing. The language itself thus, has made PHP developers highly sought-after professionals in the fraternity of web development as well as designing companies. Let us discuss the efficacy of PHP as a web designing tool.

First of all, PHP development does not take much of a time when compared with other tools as the language requires a much lesser number of coding, thus making the task less tedious. The language also proves to be extremely useful as well as effective, especially when it comes to CMSs like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and so on, which are of late so much popular among the customers.

There is stiff competition out there in the market in the world of website designing or development, especially with so many companies joining the bandwagon. Hence, in order to survive this rigid competition and to make things in a bit different way, companies are coming up with sites that are not only visually appealing but SEO friendly as well. This is to make sure that these sites help in bringing more and more business leads along with greater revenue. Here is where PHO scores over other languages. The language is astoundingly compatible with SEO when compared to other designing methods or languages.

The language is designed to seamlessly integrate as well as coordinate with various visible applications and this is a very pertinent dynamics, especially taking into view today’s business requirements. The language is also great when it comes to building its own memory, for an efficient and prompt use down the line.

PHP is also capable of working on a wide range of operating platforms as well as environments, including the MS Window, Linux, etc. and this makes the language extremely desirable in today’s context.

You will be able to find a fairly large community of PHP supporters as well as discussion groups and these groups help in solving issues whenever they crop up. The issues these groups sort out include bugs, problems with codes as well as information. All these increase the credibility of the language, making it a safe as well as a stable platform to use, especially for the beginners.

In PHP, you get a language that is designed specifically for the purpose of web designing with an inbuilt integration option with one of the most popular open source MySQL database. PHP has the following unique features that make the language, such an indomitable web designing language:

It is easy for the beginners:

PHP is the most ideal language for the beginners, who will just have to add some tags with the already existing HTML files, and follow it up by uploading them to the server and see the end results. Besides, the dynamic typing and the associative arrays make the language easier for the beginners.

It is user friendly

When compared to other solutions, there is no need of compilation in PHP. Hence, all that is needed is writing the script and uploading the script to the server and then updating the browser.

Besides, PHP comes up with an integrated support for databases of MySQL and that makes it easier to use the database with MySQL functions with no need to install additional drivers. Since it is a much older language, there are a number of web-oriented frameworks as well libraries available. Also, since it has been round the corner for such a long period (since as early as 1995), it performs seamlessly on Linux as well as Windows along with a wide range of other web servers. Also, when it comes to finding hosting with pre-installed PHP, there is no problem.

You can hire developers from top php web development companies who can help you build web application within allocated budgets and time schedules.

The Heartbleed Checklist: The Passwords You Need to Change Right Now

The Heartbleed bug — a major security flaw in OpenSSL — has seriously disrupted the online community this week. OpenSSL is one of the most popular pieces of encryption software, and the bug has potentially exposed millions of user details to hackers.

Some online service providers acted quickly, patching the flaw as soon as it was announced. However, many others have yet to act.

If a service provider is yet to apply the patch, you should not change your password. Instead, wait until you receive confirmation from an official channel that the servers have been patched. Only then should you log in and update your details.

Conflicting reports have led to panic — nobody seems to know which sites have been affected, or whether their servers have been patched.

To dispel the confusion, we’ve created a simple password change checklist. It identifies the major sites which have been affected by Heartbleed – and whether they’ve patched their servers yet.

Last update: April 12, 1:12:00 p.m. GMT

Image: IVPN

What is the Heartbleed Bug?

Video Courtesy: CNN, Quest Means Business

Learn more about the Heartbleed Bug at Heartbleed.com

Preparing for the End of Windows XP

As the official support for Windows XP is going to end, it has become really important for users to switch to other Windows operating system. Get the help from the best Windows XP customer support.

Windows XP has been providing the best Windows operating system experience for the past 12 years. As it is said that all good things ends, the official support of Windows XP is going to end on April 8, 2014. This means that the countdown for Windows XP support expiry has begun.

Windows XP was released in 2005. Since its inception, it has become one of the most popular Windows operating system released by Microsoft. With billions of users worldwide, Windows XP had redefined computer operating system with amazing visual effects, simple user interface, faster startup, better reliability and improved system compatibility.

Whenever a user used to face any kind of issue, the official Windows XP Support was always available along with other third party Windows XP customer support. However, these independent support companies used to help the users by various Windows Updates that were provided by the Microsoft. But, with the end of this support services, the Windows Updates for Windows XP will also end.

What Does This Mean?

As mentioned above, the end of support means that any of the Windows updates which also includes the various security updates, software compatibility patches etc will no longer be provided by Microsoft. This leaves your Windows XP more vulnerable to various threats that have been going around, especially in the cyber circuit. Since this operating system will keep on working, but on the earlier and outdated updates, you computer won’t be protected from the upcoming threats. Working on Windows XP system might be fine for few days after the support ends but as the time flies, it will become more and more difficult for a XP user to keep their system away from the risk of hack or virus attack.

What To Do Next?

After the support ends, the only choice left for the users is to upgrade to the next Windows operating system so that your system remains up–to–date for any kind of updates or warning. User can get their Windows upgrade to higher editions of Windows by taking the help from Windows XP Tech Support. After XP, the next operating systems in line are Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista. It is recommended to download the most recent operating system that is either Windows 8 or Windows 8.1. However, the system requirements for these operating system is little different. You might need to change your PC to meet those requirements. If you don’t wish to change your system, then upgrade to Windows 7.

How To Upgrade Windows XP To Windows 7?

If you want to upgrade to Windows 7, get its software disc and get started. While you are installing Windows 7, choose the Custom Option as it won’t safeguard you programs or settings. For clean installation, it is better to get help from third party Windows XP tech support company as it is a complex and time taking process. Make sure that you create backup of your data from Windows XP as a safe side or use Windows Easy Transfer for this process.

You will need the original installation discs or setup files for the programs that you want to use with Windows 7. Also, you need to reinstall your programs by hand after the installation has been done. Running Windows Easy Transfer will get you a report that lists the programs that you are currently using with Windows XP. Choose between the 32–bit version and 64–bit version of your operating system as per the nature of your work. Once you are done, reboot your system and start working without any problem.

Microsoft is halting support for Windows XP beginning on April 8, 2014. This infographic looks at current trends in Windows XP migration and upgrades.

Embed This Infographic On Your Site (copy code below):
<div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.milanaryal.com/2014/03/preparing-for-end-of-windows-xp.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9wYB2g4JHgwPV3MVp12XGTYWAndW72MEr9nRRZN_rgVu-H9tjxjznJmOsWU0HJg7wVxY_O2SpmPY9wnDE4MZp-ziKi1yfWOE24AL68U6yT-tiQliXs6UTiVqWwYXY0fpnpugm2BlDvQ/s1600/preparing-for-the-end-of-windows-xp-infographic.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" alt="" /></a></div>Via: <a href="http://www.milanaryal.com/">Milan Aryal</a>

The Best Small Business Apps You Need to Know About: An Infographic

In today’s ever–evolving technological world, more and more small business owners are adopting the exceptional management tools and applications to run their business from their fingertips. If you are starting up your business, it’s no surprise that choosing from thousands of apps can be an overwhelming task.

Take a look at this infographic from the IrishApps.org team of Ireland’s Smartphone Mobile App Development Company. Here they’ve profile some of the best small business apps that you really need to know about if you want to get ahead in your business. From the best business app for tracking brainstorming sessions, to the best business app for customer service. They’ve look at the best business app to help with cash flow, to the best that will track your courier packages.

Embed This Infographic On Your Site (copy code below):
<div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.milanaryal.com/2014/02/best-small-business-apps-infographic.html"><img src="http://googledrive.com/host/0B6ktZzNhkH6JMmd2a29fMGoxRWc/best-small-business-apps-infographic.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" alt="" /></a></div>Via: <a href="http://www.milanaryal.com/">Milan Aryal</a>

Six Alternatives to WhatsApp

If you are uncomfortable about feeding your data to Facebook, here are some of the best alternatives for iPhone, Android and others

BY SAMUEL GIBBS

LONDON: Facebook has bought messaging app WhatsApp, which means those who have been avoiding feeding their data into the world’s biggest social network might think about switching to another instant messaging service.

As WhatsApp is based on phone numbers rather than usernames, Facebook has in effect just bought a list of hundreds of millions of phone numbers. “Currently, WhatsApp can change terms and conditions at any time, without notifying users, which many people who use this service aren’t aware of. Meanwhile, Facebook already has a very broad copyright license on people’s content and already shares your data with many other services,” explains St John Deakins, chief executive of online identity service Citizenme.

While WhatsApp is certainly the most high-profile text messaging replacement app in the UK, it is by no means the only horse in the race.

Line

WhatsApp’s biggest competitor is Line, a messaging app that lets users send text messages, images, video and audio, was well as make phone calls over the internet or video conference. The Line messaging app is available for almost every computer and mobile platform. Line has 350 million users globally, expanding rapidly from 10 million in December 2011 according to data from Statista. Line Corporation is head–quartered in Japan, a subsidiary of South Korea’s online content and search company Naver Corporation.

Kik Messenger

Another messaging app alternative, Kik Messenger sends texts, images and voice messages over a smartphone’s data connection avoiding mobile operator messaging charges. It also integrates a web browser into the application allowing users to browse content and share it directly with their friends. Kik is available on the iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, Nokia’s Ovi store and BlackBerry. Now with 100 million users globally, Kik was released in 2010 and quickly hit one million users in just 14 days.

BBM

BlackBerry’s Messenger is the grandfather of the phone instant messaging apps. BBM was released for both Android and the iPhone in September 2013 making it cross platform for the first time. BBM for iPhone and Android was downloaded 10 million times in the first day, with over 80 million users globally across all platforms by October 2013. BlackBerry announced that by December 2013 BBM had 40 million users of its iPhone and Android apps.

Viber

A messaging app that stated out life as a direct Skype competitor for free voice calling, Viber has expanded into a cross–platform messaging client and was recently bought by the Japanese e–commerce giant Rakuten for USD 900 million. Viber is available for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone, Samsung’s Bada and Nokia’s Symbian and Series 40, plus the desktop, making it one of the most widely available messaging apps. All users can send text, pictures and video messages using Viber, but voice calling and some other features are limited to the iPhone, Android and Windows Phone.

Google Hangouts

Google’s messaging strategy has historically been a bit of a mess with different messaging protocols across different services that could not communicate with each other. In 2013, Google launched Hangouts to unify its messaging platforms. Available on the desktop, Android and iPhone, Hangouts allows users to send text and images, as well as hold video calls and group messaging with read states and typing indicators.

Skype

Skype maybe known for voice and video calling, but it also integrates a solid instant messaging function. Available for Android, the iPhone, Windows Phone and BlackBerry, as well as desktops, home phones TVs and games consoles, Skype allows you to send text messages, images, videos, voice messages and send group messages.

The others

There are a plethora of other messaging apps out there, including WeChat — huge in China but yet to break big in the UK — Tango and TextFree, as well as Apple’s iMessage, which is baked into the iPhone and iPad, but is also available on Apple’s computers. Facebook also has two other messaging apps. Its Facebook Messenger app is available through the Facebook desktop site as well as mobile apps for iPhone and Android, while Instagram allows users to send photos publicly or privately. Snapchat, the ephemeral image sharing app, also allows users to send quick photo and text messages. Beyond traditional messaging there is also Twitter’s direct messaging feature, which can also be used as an instant messaging system, sending private messages to followers.

Image: London Evening Standard

How Can I Keep My Android Tablet or Smartphone Secure?

Don’t panic about reports that 99 per cent of malware targets Android devices‚ but do take precautions to ensure your device is secure

BY STUART DREDGE

LONDON: Android is the most popular operating system for smartphones, by far, and it’s also the most open, in terms of how much you can customise your device — replacing its default keyboard, for example — as well as the approval process for developers to release new apps for it.

This openness is a boon for the tech–savvy Android user, because pretty much anything on their device that they don’t like can be swapped out for something better.

Android’s status as the world’s most popular smartphone OS means it has hundreds of millions of users who aren’t so clued–in on security.

Cisco’s annual security report claimed in January that 99 per cent of all malware in 2013 targeted Android devices, while security firm Kaspersky Lab suggested a similar figure of 98 per cent in December last year. “Android ticks all the boxes for cyber criminals — it’s a widely used OS that is easy to use for both app developers and malware authors alike,” said Kaspersky’s senior virus analyst Christian Funk, at a time when his company was detecting 315,000 new malicious files every day.

So, does Android have a big security problem? This is a question that is complicated by the fact that many of the companies warning about Android malware are also selling apps and services that promise to protect against it. But keeping your data safe on an Android device can be more about taking common–sense steps to minimise your risks.

With that in mind, here are five tips for ensuring that your Android device is safe:

1. Be cautious when installing apps

Using the Google Play Store to download apps already makes you among the more secure tiers of Android users — many dodgy apps are distributed through third–party.

Android app stores rather than the official ones. Candy Crush Saga, Angry Birds, Clash of Clans… fake versions of these regularly appear, so if something sets off warning bells (Candy Crush Saga 2, anyone?) it’s worth googling its title and checking its developer’s website to see if it’s a fake.

2. Watch out for phishing / SMS

Security on Android isn’t just about the apps that you install on your phone. As with any device — Android or otherwise — be on your guard for phishing, sites that try to get you to enter personal data and/or credit card details. Text messages and emails can all be phishing methods, and just because you’re on your phone doesn’t make them less dangerous.

3. Lock screen security

Have you got your device’s lock–screen settings sorted, so that if it gets stolen, the thief can’t access your apps and data? Google’s default settings will see you fair, but there are some third–party apps that take interesting and unusual spins on unlocking the phone.

Picture Password Lockscreen, for example, gets you to unlock your phone by drawing points, lines and circles on any image you like.

4. Consider anti–virus software

If you’d still like to take the extra step of installing anti–virus software — or if you’re thinking of putting it on the device of someone else — a number of options are available from the big names of the security world. AVAST Software’s Mobile Security & Antivirus, Bitdefender’s Mobile Security & Antivirus, Lookout Security & Antivirus, Kaspersky Internet Security, Trend Micro’s Mobile Security & Antivirus, Norton Security antivirus and McAfee Antivirus & Security all have four–star–plus ratings on Google play.

5. Consider a parental control app

You can follow many of the steps above, but can your children if they’re using your device, or have their own Android tablet and/or smartphone? A number of companies are trying to help with this challenge too, with parental control software capable of ensuring children don’t install apps that they shouldn’t, or compromise data on a shared device. Kids Place, Famigo, MMGuardian and Norton Family are four of the most popular examples, with varying features to control what apps are installed, what sites are being visited, and to set time limits on usage — and in some cases, add time as a reward for good behaviour.

RSS Feed: A Innovative Revolution on the Net

An RSS feed, often identified as a “news feed”, is a syndicated news feed in an XML set-up you could subscribe to. A news feed reader, often identified as a “information aggregator”, is software that permits you to subscribe to RSS feeds. Organizations will trust their employees sufficient to allow them to subscribe to RSS feeds. After you have an RSS Reader, you’ll find a way to subscribe to which ever feeds you need, and shortly flick by information gadgets that interest you. Once installed, this software will automatically aggregate and show the RSS feeds to which you subscribe. Accessing an RSS feed is slightly like podcasting, in that you simply subscribe to a feed.

Replace your RSS folder, and all the exterior sites that subscribe to your feed shall be automatically updated. But already, a remedial reporter could subscribe to an RSS feed and obtain updates published to a well being database. To subscribe to RSS feeds, merely select a content section of curiosity to you from the checklist supplied on this page. Customers choose the RSS feeds (content material) they wish to subscribe. The URL you copied to your clipboard would be the place your RSS reader would require to subscribe to that feed. Use the URL that comes up to subscribe to an RSS feed of work in that group. The reader you select can have directions for the way to subscribe to RSS feeds.

Reader:

Using an RSS feed reader allows you to be alerted when recent content pieces on the subjects you are focused on are available. PubMed RSS feeds will embrace documents retrieved by your PubMed searches because the last time you have been related to your RSS reader. Through the RSS reader, feeds from varied sources might be scanned with the power to entry the entire content material referring to any fascinating feeds. To properly read the feed, you need an RSS reader. Then, you will have to comply with the directions for your specific News Reader as a means to add the feed to your RSS catalog. Begin RssReader and go to add( ) channel/feed and then paste (click proper mouse button) the URL and press ok. Add as various feeds to this free of charge RSS reader as you want and use it as free news aggregator. The rating lists and custom searches are available as RSS feeds that you may import into your information reader.

An RSS reader could use this hint to routinely set the polling space for the RSS feed. Then, come again to your RSS reader and observe the directions on your particular reader for adding a model new feed.

Content material:

Using RSS, web content material providers can simply create and publish feeds of knowledge that embody, for example, web site links, web site titles, and summaries. To start with, explore your content material administration system — it might already have an option to make an RSS feed. The listing beneath gives hyperlinks to some example RSS feeds which utilise totally different forms of content. Content from RSS feeds will be simply purpose allowing, for instance, cross searching of quite a few totally different feeds at once. The difference between RSS feeds and podcast feeds is that you simply receive textual content content as an alternative of audio content. After subscribing to an RSS feed, you’ll be notified when new content material is out there with out having to go to the web position. Utilizing RSS, Web content material suppliers can simply make and publicize feeds of information that embody, for example, news hyperlinks, headlines, and summaries. This may even give them a place to begin for RSS feeds for his or her content. All of the RSS 1.0 feeds comprise full article textual content as well as comments and related content material on different sites. Builders can rapidly mark RSS feeds and publish content material in file time.

Internet:

Many aggregators are separate, “stand-alone” applications akin to those listed above; other services allow you to add RSS feeds to an Internet page. The subsequent few sections describe the state of your RSS feed as a Internet essay. The problems occur when software program builders write unhealthy code to broadcast and pull RSS feeds from the Internet. This journal is changing from RSS feed to the extra generic nickname webfeed. Blog Navigator integrates with varied RSS and Web search engines which allows you to collect webfeed outcomes primarily based on custom hunt keywords. or your favorite feed aggregator, or incorporate the RSS information into your own site or shopper application. Many aggregators are unattached, “stand–alone” packages akin to these listed above; different services will allow you to add RSS feeds to a Net page.

Website:

One other factor RSS enables you to do is put headlines on your web site, which update themselves mechanically when the RSS feeds update. The XML logo is currently in use across the Web to indicate to users that RSS feeds are available from the site. related to data about plenty of projects, or the SourceForge.web website itself) and venture–specific RSS feeds. Or can RSS Feed mechanically give me a bump that something has turned up at a particular site. Formatting the feed on your site One benefit of RSS is that it has no formatting whatever.

Software program:

It is even possible to download RSS feeds to an iPod using software program similar to iPod Agent. This is a piece of software program that checks RSS feeds and lets you learn any new articles that have been new to them. However, the software doesn’t support RSS feeds that require authorization. However the software would not stop there. The software program is pre–configured with many of feeds, so you may unleash the facility of RSS right away.

About The Author: Keith Larson owns Home Based Business Blog where common home business ideas and alternatives are examined rigorously to find out what works and what doesn’t. Visit in the present day for more information or check out the positioning’s #1 home based business at: KeithLarsonOnline.com!

Which is Your Best Backup Solution

In this article, you can earn the experience for backing up your important data so that you can protect your data away from the data loss problems.

All of us are diverse. We’ve diverse careers, family members and also passions, thus it’s wise which our personal computer back up wants could be different also. Thankfully, back up computer software suppliers comprehend and provide back up alternatives to match just about any will need.

Comprehending Back up Essentials

You can find a few simple forms of back up: total, incremental and also differential. To put it differently, total backups enable you to produce a replicate of all data on your desktop within a photo. They may be perfect for personal computer newbies and also for your common family computer and may become done each week.

One other a couple of simple back up sorts, differential and also incremental, tend to be for many who home based or perhaps who would like to back up a pc found in a small business. These kind of info backups are generally completed repeatedly weekly (or even everyday) regarding highest defense in opposition to data-loss.

Differential backups simply back up the particular data files who have altered since your previous total back up, thus these kinds of acquire more time and also utilize a lot more space for storing, yet use a reduced refurbishment moment.

Incremental backups simply back up the particular data files who have altered since your previous back up (whether or not the previous back up has been the full or perhaps a great incremental back up) thus incremental backups are usually more rapidly and also acquire a smaller amount area, yet refurbishment moment is significantly more time when you need to bring back equally the previous total back up and also every one of the incremental backups done after that.

Contemplating The Back up Alternatives

Lots of present day back up applications offer you many back up alternatives; providing you the flexibility to make a back up and also restoration remedy that may suit your preferences. Below are a few:

One-Click Method Back up Ability When basic will be just what your daily life calls for, next this kind of application could be exactly what the physician bought. Despite the fact that it really is simply available on pick back up goods, this kind of hassle-free application tends to make the full method back up with all the simply click of your individual option.

Files-In-Use Back up In the event the info you should back up adjustments each day, this kind of application is an excellent selection, as it could execute many info backups although your personal computer will be lively. The opportunity to back up data files whilst in utilize is a wonderful application for anyone in which home based or perhaps people in a business office together with jobs in which progress each day. This kind of application can be acquired together with many back up applications.

Full Method Back up Also referred to as Graphic Back up, Push Graphic and also Hard disk drive Graphic, a whole method back up will save you any replicate of one’s complete hard disk drive, together with your os, registry, individuals, software application plus your info files-allowing one to bring back your complete personal computer returning to certain stage. A whole method back up is an excellent substitute for reformatting a difficult push which is greatly afflicted together with spyware and adware or perhaps personal computer trojans.

Improving The Back up Features

Several back up computer software is sold with alternatives in which rise above the straightforward newbie method, providing you specific equipment to manage special difficulties. Below are a few illustrations:

Back up Info Compression setting Many back up applications offer you some kind of info compression setting, which usually lets you bunch a lot more info in to the identical place : perfect for you aren’t constrained space for storing.

Back up Record Selection Selection lets you filtration specific forms of data files regarding back up. As an example, it is possible to pick to be able to back up every one of the photos within your hard disk drive : providing you the particular flexibility to be able to improve important computer data back up in manners in which finest work for you. This kind of application can be available on many back up computer software.

Back up Security password Defense and also Encryption If you utilize account details to guard info on your desktop, it’s wise to accomplish the identical along with your info back up. Many back up computer software presents security password defense, however, not almost all enable you to encrypt the security password, which keeps the data files risk-free coming from cyberpunks.