Saturday, October 23, 2010

Facebook App for Android – Version 1.4 Available

Recently, Android got a new facebook application update (version 1.4). Facebook, being the largest online social networking site, has released a major update for its Android application. The introduction of this new application has helped bring the places and groups together over an optimum utilization of space.

The groups can now share posts within a small group. You need not publish your post with all your friends. It can be done with a small group of friends now. You can even share your place with your group of friends. For example, you can let them know where you are and even have knowledge of where your friends are. Not only that, you can even discover and locate the places nearby.

Additionally, within the application, you can view your recent notifications in your profile. Hence, it creates no disturbance while using your facebook account. The new improved notification system lets you view the comments and posts published on your wall without any havoc. The new update has also fixed up a few bugs for the facebook users.

The new android facebook app update is now available to download and can be downloaded off your android device for free. Simply go to all programs, choose the market icon, click on search, type “facebook”, and simply download and install the application on your Android based phone.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Google Instant For Android 2.2!!

The fact that Google is launching increasingly new services more often and most of them are implemented, at least initially, only in the United States is not a surprise to anyone with the new Google Instant situation is a bit different. Yesterday on the Google Blog announced new optimization search service, already available on desktop or portable systems in the U.S., and portables with the latest version of Android.

Instant Google can be summed up very simply, anything you write on Google generates instant results, there is no need to press the classic search button. But the great advantage is that with each letter you write besides Google suggests search terms in real time, beginning to show results and also in real time.

In your Android phone, for example, simply go to www.google.com then, turn in the bottom of the Google.com the English version. Normally, when you are on this version of the page no longer localized results are given priority, but it can solve this problem. Click on the Locate Me.

Given that the results are displayed in real time consumes more of your Internet traffic at any point you can enable or disable Instant Google, which is currently in testing period (Beta).

In any case the feeling is great, you should not give two or three searches to get the result you are interested in the problem often is that you missed a letter or you must put a word. Everything is resolved in a single website.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Google Responds to Oracle's Lawsuit

Google has finally officially responded to Oracle's patent and copyright infringement lawsuit against the search giant's Android mobile operating system. Apart from boatloads of pages on how Google pretty much denies any and all claims, there's a lot of interesting stuff in there - stuff that doesn't seem to bode well if the courts do decide Google is infringing Oracle's patents. It also makes it crystal clear that anyone who values Free and open source software should avoid Oracle products like the plague.

In the counterclaims, Google describes where the Dalvik VM comes from, and what pieces it consists of. The conclusion is this: Google does not have a license for the patents and/or copyrights associated with the Java programming language, platform, and runtime environment, and the company knew this all along. If the judges decide Google infringes upon these patents, Google is boned.

Let's back up for a second, and look at how we got here. Sun open sourced Java SE under the GPL back in 2006 and 2007. However, and this is the key, Sun wouldn't give you patent and copyright licenses unless your implementation also passes the Technology Compatibility Kit from Sun. The problem is how this TCK is licensed; it comes with all sorts of restrictions on use that don't sit well with the Apache Foundation. The Apache Foundation has been trying to get a license without these restrictions ever since.

As Google gleefully points out several times, Oracle used to be squarely on Apache's side in this debate, urging Sun quite strongly on several occasions to provide said license to Apache. For instance, Oracle supported a motion that "TCK licenses must not be used to discriminate against or restrict compatible implementations of Java specifications by including field of use restrictions on the tested implementations or otherwise. Licenses containing such limitations do not meet the requirements of the JSPA [Java Specification Participation Agreement], the agreement under which the JCP [Java Community Process] operates, and violate the expectations of the Java community that JCP specs can be openly implemented."

Interestingly enough, as we know today, one of the main reasons Oracle bought Sun was the potential for patent infringement suits around Java, something pitched by Jonathan Schwartz himself. As such, Oracle has now done a complete 180 on this one, and it now apparently no longer supports Apache's cause. This just goes to show that companies can never be trusted - scorpion, river, frog.

The Dalvik VM uses parts of the Apache Harmony Java implementation. Apache Harmony has not passed the TCK. Consequently, it is not covered by Sun's patent and copyright licenses. The struggle to obtain such a license has been well documented in the past, and Google itself confirms that by describing this struggle in great detail in the counterclaim. As such, if Google were to be found infringing - it'd be wilful infringement. Oops.

Of course, most of us more enlightened geeks find software patents a bunch of nonsense, but sadly, the US patent system is the way it is, and it looks like Google could have its behind handed to them.

At least one good thing has come out of this: Oracle has been exposed for the anti-Freedom, anti-open source company that it really is. Its loyalties lie with money, and money alone - and while that's perfectly fine, it does make it clear that anyone who values more than money alone should avoid any Oracle product like the plague.

Friday, October 1, 2010

BlindType to Power Android!

BlindType was missed by us until now but this is an amazing technology that Google has acquired. Before its acquisition BlindType was expected to be on iPhone and other platforms aswell but now its safe to assume that this patent pending tech will be exclusive to Android.

BlindType predicts what the user wanted to input without any relevance of the keys that were typed. As the name suggests it promoted BLIND typing. This is made possible by mapping the gestures or pattern in which the typing was done (wrt QWERTY layout) and not where the keys are placed.The claims are such that a user might not need to have a keyboard visible at all to type using Blind Type. Just typing on the interface directly would be enough, this sounds crazy! Below is a demo video of BlindType in action. Blind Type goes against the Apple iOS auto correction that is pretty popular and the SWYPE keyboard that we have seen on Android and other platforms. However all of these require user to concentrate on the screen and requires some precision wrt to the pressing of keys. BlindType makes typing completely independent of the keyboard.