Apple's CEO wrote a thoughtful post about Adobe Flash and explained the reasons why Apple doesn't intend to add support for Flash to the iPhone OS:
"Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short."
Steve Jobs says that Flash doesn't perform well on mobile devices, it drains the battery and it's not optimized for touch interfaces. Flash is also a way to create cross-platform applications, but Apple doesn't want applications that look the same way on all mobile platforms and don't take advantage of iPhone's features. "We cannot be at the mercy of a third party" is the main reason why Steve Jobs doesn't want to include Flash's runtime. Flash's main use today is to play videos, but web developers should start using the native video tag, which is already supported by most web browsers, including iPhone's browser.
Apple's refusal to support Flash in popular products like iPhone or iPad has an important side-effect: web developers will be forced to take advantage of HTML5 features like native video, canvas or create animations using SVG, instead of/in addition to using Adobe's proprietary plug-in.
Unfortunately, users can't access a lot of content on their mobile devices. There are many sites built using Flash and many popular sites use Flash to create animations, charts and other interactive content. Adobe is already working on Flash Player 10.1, the first version of the plug-in that will work on smartphones, if you don't take into account Flash Lite. Flash will soon be available for Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm and Google will include the plug-in in Chrome and Chrome OS. Flash Player 10.1 for Android will be available as a public preview in May at Google I/O and the general release will be in June.
Google's decision is pragmatic: even if HTML5 is the future, Flash is an important part of the web today. "[Sometimes being open] means not being militant about the things consumer are actually enjoying," said Google's Andy Rubin. Users will be able to choose if they want to enable Flash and Adobe will be pressured to deliver a better product.
Some might say that Android is actually the anti-iPhoneOS: it's an open source operating system, it encourages competition and collaboration in the mobile space, it lets you replace built-in functionality, install applications from other sources than the Android Market and customize your device. Android is not "at the mercy of a third party", but third parties can add a lot of value. Even if Android's user experience is inferior to iPhone's user experience, Android is an open platform that can be fully customized and a better catalyst for innovation. Android doesn't strive for perfection, it's a flexible platform that lets you transform a device into whatever you want it to be.
How Google Collects WiFi Data
After Germany's Federal Commissioner for Data Protection criticized Google for using Street View cars to scan wireless networks, Google posted a detailed answer that explains how Google collects data about WiFi networks to improve location based services like Google Maps for Mobile. Google says that collecting WiFi network information is not illegal and many other companies collect this data.
Now that Motorola decided to replace Google's location services for Android with Skyhook, Google needs to improve the accuracy of the results.
{ Photo licensed as Creative Commons by mgroot. }
Visibly attached to the roof of each vehicle is a commercially available Maxrad BMMG24005 omnidirectional radio antenna. This antennae receives publicly broadcast wifi radio signals within range of the vehicle.
The vehicle travels at normal road speeds, and so spends only a very short amount of time within the range of any given wifi access point.
The signals are initially processed onboard in the car, using software including the standard Kismet open source application. The data is then further processed when transferred to servers within a Google Data Centre, and used to compile the Google location based services database.
The equipment within the vehicle operates passively, receiving signals broadcast to it but not actively seeking or initiating a communication with the access point.
The information visible to the equipment is that which is publicly broadcast over the radio network, using the 802.11 standard. This includes the 802.11 b/g/n protocols.
The equipment is able to receive data from all broadcast frames. This includes, from the header data, SSID and MAC addresses. (...) The equipment also separately records the signal strength and channel of the broadcast at the point at which it was received by our equipment, and is able to establish the protocol used (i.e. 802.11b/g/n).
The data which we collect is used to provide location based services within Google products and to users of the Geolocation API. For example, users of Google Maps for Mobile can turn on My Location to identify their approximate location based on cell towers and wifi access points which are visible to their device. (...) Google currently uses 2 pieces of the data collected during the driving operation to build its database and provide location based services - the MAC address of the access point and the GPS co-ordinates of the vehicle at the point at which the access point was visible. This data is stored in aggregate form, and is used to provide the location based service.
Google location based services using wifi access point data work as follows:
* The user's device sends a request to the Google location server with a list of MAC addresses which are currently visible to the device;
* The location server compares the MAC addresses seen by the user's device with its list of known MAC addresses, and identifies associated geocoded locations (i .e. latitude / longitude);
* The location server then uses the geocoded locations associated with visible MAC address to triangulate the approximate location of the user;
* This approximate location is geocoded and sent back to the user's device.
Now that Motorola decided to replace Google's location services for Android with Skyhook, Google needs to improve the accuracy of the results.
{ Photo licensed as Creative Commons by mgroot. }
Disable Google Reader's Social Features
If you don't like Google Reader's social features and you only want to read your subscriptions, you can now switch to the antisocial asocial Google Reader interface:
1. Go to Google Reader
2. Type this JavaScript code in the address bar:
javascript:antisocial('true')
3. Google Reader will reload and you'll see a simplified interface that removes the section "People you follow" and no longer shows shared items from your friends.
The setting is saved to your account, even if the toggle is not included in the interface. To go back to the standard interface, type this code in the address bar:
javascript:antisocial('false')
{ via George Moga }
1. Go to Google Reader
2. Type this JavaScript code in the address bar:
javascript:antisocial('true')
3. Google Reader will reload and you'll see a simplified interface that removes the section "People you follow" and no longer shows shared items from your friends.
The setting is saved to your account, even if the toggle is not included in the interface. To go back to the standard interface, type this code in the address bar:
javascript:antisocial('false')
{ via George Moga }
Creating a Google Account Requires to Enter Your Birthday in the US
If you try to create a new Google account in the US, Google asks for your birthday. Choosing any other country, removes the birthday field and you no longer have to enter this information.
Google's page for creating a new account is famous for only requiring your email address and your country, so it's strange to see that users from the United States have to enter their birthdays.
Google's terms of service say that "you may not use the Services and may not accept the Terms if you are not of legal age to form a binding contract with Google". If you try to enter a date like 4/28/2009, Google shows this message:
"In order to have a Google Account, you must meet certain age requirements. To learn more about online child safety, visit the Federal Trade Commission's website."
{ Thanks, Itamar. }
Google's page for creating a new account is famous for only requiring your email address and your country, so it's strange to see that users from the United States have to enter their birthdays.
Google's terms of service say that "you may not use the Services and may not accept the Terms if you are not of legal age to form a binding contract with Google". If you try to enter a date like 4/28/2009, Google shows this message:
"In order to have a Google Account, you must meet certain age requirements. To learn more about online child safety, visit the Federal Trade Commission's website."
{ Thanks, Itamar. }
Google Updates Mobile Image Search
If there's one thing that I like about Bing's iPhone application is the interface for image search. Google borrowed some ideas from Bing and improved the mobile version of Google Image Search for iPhone and Android.
"In the redesign of Google Image Search for mobile, available today for iPhone 3.0+ and Android 2.1 devices, we focused on making it easy to quickly see as many image thumbnails as possible. The thumbnails are square to maximize the number of images we can get on the screen at one time so you can scan them quickly. You can swipe to see the next or previous page of results, or tap the large, stationary 'Next' and 'Previous' page buttons. We optimized for speed so that the images appear quickly when you browse," explains Google.
Google Image Search's interface for iPhone and Android is much better than the desktop interface, which really needs an update. The Sideshow extension for Chrome enhances Google Image Search and other photo sites, but it would be better if Google implemented some of its feature.
"In the redesign of Google Image Search for mobile, available today for iPhone 3.0+ and Android 2.1 devices, we focused on making it easy to quickly see as many image thumbnails as possible. The thumbnails are square to maximize the number of images we can get on the screen at one time so you can scan them quickly. You can swipe to see the next or previous page of results, or tap the large, stationary 'Next' and 'Previous' page buttons. We optimized for speed so that the images appear quickly when you browse," explains Google.
Google Image Search's interface for iPhone and Android is much better than the desktop interface, which really needs an update. The Sideshow extension for Chrome enhances Google Image Search and other photo sites, but it would be better if Google implemented some of its feature.
New YouTube Player
The player recently tested by YouTube is now live for everyone. YouTube's redesigned player has a lot in common with the new YouTube interface: it's simpler and more subtle. Controls fade out if you don't move your mouse, the progress bar is less visible, volume controls are now horizontal. It takes some time to get used to it, but the new player is one of the most brave attempts to minimize complexity in YouTube's user interface.
Unfortunately, the new video player has too many moving parts and the animation effects could become annoying. Vimeo's player is even more streamlined and more user-friendly.
Update: The new player is not available for all videos. Here's an example of video that uses the new player.
Update 2: YouTube says that it has "released a new player design for all videos without ads. The goal is for the player to be as subtle as possible so that the video itself shines and doesn't have to compete with the stuff around it. We'll be following this roll-out with player upgrades for videos with ads and then for embedded videos."
Unfortunately, the new video player has too many moving parts and the animation effects could become annoying. Vimeo's player is even more streamlined and more user-friendly.
Update: The new player is not available for all videos. Here's an example of video that uses the new player.
Update 2: YouTube says that it has "released a new player design for all videos without ads. The goal is for the player to be as subtle as possible so that the video itself shines and doesn't have to compete with the stuff around it. We'll be following this roll-out with player upgrades for videos with ads and then for embedded videos."
Konversi Karakter ASCII ke Desimal
"Om Swastiastu"
Nah, setelah membuat program konversi karakter desimal ke ASCII, kali ini saya akan memberikan program konversi karakter ASCII ke desimal. Kebalikan dari program pertama yang saya buat tadi. Berikut adalah syntax nya.
#include <iostream.h>
#include <conio.h>
void main()
{
clrscr();
int tmp;
for (;;)
{
tmp = getch();
cout<<int(tmp)<<endl;
}
}
"Om Santhi, Santhi, Santhi, Om"
Nah, setelah membuat program konversi karakter desimal ke ASCII, kali ini saya akan memberikan program konversi karakter ASCII ke desimal. Kebalikan dari program pertama yang saya buat tadi. Berikut adalah syntax nya.
#include <iostream.h>
#include <conio.h>
void main()
{
clrscr();
int tmp;
for (;;)
{
tmp = getch();
cout<<int(tmp)<<endl;
}
}
"Om Santhi, Santhi, Santhi, Om"
Konversi Karakter Desimal ke ASCII
"Om Swastiastu"
Kemarin ada seseorang yang request program konversi karakter ke ASCII. Nah, kali ini saya akan memberikan syntax dari program konversi karakter atau desimal ke ASCII. Kode ASCII dapat kalian lihat pada gambar diatas.
Nah, berikut adalah contoh syntax dari program konversi karakter desimal ke ASCII.
Continue Reading »
Nah, berikut adalah contoh syntax dari program konversi karakter desimal ke ASCII.
Continue Reading »
Google OneBox for Similar Pages
Google constantly improves its search algorithms, but not many people notice the changes. Last year, Google has updated the feature that finds similar web pages: it now returns up to 200 pages and the results are much better.
Even if Google shows a link to this feature next to each Google result, few people click on "similar" to find related web pages. That's probably the reason why Google decided to show at the bottom of the search results page an OneBox with pages that are related to the top result, but only if the pages are likely to be helpful and only for navigational queries.
"Since we've been continuously improving this feature and we think it's really useful, we're now going to start showing these alternative sites more prominently," explains Google.
The feature is only available in the US and it's an alternate way to show a list of related searches. Instead of showing similar searches, Google displays a list of pages that are similar to the top result.
If you're wondering how Google manages to find related pages, read this article.
Even if Google shows a link to this feature next to each Google result, few people click on "similar" to find related web pages. That's probably the reason why Google decided to show at the bottom of the search results page an OneBox with pages that are related to the top result, but only if the pages are likely to be helpful and only for navigational queries.
"Since we've been continuously improving this feature and we think it's really useful, we're now going to start showing these alternative sites more prominently," explains Google.
The feature is only available in the US and it's an alternate way to show a list of related searches. Instead of showing similar searches, Google displays a list of pages that are similar to the top result.
If you're wondering how Google manages to find related pages, read this article.
Google Buys LabPixies
Google acquired LabPixies, an Israeli startup that developed high-quality iGoogle gadgets and ported them to other platforms: iPhone, Android, Facebook, OpenSocial. LabPixies created widgets for games, calendars, feed readers, notes and even for ads.
"One of the first developers to create gadgets for iGoogle was Labpixies. Over the years, we worked closely together on a variety of projects, including the launch of a number of global OpenSocial based gadgets. Recently, we decided that we could do more if we were part of the same team, and as such, we're thrilled to announce the acquisition of Labpixies. We are looking forward to working with Labpixies to develop great web apps and leverage their knowledge and expertise to help developers and improve the ecosystem overall," mentions Google Code Blog.
iGoogle really needs some new ideas to remain relevant. The updated interface launched in 2008 and the social gadgets launched last year weren't very popular. For example, the NY Times Crossword gadget developed by LabPixies only has 92,000 users, although it was a featured social gadget.
"One of the first developers to create gadgets for iGoogle was Labpixies. Over the years, we worked closely together on a variety of projects, including the launch of a number of global OpenSocial based gadgets. Recently, we decided that we could do more if we were part of the same team, and as such, we're thrilled to announce the acquisition of Labpixies. We are looking forward to working with Labpixies to develop great web apps and leverage their knowledge and expertise to help developers and improve the ecosystem overall," mentions Google Code Blog.
iGoogle really needs some new ideas to remain relevant. The updated interface launched in 2008 and the social gadgets launched last year weren't very popular. For example, the NY Times Crossword gadget developed by LabPixies only has 92,000 users, although it was a featured social gadget.
Mencari Tahun Kabisat dengan VB 2008
"Om Swastiastu"
Setelah sebelumnya membuat program yang sama dalam C++, kali ini saya ingin membuat program mencari tahun kabisat dalam visual basic 2008. Tentunya kalian masih ingat atau tahu syarat-syarat bagaimana suatu tahun bisa dikatakan sebagai tahun kabisat. Semua itu bisa kalian simak di program mencari tahun habisat dalam C++ buatan saya dulu. Nah, hal pertama yang kalian lakukan adalah mendesain terlebih dahulu form yang akan kalian gunakan nanti. Kalian dapat mendesainnya sesuka hati, tapi untuk tutorial kali ini saya memberikan desain seperti ini.
Continue Reading »
Setelah sebelumnya membuat program yang sama dalam C++, kali ini saya ingin membuat program mencari tahun kabisat dalam visual basic 2008. Tentunya kalian masih ingat atau tahu syarat-syarat bagaimana suatu tahun bisa dikatakan sebagai tahun kabisat. Semua itu bisa kalian simak di program mencari tahun habisat dalam C++ buatan saya dulu. Nah, hal pertama yang kalian lakukan adalah mendesain terlebih dahulu form yang akan kalian gunakan nanti. Kalian dapat mendesainnya sesuka hati, tapi untuk tutorial kali ini saya memberikan desain seperti ini.
Continue Reading »
Jenis Operator Dalam Visual Basic
"Om Swastiastu"
Dalam setiap bahasa pemrograman, pasti terdapat operator-operator untuk melakukan proses matematika. Nah, kali ini saya ingin menjelaskan mengenai jenis-jenis operator-operator dalam Visual Basic 2008. Terdapat empat operator dalam bahasa pemrograman visual basic ini. Yaitu operator aritmatika, operator perbandingan, dan operator keterangan atau logika. Berikut penjelasannya masing-masing operator:
Continue Reading »
Dalam setiap bahasa pemrograman, pasti terdapat operator-operator untuk melakukan proses matematika. Nah, kali ini saya ingin menjelaskan mengenai jenis-jenis operator-operator dalam Visual Basic 2008. Terdapat empat operator dalam bahasa pemrograman visual basic ini. Yaitu operator aritmatika, operator perbandingan, dan operator keterangan atau logika. Berikut penjelasannya masing-masing operator:
Continue Reading »
Google Earth Tab in Google Maps
Google Maps replaced the terrain tab with a tab for Google Earth. When you click on the Earth tab, Google asks you to install a plug-in for Windows or Mac. If you have a recent version of Google Earth, you already have the plug-in.
"Five years ago, shortly after Google's acquisition of Keyhole, we introduced the first integration of Keyhole technology into Google Maps -- Satellite view. Suddenly, you could see what places actually looked like from the air, and easily switch between this view and the map view. Mapping has never been the same. A few months later, the desktop Google Earth application was released, and now we have over 600 million downloads. Today we are proud to announce the next major step in the marriage between Google Earth and Google Maps -- Earth view," says Peter Birch, from Google.
Even though the new view makes it easier to use Google Earth, since you no longer have to open a new application, I think it's a bad idea to add it to Google Maps. Google Earth plug-in uses a lot of resources, it slows down your browser and it continues to run in the background even if you switch to the Map tab. What's more, if you open Google Maps in another window and switch to the Earth tab, a new instance of the Google Earth plug-in will load.
{ Thanks, Andrew. }
"Five years ago, shortly after Google's acquisition of Keyhole, we introduced the first integration of Keyhole technology into Google Maps -- Satellite view. Suddenly, you could see what places actually looked like from the air, and easily switch between this view and the map view. Mapping has never been the same. A few months later, the desktop Google Earth application was released, and now we have over 600 million downloads. Today we are proud to announce the next major step in the marriage between Google Earth and Google Maps -- Earth view," says Peter Birch, from Google.
Even though the new view makes it easier to use Google Earth, since you no longer have to open a new application, I think it's a bad idea to add it to Google Maps. Google Earth plug-in uses a lot of resources, it slows down your browser and it continues to run in the background even if you switch to the Map tab. What's more, if you open Google Maps in another window and switch to the Earth tab, a new instance of the Google Earth plug-in will load.
{ Thanks, Andrew. }
YouTube Auto-Captioning for Classic Novels
YouTube's auto-captioning feature is impressive, even if the results are sometimes hilarious. "Auto-captioning combines some of the speech-to-text algorithms found in Google's Voice Search to automatically generate video captions when requested by a viewer. The video owner can also download the auto-generated captions, improve them, and upload the new version."
Converting speech to text is a difficult technological problem, especially if you can't train the speech recognition software. Here's a video that illustrates how YouTube's audio transcription works for novels (also check the original video):
The results are terrible, but you should take into account that auto-captioning works best for speeches. There are many hilarious mistakes: "George Orwell" is recognized as "but it wasn't", "Lolita" is converted to "don't think so", "the hobbit" is recognized as "the hall", while "cold day" is converted to "cocaine".
And if that's not enough, try to enable auto-captioning for the video embedded above. "This goes on a infinite loop... the transcribe audio function applied to this version transforms entire non-sense phrases into single words," comments RequiemPipes.
{ Thanks, Richard. }
Converting speech to text is a difficult technological problem, especially if you can't train the speech recognition software. Here's a video that illustrates how YouTube's audio transcription works for novels (also check the original video):
The results are terrible, but you should take into account that auto-captioning works best for speeches. There are many hilarious mistakes: "George Orwell" is recognized as "but it wasn't", "Lolita" is converted to "don't think so", "the hobbit" is recognized as "the hall", while "cold day" is converted to "cocaine".
And if that's not enough, try to enable auto-captioning for the video embedded above. "This goes on a infinite loop... the transcribe audio function applied to this version transforms entire non-sense phrases into single words," comments RequiemPipes.
{ Thanks, Richard. }
Download Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Offline
"Om Swastiastu"
Minggu lalu, Microsoft telah meluncurkan produk baru untuk seri Visual Studio, yaitu Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Express Edition. Mungkin telah banyak yang menanti kedatangan dari Visual Studio versi terbaru ini. Visual Studio 2010 adalah versi pengembangna dari Microsoft Visual Studio 2008. Sama seperti versi sebelumnya, dalam Visual Studio 2010 juga terdapat beberapa produk yaitu: Visual Basic 2010, Visual C++ 2010, Visual Web Developer 2010, SQL Server 2010, dan Visual C# 2010.
Bagi yang setia menggunakan produk Visual Studio dari Microsoft ini, merupakan sebuah kewajiban untuk mendownload versi terbaru ini. Tentunya banyak fitur baru yang tersedia, selain editor yang baru, juga masih banyak fitur-fitur lainnya.
Continue Reading »
Bagi yang setia menggunakan produk Visual Studio dari Microsoft ini, merupakan sebuah kewajiban untuk mendownload versi terbaru ini. Tentunya banyak fitur baru yang tersedia, selain editor yang baru, juga masih banyak fitur-fitur lainnya.
Continue Reading »
New York Times App for Android?
Andrew B. visited Nexus One's YouTube channel and noticed a demo for an official New York Times application:
The New York Times application for iPhone is one of the best free apps from Apple's App Store, so it's not surprising to see that Google wanted a similar application for Android.
A FAQ page from the NYTimes site has more information:
"The NYTimes application for Android has a unique video display experience, font size adjustment and the ability to share articles via e-mail, SMS, and social apps such as Twitter and Facebook. The NYTimes application for Android works on Android smartphones with operating system version 1.6x or higher. It's available for free at the Android Market (app store). On your Android smartphone, visit nytimes.com/androidapp to download the application."
{ Thanks, Andrew. }
I was on YouTube yesterday and noticed Google's Nexus One channel released a new video. The title looked like it had not been edited because it used underscores instead of spaces and it ended with the file extension.
The video showcased a New York Times app for Android running on the Nexus One with the user flipping through news articles and using the widget. The video has been pulled and I can't find it on either Google's main or Nexus One channel.
The New York Times application for iPhone is one of the best free apps from Apple's App Store, so it's not surprising to see that Google wanted a similar application for Android.
A FAQ page from the NYTimes site has more information:
"The NYTimes application for Android has a unique video display experience, font size adjustment and the ability to share articles via e-mail, SMS, and social apps such as Twitter and Facebook. The NYTimes application for Android works on Android smartphones with operating system version 1.6x or higher. It's available for free at the Android Market (app store). On your Android smartphone, visit nytimes.com/androidapp to download the application."
{ Thanks, Andrew. }
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)