Google puts Android on parade--literally

BARCELONA--Love Android or hate it, there's no denying it's been a hit with device makers and carriers.

Exhibit A was on display at Google's booth at the Mobile World Congress show here in Barcelona, Spain. Dozens and dozens of Android phones and tablets slid by on a curving track that looped them continuously.

The collection featured some notable models such as the first to come to market, the T-Mobile G1 from October 2008. But then there were members of that vastly larger collection of forgettable models--useful to customers, perhaps, but probably nothing deserving even a footnote in the history of mobile computing or generating much in the way of passion.

Android chief Andy Rubin said Monday at the show that 300 million Android phones have been activated, a number currently increasing by about 280,000 per day. There are 450,000 apps in the Android Market, indicating that a big crowd of programmers is willing to put up with the difficulties of spanning all those devices.

Google hopes the Ice Cream Sandwich release of Android -- version 4.0 -- will ease some of the pains and unify the market. But it's not easy to get it onto Android phones, judging by the fact that Google released the ICS source code in November and plenty of new phones at Mobile World Congress still are saddled with the older version 2.3, aka Gingerbread.

Apple's iPhone gets a lot more credit for shifting the mobile industry, deserves the "iconic" label more than any Android phone I can think of, and has sold phenomenally well. But there's something to be said for the power of Android's numbers, too, and it was impressive to see the reach of Android's manufacturing partnerships. That represents a tremendous investment in design, engineering, and marketing that will pay dividends for years.

http://reviews.cnet.com, by Stephen Shankland.

Apple to Refresh MacBook Pro, Air lines in April

Hot on the heels of Apple actually announcing a real, tangible special event that is expected to bring the next iPad, the company is now rumored to be refreshing its notebooks as soon as April.

Citing supplier sources, Taiwanese component news site DigiTimes--which has a not-so-great track record of Apple murmurings--says updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models will hit store shelves in April.

The outlet does not go into specifics about what upgrades are in store, short of pointing to the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros receiving upgrades. Curiously, DigiTimes also mentions the units benefiting from Apple's Mountain Lion OS X update, for which a release date has not been set beyond "this summer."

A separate report from the outlet does offer one peculiar tidbit, however. Once again citing supplier sources, DigiTimes says that Apple is "considering" a 14-inch model of the MacBook Air designed specifically for the Asia market, where that screen size is more prevalent among PCs. That would differ from the 13.3-inch model, which is where the line currently tops out.

Apple typically does not offer completely separate versions of its products for particular markets. It changes things like keyboards and packaging, but rarely makes a new device outright. That said, the company has made changes to its devices in the Asian market, including offering a Wi-Fi-free iPhone to comply with local Chinese government standards, and selling a camera-free version of the handset in Singapore. Neither report makes mention of a separate rumor that Apple is working on a 15-inch model of the MacBook Air. DigiTimes itself claimed such a device was on the way as far back as November, saying Apple would be releasing it in the first quarter of 2012. A report from Apple Insider earlier this month suggested Apple might move its entire Pro line to a similar, if not identical, form factor to the Air, removing things like the hard disk and optical drives in favor of flash memory.

Apple's last refresh of the MacBook Pro was in October, with a speedier processor, more storage, and upgraded graphics capabilities. It's been a bit longer for the MacBook Airs, which were refreshed in late July to coincide with the release of Apple's Lion OS X software update.

While an April release may not jibe with the company's plan to roll out Mountain Lion, which will no doubt be a paid upgrade, it's close to Intel's plans to launch its next generation of processors, dubbed Ivy Bridge. Earlier this month, Intel told CNET that the chips would arrive a "few weeks" after the company's original target of April. Nonetheless, Apple has a history of being the first to get Intel's latest. That includes the MacBook Pro refresh around this time last year, which brought Intel's mobile Sandy Bridge chips to the whole line, as well as Thunderbolt, the speedy I/O that was a collaboration between the two companies.

Apple's MacBook Pro line has not seen a massive external overhaul since the company switched to its unibody design in 2008. A now year-old iLounge rumor suggested that Apple planned to give that line a big face-lift sometime in the beginning of this year.

http://news.cnet.com, by Josh Lowensohn.

Facebook launches Timeline for Pages

Companies with a Facebook profile can now update their page to use the new Timeline feature.

Doled out to individual FB users last year, the Timeline presents information in a more visual two-column format. The design allows friends and followers to view a company's products and scroll down to see a history of its Facebook posts from the past.

Organizations with pages can jump to the Timeline starting today, but the new look and layout will become mandatory on March 30. The Timeline feature applies to anyone or anything with a public page, including local businesses, national companies, products, brands, public figures, causes, and communities.

Facebook has created a help page explaining the Timeline feature for businesses and answering common questions and concerns.

The Timeline was initially rolled out to individuals as an option but became mandatory earlier this month. But like most changes unveiled by Facebook, this one has garnered a thumbs down from some users.

A whopping 70 percent of those polled earlier this month by opinion site SodaHead said they didn't like the Timeline. Only 20 said they dig the new feature, while the rest don't use Facebook.

An earlier poll of CNET users found that 37 percent use the Timeline only because they're forced to, while 19 percent claimed they're dumping Facebook for Google+. Only 21 percent said they like the feature, while 12 percent said it's not too bad once you get used to it. One potential gotcha is that the Timeline delves into your past, revealing posts and pictures that you may not want people to find so easily.

But the very features that turn off individual users may prove valuable to organizations.

Using the Timeline, a company can draw in followers by displaying a large image, logo, and description of itself at the top of the page. Photos, Likes, and Events are easily accessible from the top, providing a quick overview of the business and its various products or services.

Companies can change the post that appears near the top of the page to highlight recent or important items. They can also more easily see and respond to recent activity, messages, and other highlights at the top.

And though individual users may want to hide certain embarrassing aspects of their past, organizations can use the Timeline to take users on an historical tour. The New York Times Timeline, for example, travels all the way back to 1851, displaying an image of the very first copy of the paper to be published.

http://news.cnet.com, by Lance Whitney.

Kulim Areas Get TM's Streamyx High Speed Broadband Service

KULIM, May 26 (Bernama) - The Kulim High Technology Park and its surrounding areas here have now been equipped with TM's high speed Streamyx broadband service which will enable consumers to surf the Internet at the speed of up to four megabits per second (Mbps).

Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) launched the service here Monday, making Kulim the first place in Kedah to receive the service.

General Manager of TM Kedah/Perlis, Pauziah Taib said that the high speed Internet service will also further boost investors' confidence in KHTP and economic growth in Kedah. The service is also an essential supportive facility for industries here, especially the multinational companies, she said.

The high speed Streamyx service is already available in Penang and the Klang Valley.

Pauziah said users within 30 sq km from the areas surrounding KHTP, Lunas and Padang Serai will be able to enjoy the high speed broadband service through two packages, namely the two Mbps and four Mbps services with Internet Protocol Television (IPTV).

Speaking to reporters after the launch of the service and TM Broadband Kulim Fiesta here today, she said consumers will be able to subscribe the service at a rate of RM99 per month.

The event here Monday was officiated by the Chairman of the Kedah State Committee for Education, Information Technology and Communications, Abdullah Jusoh.

Pauziah said TM has spent more than RM30 million to develop the telecommunication infrastructure in the area.

"With this facility, we hope KHTP will be able to pull in more investors and drive further economic growth in Kulim in the future," she said.

As of April this year, the number of customers for Streamyx broadband Internet service in Kedah has gone up to 45,000 people.

"Todate, the rate of broadband penetration among the people in Kedah is 6.25 per cent," Pauziah said.

This is expected to go up with TM recording an impressive growth rate of 3,000 new users for its Streamyx service every month, she said, adding that TM will continue to promote the service through various interesting packages in Perlis and Kedah.

Welcome!

Alhamdulillah.. selamat meng'create' blog pd awal pg khamis yg mngantukkan ini.. adakah krn trpakse atau dgn rela hati??! haha