Finally, you can now search the Facebook App Center

Facebook added a few updates today: The social network has added search and sponsored results to its App Center, and announced 11 partners to its Facebook Gifts program.

Among other announcements today, Facebook finally introduced a search function to its App Center to aid in discovering new Facebook apps. Sponsored Results will also now start showing up when you search the Facebook App Center. Lastly, with the Facebook Gifts event in New York City having been canceled altogether due to Hurricane Sandy, Facebook made the intended announcement anyway to reveal that 11 new charity partners have been added to its Facebook Gifts program. Facebook users can now make charitable contributions on Facebook Gifts to these select charities. Let’s take a closer look at the three announcements. 

Facebook App Center search 

Just as its important for developers to get their apps visible real estate in the Apple App Store and for SEO marketers to get their sites to the top of Google’s search engine, it’s vital for developers to climb to the top of Facebook’s App Center — search and discovery for new apps is incredibly important to their success. Facebook announced today on its developer blog that the social network is finally rolling out a keyword search engine to help with the discovery of published apps within Facebook’s App Center.

“All listed app detail pages will be included in our search index, and no changes are necessary for developers,” Zhen Fang a manager at Facebook, writes in the blog post. Developers won’t be required to make any updates to apps for Facebook to start indexing them. It should help developers get their apps discovered amid the sea of apps offered to attract some of the 220 million monthly users that visit the App Center.

Of course, it also means it will be easier for user to find apps in the first place. At the moment, the only way to view official Timeline Apps is to sort through this page. And if you want to see all the available apps, you’re left to scroll endlessly. This is a much-needed, update to make the App Center a legitimate platform. 

Sponsored Results available in App Center

Facebook made a brief splash with Sponsored Results, which the social network introduced in August. The new advertising product promoted search results in its search engine based on targeted keywords. It enabled third party related apps to be listed, for instance, when you searched Instagram. Today, Facebook announced that Sponsored Results would be coming to the App Center. Developers can, beginning today, promote their apps in the App Center by “targeting Facebook entities, including Facebook Pages, Places, Apps and subscribe-enabled users.” One thing to note about this feature is that it only works on Facebook’s desktop app, and not on its mobile apps.

Gifting charities on Facebook

Facebook’s Gift announcement set to take place at FAO Schwarz in New York City today was canceled due to Hurricane Sandy. It was rumored that Facebook was simply announcing more partners to its program, and for the most part that hunch was correct. Conicidentally enough, the announcement set weeks in advance comes in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane, which Facebook has taken note of:

“We are especially pleased to be launching this test now – when so many people are looking for new ways to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy, or assist those most in need around the holidays,” Facebook product design engineer, Jared Morgenstern, writes in a blog post.

Now you can make charitable contributions using Facebook Gifts to 11 charity partners that Facebook unveiled today. It’s the first expansion of its Gifting platform that now can be used not only for sending gifts for your friend’s special occasions, whether it’s a birthday or an anniversary, but for donations as well. 

Some of you may yet have Facebook Gifts, but don’t fret. Facebook is rolling out the feature gradually and Morgenstern assures us that it’s “coming to you very soon.”

You can check out the list of charity launch partners below:

• American Red Cross
• Blue Star Families
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America
• DonorsChoose.org
• Girls Inc.
• Kiva
• LIVESTRONG
• Oxfam America
• RAINN
• St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
• Water.org

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Building the cloud: Apple begins work on its $68 million Oregon data center

Apple has recently started work on the construction of its latest data center, a multi-million dollar facility located in Prineville, Oregon.

Apple has started preparing for the construction of what will be its fourth data center, this one located in Prineville, Oregon. Such centers don’t come cheap, with the Cupertino company reportedly shelling out for $68 million for the first of two 338,000 square-foot buildings on the site. To put that in context, each will be more than twice the size of a typical Costco store, The Oregon reported this week. It’s not known how long the construction will take.

The Prineville data center will help cope with the increasing number of users turning to Apple’s iCloud service for storing their music, photos, documents, calendars, contacts and so on. Around 150 million iOS and Mac users are currently making use of the service, with many more expected to join over the coming months and years.

On its website, Apple confirms that construction of the new facility “is just getting under way,” pointing out that it’ll be an “environmentally responsible” project. With environmental groups such as Greenpeace keeping a close eye on how such facilities are powered, Apple is keen to communicate the message that the Oregon facility will not have a harmful impact on the local area. “At Prineville we have access to enough local renewable energy sources to completely meet the needs of the facility,” the tech titan reports on its website. “To achieve that goal, we’re working with two local utilities as well as a number of renewable energy generation providers to purchase wind, hydro, and geothermal power — all from local sources.”

Apple’s newest data center is reportedly “across the highway” from one owned by social networking giant Facebook. Other parts of Oregon are also home to similar facilities belonging to the likes of Google, Adobe and Amazon. The state’s competitively priced land, reasonable power prices and decent tax breaks are key factors in attracting the tech industry’s big hitters.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Apple iPhone 5 battery test is done, proves itself as a thin powerhouse

The iPhone 5 has been the center of attention here at GSMArena for a few days now. We’re busy putting it through its paces and it’s time for us to reveal the detailed battery results and see how it does against the current crop of top smartphones.

Apple have referred to the iPhone 5 as somewhat of an exception to the laws of physics by bringing more in a smaller package. When it comes to the battery, it is slightly bigger in terms of capacity and more powerful in terms of voltage, all while fitting inside a significantly thinner waistline.

The battery inside the iPhone 5 is rated 1440mAh, and provides 3.8V and 5.45Wh, compared to the 1432mAh, 3.7V, 5.3Wh of the iPhone 4S. This, coupled with the nicely optimized software, produces truly powerful results.

Talk time on the iPhone 5 was good, reaching a solid 8 hours and 42 minutes – far from the top 2 spots but pretty near the rest. We should note that the test involves talking over 3G and not LTE.

Talk time

• Motorola RAZR MAXX (ICS)
  21:18
• Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX
  20:24
• Huawei Ascend P1
  12:30
• Samsung Galaxy Note
  12:14
• Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam
  11:58
• Samsung Wave 3 S8600
  11:07
• HTC One X (AT&T, LTE)
  10:35
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
  10:20
• HTC One V
  10:00
• Meizu MX 4-core
  10:00
• HTC One X
  9:57
• HTC One S
  9:42
• Samsung I9103 Galaxy R
  9:40
• HTC Sensation XL
  9:30
• Nokia Lumia 710
  9:05
• Motorola Atrix HD
  9:04
• HTC Vivid
  9:02
• HTC Rhyme
  8:48
• Apple iPhone 5
  8:42
• LG Optimus 3D Max P720
  8:42
• Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V
  8:41
• Meizu MX
  8:39
• Samsung Galaxy S II
  8:35
• Nokia Lumia 800
  8:25
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus
  8:23
• Samsung Captivate Glide
  8:20
• Sony Xperia T
  8:15
• HTC Rezound (LTE)
  8:10
• Samsung Galaxy Note (LTE)
  8:02
• LG Optimus Vu
  7:57
• LG Optimus 4X HD
  7:41
• Apple iPhone 4S
  7:41
• Samsung i937 Focus S
  7:25
• HTC Evo 4G LTE (LTE)
  7:21
• Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G
  7:14
• Sony Xperia acro S
  7:09
• Samsung Rugby Smart I847
  7:09
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro
  6:57
• Nokia N9
  6:57
• HTC Radar
  6:53
• Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos
  6:53
• BlackBerry Curve 9380
  6:52
• Samsung Galaxy Pocket
  5:54
• Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T (LTE)
  5:53
• Sony Xperia ion LTE
  5:52
• Sony Xperia P
  5:33
• Nokia 808 PureView
  5:16
• LG Nitro HD (LTE)
  5:16
• HTC Titan II (LTE)
  5:10
• BlackBerry Bold 9790
  5:00
• Pantech Burst
  4:46

The iPhone’s Mobile Safari browser offers no Flash whatsoever and relies only on HTML5, which is far less testing on the battery life. The iPhone 5 set the new record here, only 4 minutes short of 10 solid hours. It got 40 minutes more than the Motorola RAZR MAXXX, which is an accomplishment all on its own.

Web browsing

• Apple iPhone 5
  9:56
• Motorola RAZR MAXX (ICS)
  9:12
• Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX
  7:23
• HTC Radar
  7:17
• Apple iPhone 4S
  6:56
• HTC One V
  6:49
• Motorola Atrix HD
  6:40
• BlackBerry Curve 9380
  6:40
• Samsung i937 Focus S
  6:15
• Sony Xperia ion LTE
  5:56
• Samsung Rugby Smart I847
  5:53
• Pantech Burst
  5:51
• Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G
  5:45
• HTC Evo 4G LTE
  5:41
• Samsung Wave 3 S8600
  5:34
• Sony Xperia T
  5:33
• Samsung Captivate Glide
  5:33
• Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam
  5:28
• Samsung Galaxy Note LTE
  5:24
• HTC Sensation XL
  5:20
• Meizu MX 4-core
  5:19
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
  5:17
• Sony Xperia acro S
  5:16
• HTC Rezound
  5:16
• HTC Rhyme
  5:08
• Samsung I9103 Galaxy R
  5:07
• HTC One X (AT&T)
  5:03
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro
  4:50
• LG Optimus Vu
  4:49
• HTC Vivid
  4:46
• Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos
  4:45
• Meizu MX
  4:35
• Nokia N9
  4:33
• Samsung Galaxy S II
  4:24
• Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V
  4:20
• HTC One X
  4:18
• Nokia 808 PureView
  4:14
• LG Optimus 3D Max P720
  4:10
• Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T
  4:10
• Nokia Lumia 800
  4:07
• HTC Titan II (LTE)
  4:05
• HTC One S
  4:03
• BlackBerry Bold 9790
  4:02
• LG Nitro HD
  4:00
• LG Optimus 4X HD
  3:59
• Sony Xperia P
  3:59
• Nokia Lumia 710
  3:51
• Samsung Galaxy Pocket
  3:47
• Samsung Galaxy Note
  3:35
• Huawei Ascend P1
  3:23
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus
  3:01

And finally we get to video playback. The iPhone 5 has the 4S’s 9:24 minutes to beat and it did a whopping 10 hours and 12 minutes total. So it’s safe to say that all but the longest of flights can be tackled if you happen to have an iPhone 5 and interesting stuff to watch.

Video playback

• Motorola RAZR MAXX (ICS)
  16:35
• Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX
  14:17
• Apple iPhone 5
  10:12
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
  10:01
• Nokia 808 PureView
  9:53
• Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam
  9:42
• Samsung Rugby Smart I847
  9:34
• HTC One S
  9:28
• Apple iPhone 4S
  9:24
• HTC Evo 4G LTE
  9:07
• Nokia N9
  8:40
• Samsung Galaxy Note
  8:25
• Samsung Galaxy S II
  8:00
• Samsung i937 Focus S
  7:55
• Samsung Wave 3 S8600
  7:52
• Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V
  7:45
• Huawei Ascend P1
  7:38
• Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G
  7:33
• Samsung Galaxy Note LTE
  7:30
• Meizu MX 4-core
  6:33
• HTC One X (AT&T)
  6:26
• Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos
  6:25
• LG Optimus Vu
  6:23
• Samsung I9103 Galaxy R
  6:21
• HTC Sensation XL
  6:12
• Samsung Galaxy Pocket
  6:06
• Samsung Captivate Glide
  6:04
• Sony Xperia ion LTE
  6:03
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus
  6:02
• Sony Xperia T
  6:01
• Motorola Atrix HD
  6:01
• HTC Vivid
  6:00
• HTC Radar
  5:54
• Nokia Lumia 800
  5:52
• HTC Titan II
  5:50
• BlackBerry Bold 9790
  5:47
• HTC One X
  5:45
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro
  5:44
• Sony Xperia acro S
  5:38
• Pantech Burst
  5:38
• Meizu MX
  5:27
• HTC Rhyme
  5:23
• HTC One V
  5:20
• Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T
  5:18
• BlackBerry Curve 9380
  5:09
• HTC Rezound
  5:03
• Sony Xperia P
  4:30
• LG Nitro HD
  4:17
• LG Optimus 4X HD
  4:14
• LG Optimus 3D Max P720
  3:28
• Nokia Lumia 710
  3:27

If we add all the results up it means you can talk for one hour a day, browse the web for an hour and watch an hour of video and the iPhone 5 would last around 51 hours between charges, which is a very impressive result.

When it comes to battery, the new iPhone 5 is definitely a solid step over the iPhone 4S. Retaining the same results as its predecessor would’ve been good enough considering the new more slender body of the iPhone 5, but going the extra mile and outdoing its predecessor in such a definitive fashion is a very good job indeed.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

How To Install ios 6 on iPhone ,iPad or iPod Touch

Apple, as promised in an event organized at yerba Buena center unveiled ios 6, a sixth generation operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

As I think, almost everyone is looking forward to upgrade to ios6 and probably eager to enhance your gadget with new and exciting applications.  You can grab the latest ios from direct links at the end of this post and below is the step by step tutorial on how to download and install ios6 on your iPhone, Ipad or iPod touch.

Before you download and install iOS 6, you have to make sure that you’re not rely on unlock, if yes, don’t update to iOS 6, and there is no untethered jailbreak available for iOS 6, and you can only make a tethered iOS 6 jailbreak and that too is only limited to iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPod touch.

1. Back up all your device using iTunes, or by using iCloud.
2. If you are jailbroken on  iOS 5.1.1, you’ll need to save shsh blobs before Apple stops signing that firmware. This process can be done either using the latest tethered version of Redsnow under “Extras” or using the latest tinyumbrella or iFaith.
3. Download and install iTunes 10.7 from here. This is required by the final version of iOS 6.
4. Installing over-the-air (OTA) is most preferable, and in order to achieve that head over to Settings > General > Software Update. If you are jailbroken, then installing via iTunes is the best choice, by downloading iOS 6 direct links below.

1. Windows users have to hold down the SHIFT key on your PC or Option key on Mac, which will enable you to browse to the downloaded firmware file.

Note: iOS 6 and corresponding updates are currently only installable on the following devices:

• iPhone 5 GSM
• iPhone 5 CDMA
• iPhone 4S
• iPhone 4 GSM
• iPhone 4 CDMA
• iPhone 3GS
• iPad – 3rd-generation  (GSM, CDMA, WiFi)
• iPad 2 (GSM, CDMA, WiFi)
• iPod touch 4th-generation
• iPod touch 5th-generation

Once installed, you’ll be ready to enjoy the goodness offered by the new iOS 6.

Tags: Apple iOS, iOS 6, iOS 6 Features

Source : techtalkafrica[dot]com

Foxconn factory at center of riot reopens, supply not affected

The Foxconn factory at the center of a large riot on Sunday night reopened on Tuesday, a company spokesperson said, adding that there has been no impact on supply.

The Foxconn factory at the center of a serious disturbance late Sunday involving thousands of rioting workers has reopened.

Company spokesperson Louis Woo told Reuters Tuesday that despite staying shut all through Monday, no impact on product supply is expected. “We have 79,000 people working in Taiyuan campus, and we always have spare inventory,” Woo said.

The trouble, which reportedly involved more than 2,000 workers causing widespread damage throughout the factory campus, was brought to a halt by around 5,000 police. About 40 people were injured, with countless arrests made.

China’s state-run news agency said the brawl started after a fight broke out between two workers in a factory dormitory. However, workers allege the incident erupted after a security guard manhandled an employee at the factory gates.

Foxconn, the world’s biggest component maker, is a major manufacturer for Apple, as well as other giants in the electronics industry. The Taiwan-based company has so far refused to say whether this particular facility, located in the northern Chinese city of Taiyuan, is involved in the production of Apple’s new iPhone 5 handset.

In an on-screen interview with the UK’s Channel 4 News program, one former Foxconn worker explained that new devices can cause great stress among workers, saying, “When a factory launches a new product, workers do overtime for long periods to test the production line until they are ready, which really puts pressure on the employees.”

He added, “A new generation of workers has higher demands. They know their rights and they’re more rebellious.”

Foxconn, which employs more than a million people across China, has been under the spotlight for the last few years following reports of employees suffering poor living and working conditions. More recently, the company has apparently been implementing changes in an attempt to improve the situation.

The Fair Labor Association said in August that Foxconn had been making good progress towards its goal of providing better living and working conditions, though if Sunday night’s disturbance can be attributed to a frustrated and beleaguered workforce cracking under the strain, it clearly still has some way to go until its job is complete.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

London Underground joins the “Mock Apple Maps” bandwagon, offers iOS 6 users free maps

Apple Maps are taking hits left, right and center lately. Just about everyone had something to say about the product Apple selected to replace Google Maps in iOS, but this last attack comes from the most unexpected of places.

What you see above is a message from the staff at Hackney Wick underground station in London. The guys working there obviously saw the opportunity to make a great joke at the expense of the troubled app and didn’t hesitate to take it.

We know it’s not very professional, but it certainly made us laugh. Plus, we are sure it wasn’t done with an ill intent. On the contrary – some humor in the morning might be just what all those commuting to work needed, especially considering the dreary weather recently.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

2012 Hurricane Season Now Forecast Above Normal

  Hurricane Ernesto approaching the Yucatan Peninsula.  Image credit: NOAA.

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, updating its forecast, said today that this year’s Atlantic hurricane season is likely to be above average.

The center said it was now predicting there would be 12 to 17 named storms, 5 to 8 of them hurricanes.  It raised the numbers partly because of the number of storms we have already seen this year.

“This year’s Atlantic hurricane season got off to a busy start, with 6 named storms to date,” said NOAA in a statement.  “The updated outlook still indicates a 50 percent chance of a near-normal season, but increases the chance of an above-normal season to 35 percent.”

Already, the Atlantic has seen tropical storms Alberto, Beryl, Debbie and Florence, and hurricanes Chris and Ernesto.

Based on that, the Climate Prediction Center said it now anticipates 12 to 17 storms with top winds of 39 mph or higher. Of those, it is predicted we will see 5-8 hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), 2-3 of which could be major hurricanes. Major hurricanes are Category 3, 4, or 5 and have winds of at least 111 mph.

According to NOAA, the average Atlantic hurricane season produces 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

The Climate Prediction Center is increasing the number of expected storms due to wind patterns and warmer-than-average ocean temperatures, according to Gerry Bell, the center’s lead forecaster.

“These conditions are linked to the ongoing high activity era for Atlantic hurricanes that began in 1995. Also, strong early-season activity is generally indicative of a more active season,” Bell said.

At the same time, forecasters predict that an El Niño — a giant patch of unusually warm water in the equatorial Pacific that affects global weather patterns — will develop in August or September.

“El Niño is a competing factor, because it strengthens the vertical wind shear over the Atlantic, which suppresses storm development,” Bell said. “However, we don’t expect El Niño’s influence until later in the season.”

NOAA’s National Weather Service said regardless of predictions, it is important to take the proper steps to be ready for severe weather.

For more information on how to prepare for hurricane season, visit www.ready.gov.

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Frugality for the win: Amazon now offers textbook rentals

Amazon is introducing a Textbook Rental center to loan college students physical textbooks for up to 70 percent off the retail value.

Just in time before college begins, Amazon has launched a textbook rental program that will allow students to borrow physical books for periods of 30 to 360 days. Is there anything Amazon won’t do to become the online superstore?

Much like competitor textbook rental sites such as Chegg or Half.com, Amazon is offering book rentals for a fraction of the cost of actually buying the book. Take for example this Media and Culture textbook I remembered purchasing back in college (albeit a much older edition). Amazon currently sells it for $90 new, $62 used, or $29 to rent until mid-December. Surely this beats buying the book only to sell it back for 30 percent of what you originally paid, especially when Amazon only sells back in gift cards.

“College is expensive, and students are always looking for ways to save money on textbooks, which is why we’ve long offered great prices on both new and used textbooks,” said Ripley MacDonald, Director of Textbooks at Amazon.com. “With Textbook Rental, Amazon gives students yet another great option for saving money — it’s now easier than ever for students to get the books they need, in the format they want, at affordable prices.”

Amazon also pays for return shipping, meaning that students who have signed up for their free Amazon Prime membership can oftentimes get textbooks with a complimentary two-day shipping and pay nothing to send it back. Students will also get e-mail alerts of when their textbooks are close to their due dates to avoid any late fees. Alternatively, they can also extend the rental period if they want to bump the 30-day loan to a semester-long borrow. Depending on availability, renting textbooks could mean receiving new books if the version you need happens to have been recently published.

“All this means more money in your pocket for the things in life that can’t be learned from a book,” Amazon.com’s Textbook Rental FAQ reads.

Physical textbook rentals isn’t the first of Amazon’s efforts to help college students save money. For the tech-savvy, students have been able to loan Kindle e-books since last summer though textbook options may be limited in such format. The convenience there is, of course, not having to worry about shipping books back in time. Wonder if Amazon will get into game rentals in the near future as well?

Amazon’s Textbook Rental program is currently only available for students in the United States. If you want to stick with reading off your Kindle or e-reader of choice, check out our comparison guide to e-book rental services.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com