Google is bringing the app store concept to business cloud computing, giving software developers a storefront for Google Apps customers.

The Google Apps Marketplace will allow Google Apps users to purchase third-party applications to run atop the Google Apps suite, said Vic Gundotra, vice president of engineering for Google. Developers will have to pay a one-time $100 fee to list their applications in the store, and Google will get a 20 percent cut of all applications sold through the store, he said.

Google’s interest in such a store was first revealed last month by The Wall Street Journal. The idea is that although Google has an army of capable software developers, it can’t hope to anticipate the needs of every single Google Apps users. Third-party developers can fill those gaps and make Google Apps more useful to businesses with unique needs that don’t quite fit into the Google Apps suite.

Take payroll, for example. Google isn’t in the enterprise-resource planning software market (yet), but Intuit is, said Martin Gates, chief technology officer for online payroll at Intuit. He demonstrated how Google Apps users can integrate an Intuit-developed Web-based payroll application that’s linked with Google Apps, allowing employees to download their pay stubs simply by clicking on an icon in their Google Calendars.

Scott Farquhar, CEO of software tools company Atlassian, showed how Google Apps can be integrated directly into his company’s software development tools. For example, software developers using Atlassian’s project-management tools can have Gmail, Google Calendar, and Gchat applications integrated directly into the software development tool, so they don’t have to leave that window to check their e-mail or chat with colleagues.

source:- http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10466485-265.html

What will HP’s Slate Tablet have that Apple’s iPad won’t? It’s Adobe Flash, a key Internet technology that HP is touting as the key difference between the two platforms. And, HP is right, though how Flash support will translate into sales remains to be seen.

While Apple has its App Store to provide applications for iPad users and iTunes for content, Flash gives HP users access to Web content and apps that iPad users can only dream of. Adobe’s AIR provides a framework for developing applications for the HP Slate tablet and other devices that iPad also will not support.

HP has posted two new videos that use Flash and AIR support to take aim at the iPad ahead of its April 3 release.

The videos, demonstrating HP’s likewise forthcoming (but not-as-soon) tablet, show how the Slate “will access the full web, and just a part of it,” according to Adobe’s Alan Tam, who does a four-minute demonstration of Adobe Flash and AIR running on the Slate in one of the videos.

HP introduced the Windows 7-based Slate in January at the Consumer Electronics Show, but has not announced a ship date besides “mid-2010.” The device, to be priced “below $500″ was considered underwhelming at the time of its introduction.

Support for Adobe technology and the use of Windows 7 are key differentiators between the HP Slate and Apple’s iPad, which runs a tablet-optimized version of the iPhone operating system. The Slate and other Windows 7 devices support Adobe Flash and AIR, Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, do not.

HP’s Adobe support is generally considered a win, while its use of Windows 7 has proven controversial among those who believe a general purpose operating system is not the best choice for a tablet.

Both videos were posted Monday to HP’s Voodoo blog.

Tam’s Slate demonstration shows Flash streaming video running from within a Web site, without the use of an external player; casual Flash-based games; and Photoshop.com web-based photo editing.

He also demonstrated Adobe Air, which allows Adobe Flash applications to run outside of the browser. These included Pandora, a popular music service, and the New York Times Company’s e-reader application, which also offers the paper’s interactive crossword puzzles.

Apple’s lack of Flash support on its iPhone, iPod, and now iPad devices, is controversial. It also dramatically limits their browsing options. Tam said that of the top 100 Web sites, as ranked by Alexa, 85 percent use Flash content. Three-quarters of Web video exists in Flash, Tam added.

“With this slate product, you’re getting a full Web browsing experience in the palm of your hand. No watered-down Internet, no sacrifices,” wrote Phil McKinney, VP and CTO of HP’s Personal Systems Group. “We just posted a quick video showing some more of what that’s like as well as how the slate device will work as an eBook reader. Enjoy the short clip (and the techno soundtrack).”

Quick only in the sense of its running time, the first video is a 30-second produced television commercial–complete with the de rigueur techno music–that shows the Slate in action. The second video, Tam’s demonstration, is only a tad less slick, but runs more than five minutes in length.

My take: As an iPhone user, I’d never really thought much about what the lack of Adobe Flash support meant to me. On a smartphone, Flash would be nice, but Apple provides a very decent user experience without it. If I used the iPhone for more Web browsing, I am sure the lack of Flash would be more apparent.

As for the Slate being a disappointment at CES, I think that was only in the shadow of the iPad hypestorm. Now that we have a better idea of what the iPad is–and isn’t–the Slate looks better in comparison.

Seeing Alan Tam’s demonstration of Flash and AIR on the Slate made me rethink any plans I might have had about purchasing an iPad. It also made me think that in the tradition of the iPhone, the iPad will be aimed primarily at an Apple-provided (and controlled) media experience.

The HP Slate, true to its Windows roots, will be more about generalized Web browsing, including Flash, and running Windows 7 tablet apps. While I love my iPhone, I found Tam’s demo much more compelling than what Apple has shown of the iPad thus far.

It may be that the iPhone experience will have trouble scaling up to user expectations of a larger-screen device. Windows 7, meanwhile, may have trouble appearing to be truly optimized for a tablet. While both the HP Slate and Apple iPad will offer much the same functionality, the user experience appears very different.

It is hard to bet against Apple on small devices, but these new videos have gotten me started thinking about the differences between the iPad and HP Slate in a different way. Maybe a Windows 7 tablet won’t be bad at all.

Source:- http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/191098/hp_touts_flash_as_killer_app_against_apples_ipad.html

Likhte-2 raat guzar jayegi,
Shabdo k zariye dil ki baat nikal jayegi,

Or na kaho humse dil k zakhm dikhane ko,
Varna ankho me chupi ansuo ki barsat nikal jayegi

……………………………….

Dilo ki Daastan UNHE kahan Kabool thi,
Meri Wafayen UNKE liye Fizool thi,

Koi Aas nahi lekin Itna to bta Do,
Maine Chaha AAPKO, Kya bas Yehi Meri Bhool thi.!!

……………………………….

Thukra ke usne mujhko, kaha ki muskuraao!
Maine has diya, aakhir sawal uski khushi ka tha.

Maine khoya woh jo mera tha hi nahi,
Usne khoya wo jo sirf usi ka tha.

……………………………….

Kadam kadam pe baharon ne saath chhoda,
Zaroorat padne par yaaron ne saath chhoda,

Vaada kiya sitaron ne saath dene ka,
Subah hone par sitaron ne bhi saath chhoda

Anonymous tipsters have provided Engadget with promotional artwork depicting what may be Microsoft’s upcoming fourth-generation Zune MP3 player.

If the artwork is real and the rumors are accurate, we’re looking at a touch screen version of the Zune, sized slightly smaller than the iPod Touch, with a HD-resolution wide-screen display that reminds us of the Samsung P3.

Historically, Microsoft has released new Zune models toward the end of the year in November or September. Considering the half-hearted hardware refresh of the third-generation models last year, it’s conceivable that new hardware may drop unseasonably early this time around. A quick product launch may also help stem the tide of complete iPod saturation revealed by a recent Piper Jaffray survey of teens.

While the Zune HD depicted in the artwork looks like an attractive and worthy competitor to Apple’s iPod Touch, it leaves us with a lot of unknowns. For instance, how would a one-button, touch-screen design mesh with Microsoft’s recent move to bring games to the Zune? Will Microsoft be able to continue its practice of delivering their latest firmware to owners of older Zune models? Will the Zune get a Web browser or enhanced audio and video streaming capabilities? Will Bluetooth finally get thrown into the mix now that it’s coming to the Touch? Can Microsoft deliver the video services necessary to make an HD screen worth something?

read more : http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12519_7-10217589-49.html

Apple is close to hitting 1 billion downloads from its App Store and plans on a prize giveaway for whoever downloads the billionth application that includes a MacBook Pro and an iPod Touch. In the free apps category, Facebook and Google Earth have been the most popular downloads. In the paid apps category, Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D tops that particular chart.

Apple has placed a counter on its Web site showing the number of downloaded apps, which is approaching the 1 billion mark. The company plans on giving away a MacBook Pro, an iPod Touch and other products to the individual who downloads the 1 billionth application.

At around 2:30 p.m. on April 10, heading into the weekend, the counter was rattling off 1,000 apps sales roughly every 12 seconds.

Independent developers’ contributions to Apple’s App Store have raised the number of available apps to more than 25,000, and it took eight months since the App Store’s July 2008 launch for the total number of downloads to surpass 800 million.

read more : http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Apple-App-Downloads-Approach-1-Billion-177392/