APPLE DRAGS SAMSUNG TO COURT OVER STOLEN iOS FEASTURES

According to Apple, Samsung has stolen a number of key iOS features and design elements, and used them when making its Galaxy smartphones and tablets. Back in 2012 a jury agreed to some extent, and Apple was ultimately awarded nearly $1 billion in damages as a result. Now, Apple and Samsung find themselves in Judge Lucy Koh’s California court once again to argue over whether or not Samsung stole a different set of patents owned by Apple.

Wondering exactly what Apple is claiming Samsung swiped in its Galaxy smartphones this time around? Here’s everything you need to know:

9to5Mac on Tuesday put together a nice quick list of the five patents Apple is suing Samsung over right now. There’s plenty at stake in this new trial; Apple is seeking about $2 billion in damages in this trial, which means we’re talking about an average of $400 million per patent.

What does $2 billion worth of patents look like? Here are the five patents Apple is suing over:

Patent 5,946,647: “System and method for performing an action on a structure in computer-generated data”

This patent covers iOS’s ability to recognize certain text strings and automatically add links. For example, if you get a text message that says “Meet me for a drink tonight,” the word “tonight” will automatically have a link applied. Tapping the link will prompt you to add a new entry to your calendar.

Patent 6,847,959: ”Universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system, a patent that Apple claims is central to universal search”

OKONJO-IWEALA CLARIFIES WORLD BANK’S POVERTY RATING ON NIGERIA

The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said the World Bank’s, “extreme poor nation’’ rating of Nigeria was based on the large number of poor people living in the country.

Okonjo-Iweala made the clarification when she interacted with journalists in Abuja yesterday.

World Bank President, Dr Jim Kim, on Wednesday in Washington, said Nigeria was among the world’s extremely poor countries.

The other countries that were also rated alongside Nigeria were India, China, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Pakistan, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya.

Kim had said: “The fact is that two-thirds of the world’s extreme poor are concentrated in just five countries: India, China, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“If you add another five countries, Indonesia, Pakistan, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya, the total grows to 80 per cent of the extreme poor."

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Okonjo-Iweala explained that the number of poor people in a country,  irrespective of the country’s level of development, was the parameter used to rate Nigeria among nations with high poverty levels.

According to her, the phenomenon of large number of poor people is peculiar with middle-income countries to which Nigeria belongs.
“India, a middle-income country, one of the largest economies in the world like Nigeria, is a big economy, but the largest number of poor people in the world reside in Indian, China and other places.

“Most middle-income countries, including Brazil,  have large number of poor people that is the reality of today and Nigeria is no exception.

“And when the World Bank president was talking, he also talked about those countries. He mentioned that India is doing well and it has a large number of poor people.’’

“So, we should not try to single Nigeria out. The phenomenon we have in Nigeria is that we are growing but there are poor people everywhere,’’ she added

The minister advised that the focus of Nigerians now should be on the answers to the problem raised by the World Bank and what other countries are doing that Nigeria could learn from so as to improve.

“Nobody says that everything is fine but we are learning and where we make some progress like other countries, we should also acknowledge it,’’ she stressed.

She said the federal government was making efforts in different areas of the nation’s economy to reduce poverty and improve living standards of the people.

According to her, President Goodluck Jonathan has mandated four or five of the ministers to work together to formulate a social safety programme to be implemented for the benefit of the citizens.

ThisDay

ANDROID IN MARCH: GOING FROM 4.2 JB STRAIGHT TO 4.4 KITKAT

Another month, another Android platform distribution update by Google. The big news is that in March this year Android 4.4 KitKat has crossed the 5% mark, while everything pre-4.1 declined.

Some vestigial Froyo devices still hang around at 1%, Gingerbread now holds under 20%, while Ice Cream Sandwich and 4.1 Jelly Bean declined.

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean rose a bit and is now well ahead of ICS. That's interesting because version 4.3 stayed in place since January, suggesting that makers are leapfrogging 4.3 and going straight to 4.4 

With KitKat on the rise and Jelly Bean mostly staying in place, OpenGL ES 2.0 support actually declined a bit, while OpenGL ES 3.0 inched forward. This is important for game devs who might be considering using the more advanced graphics features - they can now reach 10.5% of all Androids.

Source

7 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER SAY TO YOUR EMPLOYEES

When managing employees, sometimes your patience is tested by a lack of motivation, a resistance to what you’re asking or one or more ‘problem’ workers. And just because you’re the boss does not mean you're perfect. Sometimes we all say things we regret later.

But, unlike the average worker, it’s incumbent upon the boss to keep his nose clean when it comes to verbal communication. You don’t have the luxury of saying something off the cuff when you’re frustrated. The last thing you want is for your verbal missteps to demotivate your staff, causing even bigger problems for your organization.

Here are seven phrases to especially avoid, especially in the heat of the moment. An instant reactive comment can cause reputational damage and destroy any trust your employees have in you, which can take a lifetime to repair.

"I’m the boss. Do as I say." We’re all adults here. You can’t expect that your employees will take to your hypocrisy. If you are setting different standards for your employees than you have for yourself, you can’t expect that they will respect what you ask them to do.

"You’re lucky to have a job." If that’s how you really feel about any of your employees, then perhaps you’re the one who’s lucky to have a job. No one works well in an environment where they are made to feel like somehow they’re indebted to their employer. If it’s not working out with a particular employee then be a professional and deal with the issues at hand. Find a way to correct them or part ways with him immediately. The mentality that your employee should “kiss your ring” is immature and evidence that you lack leadership skills.

"If you don’t like it, I’ll find someone who does." As the manager, you call most of the shots, but that doesn’t give you a license to be a jerk. Anyone can call herself a manager or the boss, but a good one will use leadership skills to motivate employees and deliver results. Threatening employees with losing their jobs, as a way to get them to do what you want, is not sustainable. Sure, they may do what you demand at first, but eventually they will become demotivated and unwilling to do more than the bare minimum to get by. And that’s if they don’t quit first.

THE LINGUIST EPISTLE 1: NO SUCH THING AS TIME

 I’m quite fluent with Financial Freedom

An essence of being born with silver spoon

I’m not a novice when you talk of applying Wisdom

Intelligence is what my parents have groomed

I know united we stand, divided we fall

This theory can be confirmed, experimenting with a bunch of broom

I have heard “One’s heart lies where you place your treasure”

Good for those whose success is entwined with their pleasure

Mama told me the solution in times of trouble

Is walking away, keeping quiet or better still, a deep breathe

Most men say this act qualifies being responsible

I put that into practice and peaceful existence have I always felt

Can I ever forget my teachers saying “Health is Wealth?”

Just as I know and can testify to the good things money can buy

I know how appealing it is defining your style

Experience shows me how happiness doesn’t cost a dine

I studied ant hills and I’ve learnt from the ants

Now I can tell you how bad it is to lazy around

Money is not everything, but it is worse to have no money in a man’s pant

Christianity has opened my understanding to faith, miracles and signs

But the effect of Idleness is contrary to plus signs

And if you are of a different belief, do act and weigh your bank account

Even the bible defines what faith without work,

As I can explain no action no action with much talk

He who neglects one of the best thing in life “LOVE”

Has thrown away peace, leaving all his problems unsolved

As the Yoruba adage says "T’eni t’eni" meaning "What I own is mine"

So do we all know that stich in time save nine?

But the knowledge of all these alone doesn’t guarantee success

If you’ve not passed in your mind this five odd words

NO SUCH THING AS TIME

Use it wisely, it is yours .....

Author: Tiptop

3D PRINTERS CREATE A BLUEPRINT FOR FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

Not too long ago, the notion that products could be manufactured using a fairly simple, compact printer was straight out of a science fiction novel. But as with so many technological leaps, the once-foreign concept has become a reality as everything from plastics and food to human tissue is being produced using 3D printing. It may well be one of the most revolutionary technological advances that we have seen this century, and we believe the realm of possibility for 3D printing advancements is limited only by our imaginations.

When we examine sustainable design and manufacturing, we view 3D printing as bringing a tremendously positive impact. The technology has not yet evolved to replace full manufacturing processes, but in its current nascent form it does cut down on prototyping, waste, and transportation emissions—opening the door for more sustainable business practices across a range of industries.

Getting products to market faster excites sustainability experts due to the historic tie between job growth and mature production cycles. And where jobs are created, communities are developed that promote economic stability. In fact, localisation of production has a significant effect on major industries such as automotive manufacturing and aerospace. A strong community of workers leads to stronger products and higher returns. Just ask Detroit about ramifications when work is moved overseas.

The most immediate impact of 3D printing comes via modern prototyping. Using 3D printers allows designers to translate visually stunning plans into prototypes at extremely low costs. Opportunities come into play in a variety of industries; a prosthetic match, for example, can be created for an existing limb by using digital design, cutting down on multiple prototyping steps. This is a remarkable advance in sustainable design and a giant leap for healthcare.

Similarly, Ford is experiencing this firsthand, as the company is using 3D printing to create prototypes on its home turf. Sustainable design has been a valuable and imperative instrument for their growth; the company says it has dramatically reduced production time and costs by using 3D printing to shave months off development for parts, accessories and engine designs.

3 BUSINESS SECRETS TO LEARN FROM LISTENING TO YOUR BODY

You may have seen him or her: the strong, well-built, self-assured business leader strutting onto the stage to deliver a dynamic keynote to a packed conference hall. Beneath that well-cut suit is a person who clearly works out.

Why is it that many of the people who lead top companies appear to be in great physical shape? Perhaps the question should be: Why do many successful business leaders also exude physical prowess and health?

It’s not just coincidence.

The connections between how you take care of your body and the way you nuture your business are too close and too important to ignore. The physical entity we call a human body and the legal entity we call a company are both vehicles that allow you to reach an end result. They are both cohesive networks of systems with rules and optimum conditions for success (read: health). And they both respond to your leadership.

So how can you leverage information gleaned from your body to improve your businesses?

1. Strategy. Like companies, bodies vary by shape and size, strengths and weaknesses and overall health and vigor. It’s critical for you to be aware of your body’s -- and company’s -- unique characteristics and needs, and that to use strategy in thought and action to achieve the results you seek.

When you approach your body from the point of view of strategy, you’re thinking about the best moves to strengthen it and avoid injury as well as the most nutritious foods for nourishment and health. You want results without side effects.

When you approach your business strategically, you’re considering the optimal ways to position it as unique and valuable, the most effective tools and systems to drive innovation and support vital processes, and the best ways to avoid problems.

In both cases, it’s important to be creative and nimble.

2. Energy. A critical yet often overlooked force for success, energy powers everything we do. And a high level of energy can drive greater productivity; clearer, more creative thinking and a host of other things critical for building a business.

'NIGERIA'S MARK ZUCKERBERG' PUTS TECH INTO HIGHER LEARNING

GOSSY UKANWOKE

Every week, African Start-Up follows entrepreneurs in various countries across the continent to see how they are working to make their business dreams become reality.

(CNN) -- At 23, many people around the world are still at university -- at that age, Gossy Ukanwoke had already started one.
The young entrepreneur is the founder of Beni American University (BAU), Nigeria's first private online university. Launched in late 2012, the school allows students to access their classes at any time of the day with any internet-enabled device.
"We are providing executive programs for graduates who are looking for employment and want to build up their resumes, or managers who want to climb up the hierarchy of their companies," says Ukanwoke, now 25.
"We also have courses targeted at people who want to start their own business."

'Nigeria's Mark Zuckerberg'

Ukanwoke's idea to start BAU came from his previous online venture called Students Circle, an educational social networking site he'd launched while in university that allows learners to interact and access free resources from leading schools.
"When I created Students Circle in 2010," explains Ukanwoke, "I found out that ... many were looking for certificates, hoping that they could get something they could use to maybe find employment or get a promotion in the workplace.
"There was a need for a new institution to be created in Nigeria," adds Ukanwoke, who was once described by Forbes as "Nigeria's Mark Zuckerberg."
Now, some 18 months into his new business endeavor, Ukanwoke has hired 10 instructors and has about 200 students, with an average age of 26.
But the startup's journey so far has not been without challenges -- Nigerian laws require universities to have a physical campus so last year Ukanwoke went and bought land in the country's Benue State with the goal to build a private campus that could accommodate some 10,000 students.
Education is about teaching people how to make a living and teaching people how to live.
Gossy Ukanwoke, Beni American University
The project is expected to launch next year, but in the meantime the web courses are up and running -- a 12 week online program can cost between $100 and $300. Among the courses offered are corporate diplomacy, global marketing, leadership and management, digital journalism, project management and entrepreneurship and innovation, which is the university's most popular class.
"It's good because I have four kids," says Chinenye Madukwe, one of BAU's students. "I have opportunity to work at the same time, because I have a small interior design outfit."
Oo Nwoye, another BAU student, says he enrolled "for the knowledge."
"It is just helpful for my business and that is the most important thing to me," he explains.

Education is key

A son of two teachers, Ukanwoke says he is driven by his passion to use technology to solve social problems.
"I grew up within the framework where education was put at a very high level of importance, and entrepreneurship is something that I always wanted to do," he says.
"Without education I don't think we can do any progress," he adds. "It's not just about getting a certificate -- education is about teaching people how to make a living and teaching people how to live; how to interact with others, how to lead their lives and make something out of themselves," continues Ukanwoke.
"With education comes discipline and we need a lot of discipline in Nigeria as well, so education is really important."
Ukanwoke relies mainly on social media to advertize but says that it's student referrals that are increasing BAU's enrollment.
"We still have a long way to go, we have a lot of work to do, a lot of policy wrangling too," he admits. "But it's a work in progress and we are quite happy with where we are."

[CNN]

U.S. INVESTMENTS SURGE FOR AFRICAN TECH ENTREPRENEURS

From the largest technology companies to early stage investors, American high tech companies and venture capitalists are increasingly supporting startups across the African continent.

Whether it’s the 16 mobile apps in Botswana that Jim Goetz mentioned in his take on Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp; the launch of IBM’s new innovation centers in Lagos and Casablanca; Microsoft’s partnership with three incubators in Africa, or the African Development Bank’s recent summit on how to engage the private sector more effectively, African entrepreneurship is on investors minds.

In fact, 2013 was the most active year for technology investment on the continent, according to data from CrunchBase.

And Africa’s community of entrepreneurs is only growing. Those IBM Innovation Centers in Lagos and Casablanca will give founders of new tech companies access to IBM technology and expertise around big data, analytics, and cloud computing, as well as skills training and business and marketing support.

“In the last decade we’ve seen a lot of transformation [in Africa]. There’s increased stability and a lot of bandwidth that’s come on line, tremendous economic growth, plus a lot of infrastructure being built and a lot of foreign investment,” said Solomon Assefa, an IBM researcher and vice president of Science and Technology.

Assefa, who also currently serves as a Program Manager for Growth Markets and Strategic Initiatives in Science and Technology at IBM,  said the goal is to create an ecosystem where entrepreneurs can create new products using existing technologies. “We believe Africa is vital and we think IBM is going to be very very essential for productive growth and development.”

Microsoft, Intel Step Up Investments

Other executives at America’s largest corporations agree. Microsoft, which launched its 4Afrika program in February 2013, has recently instituted a new lending initiative which selected its first five startups fr

WHY COLLEGE STUDENTS NEED TO BE ENTREPRENEURIAL WITH THEIR CAREERS

Students are starting to realize quickly that they can't rely on their college career service centers to help them find employment. Colleges are under more pressure than ever to turn degrees into jobs for their students but something isn't adding up. Over 50 percent of recent grads are either unemployed or underemployed, with an average student loan debt of $29,400.

What does this mean for the average college student? For one thing, students can't be average in this employment market. Second, they have to take matters into their own hands and stop relying on career centers to do the heavy lifting for them.

In a new study conducted in partnership with InternMatch.com of over 4,000 students, we found that almost 50 percent aren't using their career centers, with 64 percent turning to online resources instead. Although 94 percent of respondents think that their career centers are necessary at colleges, almost half aren't using their career centers and 61 percent say they are either never or rarely effective in helping them land a job.

The purpose of career centers is to help students prepare for the real world and support their internship and job searches. But they are falling short due to few resources, not leveraging social media and lacking the staff to scale. The average ratio of students to career service professionals is 1,889 to 1 and we found that almost a third of students in our study say that centers don't have enough staff to support students.

4 CRITICAL TRAITS OF GREAT LEADERS

Most of us strive to become leaders. We want to do something great, be respected by our peers, make more money and acquire more responsibility. Overall, we want to make a difference at our job. However, most of us simply don’t know the proper way to gain heightened respect, confidence and admiration from those whom we work with.

In reality, there is no simple answer to leadership. It takes devotion, time and patience. Most importantly, it takes knowledge.

A firm understanding of leadership

Without a firm understanding of what makes someone more influential, you cannot begin to alter your beliefs, and practices accordingly.

Though, once aware of the traits that make someone more authoritative, you can formulate a plan to improve upon lacking areas and alter the behaviors preventing you from achieving management and executive status.

Below, you’ll find a list of traits that our sales and marketing headhunters look for in leaders, along with some exercises to enhance your influence and responsibility at work.

Defining the traits of leadership

1. Strength - Begin to carry yourself with poise and confidence. People are drawn to confidence and shy away from nervousness, lack of authenticity and insecurity.

THE WORLD'S RICHEST TECH BILLIONAIRES 2014

Here's Forbes list of the World's Richest Tech Billionaires in 2014 ... Interesting

BILL GATES

NET WORTH: $76 billion. 

Helped by a bounce in shares of Microsoft, Bill Gates returns to the top of our annual Billionaires list this year after a four year hiatus. He is worth $9 billion more than a year ago, and has now been the world’s richest person for 15 out of the past 20 years. The Microsoft cofounder, who stepped down as chairman this year, has agreed to spend more time helping the software company’s product managers work on innovations. Meanwhile, Gates, who has given away more than $28 billion in his lifetime, remains focused on his foundation's efforts to eradicate polio and getting fellow billionaires more involved with philanthropy. 

LARRY ELLISON

NET WORTH: $48 billion.

CEO of Oracle, Larry Ellison is worth $5 billion more in 2014, thanks to rising value of his software company’s shares. In September, his Oracle Team USA pulled off a stunning comeback from a seven-race deficit to win its second consecutive America’s Cup sailing race. Ever the competitor, Oracle’s cofounder said in an August interview that Apple's best days are behind it after the passing of close friend Steve Jobs and that Google's alleged infringement on Oracle's patents in its Android software was "absolutely evil." His daughter Megan is a growing Hollywood powerhouse and has financed a string of critical successes including American Hustle and Zero Dark Thirty.

LARRY PAGE

NET WORTH: $32.3 billion.

CEO Larry Page is rearranging the furniture at Google. Over two weeks in January, he announced his company's $3.2 billion, all-cash acquisition of thermostat-maker Nest as well as the $2.9 billion sale of its Motorola phone business to Lenovo. Shareholders aren't blinking an eye. The search giant's stock continues to trade at record highs and is up about 50% year-over-year as of mid-February. That's caused the net worths of cofounders Page and Sergey Brin to surge past the $30 billion mark on the list for the first time.  In April, Google will undergo a stock split to introduce new Class C shares that will carry no voting power. That move will consolidate the voting power of executives including Page, who owns nearly 24 million Class B shares, which carry 10-to-one voting power.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 MINI TO HAVE 4.5" 720P DISPLAY, 8MP CAMERA

We all know Samsung is going to release mini and Zoom versions of its Galaxy S5 flagship, just like it did for the Galaxy S4 last year. There is even a rumor Samsung is prepping an Active version, but this is yet to be confirmed.

The Galaxy S5 mini has leaked recently via a case maker, but today we got some info on its specs. As the rumor has it the Samsung SM-G800 Galaxy S5 mini will pack a 4.5" 720p Super AMOLED display and will run on a Snapdragon 400 chipset with quad-core CPU.

Other leaked specs suggest the Galaxy S5 mini will come with 1.5GB RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, 8MP rear and 2MP front camera, IR blaster and a 2,100 mAh battery. Android 4.4 KitKat skinned with TouchWiz should come pre-installed out of the box.

There is no info on whether the mini flavor of the Galaxy S5 will be dust and water proof or not. There is nothing on the heart rate sensor too. We hope Samsung doesn't drop the water/dust protection, because it is certainly a handy feature.

[GsmArena}

FACEBOOK'S MARK ZUCKERBERG NOW EARNING $1 SALARY

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is now the company’s lowest-paid employee, according to its latest proxy filing. Zuckerberg — worth $27.8 billion mostly in Facebook stock —  requested an annual wage of $1 in 2013, joining the ranks of a handful of other very wealthy CEOs who take a symbolically negligible base pay.

Zuckerberg, who earned $770,000 in combined salary and bonus in 2012, is now in good company among giants of the tech sector. Google's GOOG +1.83% Sergey Brin and Larry Page, worth roughly $30 billion a piece, have been drawing a $1 salary for a decade now.


“The dollar salary really for them is meant to signify that they have large stakes in their company. The value they’re going to receive – the compensation they’ll earn – is coming solely from their stock,” says Aaron Boyd, director of governance for Equilar, a company that researches executive compensation. “You’re not going to question whether or not Larry Page is interested in growing a company’s stock as a shareholder. As one of the largest shareholders, he’s all in.”

Hewlett-Packard’s Meg Whitman (net worth $2 billion) and Oracle’s Larry Ellison (net worth $51.5 billion) also take just a buck in base pay. But unlike Zuckerberg, Brin and Page, the H-P and Oracle head honchos earn significant compensation in other ways. Whitman actually earned $17.6 million in stock and other performance-based awards in 2013, while Ellison was paid $79.6 million almost entirely in stock options — a dip from the $96 million he hauled in in 2012.  Dividends paid on the Oracle shares Ellison owns added  another $255 million to his annual take (before taxes).

Boyd says for somebody like Whitman, who isn’t a founder and was brought in to turn the company around, her compensation is tied directly to her performance — she earns her compensation if H-P meets its goals.

“She would need to achieve success with the company to earn returns from the stock,” he said.

Silicon Valley doesn’t hold the patent on $1 salaries, though. Richard Hayne, CEO of Urban Outfitters, is another billionaire in the $1 salary club — though he did draw a whopping $5,000 bonus in 2013. Oil and gas baron Richard Kinder, worth $9.3 billion, reaps $1 in total compensation from his energy company Kinder Morgan. In the biotech world, Robert Duggan, CEO of anti-cancer drug maker Pharmacyclics, thinks even $1 is a bit too rich. He takes no compensation whatsoever from the company, though he does have a $1.5 billion fortune comprised mostly of Pharmacyclics stock.

Although Zuckerberg will only hit up his social networking company for a $1 salary henceforth, Facebook is still ponying up for airfare and personal security. The company installed and maintains Zuckerberg’s security detail and also covered chartered flights for him and his guests for a total of $653,165 in 2013 — down from $1.2 million the previous year.

OGUN ATTRACTS $200 MILLION INVESTMENT

Gov Ibikunle Amosun

The industrialisation drive of the Ogun State Government has attracted a $200 million investment, which is expected to generate no fewer than 1000 employment.

A statement quoted the Executive Board Member and Coordinator, Overseas Investments, Hayat Kimya Nigeria Limited, Mr. Ali Zeybek to have disclosed that having carried out a thorough business survey on the ECOWAS countries, the firm chose Nigeria due to its vast capital market and Ogun state in particular, as a result of the state’s unequalled conducive business environment.

"We intend to invest at least between $180 million and $200 million at optimal capacity while not less than 1000 people will be on the company's payroll", he added.

Zeybek revealed this when he led the management of the company to visit the state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun in his office in Abeokuta.

According to him, Hayat Kimya Nigeria Limited is not just a household name in Turkey, its hub, but also has indelible footprints in the production and supply of baby diaper, tissue, detergent and other household consumptions across Africa.

In his response, Amosun said the state was strategically located for domestic circulation of goods and even to the international market because it shares borders with Lagos, Oyo, Ondo and Osun states as well as Benin Republic.

He urged the firm to use the opportunity to positively impact on the state through Corporate Social Responsibility and help train youths in the state.

"We are not taking our investors for granted, that is why we are investing a lot in the area of security to put their minds at rest and ensure their comforts across the state while they do their business", the governor said 

Source | ThisDay

5 LATEST WEB DEVELOPMENT TOOLS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Today, the Web is exponentially growing. It is also getting more complex than ever before. We need more tools that can help lift some of the weight of website development. So, in this post, we have put together a set of trendy tools that will help in web development.

Hopefully these lists could help introduce you to the right web development tools, particularly for those of you who are just getting started.

1. CSS Pre-Processors

CSS is very easy to write. The syntax is straightforward and easy to understand. But as your project grows larger, you may have to manage multiple stylesheets to handle thousands of CSS lines and if you know CSS, you know it becomes mighty hard to maintain in that situation.

This is where CSS Pre-processors become really useful. We have covered CSS-Preprocessors forseveral times in the past, so I guess you already are quite familiar with them. For those who are new, in a nutshell, CSS Pre-processor allows us to write CSS in programming fashion with Variables and Functions, which then is compiled into browser-compliant CSS format. We can also reuse CSS properties with some special rules such as @extend and @include.

There are a number of CSS Pre-processors: Sass, LESS, Stylus, and Myth.

2. Template Engine

Creating a static HTML page similarly is simple. However, if you have multiple HTML pages to handle in your project, things could get out of hand. Most of these pages may share the same components such as a Header, Sidebar, and Footer.

If you change something in the Sidebar, should you change it for the Sidebar in the other pages, one by one, or use a Template Engine instead?

MOST ESSENTIAL SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS

In his book Tweet Naked, online marketing expert and Social Media Firm CEO Scott Levy provides the critical information entrepreneurs need to craft a social media strategy that will boost their brand and their business. In this edited excerpt, the author offers a quick look at the tools that can help you track your social media data.

There are tools that can help you track all possible social media data. Most are easy to use if you take the time to learn them, and many have both free and for-fee versions, the latter offering more detail.

The most useful tools are often those on the platforms themselves. For example, one of the simplest metrics that many businesses find extremely valuable is Facebook's PTAT (People Talking About This) score, which measures word-of-mouth marketing. It tracks the number of individual users or unique visitors who have interacted with the page. The number, which changes often, allows you to determine not only how many people are interacting with your pages but also whether that number is staying consistent, dropping or rising. For small-business owners who can't afford a 24/7 social media team, PTAT is a very helpful metric because it is a cost-effective manner of tracking content.

A slightly more complex factor to understand is EdgeRank. Even if Facebook users like a brand, they don't return to brand pages often, if at all. So many businesses look at the impact of showing up on users' news feeds, and EdgeRank is an algorithm designed to help brands increase their news feed visibility.

To understand the algorithm, it's important to first understand what "edge" means. Edge is a term for every possible Facebook action: updates, comments, likes, shares, etc. The algorithm takes into account each user's edges, and then measures the sum total of affinity, weight and time decay in conjunction with each action.

Affinity is the number of repeat interactions, including likes, sharing, commenting, etc., that a Facebook user has with a specific brand. The greater the interaction, the greater the relationship the user has with that brand.

NOKIA ANNOUNCES ANDROID RUNNING NOKIA X AND NOKIA X+

Nokia announced its first Android-app running smartphones - the Nokia X and Nokia X+. The phones pack a 4" LCD display and come with Nokia and Microsoft app preloaded.

The Nokia X, X+ and XL are powered by a 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8225 chipset with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. Happily, it's expandable via the microSD card slot and supports up to 32GB cards.

The Nokia X and X+ feature a 4" 800x480 IPS LCD capacitive touch display making up for a pixel density of 233ppi. However, the Nokia X+ and XL get a bump in RAM to 768MB.

At the back of the Nokia X and X+, there's a 3MP fixed focus camera with both phones weighing 129 grams and pack 1500mAh battery. It's good for 10.5 hours of 3G talk time and have a maximum standby time of 17 days. Both phones are also capable of maximum music playback of up to 26 hours, while video playback is rated at 8.4 hours before the battery needs a recharge.

The Nokia X features the signature Nokia Glance Screen. A swipe to the right reveals a list of installed apps, and another one gets you to fastlane. You can reorganize the tiles similarly to Windows Phone 8 UI. They are resizable as well and the larger the tiles get, the more information they display.

Unsurprisingly, the phone doesn't have the Google Play Services installed, so the Play Store isn't available on the Nokia X or Nokia X+. However, Stephen Elop highlighted that users can take advantage of the Nokia store for Android apps as well as the popular Yandex Store.

Source | GsmArena