Thursday, 16 November 2017
Thursday, 9 October 2014
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
Thursday, 13 February 2014
Firefox Student Ambassadors Programme
I happened to know about the Firefox Student Ambassadors (FSA) Programme through a share on Facebook. As I had heard a lot about the Open Source movement and other FOSS related activities and wanted to be involved in it, I found this as an excellent entry point.
The usual Student Ambassador programmes that I had seen involved an application to the programme and then a selection after the completion of certain criteria. But the FSA Programme seemed to be different. After filling up the form, I got a mailing confirming that I have become an FSA. That seemed a bit odd to me at that time and felt that there was nothing special about becoming an FSA!
A few days later, I happened to read a newsletter from Mozilla and then understood that there is more to this programme than what it appears to be superficially! I started visiting the various Mozilla websites and discovered the extents of Mozilla as a company and its products.
I also started doing the FSA activities that were part of this programme. This was when I started to understand why the FSA programme was indeed different. It lets us contribute with full respect to our contributions.
Soon I set up a Firefox Club at my college and became the Club Lead after attending the Firefox Club Lead training. By setting up a Firefox Club in our college/university, we can get involved in a local community which works for the betterment of Mozilla Firefox by doing good!
In another newsletter, found that there was a meetup happening in Kerala. I signed up for it and got selected to attend it. This was something that totally changed my perspective about Mozilla. We had a very active Mozilla community here called Mozilla Kerala. At the meetup we discussed all sorts of ways that we could use for the betterment of the society.
Till now, my journey as an FSA was mind-blowing and I expect more of such an experience in the future too! I wish all other FSAs a great success and urge other students to join the FSA Programme.
Sunday, 24 November 2013
Bloomberg Aptitude Test (BAT)
5 Reasons to Take the Bloomberg BAT
The Bloomberg Aptitude Test (BAT) is a 2-hour, 100 multi-choice question test of your aptitude to work in finance used by top-tier employers worldwide.
The BAT online version is complimentary until year end.
http://goo.gl/4N1QMP
Good Luck :)
The Bloomberg Aptitude Test (BAT) is a 2-hour, 100 multi-choice question test of your aptitude to work in finance used by top-tier employers worldwide.
The BAT online version is complimentary until year end.
- See where you stand against classmates at your school (1,000+ campuses)
- Star in our monthly Hall of Fame and enhance your resume/CV
- Get more first round interviews with Bloomberg's elite clients
- Complimentary 6-month access to Bloomberg Briefs (worth $2,000)
- No need to skip class. The BAT is available 24/7 on the web
http://goo.gl/4N1QMP
Good Luck :)
Degrading Microsoft
Microsoft, the company for which I dreamt of working many year ago, is screwing my respect for it day by day!!
First by the Microsoft Sales Person AKA Microsoft Student Partners(MSP) programme and now I by the promotion of "Scroogled" merchandise in their store!
I can't imagine that the world's leading software company does not have an efficient marketing team that they are depending on college students for marketing their product (without any financial incentive let alone TA for attending their so called Annual MSP Summit)! I had heard that it used to be a good initiative long ago, but the standards are seriously degrading now! But I kept calm because I felt that the MSP Programme in India was led by some others and not Microsoft directly!
So it became: MSP - Redefining the meaning of evangelism!
Next, do they have to defame another company (or its products) in order to sell their products? I do not know! If their products were that great, people would prefer it over the former! I have never heard even a single person praising the legendary IE outside Microsoft Forums/Groups. If someone is so particular about their personal data, why don't they purchase some paid services! You can't expect these companies to be doing social service! I wish the company spends their time and money on improving their services rather than pointing at others. Instead of stopping xbox and Bing, they should rather stop these kind of activities.
#IMHO
--
Sandeep C
Microsoft Student Partner, FY13 (unfortunately )
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Windows 7 and 8 versions of the desktop and Metro-style PC apps for Windows Phone updated
Well Windows 7 and 8 versions of the desktop and Metro-style
PC apps have been updated for the Windows Phone respectively with bug fixes and
enhancements.
On the full-screen version, there’s a new mechanism to
transfer documents to and from your phone. Personally, I’d use Skydrive for
this purpose (or quite often, good old email), but more options are always
welcome.
There’s a bit more going on with the newest version of the
desktop app.
The first thing to note happens when you first start the
app. You get the choice to use either iTunes or Windows libraries as the basis
for synchronising media, including music, movies and podcasts. This isn’t a
permanent decision, though. You can alter your synchronisation source in the
‘settings’ menu at any time.
The second key feature is that you now have more options
when it comes to podcasts. If you go down the route of synchronising with
Windows libraries, because you don’t use iTunes, then you can still sync
podcasts that have been saved to your hard drive by synchronising the relevant
folder.
And finally, like the full screen app, the desktop app will
now detect and allow you to install any future updates to the software without
visiting the web site.
There’s one last option, too. Your Windows Phone shows up as
a connected drive in Explorer, with folders for music, documents and so forth.
You can simply cut and paste media to and from your phone if you want to.
Also see
Sunday, 9 June 2013
How to send free SMS to all your contacts for Windows phone?
The cost of sending SMS to contacts while they are abroad can prove to be rather costly, but there are a number of services that help minimise this fee, or remove it altogether. One such app has arrived on the Windows Phone Store and is called yuilop (www.yuilop.me). The app, now available for Windows Phone 8 hardware, enables users to send free SMS to anyone with a mobile phone in the world.
What's good about the service is that recipients don't even need to have access to a yuilop app - their phone simply has to be able to handle receiving messages. We're pretty sure majority of handsets can these days. So how does it work and is it free? Well, it's not free per se (hello, advertisements), they have deployed their own virtual credit, but this can be earned without spending a penny. This credit (known as "energy") is spent on sending messages to other devices that do not have the app.
Here are some ways to earn this energy:
- Invite a friend to the yuilop service
- Receiving an SMS on the free Yuilop.me number
- Participate in promotions or redeem vouchers
Yuilop will synchronise with contacts from the People Hub, as well as any listings stored on the service itself. What's the incentive to invite people to use yuilop? There's no "energy" cost when messaging those who are also using the app. The app is available on Android, iOS and Windows Phone, opening up some room to invite those who may be on competitor platforms.
A notice regarding privacy is included in the app description, which goes into detail how the company doesn't share user data with third-parties. Conversations through yuilop are encrypted and a mobile number is also used as the user ID. Windows Phone Italy notes that yuilop will sport VoIP capabilities in the future.
You can download yuilop from the Windows Phone Store for free. via: Windows Phone Italy
5 must have Windows apps for shopping and productivity
Here is a list of apps that is popular among users and which should essentially help users search for products and market for better productivity and office use
Best Buy
Best Buy
The Best Buy app for Windows 8 is on top of the list, the
app is available for free download. Best Buy app provides a fresh new way to
shop for the latest and greatest technology. Browse the full Best Buy product
catalog and read ratings & reviews.
The Amazon app allows you to quickly make purchases, search,
compare prices, read reviews, and share products with friends using a simple
yet elegant interface. Shop just as you do on the web.
The Staples App brings easy to your Windows 8 tablets,
laptops and desktops. So go ahead – redeem coupons and rewards. Compare product
prices and features. Check product availability at Staples stores near you.
View your order history, update your shopping lists and find the ink and toner
you need. And above all, add some easy to your workday.
Yellow Pages, the leader in local mobile search. Find what
you want with ease. Collectively, over eighty million listings served monthly
to our users.
Find a store near you and check out the weekly deals offered
at that store, or scroll through a list of stores in your area and view weekly
deal offers for each.
Also see
Saturday, 8 June 2013
Share files between Windows Phones and other hardware with JoikuShare
Should you use your Windows Phone and wish to transfer files between the device and a laptop, tablet or even SmartTV over Wi-Fi, you'll want to check out JoikuShare (www.joiku.com/joikushare). The app has just been released for Windows Phone and enables the transfer of said files to extend functionality from the phone to other devices available, and vice-versa.
Those who utilise JoikuShare are also able to receive and send files through the web browser, which makes it rather convenient for those who wish to have quick access. Friends can also see and access files you wish to provide to the big, bad world. No additional cables or software is required as everything is transferred using dark magic (also referred to as "technology").
Multiple devices can be connected to over WiFi, which allows parallel sharing across the network. QR codes are also featured for quick access. Getting started is rather straightforward, simply fire up the app on a Windows Phone, connect to a Wi-Fi network and select "Start WiFi-Share". Files you wish to share access to can be chosen under the "Shared Files" view.
Other hardware on the same network can then use web browsers to load the shared link, or use the provided QR code. Media and files that have been selected for sharing are then accessible. It's worth noting that administrators can access, manage and download all phone files, while friends are restricted to viewing and downloading of said content. Here's a quick video that explains the basic functionality (the app is also available on Android):
We're sure many will find an app with this type of functionality useful. The interface is simple and the app isn't cluttered with areas and views that aren't required. You can download JoikyShare from the Windows Phone Store for $0.99 (listed for Windows Phone 8 only and no trial is available).
Source: [ Windows Phone Central ]
How to make your customers sell for you using iTestifyIt
iTestifyIt is a product by Profoundis Labs that provides relevant, authentic testimonials to improve your conversion.
It uses the basic psychology that People influence people.
People are skeptical about sales people. They don’t believe in ads either. When they are deciding, they look around to see what others are doing – Social proof!
They love previous customer experiences before buying. iTestify will show personalised and authentic testimonials to help them decide in your favour.
At the customer end, it has a small, widget which shows various testimonials by REAL people (linked to the person's profile) fetched from the social media. This gives an impression to the customer that the product was used by a REAL person and that he/she has given a review of it, all by her wish (NOT FOR THE SELLER, ON THEIR SITE). This naturally increases the authenticity of the testimonial.
An example of their widget can be seen on the right side of this page.
You can see a brief video below which tells us how to use iTestifyIt.
From the video, we can easily understand that the only manual thing that the seller has to do is to approve the required testimonials and the rest of the work is handled at the product's back-end. This whole system looks quite impressive and the fact that the testimonial is served on each page with relevance to the content of the page is brilliant.
I would suggest that people start switching to this kind of a testimonial system rather than the conventional method of reviewing on the site itself.
Mark Zuckerberg responds personally to the outrageous press reports about PRISM
After the recent outrageous press report about PRISM, this is what Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook has to tell..
"I want to respond personally to the outrageous press reports about PRISM:
Facebook is not and has never been part of any program to give the US or any other government direct access to our servers. We have never received a blanket request or court order from any government agency asking for information or metadata in bulk, like the one Verizon reportedly received. And if we did, we would fight it aggressively. We hadn't even heard of PRISM before yesterday.
When governments ask Facebook for data, we review each request carefully to make sure they always follow the correct processes and all applicable laws, and then only provide the information if is required by law. We will continue fighting aggressively to keep your information safe and secure.
We strongly encourage all governments to be much more transparent about all programs aimed at keeping the public safe. It's the only way to protect everyone's civil liberties and create the safe and free society we all want over the long term."
Is Facebook true to its words? Is it truly reliable? Post your views as comments.
Microsoft Wants Students To Give Office A Try, Gives Them Up To 6 Free Months Of Office 365, 20GB Of Extra SkyDrive Storage
With Office 365 out of the door, Microsoft has now set its sights on getting more college students to give it a try. The company, which already makes a heavily discounted $80/4 years version of Office 365 University available to students, just announced a new offer that gives college students three months of free Office 365 access, plus another three months when they also share the offer on Facebook. In addition, students get 20GB of additional SkyDrive storage.
As a Microsoft spokesperson told us, the company is launching this campaign because it has “seen a lot of excitement among customers as they use SkyDrive to access documents and collaborate anywhere on any device. In particular, Microsoft has seen through direct feedback that students are one group that can really benefit from these types of tools.”
To promote this offer, which is open to anybody with a .edu email address in the U.S., Microsoft also launched a new marketing campaign that features “Parks and Recreation” star Aubrey Plaza.
Microsoft’s biggest competitor in this space is obviously Google, which makes its Drive apps available for free. Microsoft Office, however, is arguably a more feature-rich product and still the standard on many campuses. But Microsoft’s hold on the academic world is slowly shrinking despite quite a few colleges that have adopted Office 365 for Education (formerly Live@edu).
Like most offers for students, this deal is clearly meant to lock students into the Microsoft Office ecosystem early, but given that the documents are all in standard formats, you can obviously always leave and take your documents with you. After the trial is over, the Office apps enter read-only mode, so you can only view and print documents, but the files are obviously still yours to download from SkyDrive (and the basic Office Web Apps on SkyDrive will also still work).
Try out Inflexiball for Windows 8 Phone
Inflexiball is one the latest game for Windows 8 phone users, it brought me by surprise finding his game following their twitter feed.Well Infelexiball is an arcanoid game inspired and designed in Steampunk style.The game gives an opportunity to plunge into a world of science where people move towards the progress. People start getting acquainted with electric power, but the steam powered vehicles are also rather evolved.Adventures of a scientist who tries to find the answer to a mysterious disappearance of his father are depicted in the form of comics.The game play is exciting and fun filled the primary aim is to complete the main and secondary quest You should kick a ball with the platform to destroy blocks.Each level differs by complexity of elements dropping out of the blocks.In addition there is 14 levels in premium version.Get Temple Run: Brave for Windows 8
Take a look at the new Windows 8.1 interface and the new Start Button
The new video presentation at the Microsoft 2013 Taipei Computer Show on the Windows 8.1 versions suggest clearly the video does not appear in the Start button display, while the new video can be intimidated as a perfect Windows 8.1 "Start Button" demo video
A screenshot from the new video showcasing the "Start Button"
Friday, 7 June 2013
Leaked images of Nokia EOS now supported by video
The leaked
images of Nokia EOS 41 Windows phone has been widespread over the internet, now
the leaked images are supported by a video that suggest the upcoming phone
packs a huge camera on the rear which is said to be 41 megapixels and is
anticipated as the best camera phone ever made.
Many reports suggest the device comes equipped with a full
PureView 41 megapixel camera with Xenon flash, 32 GB of storage and has a
polycarbonate body. Nokia is rumored to be launching the Nokia EOS by July.
Also see
Send Toast Notifications on Windows 8, Parse now supports Toast Notification
All Windows
SDKs can send notifications to iOS and Android devices. In addition, all SDKs
can now send Toast Notifications to Windows 8 users. Toast Notifications are
those which feel most like traditional “notifications” to users familiar with
modern mobile operating systems. They present a simple dialog in the
upper-right corner of the screen which eventually fades. You can send push
notifications from the SDK or try out the newly upgraded Push Console
To know more click here
[source:Parse.com]
Get Temple Run: Brave for Windows 8
Imangi, the makers of Temple run has come up with yet another game the Temple Run Brave, purely inspired by the little heroine of
the official Brave movie by Pixar’s. The endless running game has arrived for
Windows Phone 8 and you can download it from here
Well let’s take a look at the Gameplay
As I said the Temple Run: Brave for Windows 8 is an endless
running game which has amazing visuals very much similar to the animated Brave
movie. You play Merida here, get your fingers ready as she races, jumps, turns,
and shoot across Sotland’s backcountry wilds. The game has also introduced
archery, just tap to hit your target and take gold coins home!! And if you are
lucky enough to outrun Mordu, the demon bear, you are adding to you running
glory.
New features just for Temple Run: Brave
• Introducing ARCHERY – tap targets to shoot a bullseye and
earn extra coins
• New, amazing visuals. It looks better than ever!
• All new environments inspired by Disney/Pixar Brave and
the wilds of Scotland
• Play as Merida from Disney/Pixar Brave
• Outrun Mordu, the demon bear, to earn running glory
• Simple swipe and tilt control that are easy to use and
just feel right
• Level up your character and use crazy power-ups
• Endless play!hide details
Also see
A Window to the World, Bing Translator App for Windows Now Available
The Bing Translator app for Windows is available for download today. Designed from the ground up for Windows devices, the app places powerful translation technology at your fingertips by instantly translating content in more than 40 languages, at home, work or on-the-go. Whether utilizing your PC’s camera to deliver “augmented reality” translation, typing in a quick sentence or two, working offline when you are not connected or harnessing unique features of Windows to translate content from many other Windows apps, Bing Translator is a must have application for all your Windows devices.
You can now download the free app from the Windows store here. Check out the app in action in the following video:
The Bing Translator app is based on years of Microsoft Research’s investments in advancing machine learning – a way to find patterns that humans can’t see, helping people interpret the words and worlds around them.
Translating content whether browsed, typed or scanned is nearly instantaneous. Just point your device’s camera at printed text and watch as the translation is automatically overlaid over the video stream - creating subtitles for everyday life. You can also type to translate with your keyboard and hear translations spoken with a native speaker's accent.
The Translator app is the perfect companion when traveling. The app can help overcome language barriers, even when there’s no internet connection. Save on expensive data plans when traveling with offline language packs for select languages so you can travel with confidence, even in the most remote locations. More language packs coming soon.
The Share Charm lets you quickly translate highlighted text in any Windows 8 app, with Snap View you can multi-task while browsing, chatting or more by snapping Bing Translator to the right or left of your screen. With this unique feature, powerful translation technology is just a swipe away in Windows 8 no matter where you are – at your desk or on the go.
For more about the app, check out the Translator for Windows product page and check back for future developments and updates from Translator and Microsoft.
We hope that this app becomes your window to the world, no matter where you are.
- Vikram Dendi, Director of Product Management, Microsoft/Bing Translator
[Source: Bing]
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