Google ends Wave

Was really dissapointed when I found out that Google has decided to stop developing the Google Wave as a standalone product. Read their announcement on the Google blog.

I guess I am among the only few geeks who thought this project was amazing. Read my post "Google wave as a collaborating tool" which I wrote in March this year.

However, it was probably the right choice for Google as I know of only a few friends who have signed up and I hardly use it myself. As an online friend told me "Google Wave is great if one have a friend to collaborate with, else it's pretty much meaningless."

I tried to get other friends sign up but they thought that it was too complex and that they preferred to use Google documents or email each other back and fourth the old fashioned way. I am not really sure why it never took off. I guess poor publicity might be a reason - most of the people I talked to have never heard of it. Many of them confused it with Google Buzz. A lot of guys who had heard of it but never used it, didn't really know what it was for or were not aware of the amazing features including "drag-and-drop and character-by-character live typing".

Anyway, the site is still up (up to at least the end of the year according to their update). I was thinking of getting my students to use it for their collaborative projects next term but I guess. it's back to Facebook where literally everyone has an account.

Winners of the Attitude towards blog survey.

As part of my PhD research, I carried out a survey of blog readers. The survey was conducted over a period of four months ending on the 31st of December 2009. It taken quite a while but I have finally completed my statistical analysis and am in the process of writing up my thesis.

427 completed responses were received out of which 399 were usable for the final analysis. However, only 366 respondents provided a contact address.

Some may recall that I had offered some prizes as well as an incentive for taking part in the survey.

Well, here is the list of lucky winners, which was generated using the List Randomizer on Random.org.

Bukola Bolarinwa is the winner of the £100 grand prize. 10 other lucky winners will receive Amazon vouchers worth £10. I shall be contacting all winners asap.

I shall be donating a further £199.50 to Cancer Research UK (50p for each completed and valid questionnaire) .


I would like to thank everybody who took part in the survey.

Sony Ericsson's new Android phones

Sony Ericsson has come out two compact Android phones - the Xperia™ X10 mini and X10 mini pro. The major difference between the two is that the X10 mini pro has a slide out QWERTY keypad.

The phones come with a unique application which Sony Ericsson calls the Timescape™ which allows users to access:

...all communication together in one place so users can see at a glance text messages, missed calls, and Facebook™ and Twitter updates

.

There is also the intuitive 4 corner touch screen user interface, which users can customise to access the most used apps or widgets.

The phones come with a 5 megapixel camera built in and supports HSPA 900/2100 and EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, HSPA 850/1900/2100 and EDGE 850/900/1800/1900.

Both comes with built-in aGPS which you can use with Google Maps and Wayfinder.

The X10 mini pro comes in Black, Red and Pearl White. You get more choice of colours with the X10 mini: Black, Pearl White, Lime, Red, Pink and Silver.



For more info, check out the links below:

• X10 mini pro
• X10 mini 

My chapter in an academic book

I am really over the moon. A chapter which I co-wrote with my supervisor has been published in the "Handbook of Research on Digital Media and Advertising: User Generated Content Consumption". It is published by IGI Global and edited by Matthew S. Eastin (University of Texas at Austin, USA); Terry Daugherty (The University of Akron, USA) and Neal M. Burns (University of Texas, Austin, USA).

The Handbook of Research on Digital Media and Advertising: User Generated Content Consumption" bridges the gap between professional and academic perceptions of advertising in new media environments through defining the evolution of consumerism within the context of media change. Containing findings from international experts, this Handbook of Research provides coverage of practical issues related to consumer power shifts, economic issues related to media exposure, and definitions to understand the dynamics involved with consumerism.

The handbook costs $265.00 for the print version on the IGI Global site. However, you can get it slightly cheaper on the Amazon site here in the UK for £150.38 (approx. US$234.878522). Just follow the link below:
Handbook of Research on Digital Media and Advertising: User Generated Content Consumption

Top 3 Dell Laptops

Laptops are now a key part of everyday life for millions of consumers worldwide. From business people emailing financial information and keeping up to date with events, to students conversing with others and studying on the move, laptops are now a key part of our life.

This post looks at three laptops from Dell - which are in my opinion, the best Dell Laptops currently on the market You can take advantage of Dell Discount Codes to get them at affordable prices.

1. Dell Inspiron 1545

The Inspiron 1545 is an affordable all-rounder. The notebook is one of Dell’s stockier laptops; this can be an issue if mobility is an important factor to you, as moving the notebook constantly can often be troublesome. However, for people who are rarely on the go, the notebook is an excellent choice. The product features a 15.6" screen and features two Intel® Core™ Duo Processors. All in all the Notebook is a good all-rounder, but what makes it one of the top laptops is the price, with an RRP of £298 this laptop is an excellent example of value for money as well as boasting some great features.

Dell Vostro 3300

The Vostro is a perfect laptop choice for business users. Weighing 1.94kg, it is the perfect option for mobility. The laptop sports an ultra thin body and features a 13.3" LED backlit screen. The overall slim design and matt finish makes the laptop feel extremely sleek, perfect for the business environment. This model has been packed with Windows® 7 and is equipped with dual-core Intel® Processors. The laptop offers medium graphic support, perfect for displaying presentations and graphs, but lacks the speed required by the average PC gamer. With an RRP of £510 the laptop is a great deal for the features it supports.

Dell Alienware M11x

The Dell Alienware M11x is the perfect laptop for the mobile gamer. It has an 11.6" screen, which is perfect for playing the latest games. The Dell Alienware features DDR3 memory and amazing graphics thanks to its GeForce 335M combined with 1GB of video memory. The battery life is also impressive; perfect for the gamer on the move and with such a high-spec CPU speed, it may come as a surprise that the battery life is as good as it is. The design is sleek and smooth and is portable for the true mobile gamer. We also feel the RRP of £750 is a fair price. This excellent laptop has amazing hardware, which is vital for any gamer who wants to keep playing - even when on the move.

Dell Laptops are some of the most affordable on the market and the price doesn’t have to be an issue as there is a variety of Dell Discount Vouchers available on the Internet. With excellent support, hardware and software, Dell laptops are a perfect choice for anyone on the move.

The Nokia N900 saves the day

I recently attended European Conference of the Association for Consumer Research 2010 which was held at Royal Holloway, Egham from the 30th June to the 3rd July, 2010. My presentation was on the 2nd of July and I intended to go through my paper on the train from London to Egham. However, in my hurry, I forgot to print out a copy and I had not brought along my laptop either.

I had a copy in my email and tried to access it using my Samsung Galaxy Portal. Unfortunately the Samsung could not read the Word document. Moreover, the battery was dangerously low and I didn't want to drain it searching for an app on the Android market.

I suddenly remembered that I had the Nokia N900 and that it had the "Documents to go" app which could be used to read Microsoft word documents. Found out that I would have to download the app which I promptly did - I signed up for the 30 day trial version and was set to go. You can't imagine the relief I felt when I was finally able to go through my paper.

I have been testing the Nokia N900 for a few weeks now (thanks to WOM World/ Nokia)and I only realised how useful the phone was on that day.




The conference venue had free Wifi access and the connection to the net over the N900 was surprisingly fast. I also found out that there were a few Twitterers attending the conference and we came up with a tag for the conference - #eacr2010. I did ultimately get to meet some of the Twitterers in person. It's interesting how social connections over the net can crossover to real life.

I had forgotten to pack my camera as well and again the N900 came to my rescue. I have to admit I am really impressed, as the results were really good. Just take a look at some of the pictures I took at Royal Holloway and I am sure you will agree as well:









Really good pictures even in low lighting and I like the fact that it has a lens cover to protect it from scratches. Open the cover automatically puts it in camera mode.

(BTW, The pictures of the phone were taken by another N900 as well.)

As I went home after the conference, I was thinking to myself how this wonderful device had truly saved the day.

On the downside. I hated that fact that the phone came pre-loaded with only the bare minimum software and I had to search and download apps which is standard in other phones. For example, to my annoyance I found out that it doesn't come with a voice recorder. However, I later found out about the Recaller app on the Mameo site which can also be used to record phone conversations. I would have loved to have an app that would enable us to edit documents on the N900. Documents To Go is only a document viewer and doesn't allow editing. A friend pointed out that there was another free viewer called KOffice which is totally free.

Overall, the Nokia N900 is an amazing mobile phone. I did have to do a bit of searching around and there are some great apps out there for free. I am just thinking about the full potential of this phone and I have barely scratched the surface.

Taking pictures with the Samsung GT- I5700

The Samsung new Galaxy GT- I5700, also known as the Spica and as the Galaxy Portal here in the UK has a 3.2 megapixel camera - nothing to shout about when we have so many 5 mp camera phones around. A lot of reviews have rubbished the camera on this great phone, especially the fact that it does not have a flash. What were the Samsung people thinking about? Definitely not a phone for those who like to take pictures of themselves making silly poses indoors in poor lighting.

The fact that it also does not have a camera cover does irritate me a bit because my benchmark was my old Sony-Ericsson 770i and every phone that does not have a camera cover seems outdated.I mean a cover simply makes sense when you a carrying your phone around all the time. I hate oily lenses though it sometimes does have the unintentional effect of creating images similar to those taken by a Lomo.

Having said that, the quality of the images taken in bright sunlight is not bad. I was actually surprised because the quality of close up pictures are quite good - even better than some higher meagapixel cameraphones.





Same cannot be said for objects in the distance though I guess again, they are quite acceptable for a mobile.



You also have the option of adding the GPS location to the images. Another option I really like is the ability to shut off the irritating camera sounds. Great for taking spy and candid shots and also during ceremonies where people tend to get irritated by flashes and the sound of clicks.

5 Great Reasons To Choose VPS Hosting

Anyone who runs a website has to make a crucial decision, namely, what kind of web hosting is right for me and my site? Unfortunately, that answer isn't always as straightforward as we'd like. Some sites can exist very well on a shared hosting plan, while others will outgrow it pretty quickly and need to move out of a shared environment. There's an option between shared and dedicated hosting, though – it's called VPS web hosting (which stands for Virtual Private Server), and for some sites, it's the perfect fit.

Here are five reasons you might want to check out VPS Hosting:

1. Need SSH/Root Access – This is one of the more common reasons to move out of a shared environment, and could fall under the umbrella term “server-level customization.” No hosting company is going to let you tinker with the server – there are too many sites that could be affected by that. On a VPS, however, you're separated from other sites, and therefore free to customize your server with any software that you want and need.
2. Scalability – When you started off online, a shared hosting plan was probably perfect for you – the right amount of resources and the managed support you needed. But if your site is growing, or if you want to add more domains, that shared environment won't be able to hold you. Growth, whether it's an e-commerce site or a blog, is a major reason to look into a VPS.
3. High traffic/Traffic Spikes (the Digg Effect) – It's funny how the dream of most bloggers can turn into a nightmare without the right hosting plan. Getting popular on Digg can take down a shared server in short order, but a VPS stands a better chance because many have “burstable memory,” which is essentially a pool of memory to call on during a traffic spike.
4. E-Commerce Site – If your website is your livelihood, then the last thing you want is your site's performance being affected by another site. That can happen in a shared environment, but is much less likely on a VPS, since your site is separated from others on the same machine.
5. Cost – Lastly, a major reason to look into a VPS is that it costs much less than the other robust hosting option; that is, a dedicated server. Before virtualization software made a VPS possible, shared and dedicated were the only options; now that VPS is out there, you can get many of the best features of dedicated hosting at a fraction of the cost with a VPS.

This was a guest post by my friend Blue.

The Nokia N900 unpacked

Take a look at my latest toy.

It's been quite sometime since I first blogged about the Nokia N900 - said to be THE Geek's phone. Finally got my hands on it, thanks to WOM World/ Nokia. Will be testing it out for a whole month.

There are some strange looking accessories that came with the mobile and I can't wait to try it out.

Good Halal Food project

Listening and talking to my Muslim friends about places serving Halal food in Coventry gave me a great idea to start a small project - Good Halal Food, to list down all the places serving Halal food in Coventry along with reviews. I started it off in the end of May this year and the list has now grown to 15 places all over UK. I hope to include restaurants and other food outlets in other countries in Europe and the US as well.

As I mentioned in my last post "Create your own Ovi app for Free", I created the Good Halal Food Ovi app which is available for download (for FREE) to Nokia phone users on the Nokia Ovi store.

This is an ongoing project and it was more of a free information service for my friends and family members. That's why I was so amazed when I found out that in the last month, the app has been downloaded 980 times. This made me realise that there is a huge gap in the market that has not been fulfilled and I am definitely going to dedicate more time to the project.



I have plans to create similar apps for the iPhone and Android phones but at the moment I am too busy with my PhD thesis writing to work on these.

You can help me by emailing me your own reviews of places serving halal food (preferably along with their address). Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions.

Create your own Ovi app for Free

If you use a Nokia phone, you are probably aware of the Ovi store. In case you are not a Nokia user, Ovi is the brand name for Nokia's own Internet services. The Ovi store was launched May last year and replaces Widsets, Download! and MOSH.

I have always wanted to create apps but lacked the technical know how or the time to learn how to come up with one. Well, Nokia has made it amazingly easy for any publisher with RSS-enabled content to come up with their own Ovi app using the Ovi App Wizard.

I should not probably be telling you guys this but they also have a competition where they are “Calling all innovators” to come up with their own apps and the chance to win a new Nokia device and up to US$5,000.

It took me just a couple of minutes to come up with the Adamok.net Ovi app. It's already on the Nokia Ovi store and is totally free. Download it to receive my latest gadget reviews, tech news, online marketing tips as well as my latest Twitter updates.



My second app (also free) is up as well. It called the Good Halal Food app and is an ongoing project. More about it later.

Do inform me when you have your own apps up.