Does IOS7 make your Iphone waterproof?

iOS7, available since September 18, does not make your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch waterproof. This is the kind message that Apple is making us broadcast to a handful of users.  

Many believed a false advertising that made the rounds on the Internet recently. It showed "Update to iOS 7 and become waterproof." Obviously, this story is not true. It has not prevented some users from falling into the trap so far. They tested their iPhone to dive into the water and there was the drama.
 
The ad below has quickly made ​​the rounds on social networks. It comes straight from 4Chan.
 

 
It is true that the advertising is rather well done. All evidence suggest that Apple is behind it, I think that their intention was to test how well their marketing strategy since 2001 is going and I think it is safe to say that they succeeded to prove how gullible and stupid their users are! (I personally don't mind a chat with an Apple sheep...)

Do not believe everything you read. Ask yourself the simplest question before you start conducting experiences: How a simple software update can render a device resistant to water?

Meanwhile, several users have reported their anger on Twitter
"Anyone who said that iOS7 was waterproof, fuck you!"
"Now my phone has water damage."

Source: iphoneaddict

Useful Android Codes

 

WLAN, GPS and Bluetooth Test Codes:

*#*#232339#*#* OR *#*#526#*#* OR *#*#528#*#*   -  WLAN tests

*#*#232338#*#*    -  Shows WiFi MAC address.

*#*#1472365#*#*    -  GPS test.

*#*#1575#*#*    -  Another GPS test.

*#*#232331#*#*   -  Bluetooth test.

*#*#232337#*#    -  Shows Bluetooth device address.

Codes to launch various Factory Tests:

*#*#0842#*#*   - Device test (Vibration test and BackLight test)

*#*#0588#*#*    - Proximity sensor test

*#*#0*#*#*    -  LCD test

*#*#2664#*#*   -  Touch screen test

*#*#2663#*#*    -  Touch screen version

*#*#0283#*#*   -  Packet Loopback

*#*#0673#*#* OR *#*#0289#*#*    -  Melody test

*#*#3264#*#*    -  RAM version

Code for firmware version information.

 *#*#1111#*#*   -  FTA SW Version

*#*#2222#*#*   - FTA HW Version

*#*#44336#*#* - PDA, Phone, CSC, Build Time, Changelist number

*#*#4986*2650468#*#*   - PDA, Phone, H/W, RFCallDate

*#*#1234#*#*  - PDA and Phone

Miscellaneous

 *#*#7780#*#*   - This code is used for factory restore setting.This will remove google account setting and System and application data and settings.

*2767*3855#   -  This code is used for factory format, and will remove all files and settings including the internal memory storage. It will also reinstall the firmware.

*#*#4636#*#*   - This code show information about your phone and battery.

*#*#273283*255*663282*#*#*    - This code opens a File copy screen where you can backup your media files e.g. Images, Sound, Video and Voice memo.

*#*#197328640#*#*    -  This code can be used to enter into Service mode. You can run various tests and change settings in the service mode.

*#*#7594#*#*   -  This code makes your power button, directly turn off your phone without showing the mode menu(silent, flight,..)

*#*#8255#*#*  -  This code can be used to launch GTalk Service Monitor.

*#*#34971539#*#*    -  This code is used to get camera information. (Don't update the camera firmware)

Two quick tips for bloggers!

These two tips are for those of you who use the Blogspot(Blogger) platform.

1. Replace the Blogger sharing widget:
   
   If you are on Blogger you must agree with me, of how ugly and small the sharing widget is, it's almost impossible to see it, for someone who visits the blog for the first time.
   This is what I'm talking about:
   
   Now, I always found the sharing widget provided by po.st very nice and you have a variety of designs you can go with.
   
   To get it you only have to sign up, choose the design you want and get the code.
   
   Now to replace the Blogger's default widget:
   
   • Go to Dashboard > Layout > Edit (Blog posts) > Uncheck the "Show share buttons" box.
   • Go to Template > Edit HTML > Expand Widget Template.
   • Search for and insert the code of the new sharing buttons(copied from po.st) just under it.
   • Save and enjoy it.
     
     
2. Add JS-Kit Rating to Blogger:
   
   Add a rating bar like this to each of your blog posts.
   
   Widget Code:
   
   <div style="float:left; margin-right:3px;"></div> <div class="js-kit-rating" expr:path="data:post.url" expr:permalink="data:post.url" expr:title="data:post.title"></div>
   
   
   • Go to Template> Edit HTML > Expand Widget Template.
   • Copy the code above.
   • Search for <data:post.body/> to insert the widget under the post body.
   • Search for <div class="post-header-line-1"> to insert the widget under the post title.

Before you edit the  HTML make sure to save a backup on your hard disk.

How to treat your visitors with respect?

Everyone of us work hard to make his website or blog appealing for the audience, whether by delivering the proper content, design or services. And to be able to always satisfy your visitors, you should gather some basic information about them(page views, country, browser, OS, traffic source).

Such information in my hands or any other website's, is most probably harmless and it is to serve a specific purpose.
These information become harmful when you hand them to big corporations with huge databases containing a tremendous amount of information, that eventually, by matching them, they could end up possessing some very intimate and personal information about your visitors.
And by big corporations I mean Google, Facebook, .... or in some countries, government.

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not trying by any means to generalize that big corporation are evil (Although it's not totally wrong) and other independent website are good. But there is a factor we can't ignore, these corporations have the power. Power that neither I nor any website have.

How is information gathered?
Well, simply put, an information is gathered whenever you Like something on Facebook, you +1 something on Google, you connect to iTunes or the scariest, when you send an email(check this post: Audacity).

Some other times, it is handed out to them by bloggers and website owners like us.

How? Well, in the process of working on our blogs and websites and making them more appealing, we need tools to help us, and some of these big corporations, as kind as they are, offer it to us for free (Check out this hostile post If you're not paying for it, you're the product). And it is needless to say, that the most powerful and popular tool is Google's web analytic.

How to treat your visitors with respect?
Whether you are a care free person who thinks that all this is delusional and worthless or whether you are some paranoid person who believes in conspiracy and spray over their webcams because you think you're under surveillance, whether you like this digital world or not, it is a fact that it is controlled in a way Hitler could've only dreamed of.

And once you have a website, you have a responsibility and whether you believe in privacy or not, it isn't up to you anymore. You have visitors, that have their own beliefs and you have to respect them. And in order to do that, you must not hand the information they trusted you with to anyone because by this you would be sabotaging your relationship and showing no respect to their privacy and freedom.

So, a first step would be keeping these information to yourself. And to do that, you must use tools developed by people who believe in freedom and personal privacy unlike Google. So what I am suggesting, is for us to stop using Google Analytic and start respecting our visitors. And by us, I mean myself too. So, join me!

What's the alternative?
If you've been coming to my blog (powered by Blogger-Google) for a long time, you would know that I won't leave you without an alternative, an excellent one:

http://piwik.org/ :a free software and by that I mean that it respects the freedom of computer users by putting the users first and granting them freedom and control. And it also happens that it costs 0$.

My Dear old MSN..

Today, April 8, 2013, Microsoft puts an end to its instant messaging software: Windows Live Messenger as announced earlier this year. 
The MSN network will remain accessible until the beginning of 2014, and it is therefore possible to connect with another clients like Trillian or Pigdin but the Messenger software will become obsolete in a few hours.

Microsoft recommends at the same time to use the other instant messaging software, Skype. Recall that if two applications were not the basis for the same purpose, they are now identical in many aspects. Like Messenger, Skype makes it possible to chat live with friends and family via text, audio or video, share files, etc.. And fortunately it is possible to import the list of MSN contacts within the Skype application.

For fans of the application, there is no doubt that today, by the end of Windows Live Messenger, a page turns. Launched in 1999 by Microsoft, the application has seen many variations on all media. Will be most remembered for all it emoticons and the silly teenage conversations we used to make...

And finally, with no words left to say, I dedicate my tears and this song to you :

 

Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One

Two great Android smartphones were presented recently this year, the HTC One and the Galaxy S4 which was featured on this blog by a full review.
 
Waiting for their release , we can already engage in a face to face comparison. Technology, material, design and features, what are their strengths, their weaknesses and which stands out most competition?
Galaxy S4 or HTC One.

2013 technique looks like a turning point in the world of mobile telephony. Galaxy S4 was highly anticipated and proved technically on the same level as its competitors. While each of the smartphones we compare today is one of the best, none is really more powerful than his competitor. There are a few small differences, but it is mainly at the level of functionality or technology that the differences become significant.

Design 

It's no secret that the first thing to attract you to a phone was and still is its look and design. Even before turning on a phone to discover its features or even his screen, it always starts with look and a touch. And HTC has showed that they made a real effort to appeal to users.
 
The HTC One presents an all-aluminum design with a slight bend on its back. You can feel an impression of quality with its pleasant finishes and its well studied grip. On the other hand, they might be regretting that this design has condemned battery access as well as a possible port of memory card. Two black dots for the HTC that could seriously handicap them if they did not give a good internal memory (up to 64 GB).

S4 Galaxy don't have such problem. Its look has not evolved since the previous model which was not recognized as the most beautiful of the smartphones. But then, it is the lightest, the finest, and most compact, but it is also the most "cheap". Its polycarbonate shell is not as strong as Samsung wanted us to believe. Fortunately, its slab glass Gorilla Glass 3 catches a little things by ensuring a good degree of robustness.

Ranking

Galaxy S4 before the HTC One under GeekBench 2 

 
 

Galaxy S4 behind the HTC One under AnTuTu 

So as we have seen, Geekbench 2 benchmark puts the S4 Galaxy in first position before the HTC One (3163 points against 2687), whereas AnTuTu showed the opposite. So yes, the HTC One earned a short head only (22446 points against 22678), but still in the first position. Briefly, it's difficult to disentangle the two smartphones, although it would seem logical that with a higher frequency for a same processor, the S4 Galaxy takes the first place. 
But let's keep away from any hasty conclusions, and wait until both smartphones are in action.
 
  

Picture and new technologies?

2013 will be the year of picture resolution, manufacturers are clear about it. Nokia with its technology Pure View and HTC with its Ultra Pixel are perfect examples.

Comparison of the size of the Ultra Pixel sensor and its competitors
 
Well Yes, it is here that HTC defeat the competitors. With a larger sensor and a lower pixel density, it captures more light and can therefore be more effective in the Dark environments. By most, thanks to its opening to f/2.0 (50% larger than that of the iPhone 5, 90% higher than the Galaxy S3, resulting in 300% brighter than the majority of smartphones) it is sensitive enough to overcome digital noise that taints many devices as soon as the light comes out. Finally and this is the icing on the cake, it has ultra responsive optical stabilizer which allows it to avoid blurred pictures in many situations. Indicatively there are stabilizers optical on the NPA and some Bridges.

For the photo part, HTC One takes thus advantage, through its Zoe application and its Ultra Pixel technology. We keep in mind that in terms of image definition remains less efficient than the S4 Galaxy.

 

Screens, precision and high definition

War of the screens has been a turf war between TV manufacturers for many years. It is therefore quickly spread to related devices such as smartphones and tablets. Thus, the 2013 trend was 5 inches and more slabs and the increase of pixel density. 
This round also goes to  HTC that tops the S4 Galaxy with a pixel density greater than that of the S4 Galaxy .
 
However, these feature is not enough to say that a screen is better than another. It should also consider the energy consumption, the display quality, contrast ratio and brightness. The victory is therefore not yet acquired.

At the moment, pending for the release both mobiles, I can only base my comparison on a general observation, the S4 Galaxy AMOled screens are known for their intensity of black but are less efficient in terms of brightness. Finally, coming to color level' s fidelity, it is known that Samsung has regular problems and Galaxy S4 is no exception. As we have seen recently, many critics have already prompted the manufacturer to correct this defect via a calibration free. It is possible that competitors take advantage of this point. But still the S4 is the only smartphone with AMOLED display for customizable calibration.

Battery life

at the time, it is impossible to answer the question of the autonomy of the HTC One and the S4 Galaxy. Galaxy S4 is the device with the larger battery (2600 mAh against approximately 2300 mAh for the other phone) and it has the same OS as the HTC One, only a bit faster. 
Difficult to say more, but  HTC One should worry a lot more than the S4 Galaxy  when it comes to battery life and performance.

In general nowadays, a smartphone's battery should last for 14 hours, a trend against which Google seeks to fight and which could distinguish it from others in the future Motorola XPhone.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear to you that designating a winner is not really possible because both smartphones have their strengths and its weaknesses. 
  
HTC One suffers from some hardware deficiencies such as lack of memory card and a non-removable battery, but makes up for it on the features with some surprising picture.

Equally, the Galaxy S4 is also very dense in terms of functionality and won also the neck through his many innovations such as Smart Pause, Gesture or even S Voice Air. However it is blamed for its aging and cheap design that suggest a limited robustness.

So it is a bit hard to say which is going to be more popular. Please, share with me your opinion and let me know which one you would choose?

What does the creator of RSS have to say on Google Reader phasing out?

While users from all over the world went crazy, signing petitions, begging Google to reconsider their decision about the phasing out of Google Reader in July, one person didn't give a fuck. I'm not talking about just anyone, I'm talking about the inventor of RSS!

Dave Winer, who is credited for his inventions of both RSS and blog, wanted to respond to the demise of Google Reader, Google's RSS service and feed aggregator:
"I won't miss it. I've never used it. I do not believe that a company as large as Google has common interests with me, and I do not trust them to store all the news I want to read. Besides that, I do not think that an approach such as "inbox" is a good idea. Who cares about the number of unread items? I like the idea of a river of news to read, and I have many configured flows, bringing me news and podcasts. [...] the next time, remember to pay for the services you depend on. Those have more chances of surviving the bubble. "
 

The approach is interesting, but probably too biased for the most of Google Reader users. Anyway, I have already published an article suggesting some alternatives to Google Reader.

How to download torrents from your workplace

If during your work hours, you skim the net looking for cool torrents, but you can not download from your workplace, here's a little trick.

The solution is very simple. All you have to do is to install the Phrozen Dropbox Torrent on your computer at home, then drag and drop it into your Dropbox folder (or any cloud storage service: Skydrive, Owncloud, FTP ... etc.,).

Phrozen DropBox Torrent detect new torrents from a remote location ( let's say the next day at work) and automatically start to download the associated content. And if you have good internet at work, hopefully, once you get home, your downloads will be completed.

Note that uTorrent also offers the option. And I'm sure there is a lot of other clients that might have the same option. On the other hand, you can find some web applications such as Transmission that also allow your remotely download torrents.

So you get it. There's a million way to get the same result, you just have to pick the application that suites you the most.
And I wish you the best of luck exploiting your employer's internet connection.

After Google's decision, what is the alternative for the RSS Reader?

On july 1st, the most popular RSS reader will stop working. Google has decided to cut the service, saying it was used less.What happens there at Google?
Day after day, the company is making announcements that go beyond product launch. After yesterday's announcement of the departure of Andy Rubin, one of the architects of Android, the Mountain View company, has released an info this morning to say the unexpected: the outright stop of Google Reader. 

The RSS reader which inform millions of people around the world, will be permanently closed on July 1st. Without further guidance. It gives little explanation to justify this decision. Two reasons were mentioned on its official blog: Google Reader users number is decreasing and the company need to rationalize its services. 

What is the alternative?

While Google Reader team expressed his "sadness", the followers of this service are put together as shown in the number of reactions on specialized sites and Twitter. Petitions embark on the same canvas in an attempt to put pressure on Google to reconsider its decision. One of them garnered the signatures at an impressive rate, with a number of names which reached more than 30,000 in just a few hours. In addition to these reactions, several companies offer their solution.
Services like Feedly are already offering to  automatically manage the recovery from Google Reader. They hold also to reassure their users: the removal service will not affect Google users to Feedly. Others, such as Old Reader, have decided to adopt an interface "old" that should delight fans of Google Reader. The only problem is, this service is saturated since Google's decision. The design solution is also French, it is called Netvibes. Fortunately, there are a thousand ways to recover for Google RSS Reader.

Two quick tips!

I'm in a good mood and I really feel like sharing something. And since this isn't my diary, neither my twitter account, I thought why don't I share something with my really good committed (:@) readers. Something, that my readers will actually benefit from.

So, I have two tips, the first should concern anyone, anyone who access the web actually; And the second one, is exclusive to anyone who has a blog, a site or planning on getting one.

1st Tip: Your personal security.

We all know how critical our personal information can be, and yet people still choose to share them anywhere and then blame it on the web.

Well, I'm not saying that it is completely the user's fault. but corporations like Google are really working on privacy. And you also should. After all it's your information.

After this boring introduction, I'm going to talk to you about the security questions that you answer when you register in some sites, in order to get your password in case you forgot it. Well, the thing is, these days, these security questions aren't as secure as you would think. I mean take a look at this example :

How to break linux?

20 ways to break Linux 

Linux is a robust OS but there are still lots of ways you can trash it.

Linux has a reputation for robustness but there are still plenty of ways to damage a perfectly working system.
Here we share some of the ways you can trash Linux so you don't make the same mistakes we did.
Read the Complete article on techradar.com

I just came across this article, and I did some "Googling" and I found it to be discussed on many blogs and forums so I just wanted to write some notes about it.

First I'm gonna start by enumerating the 20 ways and you can always go back to the original article to find out more: