The 20 most useful Android smartphone apps of 2011

The Android Market may not have as many apps as the iPhone App Store yet, but there are still more than enough to be overwhelmed, and it continues to grow at a breakneck pace. To help you sort through them all, here is my latest list of the 20 most useful Android apps (this is an update of my 2010 Android list). I’ve also recently updated my list of the most useful iPhone apps and you’ll notice several of the same apps on both lists.
Remember that I primarily had business professionals in mind when making this list and also keep in mind that this is a snapshot in time. The Android platform is developing so quickly that I guarantee my home screen will look different a month from now.
Still, here’s my list of tried-and-true Android apps that I can highly recommend.

1. Google Voice

Google Voice is a service that is so useful I consider it one of the top benefits of Android itself. The service gives you a phone number that can ring to multiple places or devices and it allows you to access all of your voicemail and text messages from the Web. The Android app integrates even deeper. It can make outgoing calls look like they’re coming from your Google Voice number so that you can keep your real mobile number private.

2. Advanced Task Killer

One of the realities of having a multitasking mobile OS is that you have to manage your apps so that they don’t hurt performance or battery life. Advanced Task Killer (ATK) is my favorite on Android. It even comes with a widget that you can tap once to kill all open apps and you can also set up ATK to kill all apps at periodic intervals. Some people will argue that task managers are irrelevant and unneeded in Android, but I still prefer to use ATK.

3. Dropbox

Dropbox is a great cloud service that automatically syncs a folder of files between multiple computers (Windows, Mac, or Linux). This app extends Dropbox to Android and interacts with other apps (such as Documents To Go) to open the files. It allows you to access PDFs, image files, and business documents by simply dragging them to a folder on your computer and then you immediately have access to them from your mobile phone, once you have this app installed.

4. Evernote

Once you get used to typing on a virtual keyboard (and it honestly took me over a year to do it), then these devices are great for note-taking, and Evernote is a great note-taking app. It is similar to Dropbox in that it saves data locally but syncs it across all your machines and devices.

5. Taskos

There are plenty of to-do apps to choose from on Android but I now prefer Taskos because of the clean, easy, Android-friendly user experience. It also has a few extras that give it an advantage over apps. The biggest one is voice recognition, which lets you speak a task that the app turns into a to-do item (you might have to correct a word or two).

6. DroidAnalytics

For some reason Google doesn’t have an official app for Google Analytics (for either Android or iPhone). The best one I’ve found on Android is DroidAnalytics. Another good one is mAnalytics.

7. Documents To Go

The free version of Documents To Go offers a great little reader for Microsof Word and Excel files. You can upgrade to the full version (for $15) if you want to be able to create and edit files and add PowerPoint files to the mix. If you do want editing capability, I’d also recommend taking a look at QuickOffice.

8. Google Docs

If you mostly work with Google Docs (including uploading Microsoft Office files to your Google Docs repository) then the only app you’ll really need is the Google Docs app. It’s a nice mobile implementation of document management, although the one annoyance is that always open up files in a web browser rather than within the app itself, which would be a little smoother.

9. Tripit

I dig Tripit. It is by far the best app I’ve found for keeping track of all my travel itineraries. It runs on some great backend systems. You simply forward your confirmation emails for your flights, hotels, rental cars, and more to Tripit and it automatically organizes them into trips with all your details and confirmation numbers. Or, if you use Gmail, you can even use a plugin to automatically catch confirmation emails and turn them into Tripit trips.

10. Places

This is an awesome app for finding shops and services near your current location. From restaurants to medical facilities to taxis, this app is very accurate and takes advantage of the business information from Google Local. This app is better than the info you get from a GPS unit (or app) and better than any of the similar apps available on the iPhone. It’s also integrated into Google Maps.

source: techrepublic.com

Muammar Gaddafi died in the rebel hand

Knocked toddler spark outrage in China.

Above picture is very disturbing but wait until you see the video which cause above picture.

Gruesome footage of a toddler falling victim to two successive hit-and-run accidents and then being ignored by many passers-by at the scene last week in southern China continued to galvanize the nation Monday, prompting a fierce debate on the state of morality in Chinese society.

A security camera captured the horrific incident last Thursday outside a hardware market in Foshan, Guangdong Province. Two-year-old Wang Yue was seen toddling in the middle of a narrow street and looking around, oblivious to a fast-approaching white van.

The disturbing video shows the van knocking the girl over. The driver briefly stops with the girl underneath the van, before continuing on, its rear tires slowly rolling over her small body. The girl is left barely moving in her own blood as several pedestrians and cyclists pass by.

Minutes later, another small truck drives over Wang without slowing down, the video shows. More passers-by walked, cycled or drove around her motionless body without stopping -- until a woman carrying a sack appeared 10 minutes after the initial collision. Dropping her sack, she quickly moved the girl to safety and went to look for help.

Wang remained in critical condition Monday afternoon in a military hospital in the nearby city of Guangzhou, her father told CNN.

"I'm still so worried," said Wang Chichang, who runs a hardware store in the Foshan market, as he waited for updates from doctors.

At the time of the accident, Wang was busy tending his shop while his wife was hanging laundry, and neither noticed their daughter had wandered outside, state media reported.

"I feel helpless and angry," the father said. "Had one passer-by stopped to help earlier, this whole thing wouldn't have been so tragic."

Police have caught and detained both drivers, state media reported. Wang, the father, told CNN that the van driver had earlier called to offer the family money, but refused to turn himself in.

The heroine in the video turned out to be a 58-year-old scavenger named Chen Xianmei.

"Blood was coming out her nose and mouth," Chen told local reporters. "I didn't understand why no one else had carried her from the street."

In emotional video posted online, the girl's wailing mother bows on her hands and knees, her forehead resting on the ground at Chen's feet -- a symbol of extreme deference to show the family's deep gratitude for her daughter's rescuer. The mother is inconsolable as loved ones lead her -- her body as limp as a rag doll's -- from the scene.

The grainy footage of the accidents went viral on Chinese Internet within minutes of posting. By Monday afternoon, it had become the most viewed topic on Sina Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, with more than 4 million tweets discussing the video.

"This kind of news sends chills down my spine every time," a user named "the silent wolverine" wrote. "We once believed in a world filled with love and were taught by the government on maintaining high moral standards -- but the cold reality just keeps flying in the face of our belief."

Echoing such sentiment, Wang's father said her tragedy is more than just personal.

"If our society continues to be like this, my child's case won't be the last one," he said.

While netizens directed their anger on the indifferent passers-by and lamented vanishing morality in society, many also see a glimmer of hope through Chen's action.

"The scavenger probably never imagined she was actually 'richer' than many of us," user "Van-stephen" commented on Weibo. "She follows her conscience, which many of us have already lost."

In recent years, assisting victims in traffic accidents or other emergency situations has become controversial in China. In an attempt to cover costly medical expenses, several senior citizens, injured in accidents that were their own fault, turned against people who helped them at the scene by suing the good Samaritans for compensation, according to state media.

Despite the potential trouble and some criticism that she was seeking fame, Chen appeared unfazed.

"I didn't think of anything at the time," she told local reporters. "I just wanted to save the girl."

Apple iPad 3

Susquehanna Financial analyst Jeff Fidacaro, Apple is sending the iPad 3 into production this quarter. Fidacaro told All Things Digital that he didn't know exactly how many iPad 3s Apple has ordered, but based on his "supply chain checks," he believes 600,000 to 1 million iPad 3 units will be built this quarter.

Fidacaro's claims are notable. As he told All Things Digital, Apple was supposed to produce between 11 million and 13 million iPads during the fourth quarter. Now, that range stands at 12 million to 14 million.

Of course, for consumers, the big question is when the iPad 3 will launch. Fidacaro would only commit to early 2012, which falls in line with Apple's past plans. Earlier this year, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company unveiled the iPad 2 in March.

However, not everyone is so quick to agree with the idea that Apple will launch the iPad 3 in early 2012. In August, The Linley Group, which follows the mobile processor industry, said that Apple is likely to bring the "A6" processor to the iPad 3. That processor will feature four cores instead of the dual-core A5 in the iPad 2. However, the Group said, it doesn't expect the A6 to be available in the iPad 3 until June 2012, at the earliest.

Of course, the only stakeholder that knows for sure is Apple. And as one might expect, the company has so far been unwilling to comment on the iPad 3. It also did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on the All Things Digital report.

source : cnet.com

How to configure HOTMAIL using Outlook Express

Here are the settings to access your e-mail messages via POP3:

POP server: pop3.live.com (Port 995)


POP SSL required? Yes

User name: Your Windows Live ID, for example yourname@hotmail.com

Password: The password you usually use to sign in to Hotmail or Windows Live

SMTP server: smtp.live.com (Port 25 or 587)

Authentication required? Yes (this matches your POP username and password)

TLS/SSL required? Yes

Steve Jobs - Apple Inc co-founder dies 5 October 2011

His legacy of blockbuster products includes the Macintosh, iPod, iPhone and iPad. Meanwhile, Jobs' other firm, Pixar, revolutionized computer animation.

"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," Apple said. "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."

Rest in peace.

God Mode - Windows 7

Define God Mode in Windows 7..
Well, for noob, it's not really a mode. Also forget something like Bruce Al-Mighty for-god-sake.

It's a folder equipped with shortcuts to almost every settings change and administrative function in Windows 7. It something like One Stop Center should i say.

How? Follow steps below.

Step 1: Right click.

Step 2: Click create folder.

Step 3: Name your sparkly, new folder this, "GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}" and press enter.

Step 4: Blink as the folder changes form to look like the control panel.