Author Archives: Hussain Fakhruddin

Compare Each Cocoa UI Element In iOS and Android With PortKit

PortKit is increasingly becoming a popular resource for mobile app developers across the globe. It serves as an accurate UI/UX metaphor equivalent between the iOS and Android platforms. While porting a mobile application across platforms, this is just the tool we almost always rely on!

It is handy to use PortKit while working on iPhone/iPad and Android app development. Each and every Cocoa UI element of Android 4 and iOS 6/iOS 7 can be visually compared on the display window. For finding the correct equivalent while working on mobile app portability, PortKit’s definitely a great help.

Apart from UI comparisons between iOS and Android widgets, PortKit also makes the task of general app visualization and referencing much simpler too. The tool facilitates the process of keeping a track over all the documentation and naming protocols during app development processes.

PortKit is an invaluable resource for all multi-platform mobile app development experts out there. It’s easy to learn, and can make your apps flawless indeed!

Improvements in Blackberry 10 Features That Are Required…Urgently!

Blackberry CEO John Chen has put on a brave front about turning around the company’s fortunes – but whether BB can indeed survive in the handset business remains open to speculation. For starters, Blackberry needs to implement quite a few improvements in its loss-making BB 10 platform, to regain some of its popularity.

Sadly, hardly anyone takes a Blackberry phone seriously these days. In fact, a Blackberry-owner often has to hear taunts from friends and colleagues, about how (s)he should upgrade to a ‘real smartphone’ soon. The sagging fortunes of BB were expected to receive a big boost with the arrival of the Blackberry 10 mobile OS, on the Z10 handset. In hindsight, coming up with a shoddy touch-based iPhone-lookalike was not a smart move on the company’s part at all. The first quarterly sales figures of Blackberry’s new and ultra-hyped flagship device were way short of projections, and losses mounted to almost $85 million. While the 10.1 and 10.2 updates have been relatively better, they are still not a patch on the latest iOS and Android platforms. Here are some key improvements in Blackberry 10 that we would love to see:

Better camera options – At a time when smartphones regularly double up as cameras, the imaging features present on BB 10 are distinctly ho-hum. Developers should definitely consider including a panorama mode and better resolution adjustment options in the camera settings – in the devices that would follow the disastrous Z10. People who love to snap about with their phones would appreciate the presence of a HDR (high-definition) camera mode as well.
More efficient voice control – Google Now is not perfect, Siri has plenty of shortcomings – but they at least make using Android devices and iPhones rather easy. Blackberry 10 does not yet have any decent ‘answer’ (no pun intended) to its competitors’ voice applications. And while the Blackberry app developers are working on this, how about a wearable BB 10-powered device too? Users might be intrigued!
Better data usage – According to mobile app developers as well as general handset-users, the push-mail notification feature of Blackberry phones has always been one of the latter’s high points. It would be great if there was an upgrade to BB10, letting people customize the intervals at which email checks should be done, and monitor/manage the amount of data/bandwidth used up in the process. That, in turn, might add a bit to the battery life of the phones too.
Presence of a podcast app – Listening to music on the move is a lousy experience on a Blackberry phone. The difference seems all the more stark, if you consider the seamless iTunes music that you can enjoy on iOS devices – thanks to the latest technologies in iPhone application development. Blackberry 10 (or its rumored successor, BES 12) should have a podcast app (native), which would be able to link directly with the built-in music player in devices. The Blackberry Radio features could also do with a makeover (particularly on GSM phones).
Skype on Blackberry – Having Blackberry Messenger and installing WhatsApp can no longer serve as substitutes for a dedicated Skype app. There are more than 300 million Skype users worldwide, and both iTunes and Google Play Store has the mobile app version of this voice and video-calling software. Just like Facebook and Twitter, Blackberry officials should seriously start thinking about pre-installing Skype in all their forthcoming BB 10 phones.
Why has Blackberry Protect become rather useless? – Yet another standout Blackberry feature, which the company somehow managed to mess up on the new platform. The data backup options present on Protect in BB 10 are not even close to being as holistic as they were in the initial version of the feature. There have been complaints from certain users about Blackberry Protect on their handsets not functioning properly either. With an improvement in this regard, people would be able to switch to new BB devices, without losing any of the important data stored on their older phones.
Faster display change options – You rotate the screen of a supposedly ‘cutting-edge’ Blackberry touch-based phone, and it takes its own sweet time to alter the display from portrait to landscape (or the other way round). This, understandably, makes both gaming as well as reading long documents bit of a hassle on such a handset. Handsets powered by the new mobile OS platform would become much more user-friendly, if the rotation speed was higher (take a cue from iPhone 5 for this!). Using Blackberry apps will become much more easy too.
Number of compatible apps – The sheer paucity of mobile applications in Blackberry App World (in comparison to Play Store and iTunes) have pegged back the RIM company for years now. Given how apps for practically every purpose can be downloaded on iPhones and Android phones, it’s not surprising that few people felt the need to actually switch to a Blackberry 10 device. If the later upgraded versions of the OS is compatible with more, varied, pre-tested apps, enhanced popularity would almost be a given!
Availability of APKs in App World – It’s would be too naive to imagine that professionals from mobile app development companies would become interested in creating BB apps overnight. The process would take time – and during this span, Blackberry can try to make Android apps available on its native store. On the Blackberry 10 platform at present, all Android application packages (APKs) have to be converted into BAR format, before they can be installed (from Google Play Store). Getting into some sort of agreement with Android and having these apps uploaded in Blackberry App World shouldn’t be much of a problem.
Support for OpenVPN – Blackberry has always positioned itself as a mobile platform that attaches prime importance to the users’ data security. The Virtual Private Network (VPN) features on BB 10, however, come across as distinctly half-baked. There is no support for OpenVPN, something that many mobile users rely on – while conducting confidential transactions/data exchanges over their phones. IPSEC/L2TP is not supported either. Blackberry is already facing a lot of troubles over its sub-par features – it does not want its one standout point (security) getting muddled too.
Better folder management – Blackberry 10 is simply crying out for more space in its folders. It appears strange that while iPhones and Android devices (the latter, with third-party launchers) offer unlimited folder space, only 16 applications (!) can be stored in a folder of a Blackberry phone. There are no options to create additional folders/pages within a folder either. There will always be people who love having a host of apps on their phone – and for them, Blackberry Z10, is far from an ideal device. An upgrade is required, urgently!
Improvements in Blackberry Maps – Opinions are divided as to which one among Apple Maps and Blackberry Maps is worse. While becoming as accurate and user-friendly as Google Maps seems to be a pipe dream at the moment – app developers can certainly make the maps on Blackberry 10 phones more granular, with built-in walking instructions. A three-dimensional (3D) viewing option would be nice too. Users would love to be able to see the locational details of nearby businesses on the phone maps as well.

The option of getting a preview of all notifications (also known as ‘toast notifications’) is a nice touch on Blackberry 10 – but the lack of any customization feature on it sticks out like a sore thumb. The interface and task manager on the platform also appear static and rather cluttered – and the designers would do well to follow a Playbook-like style in future OS versions. BB 10 is not essentially a ‘bad’ mobile platform – but it has considerable rooms for improvement!

Behance For Business – Are You On This All-New Social Platform Yet?

Once considered to be a hub for artists only, Behance is increasingly becoming popular as a viable medium to promote business activities in the online space. We recently included Behance in our overall social media marketing strategies, and we suggest you do the same too. The benefits over the long-run can be enormous.

The importance of having a strong online social presence can hardly be overemphasized, for any business. Till even a couple of years back, Facebook and Twitter were the only two channels that most professional companies targeted to gain a decent level of exposure on the web. Pinterest and Tumblr, for sharing images and infographics respectively, came into prominence soon after. At present, the buzzword in the world of business is about Behance – a social platform launched in 2006, and acquired by Adobe six years later. While this channel was initially meant for artists and creative experts to showcase their work, you can use Behance for business promotions effectively too. Here’s how you go about it:

Get an Adobe ID – Since Behance is currently owned by Adobe, you’ll need to have an Adobe ID to sign up for an account. The process is simple enough – all that you need to specify is your email (which doubles up as your username) and a secure password. Fill up the ‘My Profile’ section carefully – and make sure that you have mentioned your area of expertise. For instance, if you are a UI/UX developer or a graphic designer, write that in the designated box. Link up your other social media accounts with Behance too.
Start posting – And make sure that you are posting only the finest of your works. As is the case on Facebook, it’s all about generating virality on each of your posts – and unless your posts appeal to viewers, they would not ‘appreciate’ the same (more on that later). Apart from completed projects, you can also add the ones that you are working on at present (work-in-progress, or WIP). People love to get an insiders’ view of the products/creations of companies!
Follow others’ work – Unless you have an extended network on Behance, you can pretty much forget about making it to the first page of the site (which is important, for grabbing the eyeballs of potential clients). Start ‘following’ the works of people/corporate houses which are in the same line of business as yours. When an account for our mobile apps company was opened on Behance three months back, we spent quite some time looking for other app developers and designers – whose work we could follow. There are two benefits of getting in touch with others on this site. When you follow someone, chances are high that (s)he/it will reciprocate the action. Also, you can get valuable information, ideas and pointers from what others are posting.
Keep an eye out for curated galleries – Becoming popular on Behance is not an overnight task – but you can definitely speed up the process by doing this. Search for the dedicated curated accounts that many leading business houses as well as academic/non-profit organizations maintain, and find out how you can get your work ‘featured’ on them. Ideally, include images, videos and wireframes in your project. A well-organized ‘work’ has greater chance of getting accepted at a curated gallery, than a haphazardly presented one.
Customize your profile interface – You wish to stand out from the thousands of other people who use Behance for business, right? Give your profile a personalized touch, by changing up the display of your project covers, panels and profile headers. Both the color as well as the overall layout of your account can be changed. Choose a display option that would be user-friendly (pay attention to navigation), and would suit the general theme of your business. Unless you are an artist, don’t go for a splash of bright colors!
Upload images and videos of optimal quality – This is vital. Many software developers and mobile app development experts make the mistake of not cropping their work-related images properly, and/or not checking the resolution and playback of videos, before uploading them. This, in turn, not only reduces the chances of your work getting liked by others – but also creates a negative impression about your company in general. It’s important to add a creative touch to each of your work. It should never appear that you have a fixed template, and are simply altering the details in the various projects. An optimal blend of quality and variety – that’s what matters on Behance.
Keep track of the insights – Behance offers two key insight figures on every project you add – the number of ‘views’ and the count of ‘appreciations’. The latter is, in essence, similar to getting Facebook ‘likes’. Once your business is on this platform, your aim should be on gradually increasing both of these figures – through guest blogging, networking, press releases, and other such valid activities. Our iPhone app development company already has over 150 ‘appreciations’ in all – and before you consider that as impressive, check this: there are featured projects of others which have almost 50000 ‘views’, with proportionate ‘appreciation’ counts. If you strategize properly, the potential for generating a positive buzz about your business is indeed huge. For projects that are doing better than others, consider doing a re-post on them, including more details.
Use Behance on the move – You don’t need to always be in front of a computer, to access your Behance account. There are two official mobile applications, which can help you monitor your uploaded projects on a real-time basis, simply by tapping on your smartphone. In case you need to display a presentation of your projects, make use of the Creative Portfolio app. The more frequently used Behance Mobile App would be instrumental for letting you get notifications (about followers as well as appreciations/comments), and other activities within your community on the platform. Download both the apps on your iPhone/iPad, and use them as and when required.
Give your account a little extra push – You need to remember that on Behance, you are jostling with more than 2 million other account-holders, to get proper visibility for your projects. When we started out on the website, we shared our Behance account details on Facebook (both on our company page, as well as the personal pages of our in-house mobile app developers). You should follow our suit, and can ask reliable friends and professional peers to ‘appreciate’ your work as well. Getting a generous amount of ‘appreciations’ within a relatively short time-span would increase chances of more organic views coming in later on. Link up your Behance account with Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Flickr, Dribble, and other social media profiles too. You can also upload the same images on Instagram, and link them back to your Behance page.
Start earning money from your Behance presence – That’s right – Behance is not only about generating awareness about your work on the World Wide Web. Once your account starts generating a steady flow of views, appreciations and comments – you can start getting fruitful sales leads through it too. Behance has a custom ‘Work For Sale’ page, where you can upload your best projects, in a free e-commerce setup. Viewers would have the option of directly linking through and purchasing your offerings, and your revenue figures will start spiralling up. Don’t be in a tearing hurry to earn money from Behance though, a new account with hardly a couple of projects won’t generate much attention.

If you work in collaboration with any other person/partner company for a project, do not forget to give the necessary credits in your Behance profile. Review your portfolio at regular intervals, and, implement viewers’ feedback/recommendations (whenever relevant and necessary). You can even launch an email marketing campaign to give some early exposure to your new Behance account. Matias Corea and Scott Belsky’s social platform might still have a long way to catch up with FB and Twitter as a medium of social media marketing – but it is certainly catching up fast!

Ready to promote your business on Behance yet?

12 Factors That Turned Microsoft Zune Into An Absolute Dud

Touted to be the digital media player that would entirely eclipse the iPod, Microsoft Zune ultimately turned out to be one of the biggest tech failures ever. In the following piece, we have pinpointed some of the key causes behind the flop show of Zune.

Apple iPod is no longer as popular as it used to be in the mid-2000s. Quarterly sales figures started petering off over the last few years – presumably due to the launch of several competing, and cheaper, digital media player applications and devices. In fact, when Microsoft released Zune in November 2006, the latter was widely tipped to make iPod practically obsolete. The excessive hype, however, did not work out in Zune’s favor – and within five years, production (of the Zune hardware) had to be stopped. Here are some of the reasons why Microsoft Zune could not even come close to giving the iPod (which still generates steady, if slightly low, revenue figures) a tough fight:

Late arrival – Being a ‘me-too’ product never helps, and unfortunately, Zune was precisely that. The first line of iPods were out by 2001, and by the time Microsoft’s ‘next big thing’ arrived, a considerable percentage of the worldwide markets had already been captured. Zune did not have any such compelling feature which would have influenced people to switch over from iPod. Initial demands were low, and the figures never really picked up.
Music-sharing feature did not catch on – Seamless sharing of music files was the top-billed standout feature of Microsoft Zune – and it appealed to precious few. At the time, general users as well as professional software and mobile app developers were wary of the legal aspect of sharing music, without getting proper legal permits. There had even been cases of music companies suing individuals over this issue. The very factor that was supposed to boost Zune’s popularity fell flat on its face.
Poor reach – The people who indeed liked the music-sharing feature of Zune faced one critical problem. They had to find another Zune-user (maybe a friend, a colleague, or a neighbor) to send/receive files. Given the low-key response to the digital media player, it was almost always problematic to form a network of Zune-owners. As a result, many individuals simply had no one to share music with. And no, Zune did not support music from iTunes.
The heavier build – Microsoft Zune was larger, and heavier, than the iPod. While people did not quite have problems in holding the device in their hands, the convenience-factor that it offered was way less than that provided by Apple’s already-popular product. Ideally, the size of the Zune device should have been similar to that of iPod Nano. Size wasn’t the chief factor that contributed to Zune’s downfall, but it certainly played its part!
Limited customization options – Executives from any software or mobile apps company would agree that customized digital products are the ones that tend to do well in the market. Microsoft practically overlooked this necessity while designing Zune. Users could toggle between three alternative background display colors/themes – and that was all the personalization that could be done on it. To compete with the ‘cool’ iPod, Zune needed to have customizable fonts and definitely a better picture gallery. To put it plainly, Zune was boring.
Too standalone for its own good – It came as something of a shocker when it was found that Zune was not compatible with Microsoft’s very own Windows operating system (OS). Music purchased from MSN Music, or present in Windows Media Player could not be played on the device. The idea was probably to make a digital media player that did not have to be paired with any other computer application or mobile apps. As things turned out, Zune as a standalone product did not have a chance of surviving.
The advertising campaign was all wrong – As a former senior official of Microsoft Mobile & Home Entertainment later admitted, the promotional strategy adopted for Zune was not good enough. The ads were either too intellectual and artsy to connect with average viewers, or were downright misleading. The Zune-to-Zune squirting feature was excessively harped upon, and the visuals (with skulls and bugs!) gave off the impression that the player might have virus issues. Even average iPhone app development companies dedicate considerable time to think up smart taglines and ads for their products – it begs belief that Microsoft messed up so bad on this.
Zune was too pricey – And when it was brought to the same price bracket as the iPod, it did not find too many takers either. The introductory price of Zune ($284) practically ruled it out as a casual buying item for music lovers – given that the iPod (30 GB) was available for less than $250). When the price levels of the two products became similar, new buyers still opted for iPod, which had considerable positive word-of-mouth publicity, and no DRM-related problems (unlike Zune).
Buying songs on Zune was confusing – You had to have a certain amount of money (in cents) to earn a particular number of Zune points. Then, these points could be used to buy music – but you were not allowed to spend all the points that you had earned. The pricing strategy that those up top at Microsoft had framed surely had some logic about it – but it went way above the head of general users. At 79 points, Zune tunes were publicised to be ‘cheaper’ than iTunes music, but no one could quite fathom how the math worked out.
The store display strategy was a disaster – At any store for Apple Products, buyers can actually touch and feel the iPod in their hands, before deciding whether to buy it or not. There is a free feel about the device, which was totally absent in how Microsoft Zune was displayed in stores. The usual custom was to strap it down on the display table, with potential buyers only having the chance to poke and prod it a bit through the narrow openings. A new product has to capture the attention of people at once, and Zune could not do that…not by a long shot.
Targeting the wrong target-segment – Quality-wise, Microsoft Zune was not the worst tech product ever to be launched, but it turned out to be one of the biggest turkeys. One of the key reasons for that must be Microsoft’s decision to target the higher-end of the market – where Apple iPod already enjoyed an almost monopoly-like position. What’s more, owning an iPod was (for some, it still is!) considered to be some sort of a status symbol. Zune had no unique brand identity of its own to compete in this segment. Instead, if it had come up with a product specifically targeted towards the lower-end of the market, chances of success would have been higher. The desperate attempt to project itself as a premium product did not work out for Zune.
No wi-fi support – Yes, it was only 2006 – and even then, the absence of wireless internet coverage on Microsoft’s so-called cutting-edge digital media player rankled. Over time, as almost every Android and iPhone apps started offering seamless wi-fi and social media integration, Zune gradually began to be perceived as an outdated device. If you wanted to download tunes on Zune on the go – you had to stay disappointed, for that was not possible!

The lower-than-average battery life of Zune and the unsatisfactory quality of its earplugs (admittedly, those of the iPod aren’t excellent either) did not help matters too. Even the music squirting feature had strict restrictions (from company authorities) – lowering its value further. The Microsoft Zune software can still be downloaded on Windows 7-powered gadgets – but there’s no denying that the product, set out to be iPod’s replacement, had flopped big-time in the worldwide markets!

Is Apple iWatch Destined To Be The Next Big Tech Failure?

The iPhone 6 might be the most-talked -about upcoming device from Apple, but rumors are rife that the company has plans to launch a smartwatch pretty soon too. We here analyze why launching such a wearable gadget, which would be known as iWatch, won’t be a profitable idea for the company.

At the very outset, let’s be very clear about one thing. Apple has not yet officially confirmed that it is indeed working on a cutting-edge smartwatch. However, if the reports from generally authentic sources like The New York Times are to be believed, a wearable watch – dubbed as the iWatch – is likely to hit the markets sometime towards the end of this year. With Google Glass generating rather ho-hum response among techies, all eyes are on the rumored iWatch – with many feeling that it won’t be a big hit among targeted users. Here are a few reasons why Apple iWatch, if it sees the light of day, might flop:

The product is likely to appeal to fitness fanatics only – Which makes the iWatch a rather niche product (in fact, most Apple products are – but that’s from a price perspective). Users would probably get all types of high-end stopwatch and countdown timer functions on the wearable device. It might even be possible to ‘talk’ to the iWatch. The rumors, however, do not single out even one feature about the device that general users would find to be really useful.
For iPhone-users, the iWatch would be practically redundant – Would the iWatch be able to perform any function that the latest iPhone can’t? Highly unlikely (note-taking, time-keeping, GPS navigation, texts and emails – the iPhone does everything). On the other hand, the iWatch won’t be able to take photos, stream videos, and probably won’t come with a mini-keypad either. Most iPhone app development experts agree that, in the end, the iWatch would be viewed as just another ‘cool-n-gimmicky’ device.
Where would be the profit? – Let’s just say that Tim Cook and his technical designing team does a really good job of making the iWatch. Even then, it is hardly likely that the device would help the company to earn hefty margins. The price of the iWatch would probably be somewhere in the range of $175 to $199 – and, on average, (in a best-case scenario), it can add to Apple’s Earnings-per-share (EPS) figure by a shade over 1%. Not really worth the time and effort, it seems!
Wristwatches have somewhat gone out of fashion – Maybe not the glitzy Rolex-es or the ladies’ watches which double up as fashion accessories – but in general, a large percentage of contemporary young people can’t be bothered about putting on a wristwatch everyday. Once again, this can be attributed to the fact that, a glance at one’s smartphone offers more information than a wristwatch can ever do. If Apple iWatch does not have any standout features, it’s ‘coolness’ won’t be enough to convince people to buy it.
Having a built-in media player won’t help – There are indications that the iWatch might have quite a lot of features in common with the iPod. The problem though, is, Apple iPod, an instant hit when released by Steve Jobs, is in a state of decline at present – as per market sales figures. Strapping on watch features on what would be, in effect, a customizable iPod Nano will not make prospective buyers crave for it.
The short battery life will stunt its popularity further – Even the otherwise well-reviewed iPhone 5 has a common complaint against it – it’s battery life is short (as is the case with practically every smartphone). It would be rather too naive to think that Apple would come out with an all-new technology for the iWatch, which would make its battery juices last for a week or so. At a time when individuals are wary of installing new iPhone apps because of the extra strain they might put on the batteries – is it really likely that they would clamour for a smartwatch which, once again, has a disappointing battery backup?
No first-mover advantage – The arrival of the Apple iPhone is regarded as a breakthrough in the domain of smartphone development. To a lesser extent, Apple enjoyed a first-mover’s advantage for its iPod too – since Sony Walkman was no longer a strong competitor at the time. Conditions are likely to be way more competitive for the iWatch though – with the main fight coming from Pebble’s Kickstarter, an already established smartwatch for Android as well as iOS device users. Making a mark as a new-age fitness accessory won’t be easy either – thanks to the strong market presence of FitBit and FuelBand (from Nike). Interestingly, Tim Cook, the Apple CEO, is on the Nike Board of Directors too – and a case of professional conflict of interest might also arise.
Will the iWatch have to be paired with smartphone handsets? – If yes, that would further inconvenience users. If such pairing is indeed necessary, the iWatch won’t be able to hold its ground as a standalone smartwatch. What’s more, getting connectivity permissions with the various mobile carriers might be a rather costly proposition as well.
The touchscreen of the device won’t make much impact – For the simple reason that a wristwatch is a small, wearable device – with the dial (screen) size being much smaller than that of an average iPhone or, of course, an iMac. Apple might surprise us all by incorporating a slew of high-utility features in the iWatch, but tapping on the various icons to activate them is likely to be rather tricky. Mobile app developers would also find it extremely challenging to come up with applications precisely optimized for a smartwatch. While wearing, you can’t protect the watch dial with a case – and that increases risks of accidental scratches (unless, of course, sapphire glass used on it!).
No 4G LTE support – Even if the iWatch allows internet access (even that’s not certain at this point), the strength and quality of such connectivity will not be anything to go ga-ga about. In particular, 4G LTE features would almost surely not be present on the device. For accessing the web on the go, iPhone would still be the most-relied upon device – and iWatch will not have the web-based features to even compete in this regard.

One of the positive rumors about the iWatch doing the rounds in Apple forums and discussion panels is that – the device might offer direct connectivity with mobile networks. In general though, it comes across as more of a product targeted to only the Apple fanboys/girls across the globe, and would probably be nothing more than a hobby item. If Apple indeed goes ahead with the release of the iWatch, and the product bombs, Tim Cook might start feeling the heat like never before!

Heartbleed Bug: Know All About The Latest Cyber Security Threat

While the World Wide Web is no stranger to minor malware attacks and malicious viruses created by hackers, a bug of the magnitude of Heartbleed had been unheard of till a few days ago. In what follows, we take a close look at some of the critical aspects of this panic-inducing cyber bug.

Over the last ten days or so, Heartbleed is the one thing that every internet-user has been talking about. For the uninitiated (in case there is any!), Heartbleed is a major cyber security/programming bug, that has rendered almost all OpenSSL systems vulnerable. In layman’s language, the bug can cause your passwords to be hacked, and your personal mail/social networking/banking accounts to be misused. Let us here do a round-up on the Heartbleed bug, and determine whether you should indeed be concerned by it:

What is the bug all about? – Contrary to what many believe, Heartbleed is not ‘just another malware or virus program’. In essence, it is an error in the programming done for the OpenSSL data encryption coding. The error allows hackers to ‘bleed out’ information from host computer systems, at the rate of 64 KB every time. Targeting the bug repeatedly on particular websites (Gmail, for instance), can lead to literally millions of passwords being hijacked.
Who’s responsible for Heartbleed? – Heartbleed isn’t something that has cropped up during the last week. It had been, unknown to almost everyone, causing data loss since 2011. Given that it is a coding error, it isn’t possible to label the person responsible for it as a cyber criminal. However, if a finger has to be pointed – it should be at Dr. Robin Seggelmann, a Germany-based programmer/developer. To be fair, he was honest enough to own up to his 2011 mistake recently, during an interview to the Sunday Morning Herald newspaper.
Has the bug affected websites only? – Nearly 70% of all live websites use OpenSSL data protection technology, and all of them have been bitten by the bug. However, the reach of Heartbleed has been well and truly beyond online portals only. Mobile app developers around the world have reported that many web-based apps have been affected. Android apps, in particular, have been proved to be particularly vulnerable to the bug. Even certain public routers and Virtual Private Network (VPN) systems are reported to have been compromised.
So, how does Heartbleed actually steal data? – If you do online transactions frequently, you are probably already aware of how the ‘http’ at the start to the URL changes to ‘https’ (indicating ‘secure’) on the payment gateway pages. Thanks to Heartbleed, hackers can now grab information from such apparently secure pages too. What adds to the complexity of the problem is that, the effect of Heartbleed on a website cannot be traced back. It leaves no footprints, leaving internet fraudsters with an almost clear playing field.
Has the bug been fixed now? – On April 7, the OpenSSL 1.01g upgrade was released – specifically to fix the loophole through which Heartbleed was operating. Before you heave a sigh of relief, consider this though – most of the high-traffic websites are yet to install the upgrade and/or do the necessary rebooting on their respective servers. Once that is done (and you are informed about it), you will need to change passwords and other personal account details too.
Should you be wary of using unprotected wi-fi networks? – Yes, very. Avoid logging on to public wireless internet networks, since chances of unauthorized access of personal data from such channels cannot be ruled out. According to iPhone app development experts, logging on to mobile apps for making online payments via unsecure networks is an absolute ‘no-no’ too. Everybody loves a bit of free internet service, but Heartbleed might force you to pay a hefty price!
Which passwords should you change immediately? – Prior to this, you need to keep in mind one thing. If the website for which you are changing passwords has not upgraded the latest OpenSSL security patch, even your new passwords might get hacked. Thankfully, sites like Google and Yahoo did the necessary upgrades within a day or so. In general, you need to set up new passwords for all Google Apps (including Gmail), Amazon, Flickr, Yahoo! Mail and YouTube accounts. The Apple website has not been affected by Heartbleed – much to the relief of iOS application developers. On behalf of Facebook too, users have been advised to change their existing passwords (as a security measure). If you are a user of Dropbox, Evernote, Netflix or Hulu Plus, you will need new passwords for them as well.
Can you check whether a site is safe to work on? – Fortunately, you can. Since LastPass is relied upon by many users around the globe as a reliable database of passwords, it was quick to develop a tool for checking whether Heartbleed has affected any site. Filippo Valsorda, an independent online security research expert, has also created a site to check the vulnerability of online portals. For a few months at least, it would be a good idea to check a new site on either of these channels. The accuracy of the test results from the LastPass or Valsorda websites might not be 100% accurate, but they will give you a fair indication as to whether a portal is safe or not.
What is the volume of data already ‘stolen’ via Heartbleed? – No one has an idea, and it cannot be said with complete confidence that any data has indeed been misused by the bug. However, according to a release from Canada Revenue Agency, an alarmingly large number of personal Social Insurance Numbers have been ‘stolen’ from the website. The site, accordingly, had suspended its online e-filing operations temporarily – till a proper security patch was upgraded on it.
Online tax-payments now have to be deferred, right? – The verdict on this seemed to be a bit unclear until recently. While the Internal Revenue Service has clearly emphasized that there was no data-theft risk for people filing their tax-returns within the scheduled deadline – the stance of Canada Revenue Agency had been diametrically opposite. The CRA website resumed its services on April 13, after a brief hiatus – during which the required upgrades were made in its security system. As things stand now, online payment of taxes is safe – and deferring the payments would only mean unnecessary violation of regulations.

National Security Agency (NSA) had allegedly been using the Heartbleed bug to keep track of the cyber activities of foreigners in United States, for over a couple of years. We have to thank the professionals of Finnish research firm Codenomicon, and the efforts of Google researcher Neel Mehta – for making the cyber world sit up and take notice of the seriousness of the Heartbleed bug. According to experts on Blackberry apps, even BBM (Blackberry Messenger) services were affected by it. Heartbleed is, by far, the biggest internet security threat till date – and if you are negligent about changing passwords and checking the authenticity of websites, the consequences can be serious.

Will John Chen Be Able To Turn Around Blackberry’s Fortunes?

Pouring water over all speculations that Blackberry would cease to exist pretty soon, new CEO John Chen has said that there are no plans to sell the company – at least in the next few decades. We have here highlighted the systematic strategies that are being adopted by him, to make BB a brand name to reckon with once more.

When John Chen became the CEO of Blackberry last November, the worldwide market share of the RIM-powered company was a dismal 4.5% – nearly 20 times less than that of Android devices. Chen boasts of a more-than-decent professional track record, and had previously managed to bolster the profitability figures of Sybase – another troubled company. He has not taken long to start implementing his own strategies and business decisions at his new place of work too – and Blackberry fanboys/girls around the world are hopeful that the mobile company would finally be able to turn the corner. Here are some of the most noteworthy of John Chen’s strategies to revive Blackberry:

Reassuring prospective buyers – With Blackberry plummeting steadily in the smartphone popularity charts, many feared that it was only a matter of time before the company packed up operations. John Chen has categorically stated that Blackberry is here for the long haul, and won’t be moving away from the mass market under any circumstance. It’s all about lending a sense of stability and confidence to Blackberry’s operations – and focusing on prospective buyers is, understandably, a smart move.
Ending the partnership with T-Mobile – On the 25th of this month, the long-standing business partnership between Blackberry and T-Mobile will come to an end. The origins of the spat between the two companies can be traced to a mail campaign conducted by T-Mobile, in which it encouraged users to dump their BB devices in favor of the latest iPhones. Since then, T-Mobile has tried its best to mend relations, even a hefty monetary incentive for older Blackberry handsets has been offered – but Chen has made it clear that such ‘inappropriate’ actions won’t be pardoned or tolerated.
Announcing the continuation of corporate discounts for existing users – Although this was officially announced by Mike Sievert (the Chief Marketing Officer of T-Mobile) – one suspects that Chen did have an hand in making the carrier company agree to this clause. While all present customers would receive the corporate discount plans as before, new buyers, however, won’t get this option.
New deal with FoxConn – According to professionals from the field of mobile app development, the decision to outsource device manufacturing can turn out to be counter-productive. John Chen and his team are, however, willing to take the risk – and a 5-year agreement with FoxConn has already been entered into. The latter company, however, does not have any major device in production stage at present – ruling out immediate benefits.
Return of the Blackberry Bold – In a bid to pick up the alarmingly low sales figures, the Blackberry Bold handset will be remanufactured and remarketed – in collaboration with FoxConn. Evidently, this is not a long-term fix to Blackberry’s problems, but can at least lessen the haemorrhage of funds during the next few quarters. In general, Chen has been maintaining that both old and new devices would be relied on, for reviving the company’s fortunes.
Arrival of BBM on Windows Phone – Blackberry Messenger is already available on iPhones and Android handsets (although the response has not been earth-shattering!) – and the company has plans to provide it on Windows Phone too. The announcement was made by Jeff Gadway, the marketing chief of Blackberry, a couple of months back. Whether BBM indeed becomes successful in competing with the popular instant messaging apps developed by mobile app companies for Windows Phone remains to be seen.
Putting up a brave face after the Blackberry 10’s lukewarm performance – Blackberry 10, the all-new mobile OS which arrived in 2013, was expected to show light at the end of the long tunnel for the company. However, the proprietary operating system has not done well – with the Blackberry Z10 model turning out to be a major disappointment. Chen has not been bogged down by the setback though, and maintains that the company is still on the right track, and by 2016, profits will start to be generated. The new CEO is sure talking the talk…now let’s see whether he can walk the walk!
Big things are expected from Blackberry 12 – Chen is keen to ensure that the flop show of Blackberry 10 does not have an encore. That is precisely why the soon-to-be-launched Blackberry 12 platform has been customized exclusively for high-end, more appealing devices. It is expected that the handsets running on BB 12 would support more applications – and professional mobile app developers would, once again, find Blackberry profitable.
Strategy to monetize BBM via sponsored ads – With almost 90 million active monthly users of Blackberry Messenger, it makes a lot of sense to monetize this application. The new CEO and his colleagues have announced that ads through sponsored channels would be displayed on BBM, to ensure a steady revenue from the latter. Of course, if these ads hamper general user-experience, things might turn counter-productive!
More emphasis on enterprise devices – Within a month of John Chen taking office, it was announced that there has been a significant increase in the installation figures of Blackberry Enterprise Server 10 (BES 10). The company has plans to work on this, and chances of Blackberry 12 being modeled as an enterprise-only platform cannot be ruled out.

Chen also plans to cash in on the successful BB7 software setup, by launching an innovative Blackberry Classic keypad during the second half of 2014. This keypad would have a trackpad and a belt, and would share many of the key mechanisms of BB7. Cost-management is yet another issue that the new CEO plans to do in a more efficient manner. Blackberry won’t become the preferred choice of general smartphone-users or mobile application development experts within the next couple of months or so – but Chen’s strategies might just bear fruit over the long-run!

Ways To Make The Best Use Of Parallax Scrolling Website Design

An easily-accessible, user-friendly parallax-scrolling website can do wonders to a company’s endeavors to connect with customers in the online space. If you are planning to include this dynamic web designing scheme in your business portal, you need to factor in the considerations listed below.

In 2011, when the parallax scrolling techniques were used for web designing (for the Nike website) – few had envisaged that it would become so popular within a relatively short time-span. As things turned out, the method, which helps to create a multi-dimensional layered feel (moving) to website backgrounds, really caught on with professional designers around the world. Our very own website makes use of this technique, and we would here share some tips and strategies to implement parallax scrolling in your business portal too:

Have a definite motive – Having websites with parallax scrolling features has turned out to be some sort of a fad over the last couple of years. It is important to understand that, it does not go well with all types of websites – and it need not be present on all the web pages either. In general, if you are into the business of information technology, software creation or mobile apps development – parallax scrolling can enhance the user-experience on your site. However, if you are involved in, say, grain-trading or in the medical profession – the method would simply come across as gimmicky.
Choose engaging images – The ‘floating’ background pictures are the life and soul of parallax websites. Select pictures that are indeed likely to capture the attention of visitors – particularly for the home page and other important landing page(s). If effectively done, this would keep the overall bounce rates low. Ideally, avoid putting in too many pictures of products, and include snaps with actual humans (your employees, for instance) instead. Clients invariably like interacting with companies that have a human touch.
Determine the speed of background movements – Parallax scrolling gives you the opportunity to add several layers to the website background – and each layer has to be managed with due care. The background images should ideally move at relatively low speeds, ensuring that viewers can catch a proper glimpse. If you plan to make use of the foreground space as well, keep the images slightly blurred – so that they do not interfere with the on-page content.
Make your website mobile-optimized – Although most leading mobile app developers and software service providers get a large proportion of their business leads from mobile internet users, this aspect is not yet attached enough importance to. However, as the volume of people across the world using smartphones and tablets to access the web keeps expanding, it will become absolutely critical to have a parallax scrolling website that is mobile-friendly. Implement a responsive web design scheme, so that the version of the website displayed varies with the medium on which it is viewed.
Parallax scrolling does not hinder SEO – There is a common misconception that websites with parallax scrolling are almost impossible to optimize. Provided that you have adequate amounts of relevant, regularly updated, engaging and easily scannable content on your pages – you need not worry about this factor whatsoever. Create optimized page titles and meta descriptions too, and include videos and infographics on the pages. Parallax scrolling and successful search engine optimization can definitely co-exist – there are numerous examples of that.
Keep the site architecture and navigation user-friendly – Moving, multi-layered backgrounds do look ‘oh-so-stylish’ – but you need to resist the temptation of putting in concealed menus and other such complicated navigation procedures in your portal. Remember, the sitewide architecture and navigation have got nothing to do with whether you are using a static or a parallax scrolling website. People should be able to find the information they are looking for without any problems.
Integrate ‘call-to-action’ with the on-page content – Your staff might have the finest software and/or mobile application development skills in town – but in the absence of proper ‘call-to-action’ buttons/links on your parallax scrolling site, adequate business won’t be forthcoming. In addition, you need to make these ‘call-to-action’ portions (e.g., ‘Click here’, ‘Request A Quote’, etc.) a natural part of the page content. If these links/buttons are present only in the page footers, they are bound to appear spammy – both to the search engine crawlers and to general users.
Think beyond moving images only – Parallax web designing is not only about making background images move along at varying paces. You have the opportunity to present the information present on your website in a much more interactive format – with the help of this technique. For instance, instead of having a long and static ‘About Us’ page, you can make use of parallax design methods to create a dynamic timeline and profile of your organization. Don’t forget to include a fun element to the website (think up relevant, yet out-of-the-box pictures). Within seconds of arriving on your website, visitors should get hooked on!
Should you include side-scrolling? – From the user-perspective, presence of side-scrolling options in business websites is generally deemed unfavorable. However, if you have web pages that have stories and anecdotes, it might be a good idea to combine parallax side-wise scrolling. For most purposes though, it would be better to stick to the tried-and-tested vertical scrolling feature only.
Test the website on all popular browsers – CSS stylesheets and HTML5 are integral parts of parallax websites. However, these can prevent the sites from properly loading on certain web browsers (older versions of Internet Explorer, for example). Once your parallax portal is ready, test it across all the popular browsers (do not simply assume that a browser is ‘no longer used’). Most web designers prefer using HTML5 Boilerplate to resolve all potential cross-browser compatibility issues.
Manage the page loading times – There are no two ways about it – a website with parallax scrolling is slower than a static portal. However, if you are willing to trade-off a bit of page loading speed for the enhanced visual appeal, you need to be careful that the website does not become too slow. Avoid using images that are too heavy, in the background. Before loading, every pixel on the images have to be scrolled – and if this takes more than a few seconds, visitors might simply move on to another site.

It’s an absolute myth that a website with parallax scrolling invariably has a single URL. Just like we have done with the site of our mobile apps company, you have to optimize the different pages. Do not overuse parallax elements to an extent that finding vital product/service information (or even the company logo!) becomes difficult. A well-planned parallax scrolling business website can help you connect with prospective customers more fruitfully than your competitors – you only need to be a bit smart while incorporating this new-age web designing technique.

Beach Magic At Manadarmani – The Destination For Our Latest Office Outing!

A Weekend To Remember

Two days of pure, unadulterated fun – that’s what the entire Teks team was planning for, this weekend (5-6 April). We had animated discussions, frantic search for cool weekend destinations on the internet, and even a couple of heated arguments – before Mandarmani was zeroed in on. Those who were willing to get on board were asked to raise hands – and everyone (that’s right, every single Teks guy and gal!) had both their hands up.

We work our socks off, but we never miss a chance to party!

An Early Start

Spring is in (well, going by the temperature, it’s practically summer!) – and we decided to start our journey as early as 7 am on Saturday, to beat the mad, mad heat. There were a few murmurs of discontent (after all, who doesn’t love to sleep an extra hour on weekend mornings?) – but everyone came around pretty quickly.

Were we punctual? You bet – everyone had assembled 15 minutes before the scheduled time!

The Journey Towards Bliss

Bliss, in this case, is alternatively known as beach magic at Mandarmani! We had a Winger and bikes for the road trip. Sharp at 7, our journey started from Park Street. Everyone was bubbling with excitement, music was on in full-blast, cameras were out – and we were warming up for the big-time fun on the horizon. Our destination was the Bombay Beach Resort, where bookings had been made well in advance.

Fun On The Way

Got into vehicles and bikes, and had a long, break-free, five-hour drive? C’mon, that’s not the Teks way! We had a fun-filled journey – and can even divide it in a timeline format:

7:00 am: Journey starts (amidst a cacophony of laughter, and the ‘vroom’ of bikes).

9:30 am: The mobile app developers, so used to slog it out for long hours at office, start feeling peckish. We have a stop at Kolaghat – and have a hearty (some of us more so than others!) breakfast.

A minor diversion here – for what is a journey chronicle without the names of the delicacies devoured by us? For our breakfast at Kolaghat, we had ‘luchi’ and ‘chhola’ – in generous proportions. Steaming mugs of tea, of course, accompanied. Filled and refreshed, we resumed our journey.

The Thrill Factor

Riding along a road completely free of potholes and bumps is a pleasurable experience, and our trip was ‘smooth’ in the truest sense of the word. At one point, the road became significantly narrow – and maneuvering the Winger and the bikes along it definitely had a thrill factor. Salman Khan probably has done more ‘toofani’ things in life – but for us, it was exciting enough!

Back To Our Journey Timeline

Okay, so where were we? Ah yes, we had resumed our trip after breakfast. This time, our timeline had more unscheduled breaks:

10:20 am: No water! It’s punishingly hot – and both vehicles and us mere mortals needed some fluids to remain going. So, we got down, made arrangements for good old H2O, and then – we had a crazy idea. Read on…

10:35 am – 11:10 am: We had a photoshoot (you read that right!) – bang in the middle of the road (Bless the Lord for low-traffic roads!). Teks t-shirts on, broad smiles on our faces, and stylish poses being a matter of ease – our impromptu photo-session was an instant hit. All of us got snapped (solo and in various combinations)…and then, we moved on.

11:50: Loads of fun later, we finally arrive at the resort. Bollywood has a lot to say about journeys (‘sair’) being more enjoyable than reaching destinations (‘manzilein’) – but we sure were happy to see the smiling faces of our weekend hosts.

The ‘Chilled’ Welcome

Say what you will about the ill-effects of carbonated drinks, nothing beats a chilled Coke after a long journey in hot weather. Welcoming drinks were served at the resort – and it took us hardly a couple of minutes to drain our glasses.

A sly sip from others’ glasses? Some of us tried that too!

And Now…The Weekend Magic!

Given the fun we had during our stay at Mandarmani, it would be a crying shame to limit its recounting to a couple of paragraphs. Let us just get back to the timeline approach – it would keep things short and crisp (as much as possible, that is!):

Saturday, April 5:

12:30 pm – Every other resort claims to be ‘seafront’, but the one we had selected was indeed practically within touching distance of the waters. We headed for the beach straightaway, and most of us had a dip in the ocean. More than an hour of water fun and frolic later, we headed back for the resort. Yes, we were HUNGRY!

2:00 pm: And a fantastic buffet was awaiting us, for pampering our gastronomic juices. We helped ourselves to repeat courses of fried rice, fried potato (‘aloo bhaaji’), mixed vegetables, and fish curry. For sweet dish, the tray of sumptuous ‘gulab jamun’-s were virtually beckoning to us!

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm – At our mobile app development company, we are an active, enthusiastic lot. Even so, after the heavy lunch, an hour’s rest was necessary. We caught a short nap (mobile alarms were set – lest we sleep along for too long), and by 4:30, we were ready to get out and about again.

5:00 pm – The time when our volleyball game started. We might have been on a fun tour, but the competition during the game was intense – and the ultimate winning team got the bragging rights for the rest of the tour.

6:10 pm – 6:50 pm – A short walk on the beach. A cool breeze was blowing, the onrushing tide was touching our feet, and more than a few stars had started appearing on the sky. Not surprisingly, a couple of us started humming a few soulful tunes. We even biked a bit along the sand.

7:00 pm – Evening snack time. Tea and coffee were served at the resort, along with crispies. We kept the snack-session short – for there were more fun plans already in store!

7:15 pm – 8:00 pm – After our previous office outing, quite a few new recruits had been hired – and all of them had tagged along for the Mandarmani trip. We now had the official Freshers’ Introduction (alternatively known as good-humored ragging’!). The newbies had to sing a bit, show off a few cool dance moves, flaunt their mimicry skills, and do some dialogue-baazi. There were some star performers, that’s for sure!

No group fun is complete without a round of Dumb Charade – and ours was no exception. There were friendly fights, sly attempts to cheat – and finally, the game ended in a draw (everyone had to feel happy, right?).

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm – When Varun Dhawan crooned ‘Shanivaar Raati/Humein Neend Nahi Aati’, he was spot-on! Thanks to the excellent DJ arrangements provided by the resort authorities, all of us (including those who have two left feet) grooved to our hearts’ delight. The most in-demand songs were ‘Pajama Party’, ‘Sunny Sunny’ (ironic, for it was night!), and ‘Chaar Botal Vodka’. Quite the ‘Yo Yo Honey Singaaa’ jam session!

And Then…We Learned A New Skill

Time for a special mention of the belly-dancing lessons provided to all the dudes by none other than Hussain Sir during this time – to the tunes of ‘Mashallah’ (Ek Tha Tiger). We can’t quite match the moves of Katrina yet…but hey, we learnt to wiggle and jiggle a bit!

9:00 pm – On weekdays, this is dinner hour…and on an outstation weekend, this is the time to sink your teeth on yummy barbeque. That’s precisely what we did – and since dinner was about a couple of hours away – we did not hesitate to take quite a number of pieces each.

Foodies…and proud!

(Footnote: Each of us took turns to swing on the ‘jhula’ in the courtyard of the resort. Brought back childhood memories? Can’t say – we were living in the present!)

9:30 pm – 10:45 pm – They say beach air is good for digestion – but we did not think of that, while heading for the beach again, after the barbeque. This time, our quest was to find red crabs – and we found (and snapped) plenty of them. As a bonus, some of us also caught glimpses of starfishes and jellyfishes.

11:00 pm – Not that we wanted to leave the beach, but it was already late – and dinner was something not to be missed either. We heaped our plates with fried rice, jackfruit, chilly chicken (which was absolutely yum!), papad, chaatni, and gulab-jamun-s.

Good food, great place, and the main event (more on that later) still to come…what more could we ask for?

The rest of April 5 – 5:30 am on April 6

After dinner comes the burps – and after burps comes a fresh spurt of energy. We had comfy beds waiting for us, but the thought of sleeping never crossed our minds for a moment. There were wooden deck-chairs on the beach, on which we lied – gazing at the stars, doing some small talk, and in general, becoming one with nature (okay, that was a bit too poetic!).

After a long day, we were supposed to feel tired – it’s just that we kept feeling as fresh as ever.

The Mesmerizing Sunrise

The sky started lighting up with an orange glow as the hands of the clock neared 5 am, and at precisely 5:20 am, the sun made its appearance. There’s something magical about the sunrise over the horizon of the sea, causing light ripples on the water, and we were captivated by the view. Of course, some of us managed to overcome the trance – and reach for their cameras. It was indeed a moment to capture!

6:00 am – 7:50 am: The most incident-free time-stretch during our entire trip. We returned to our rooms at the resort, freshened up, and had tea/coffee. A bit of tenseness was creeping in, for the MEGA COMPETITION was about to begin!

8:00 am – 10:00 am: Drumrolls, please – for it was now the time of our much-anticipated sand-castle building competition. There were four teams (Dynamic Dudes, Deadly Demons, Speedy Spawns and Spark Plugs) – and we tried to outshine each other with our castles.

Oh, and none of us had prior experiences in building sand-castles, so this was indeed a challenge for us.

Help Comes From Unexpected Quarters

We had not carried spades and stuff for digging (oh, puhleez!) – but were fortunate enough to find makeshift tools and bars lying about on the beach. The resources we finally managed to gather to dig the sand were, in fact, enough to reach the underground water (one of us indeed dug up to that level!). Hussain Sir also chipped in with valuable tips and tidbits about castle-building.

Not all the castles ended up looking as…ahem…castles, but we gave it our best shot.

10:30 am: After hard work, comes searing hunger. Feeling very peckish after the intense digging, we got back to the resort, and devoured ‘luchi’ (6-8 of them each!), ‘aloo-r dam’ and a very tangy pickle (‘achaar’).

11:00 am – 12:30 pm: By now, you must have got an idea of our activities during this madcap weekend, right? (the beach -> eat -> beach -> eat trend, that is!). This time, Hussain Sir also accompanied us on the beach tour. We are the unputdownables, and most of us got into the water – and enjoyed another dose of wet fun.

1:00 pm – Back from the beach and freshened up, it was now time for lunch. It was a simple yet really tasty fare – with rice, lentils (‘dal’) and egg curry. As is customary with us Teks folk, none of us ate ‘little’!

2:00 pm – You know what the worst part of a weekend trip is? The point when the trip is nearing its end, and you have to head back to the regular Mon-Fri lives. We, though, did not feel much of this melancholy – simply because most of us were fast asleep during the return trip (so, after all, we were tired!). We reached Park Street at around quarter past 5 pm.

The Parting Shot

We simply had to sign off this memorable weekend on a sweet note. Getting down from the cars and bikes, we rushed to the nearest sugarcane juice vendor – and had glasses (filled to the brim) with the tasty syrup. It was also the moment that we decided on the destination of our next office outing.

Where, you ask?

Simlipal National Park, Orissa!

Apple vs Samsung: The $2 Billion Big Fight

Apple and Samsung have scores to settle with each other, with the 2012 lawsuit between them barely laying down the marker for the long-drawn tussle. At present, Apple has sued Samsung over the violation of five patents – and the latter has hit back with a couple of countersuits of its own.

It’s the fight between the two biggest software companies that everyone is talking about. According to the statements of Apple officials to the federal jury, five of its iPhone/iPad design patents have been violated by Samsung – on the latest devices released by the latter. Samsung, on its part, has maintained that no infringements have been made (although its desperate attempts to get one up on Apple are pretty much well-known). We here turn our attentions to some key aspects of this much-talked about Apple vs Samsung lawsuit:

Value Of The Lawsuit

This is not one of those petty fights between mobile app development companies, involving petty damage payments. If and when each of the alleged patent-violations are proved, Samsung would have to cough up a royalty payment of $40 million. Five such patents are under review – taking up the overall penalty for Samsung (if found guilty) to a whopping $ 2 billion. Of course, if Apple’s allegations are found to be void, it would also have to pay a compensation in the range of $60 million.

What Patents Are They Fighting Over?

Apple had the patents, Samsung had the devices – and the latter is said to have unfairly taken the opportunity of using these copyrighted designs. The patents that Apple have sued Samsung over are:

Single-tap universal search – Samsung officially does not have the right to include the ‘Universal Search’ option in its device. According to the patent agreements, only users of iOS 7 handsets should get the option of searching their phones as well as the World Wide Web for particular items – via a single tap (Patent 6847959).
Use of space bar for auto-correct – All that is required to activate the auto-correct option on Apple handsets is tapping the space bar. In what does appear to be a rip-off, some of the Samsung devices under the scanner (powered by Google Android) have a side-scrolling option, which initiates auto-correct in the same manner (Patent 8074172).
The ‘Slide-to-Unlock’ feature – Apple would probably have the maximum difficulties in validating the lawsuit over this one. As any expert on mobile app development would agree, this sliding feature (with minor variations) is present in practically all touchscreen smartphones. Apple had earlier moved to court over this too, but had failed to substantiate its allegation. Samsung might have well taken the idea from Apple, but its device designers are smart enough to not make an exact copy (Patent 8046721).
Syncing of background data – Once again, Samsung can work its way round this patent by indicating that the Google Android mobile OS has background app syncing options by default. In fact, if the patent finally gets validated, Android users might have to brace themselves for a much-changed, and considerably less powerful version of the OS. The feature, in essence, lets people make changes in the mobile version of any Google app (say, Drive) – and the same is instantly displayed in its desktop version (Patent 7761414).
Tapping on numbers/links in text messages – A 1999 patent received by Apple forms the base of the hullabaloo over this allegation. The reason behind Steve Jobs’ company singling out Samsung over this infringement is hard to understand though – for many other smartphones, including Nokia and Blackberry devices also offer this function. Apart from directly calling on a number from a SMS, the former can also be directly saved to the address book via this function. (Patent 5946647).

Is Samsung The Only Wrongdoer?

If the representatives from Samsung are to be believed, Samsung has also been wronged against by Apple – on the grounds of…you guessed it…patent infringements. There are plenty of developers of Android apps around the world who feel that these two reverse lawsuits are justified:

Video transmission – Voice Over Cellular had the patent for this function, and Apple has been sued for ‘stealing’ it on the sly. However, the video transmission on iPhones and iPads are similar – but not exact clones – of the feature in Voice Over Cellular (Patent 5579239).
Mobile folder management/Camera organization – It is yet to be seen whether the camera organization property of Hitachi handsets has indeed been ripped off by Apple. There are allegations about making the folder organization styles on the iOS devices too uncannily similar to that on other handsets.

What Are The Devices Under Scrutiny?

It would be easier to name the ones which aren’t. From iPhone 4 and 5 – for which many iPhone app development companies create customized applications, to Galaxy Nexus, S2 and S2 Epic – violated designs are supposed to be present in practically all contemporary Apple and Samsung devices. iPad 2, 3 and 4 are under review too, as are the iPod Touch and the Galaxy Tab 2 and Galaxy S3 handsets.

Why Is Google Getting Dragged In This Legal Mess?

Samsung has found an unexpected (and probably, unwilling) ally in Google – to prove that it has not willfully violated any of Apple’s patents. 9 of the 10 Samsung gadgets under examination run on the Android operating system with TouchWiz – while the other one has a pure Android software. The features of the Android OS were, of course, developed independently by Google. Apple has not directly attacked Google – but since all the disputed features are native to Android, the latter is feeling the heat too.

Reading Between The Lines

As an Apple executive (and several iPhone application developers) has already pointed out – at least the second countersuit of Samsung does not hold much water. The concerned patent had been bought by Samsung from Hitachi – AFTER the 2012 lawsuit between the two companies had started. The allegation that Samsung is resorting to unfair means for matching the popularity (and finally overtaking) iPhone devices is more serious though.

On its part, Samsung officials are maintaining that the five patent infringement charges brought in are not very specific – since such broad design similarities can be found between the products of practically all competing companies. What’s more – according to them, these features are not even important enough to influence buying decisions.

As a final shot, Samsung has categorically stated that the lawsuit amount of $40 per patent is way too exorbitant.

The Previous Bad Blood Between Apple and Samsung

There has never been much love lost between the two mobile-making giants of the present era. Steve Jobs, founder and former-CEO of Apple, had indicated Google as an ally of Samsung too – and had mentioned that the Android OS itself was a ‘copied’ product. Apple and Samsung had been locked in another lawsuit in 2012 too, which involved almost similar suing and countersuing. Apple won that round, and Samsung had to fork out $ 930 million.

But It’s Not About The Money

Let alone senior mobile experts and app developers, anyone with some idea of corporate brand wars would realize that this lawsuit is not only about the money involved. After all, the $ 930 million that Apple managed to eke out from Samsung was practically a small fraction of its overall annual turnover. It’s all about strengthening the market share, stunting the growth of its main competitor, and acquiring the numero uno status in the world of smartphones and tablets.

Quinn Emmanuel and his legal team are representing Samsung in this lawsuit, while Harold McElhinny would be in charge of trying to validate Apple’s allegations. By the end of April, we would know who comes out tops in this high-profile legal battle. None of the parties appear to be ready to concede an inch!