Year in Review 2011 (Part 2): Royal Weddings, Scandal & The Worlds Most Wanted Man

Posted by Jeff in Opinion

Year in review 2011 (part 2): More incredible stories from the second quarter of 2011 emerge.

Year in Review 2011: April

April was all about a Royal Wedding between Prince William and commoner Kate Middleton. She apparently had posters of Prince William on her wall when she was younger, we don’t know if that is true or not but it goes nicely with the dream Princess story. Although some may say she was upstaged by her sister, Pippa Middleton, who had a facebook page dedicated to her derrière.

Sony faced one of the biggest problems in its history when the playstation network was hacked and millions of users details stolen.

Barcelona and Real Madrid seemed to be playing each other every week at this point in the year with Mourninho turning up the heat.

We lost the controversial Indian spiritual leader Sai Baba in this month and also on the controversial front, did we finally see proof of Aliens at Roswell crash? I’ll leave you to decide.

We also took a look at some cool iPhone apps and at a show jumping cow…. yes we did.

Year in Review 2011: May

This month Microsoft took the plunge and bought Skype for $8.5 billion and Google launched the Chromebook, while over on Twitter Lady Gaga made history by reaching 10 million followers.

Both Barcelona and Sebastian Vettel carried on winning everything while Sepp Blatter started to feel the heat over some dubious goings on over at FIFA.

We looked at whether cell phones were dangerous and we were promised that the world would end on the 21st May. That didn’t happen, unless I am now living in a parallel universe (well you never know), my guess is we might see a few more of those predictions in 2012.

We saw Ratko Mladic finally arrested in Serbia after years in hiding and the then IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn arrested over sexual assault, charges that were later dropped.

Charlie Sheen went a bit, shall we say ‘off kilter’, and was replaced on ‘two and a half men‘ by Ashton Kutcher.

Golfing legend Seve Ballesteros passed away and President Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden was killed when US forces stormed his hiding place right under the noses of the Pakistan police.

Barcelona took the Spanish La Liga trophy and the Champions League while Manchester United sealed the English Premiership title. Chelsea sack their manager (again) and Azerbaijan won the Eurovision Song Contest.

It was a very busy month of May.

Year in Review 2011: June

While Apple unveiled their iCloud service, Nintendo announced the Wii U in Los Angeles. MySpace was off loaded by News Corp for a fraction of what they paid for it.

Rafael Nadal was winning the French Tennis Open and Li Na made history as the first Chinese winner of a Grand Slam. Later in the month Wimbledon got underway and Germany prepared for the Womens World Cup. Chelsea also got their new manager, Andre Villas-Boas.

There were all sorts of goings on at the X Factor USA as Cheryl Cole was effectively sacked as a judge and replaced by Nicole Scherzinger. Beyonce closed Glastonbury in style but not before U2 and Coldplay had rocked the stage.

The Lunar eclipse seemed to foretell the up and down lunacy of the markets as Greece came close to defaulting on its debts while child vaccination got a massive boost in the arm by GAVI and the Gay Marriage Rights Bill was passed in New York.

There was Weinergate and JK Rowling teased us with the pottermore website. A Picasso painting fetched $20 million, Marilyn Monroe’s white dress sold for $4.6 million and a rare Billy the Kid portrait reached $2.3 million.

Read more in Year in Review 2011 (Part 3) here.

Year in Review 2011 (Part 3): A New Country, A New Social Network & New Womens Rights

Posted by Jeff in Opinion

Year in Review 2011 (part 3): The third quarter of 2011 saw some surprises, more scandal and the continuing success of social networks.

Year in Review 2011: July

Petra Kvitova upset the Wimbledon odds to beat Maria Sharapova who is still trying to get back to her best after injury. Djokovic again signalled his dominance with a victory in the mens Wimbledon final.

The phone hacking scandal exploded in the UK and is still being investigated today. The incident caused the closure of the News of the World, one of the oldest & most successful newspapers.

Facebook teamed up with Skype to offer video chat while Google once again entered the social networking market with Google+.

The world got a new country as South Sudan split form the north in a peaceful separation and David & Victoria Beckham celebrated the birth of their baby girl, Harper Beckham.

Dallas returned to our TV screens and the Spotify streaming music service launched in the US while Harry Potter cast a spell over the box office.

Japan won the Womens World Cup final in Germany after beating the USA on penalties and there was another Royal wedding as Zara Phillips married the Rugby player Mike Tindall. On the other side of that particular coin we saw Jennifer Lopez calling time on her marriage to Marc Anthony.

The USA came close to defaulting on its own debt when politicians decided to play brinkmanship with the economy. Doing slightly better were both Apple and Google who both posted record profits. The US also suffered a oppressive heatwave and saw the last flight of the space shuttle Atlantis.

Norway hit the headlines for the worst reasons when a huge explosion rocked the capital, Oslo and a gunman went on the rampage.

The world lost one of the greatest singers of the last twenty years. Amy Winehouse joined other famous singers who died prematurely, the so called 27 club.

Year in Review 2011: August

The financial markets never seemed to be out of the headlines and this month saw S&P push the US down its credit score scale thanks to its enormous deficit.

Prime Minister David Cameron threatened to take social media sites offline in a somewhat knee jerk reaction to rioting in London. This came from a man who had only a few months earlier been praising social media sites for their influence in the Arab uprisings. That’s politics for you.

The Arab uprising continued with Syria becoming a focal point as the international community called for Assad to leave office. Protesters in Syria are still facing the same challenges at the end of 2011. Meanwhile the pressure was mounting on Col. Gaddafi as the rebel army advanced on the capital Tripoli.

The Kings of Leon sparked rumors about their future by cancelling their tour and taking a break.

Steve Jobs officially announced that he would be stepping down as CEO of Apple as his health deteriorated and Beyonce announced that she was pregnant in a not so subtle dress.

Year in Review 2011: September

As Italian politics leaped from one crisis to another the little town of Filettino decided that it would go its own way and declare independence from Italy.

We saw the 10 year anniversary of the tragic 9/11 events as the redevelopment of the twin towers site nears completion.

There was growing rumor and gossip surrounding the imminent release of a new iPhone, many people were betting on it being an iPhone 5.

The financial markets once again hit the headlines as a UBS trader managed to lose $2 billion on the markets.

REM announced that they were to split after 31 years together and Google became a teenager.

A couple of stories emerged that we never thought that we would see, the speed of light had apparently been broken and women in Saudi Arabia were given the right to vote.

Read more in Year in Review 2011 (Part 4) here.

Facebook and Skype Team Up for Video Chat

Posted by James in Social Media, Technology

In a move that looks like an attempt to steal the new Google+ services thunder, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has announced that the Skype video chat will be integrated into Facebook.

Skype was recently purchased by Microsoft for $8.5 billion (although still awaiting regulator approval) and MS already have a tie-in with Facebook allowing Bing to be used for search results within FB. Microsoft also, it should be said, have a shareholding in FB.

So perhaps it was inevitable that Zuckerberg would look to take advantage of Skype’s technology and expertise at some point to bypass the huge time and expense of developing something from scratch.

From Skype’s point of view their seems to be the lure of the massive user base that Facebook now commands (Zuckerberg stated that it was now over 750 million users), Skype’s own service offers options for free but also premium services for those so inclined. Presumably this business model will be brought into facebook.

The new features were announced at a press conference today by Zuckerberg and Skype CEO Tony Bates. Zuckerberg mentioned that the launch of Google’s social service Google+ and other services had validated Facebook’s vision of the social web.

I guess the question now will be, which one of your facebook friends do you actually want to talk to?

Skype Sold To Microsoft For $8.5 Billion

Posted by Clive in Microsoft, Technology

Skype has been sold to Microsoft for $8.5 billion it has been confirmed today, subject to regulatory approvals.

Skype was started in 2003 and had a high profile acquisition in 2005 by the high flying eBay group. It had a slightly less well known takeover by an investment group in 2009.

“Skype is a phenomenal service that is loved by millions of people around the world,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “Together we will create the future of real-time communications so people can easily stay connected to family, friends, clients and colleagues anywhere in the world.”

Skype’s CEO Tony Bates said that “Microsoft and Skype share the vision of bringing software innovation and products to our customers. Together, we will be able to accelerate Skype’s plans to extend our global community and introduce new ways for everyone to communicate and collaborate.”

It looks like the deal will allow Skype to grow it’s customer base via Microsoft’s software and hardware products and Microsoft will get new and tested functionality for it’s services such as Xbox Live.

Microsoft have stated that they will continue to invest and support Skype on non-Microsoft platforms and devices.

Cool iPhone Apps (Part 2)

Posted by Jeff in Apple, Technology

…Cool iPhone Apps Continued

Here are some more cool iPhone apps, in no particular order. Enjoy!

Cool Apps: BBC iPlayer

If you are in a country that allows access to the iPlayer you are in for a treat. Access to all of the BBC’s (other broadcasters may have access in the future) programs for a limited time & the global edition is gradually becoming a reality.

Cool Apps: PS Express

The mobile version of Adobe’s Photoshop Express. Edit your photo’s and upload them directly to social sites from the app.

Cool Apps: iMovie

I debated whether to include this app or not. It does what it does very well, but what it does is limited. I can’t help thinking that this is a missed opportunity to have something really special. Never seems to get updated.

Cool Apps: Skype

Access to the skype services from your phone. Perfect for those long distance calls.

Cool Apps: XE Currency

Currency conversion in a great interface. Much better than the website once you have setup your often used currencies.

Cool Apps: Kayak

A travel app that hunts for the best deals for you. Uses push technology for the trips that you setup to alert you on low fares.

Cool Apps: Angry Birds

Well known for it’s addictive qualities. Back to old school gameplay that doesn’t have to rely on graphics (although they are very good!)

Cool Apps: Broken Sword

Classic point and press adventure game with nice interface, great graphics and a sense of humour.

Cool Apps: iBasket

Strangely addictive game that’s free to use. Throw a ball in the basket from various positions in a limited time.

Cool Apps: Four in a Row

The classic game comes to the iPhone for free.

Cool Apps: Zoopla

Available for certain countries it is the best property hunting app you can get.

Cool Apps: QR Code Reader

QR codes are becoming more prevalent. This reader will allow you access to the barcode world.

So there you have it, a quick round-up of some of the better apps out there. Hopefully there are some you wouldn’t have seen before but will find useful or fun.

If you missed part 1 you can catch it here: Cool iPhone Apps (Part 1).

Cool iPhone Apps (Part 1)

Posted by Jeff in Apple, Technology

We all love our iPhones, and smartphones in general. For me the most startling thing about joining the iPhone generation was the cool apps.

Even the apps that were just versions of their websites were easier to use and more focused, allowing access to the information you wanted much quicker.

So we thought we would highlight some of the cool apps that we have used and liked, it’s not an exhaustive list by any means but it’s a good start.

Let us know what you think in the comments at the bottom. Can you recommend your favourites?

Cool Apps: Facebook

Access to your facebook account and all of it’s features direct from you iPhone. Includes push notifications when you are signed in.

Cool Apps: Convert Units

Convert units allows you to convert anything to anything. Angles, area, data, energy, force, length, mass, power, pressure, speed, temperature, time, volume measurements are all included. You may not need it everyday but at some point it will be a lifesaver. Also, it’s free.

Cool Apps: Peppermint

This app will be a godsend for anyone involved in design. It’s basically a color wheel but with lots of features. Also free.

Cool Apps: Instapaper

A well known app that allows you to save clippings, articles etc for reading later when you have time. Can be very useful for those who like to be organised.

Cool Apps: TV Guide

A quick, easy and free way to find out what’s on the TV (or the goggle box as it’s more aptly known in our house). As with many apps it is much more focused that it’s website big brother.

Cool Apps: TimeOut

If you live in a major city and want to know what’s going on then this app will serve you well.

Cool Apps: Ebay

Ebay access from your phone, as with many apps it is quicker and easier than it’s equivalent website.

Continued…. Some Cool iPhone Apps (Part 2)

Skype Problems Still Ongoing

Posted by Clive in Business

The internet call provider Skype is still suffering from outages after a hectic few days, where all Skype users were effected with connection and lost call issues.

Skype claim that they are now back to about 80% of their call traffic from a typical day for them but that they have had to install new servers and systems to get back up and running.

They blame the outages on a software problem although many are wondering, after the wikileaks drama, if there hasn’t been some attempt to disrupt the service by outside influences.

Skype was launched in 2003 and has been building it’s users at a fast rate. It claims that at peak times there are 23 million people now using the service around the world.

In the first half of 2010 there were 88.4 billion minutes of free skype to skype traffic, 40% of which were video calls.

Photo: skype