Nokia Picks Latest Symbian OS for N8 Smartphone

Nokia is using the latest open-source Symbian operating system for its new N8 smartphone. The Symbian Foundation praised Symbian^3 on Nokia's N8, but an analyst said S^3 has a interface similar to Nokia's S60 touchscreen smartphones without the problems. The latest Symbian OS is faster and supports gestures and HDMI connections to TVs.

Research In Motion is aiming to steal the smartphone spotlight with its device and operating-system Relevant Products/Services announcements at the BlackBerry WES 2010 conference Relevant Products/Services in Orlando this week, but the Symbian Foundation is working to turn some heads with a strategic announcement of its own.

On Tuesday, the foundation announced that Nokia has chosen Symbian^3 to power its new Nokia N8 smartphone. That makes Nokia the first handset manufacturer to tap S^3, Symbian's first platform release following its transition to open source in February.

Lee Williams, executive director of the foundation, said the Nokia N8 is an example of what's possible with the latest version of the Symbian platform. But Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis, isn't overly excited about the new operating system.

"Symbian 3 is fundamentally the same user interface that Nokia's S60 touchscreen phones offered, only it works. There isn't the inconsistency and the lagging," Greengart said. "Today's S60 touchscreen phones can drive you mad. Sometimes you need to press once and sometimes you have to press twice."

Getting to Know S^3

The S^3 offers usability and interface advances, faster networking Relevant Products/Services, acceleration for 2-D and 3-D graphics in games and applications, HDMI support, music-store integration Relevant Products/Services, an improved user interface with easier navigation and multi-touch gesture support, a feature-rich home screen, and the ability to run even more applications simultaneously.

Improvements to the user interface include direct "single tap" interaction that aims to make it much easier to complete common tasks. Multi-touch support for gestures such as pinch-to-zoom forms the foundation of a gesture framework that Symbian said can be extended and leveraged by developers.

The home screen offers support for multiple pages of widgets and a flick gesture to move between them. And one-click connectivity Relevant Products/Services for all applications works to simplify the process of connecting to the Internet.

HDMI support lets users plug their phone into a TV and watch a high-definition movie at 1080p quality without a Blu-ray player. And the music-store integration in the radio enables users to identify a song and learn more about it, while a "buy now" button links with the user's chosen music store for a quick purchase.

Behind Competitors

Symbian said the Nokia N8 takes full advantage of the S^3 platform with multiple, personalized home screens, a faster and more responsive user interface, and more efficient memory management to offer faster multitasking . But Greengart said it still doesn't compare to the leading competitors.

"The S^3 offers a familiar experience for someone who has grown up with the S60 on other Nokia phones, but the S^3 works more effectively for touchscreens," Greengart said. "The S^3 doesn't catch Nokia up to its rivals in terms of providing a user experience that was designed from the outset for touch. And in that respect it still badly lags Apple, Palm and Nokia."

Facebook in reality?

Ever wondered how the effects of facebook addiction would look like in reality? Well here check out this video..

Korea Republic Coach names provisional squad

Korea Republic have named a preliminary squad of 30 players for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ which contains few surprises.

Coach Huh Jung-Moo, whose side were drawn in Group B alongside Argentina, Greece and Nigeria, included no uncapped players. Park Ji-Sung of Manchester United and Monaco's Park Chu-Young head a 13-strong foreign contingent, while 2002 FIFA World Cup hero Ahn Jung-hwan is also included as he bids for a third consecutive appearance on the global stage.

Huh will reduce the size of the squad to 23 after the Taeguk Warriors take on Ecuador in a FIFA World Cup warm-up match in Seoul on 16 May. "The Ecuador game is the last opportunity for the domestic players," said Huh. "We will also be checking the condition of the foreign-based stars."

There is no place for former Fulham and Reading star Seol Ki-Hyeon, who is still recovering from a knee operation. "Seol hasn't been included because he hasn't played as he is still recovering and hasn't trained. Of course, it is regrettable for the players who haven't made the squad but those 30 players have the opportunity to play a big part for the national team."

South Korea 30-man preliminary FIFA World Cup squad:
Kim Young-Kwang (Ulsan), Lee Woon-Jae (Suwon), Jung Sung-Ryong (Seongnam); Kang Min-Soo (Suwon), Kwak Tae-Hwi (Kyoto), Kim Dong-Jin (Ulsan), Kim Hyung-Il (Pohang), Oh Beom-Seok (Ulsan), Lee Young-Pyo (Al Hilal), Lee Jung-Soo (Kashima Antlers), Hwang Jae-Won (Pohang), Cho Won-Hee (Wigan), Cha Du-Ri (SC Freiburg), Cho Yong-Hyung (Jeju); Koo Ja-Cheol (Jeju), Ki Sung-Yong (Celtic), Kim Bo-Kyung (Oita), Kim Nam-Il (Tom Tomsk), Shin Hung-Min (Pohang), Kim Jae-Sung (Pohang), Kim Jung-Woo (Gwangju), Lee Chung-Yong (Bolton) Kim Chi-Woo (Seoul), Park Ji-Sung (Manchester United); Park Ju-Young (AS Monaco), Ahn Jung-Hwan (Dalian Shide), Lee Seung-Ryul (Seoul), Yeom Ki-Hun (Suwon), Lee Keun-Ho (Jubilo Iwata), Lee Dong-Guk (Jeonbuk).

Whose your world cup team?

Well guys, the FIFA world cup would be starting soon, and it will be on 11th June to be more specific. My team (again) for this world cup is going to be South Korea(Korea Republic). YES!! And I mean it. Some of my friends were like how come that's your favorite. And all I replied is "I believe in them"..lolz..Well basically yea they are like the underdogs and also they kinda won most of the friendly international matches after 2006 world cup. Plus there is >>PARK JI SUNG (the player who helps out man united every now and then lol).
So I'm up for it and I say bring it on. Nigeria, Greece and Argentina you better watch for the Koreans..And also just wana know wats your guys favorite team(s)? It would be great to know your views on your team..So hit the comment button to make it easier...

Long Time No See..haha

Hello people. Well it's a been a long time since I've posted well anything. It's been like months. And I sure need to catch up and spice up my blog with interesting tech stuff and all other stuffs that might be of your interest. So don't worry you will be seeing more of me from hereon, I hope so..lol..well I must because I am not being productive. haha...So catch later guys..

Continuity, a student-made game and brilliant Time-Waster

The game's website would suggest it's a student effort, but a quick search on the Web returns nothing else of interest.

Continuity is a very minimal Flash game reminiscent of those stick-man animations that you know and love from the Internet days of yore. The only task is to get through the door, picking up a key on the way. But there's a twist; there's always a twist.

The key mechanic of this game is the shifting of tiles -- a bit like one of those annoying puzzles where you have to re-arrange eight pieces in an array of nine spaces. But in Continuity, once you've got the blocks (or 'cards') into the right position, you hit space bar and travel into the game world itself.
Once there, you have to navigate the environment by jumping and running. There are holes you have to avoid, and you can only move between the blocks in specific directions (but it's never one-way -- you simply can't move between some blocks). The trick, then, is moving blocks, zooming in and moving around the world with your stickman, and then zooming back out to manipulate the blocks again to eventually reach the end point.

It's surprisingly fun, very unique, and well worth a quick poke! I almost forgot: the music is really fantastic too. If it's an original composition, I tip my hat to you sir!

Little-Known Computer Languages

Basic, Fortran, Cobol : These programming languages are well known and (more or less) well loved throughout the computer industry. There are numerous other languages, however, that are less well known that still have ardent devotees. In fact, these little-known languages generally have the most fanatic admirers. For those who wish to know more about these obscure languages and why they are obscure I present the following catalog.

SIMPLE

SIMPLE is an acronym for Sheer Idiot's Monopurpose Programming Linguistic Environment. This language, developed at the Hanover College for Technical Misfits, was designed to make it impossible to write code with errors in it. The statements are, therefore confined to BEGIN, END, and STOP. No matter how you arrange the statements, you can't make a syntax error. Programs written in SIMPLE do nothing useful. Thus they achieve the results of programs written in other languages without the tedious, frustrating process of testing and debugging.

SLOBOL

SLOBOL is best known for the speed, or lack of it, of its compiler. Although many compilers allow you to take a coffee break while they compile, SLOBOL compilers allow you to take a trip to Bolivia to pick up the coffee. Forty-three programmers are known to have died of boredom sitting at their terminals while waiting for a SLOBOL program to compile. Weary SLOBOL programmers often turn to a related (but infinitely faster) language, COCAINE.

VALGOL

(With special thanks to Dan and Betsy "Moon Unit" Pfau) From its modest beginnings in southern California's San Fernando Valley, VALGOL is enjoying a dramatic surge of popularity across the industry. VALGOL commands include REALLY, LIKE, WELL, and Y$KNOW. Variables are assigned with the =LIKE and =TOTALLY operators. Other operators include the "CALIFORNIA BOOLEANS", FERSURE, and NOWAY. Repetions of code are handle in FOR-SURE loops. Here is a sample VALGOL program:

14 LIKE, Y$KNOW (I MEAN) START
%% IF
PI A =LIKE BITCHEN AND
01 B =LIKE TUBULAR AND
9C =LIKE GRODY^MAX
4K (FERSURE)^2
18 THEN
4I FOR I= LIKE 1 TO OH MAYBE 100
86 DO WAH + (DITTY^2)
9 BARF(I) =TOTALLY GROSS(OUT)
-17 SURE
1F LIKE BAG THIS PROGRAM
? REALLY
$$ LIKE TOTALLY (Y$KNOW)


VALGOL is characterized by its unfriendly error messages. For example, when the user makes a syntax error, the interpreter displays the message GAG ME WITH A SPOON.

LAIDBACK

Historically, VALGOL is a derivative of LAIDBACK, which was developed at the (now defunct) Marin County Center for T'ai Chi, Mellowness and Computer Programming, as an alternative to the more intense atmosphere in nearby Silicon Valley. The center was ideal for programmmers who liked to soak in hot tubs while they worked. Unfortunately, few programmers could survive there for long, since the center outlawed pizza and RC Cola in favor of bean curd and Perrier. Many mourn the demise of LAIDBACK because of its reputation as a gentle and nonthreatening language. For Example, LAIDBACK responded to syntax errors with the message, SORRY MAN, I CAN'T DEAL WITH THAT.

SARTRE

Named after the late existenitial philosopher. SARTRE is an extremely unstructured language. Statements in SARTRE have no purpose; they just are there. Thus SARTRE programs are left to define their own functions. SARTRE programmers tend to be boring and depressed and are no fun at parties.

FIFTH

FIFTH is a precision mathematical language in which the data types refer to quantity. The data types range from CC, OUNCE, SHOT, and JIGGER to FIFTH (hence the name of the language), LITER, MAGNUM, and BLOTTO. Commands refer to ingredients such as CHABLIS, CHARDONNAY, CABERBET, GIN, VERMOUTH, VODKA, SCOTCH and WHATEVERSAROUND. The many versions of the FIFTH language reflect the sophistication and financial status of its users. Commands in the ELITE dialect include VSOP and LAFITTE, while commands in the GUTTER dialect include HOOTCH and RIPPLE. The latter is a favorite of frustrated FORTH programmers who end up using the language.

C-

This language was named for the grade recieved by its creator when he submitted it as a class project in a graduate programming class. C- is best described as a "Low-Level" programming language. In fact, the language generally requires more C- statements than machine-code statements to execute a given task. In this respect, it is very similar to COBOL.

LITHP

This otherwise unremarkable language is distinguished by the absence of an "s" in its character set. Programmers and users must substitute "TH". LITHP is said to be utheful in proceththing littth.

DOGO

Developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Obedience Training. DOGO heralds a new era of computer-literates. DOGO commands include SIT, STAY, HEEL and ROLL OVER. An innovative feature of DOGO is "PUPPY GRAPHICS", in which a small cocker spaniel occasionally leaves a deposit as he travels across the screen.

Now you must have known about these unknown programming languages...