UNILAG STUDENTS WIN 2012 GOOGLE APPS DEVELOPER CONTEST

Three University of Lagos (UNILAG) students, Bolutife Ogunsola, Michael Adeyeri and Willie Aniebiet won the recently concluded 2012 edition of Google Apps Developer Challenge for the Enterprise/Small Business Solutions category in sub-Saharan Africa.

The students won the 2012 Google Apps Developer Challenge for creating the Form+ application software; an interface that creates application forms by just dragging and dropping components. The user can create forms – such as curriculum vitae (CV) or resume submission forms for businesses and coursework submission page for lecturers.

The three students were rewarded with Chromebooks and $20,000 cash price. They also won a grant worth $18,000 for their school’s department.

SEASON'S GREETINGS!!!

It has been a wonderful year for tech indeed; the Christmas holiday is here and the world didn't end, so i guess the coming year will be much more promising in the world of tech; while we keep our fingers crossed, ThinkTech wants you to know that you are highly appreciated.Thank you so much for your support and taking time to go through the posts; we made a  lovely Christmas poem to tag along with that ;)

For you! 

Snail mail is slow and so am I -
Writing this post with Christmas so nigh.

We wish you the best
May all be well - blessed.

And fond Christmas cheer
To those we hold dear.

A Merry and Tech Christmas to All!

                                                                                              from ThinkTech NG

LANDSAT 5, THE OLDEST SATELLITE WATCHING EARTH, SHUTTING DOWN AFTER ALMOST 30 YEARS

The US Geological Survey will soon shut down Landsat 5, an observational satellite that has been running since 1984. Landsat 5 was designed for a three-year run, but it's now orbited the Earth over 150,000 times and transmitted 2.5 million images in nearly three decades, making it the longest-running Earth-observing satellite, though not the oldest satellite still in orbit. 

"Any major event since 1984 that left a mark on this Earth larger than a football field was likely recorded by Landsat 5, whether it was a hurricane, a tsunami, a wildfire, deforestation, or an oil spill," says USGS Director Marcia McNutt.

It's also malfunctioned several times in the past, sometimes temporarily going out of commission while being stabilized. On December 21st, however, the USGS announced that a gyroscope had broken, putting it beyond repair. It will be decommissioned over the course of the next several months.

"Any major event since 1984 that left a mark on this Earth larger than a football field was likely recorded by Landsat 5."

Landsat 5 occupies a special position for the USGS — when it suspended imaging because of a transmission problem in 2011, Rick Allen of the Landsat Science Team composed a poem to celebrate its work. Besides Landat 5, the only other active USGS observation satellite is Landsat 7, launched in 1999 and pictured above. Another satellite, dubbed Landsat 8, is scheduled to launch in February of 2013.

EXCLUSIVE (VIDEO): COFFIN WITH BUILT-IN SPEAKERS AND SPOTIFY CONNECTION

“But you’ll be dead. Why would you buy this?” That’s the question you’ll be getting from everyone. Who cares? You’ll be dead. No more questions to answer.

This is the CataCombo system, comprised of the CataPlay, the CataTomb and the CataCoffin.
The CataPlay application connects to Spotify, letting you set up a playlist for the afterlife — a playlist you can make private or public. Again, you’ll be dead, so why not make it public so people can add tracks to it?

The CataPlay service then connects to the CataTomb headstone, which features a 4G wireless connection, 7-inch LCD screen that displays the track being played, and a computer to process everything.

The music is then piped from the CataTomb down into the CataCoffin, which sports speakers and an 8-inch subwoofer — all powered by a custom 2.1 amp. The coffin’s interior is, of course, designed for high-quality acoustics.
There’s no mention of how the system is powered (again, you’ll be dead so maybe that’s not an issue).

The company behind the CataCombo, called Pause, urges you to drop by the shop in Stockholm – I’m guessing to prove it’s not a hoax – for a demonstration. 

If you can’t make it to Stockholm either, here’s a video:

LEAKED IMAGES OF THE NEW BLACKBERRY 10 L SERIES PHONE (PHOTOS)

This HD photo shots  are said to have emerged from vietnam. A few images surfaced in November showing a BlackBerry L-Series handset. According to a post by CrackBerry.com, one of its readers has posted images on its site of an evaluation unit of an L-Series BlackBerry 10 smartphone. This handset was placed alongside a BlackBerry Bold 9700, and looks quite thinner than the Bold 9700.

Research in Motion recently announced that it will hold its BlackBerry 10 launch event on January 30, 2013. The event will be held simultaneously in multiple countries around the world. This day will mark the official launch of its new platform, BlackBerry 10, as well as the unveiling of the first two BlackBerry 10 smartphones. Details on the smartphones and their availability will be announced at the event.

BlackBerry 10 will offer a large catalogue of leading applications from across the globe and across categories, including Games, Productivity, Social, Lifestyle and Leisure, Multimedia and Published Content, as well as applications designed for business and enterprise use.

YAHOO MAIL UNVEILS NEW LOOK

Yahoo has retooled its free email service in an attempt to regain some of the ground it lost to Google’s popular alternative.

Aside from the new look unveiled Tuesday, Yahoo introduced email apps for the iPhone, iPad and mobile devices running on the new Windows 8 operating system.

The company, which is based in Sunnyvale, Calif., also updated its app designed for Google’s Android operating system.

As she nears the end of her fifth month on the job, Yahoo Inc. CEO Marissa Mayer is trying to give people more reasons to use the company’s online services and stick around longer.

Mayer played a key role in building Google’s Gmail, which has emerged as the world’s top email service in just eight years.

PROBLEM RESOLVED: GOOGLE MAPS FOR IPHONE IS HERE, LOOKS GOOD

It seem like iPhone users have been obsessing over the possible arrival of an iOS version of Google Maps for about a century now. Actually, it’s been less than three months. Before that, we had the iOS 5 version of Maps, an app –with Apple software and Google mapping data — which was highly satisfactory except for the lack of turn-by-turn spoken driving directions.

Then iOS 6 arrived, with an all-Apple version of Maps that was beautifully designed but, um, extremely spotty when it came to data. Tim Cook apologized and promised Apple would improve it, but the most obvious quick fix was for Google to release an all-Google mapping app for Apple devices.

And now it has. Google was indeed hard at work on Google Maps for the iPhone, which is now available on the App Store. (It took me a few tries before it downloaded — an awful lot of folks are presumably trying to snag it all at once as it rolls out around the world.) For now, it’s not available in a version optimized for the iPad.

At first blush, it looks very nice indeed. The interface is sleek and attractive, with vector-based maps which load quickly and scroll smoothly; it has full directions for drivers, pedestrians and public-transportation travelers; it includes traffic and Street View and can send you over to the Google Earth app for globe-spanning exploration.

Best of all, it has Google’s map data and address-searching technology — the same painstakingly-constructed stuff which makes Google Maps work so well on Android devices and in desktop browsers. Use it, and you can stop fretting about how long it’ll take Apple to clean up its Maps.

During the period of Apple Maps anxiety, some observers fretted that Apple would refuse to allow Google Maps into the App Store. I didn’t: In recent times, there’s been plenty of evidence that Apple no longer declines to approve apps for competitive reasons.

And really, there was no reason for it to nix Google Maps. By bringing the app to the iPhone, Google just gave Apple’s phone a boost in its never-ending battle against handsets based on Google’s own Android. It also largely eliminated a great big obvious reason for owners of previous iPhones to steer clear of the iPhone 5.

Why wouldn’t Apple want to approve a program which will help it sell iPhones — and buy it time as it fixes its own Maps app?

If you try out Google Maps for iPhone, let us know what you think.

BLACKBERRY MESSENGER 7 ADDS FREE VOICE CALLS

Research In Motion has launched BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) version 7, a free update for the globally popular mobile social network.

A key new feature of the update will allow customers to make free voice calls to their BBM contacts around the world over a Wi-Fi connection. The feature is an inexpensive way to stay connected with friends, family and colleagues.

The Beta version of BBM 7 with the new BBM Voice feature was made available to the public through BlackBerry Beta Zone on November 14. Beta testers were excited and pleased with the update, generating comments such as: “The voice feature is easy to use and the audio quality is excellent.”

Some BBM Stats:

* When RIM surveyed customers who downloaded the Beta, over 80% of testers said that they were likely to recommend BBM version 7.

* In the same survey, 90% of testers said that they would use BBM Voice while travelling to keep in touch.

* Nearly half of BBM customers have international contacts and can benefit from free Wi-Fi calls.

“BBM began as a convenient and effective business messaging tool, and today it is an essential part of daily communications for customers around the world. Now, with BBM version 7, customers have a new option: they can text and talk with their BBM contacts near and far, for free. With the integrated experience, we extend the core features of reliable, real-time engagement to include voice calling and take BBM to the next level,” said T.A. McCann, Vice President of BBM and Social Communities at RIM.

What else is new in BBM 7 with BBM voice?

Multi-tasking with Split-screen feature – Customers can do more while they talk, such as check other BBM text chats, check email, or navigate to other apps while engaged on a BBM Voice call. They can start a call in an instant, and switch between texting and talking, or text and talk at the same time. They can also for example, send a picture to a contact while they are talking with them.

* Clear Visual Indicator – Customers can see when contacts are available for a voice call.

* Convenient Compatibility with Accessories – Customers can use their favourite accessories, such as a Bluetooth or wired headset, or use the BlackBerry smartphone’s speakerphone.

* 16 New Emoticons – Available in the final software released today, customers will see a slate of new emoticons offer them fresh, fun ways to express themselves in text chats.

* Direct BBM Update Notification – BBM will now notify a customer when there is an update from within the app, and allow them to download it immediately from inside the app.

* Simple BlackBerry ID Synchronization – A customer’s BBM profile, Groups and Contacts are now linked to their BBID for easy backup and restore. The data will also carry over when they move to BlackBerry 10.

BBM 7 with BBM Voice is now available for all BlackBerry smartphones running the BlackBerry 6 OS or higher with support planned for smartphones running the BlackBerry 5 OS early next year. The BBM 7 software update can be downloaded for free at appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/3729/.

LG REVEALS MOUSE WITH BUILT-IN SCANNER

LG Electronics (LG) has introduced their new mouse with a built-in scanner, the LG LSM-100, to the African market.
 

“We are excited to bring this innovation to local market,” says Tim Park, head of IT business unit at LG Electronics South Africa. “LG LSM-100 offers an array of functions that blend surprising innovation and user convenience.”

Operating the LSM-100’s scanning function is far more convenient than on conventional scanners. While holding the Smart Scan button on the left side of the mouse, the user can simply swipe the mouse over the material to be scanned. The scanned image can then be saved in a variety of file types – PNG, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PDF, XLS and DOC – or dragged and dropped into the desired application.

The LG LSM-100 is also equipped with LG’s Optical Character Recognition technology, which converts scanned text into a Microsoft Word document that can then be edited and manipulated as the user sees fit. By eliminating the need to retype text from print media onto the screen, Optical Character Recognition saves users a great deal of time.

The mouse’s compact size belies its big-sized capabilities. Because it’s not limited by a frame, the LG LSM-100 can scan page sizes up to A3, larger than most conventional portable scanners. Additionally, the scanning technology itself has been upgraded to handle faster pass-over rates, meaning that scanning an A3 sheet can be done smoothly and quickly.

The LG LSM-100 is also a top-end mouse. The laser sensor is accurate and durable, and the stylish design lends itself to easy, smooth motions as well as providing an ergonomic, comfortable grip.

This device will be available at selected retail stores before the end of the year.