Amazon RDS Supports PostgreSQL!

Amazon cloud based services have officially announced that they will be upgrading their support to include PostGreSQL in their list of supported database architecture. This will provide users with the flexibility of cloud services while working with systems that utilize PostgreSQL. Such increased flexibility enables users to easily create, manage, scale and optimize their PostGre setups.

Looking back at the traditional process involved, PostGreSQL database creation and management used to be a complex and cumbersome process that involved a lot of effort and technical know-how. Amazon aims to simplify this process by utilizing its SaaS, PaaS and IaaS capabilities. With a powerful and efficient management console provided by Amazon, users will now be able to easily create and manage PostGre instances. The console provides autoconfigured instances with prefilled parameters that help users to set up instances with just a few mouse clicks.

The main advantage of Amazon RDS is that the user will be able to use all the tools and services that are currently available with database engines. PostGre has become the leading trend in web and mobile application development and this drift will increase with support from Amazon.

The current integration from Amazon includes a few key functional and feature specifications which makes it truly user friendly and efficient. Specifications are explained below:

* Amazon RDS provides the option to select preconfigured parameters and settings. This allows quick creation, deployment and management of PostGreSQL instances.

* Analytics feature has been optimized to allow real time monitoring and tracking of usage statistics and information.

* Another amazing feature is the automated status/activity update. This feature updates the user by sending an SMS or email notification to the registered email address/mobile number.

* Version control and patch management are handled by the system. This process is automated and allows the system to patch the database and maintain proper versioning.

*  Amazon has optimized speed and performance figures. This has been done by modifying the IOPS range and provisioning it to more than 25,000 PostGreSQL.

*  Scaling of database is a piece of cake in Amazon RDS. As always, easy scalability is an advantage of PostGreSQL instances in Amazon.

*  Apart from this, Amazon also provides enhanced security and backup/restoration mechanisms.

Main Features:

Location-based services – Amazon supports location-based geolocation services with PostGre. This is termed as PostGIS service and extends the relational schema to a geospatial data architecture.

Multiple language support – The support for multiple code level languages has been included. There are three language extensions to support Perl, pgSQL and Tcl.

Enhanced search – Amazon ensures a perfected search mechanism that allows users to perform text-based searches.

JSON support – The system supports JSON communication for data manipulation and Hstore function.

Apart from these, the system includes all core features of PostGreSQL database.

Apple’s iBeacon

When Apple very recently launched iOS 7 and followed this up with another set of phones, many speculated an NFC-enabled iPhone and/or iPad. However, not only did they make the decision to keep away from NFC, they also opted to go with another technology that they believe can become a potential game changer, and it is called iBeacon.

What is iBeacon?

iBeacon is a novel technology that enables mobile apps to detect when an iPhone is near a small wireless sensor called a beacon.  “Beacons” are  small wireless sensors that makes use of  Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to  transmit data to an iPhone and vice versa.

BLE Technology

iBeacon makes use of Bluetooth low energy (also known  as Bluetooth Smart) which is a wireless computer network technology for transmitting data and is characterized by reduced power consumption and lower cost. It consumes minuscule amounts of energy and so, there is minimal battery impact of the device. Estimote Inc, a supplementer of beacons, boasts of one which can run for up to two years on a single coin battery. Imagine that!!

How does it work?

Imagine you are walking by a store that has a beacon installed, with an iPhone in your hand. This “beacon” can be thought of a context-aware miniature sensor which is capable of spotting your location. If your iPhone has an app associated with the store installed on it, once you are within the beacon’s range, it can transmit specific data (including advertisements, promotions) to your iPhone through this app.

Further, this could enable payments at the point of sale (POS) so that you don’t need to remove your wallet or card to make a payment. With this feature, iBeacon could become a possible NFC competitor.

Pros:

·         Compatibility – Most recent phones are compatible with BLE (including iPhone).

·         Range –  iBeacons range is up to 50 meters which is significantly higher compared to NFC.

·         Low power consumption – The most attractive feature so far is that, even with constant use, there is minimal battery impact

·         Works indoors (unlike GPS)

Cons:

·         Expensive – iBeacons are slightly more expensive than NFC chips.

·         Security is a concern.

Compatible devices

The following set of hardware are considered iBeacon compatible:

·         iOS devices with Bluetooth 4.0 (iPhone 4S and later, iPad 3 and later, iPod touch 5, iPad mini and later)

·         Android devices with Bluetooth 4.0 and Android 4.3 and later (Samsung Galaxy S3/S4, Samsung Galaxy Note II/III, HTC One, Nexus 7 2013 edition, Nexus 4, Nexus 5,HTC Butterfly, Droid DNA)

·         Macintosh computers equipped with OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) and Bluetooth 4.0 using the MacBeacon application from Radius Networks

The claim that iBeacon could be a potential NFC killer is supported by the fact that it is already being adopted worldwide by different e-commerce business giants . PayPal, one of the  e-commerce business giants is already working on this to enable payments wirelessly. On December 6, 2013, Apple made a huge statement by deploying iBeacons across its 254 US retail stores. Although iBeacon technology primarily points out to Apple’s dislike towards data-sharing capabilities of near field communication (NFC) technology, is a great product idea and could revolutionize contact-less payment systems in the near future.

7 Google Products in 2013

Google celebrated its 15th anniversary this year !!!

1.Google Glass

In 2013, for the first time, the mantle of innovation was passed from Apple to Google. This was largely possible because of Google Glass, the first optically-driven wearable computer aimed at general consumers.

Glass isn't set to hit the mass market until 2014, but the company began disseminating units to an unspecified number of "explorers" early this year. That led to a wave of publicity, then a backlash and now, as the year comes to a close, continued uncertainty about the viability of the category.

Google Glass's primary issue is a chicken-and-egg problem: Since so few people own a pair, they are not yet socially acceptable. A major part of the Glass experience is receiving weird looks from others. Google could work out some of those kinks; a partnership with fashionable eyewear brand Warby Parker, for example, would likely yield some less geeky designs. Even if Glass is a colossal flop, though, the product has succeeded it making Apple look comparatively timid with its lineup of mildly tweaked phones (think: the iPhone 5C and 5S) and tablets and rumored iWatch.

2.Android Takes 81% of the Market

Though many consumers continue to equate the smartphone with the iPhone,four-fifths of all smartphones actually sport Android. That means that the smartphone market is shaping up to look a lot like the PC segment, with Google playing the role of Microsoft. Butwhile Windows is a cash cow for Microsoft, Google doesn't actually make any money from Android.Instead, Android is designed to sell advertising. With such a large chunk of the market, Google has brilliantly transitioned from the desktop era to the mobile age.

Of course, that's not how Apple sees it. In a September interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Apple CEO Tim Cook cited stats showing that despite Android's market-share dominance, 55% of mobile traffic comes from iOS devices. Cook also indirectly dubbed many of Android-based devices as "junk." Again, this is a moot point when your intention is to sell ads.

3.Google Buys Waze for $1.1 Billion

The world earned new respect for Google Maps in 2012 after Apple's disastrous introduction of Maps. But the mapping category keeps evolving. Waze, an Israeli company, was ahead of the curve with incorporating real-time information, like traffic, into maps. Many realized Waze was one of very few companies to offer such data along with its own credible mapping infrastructure, which set off a bidding war that reportedly included Apple and Facebook. In the end, Google and, as a result, maintained its reputation as the Internet's premiere cartographer.

4.Moto X Launches

In August, Google announced the Moto X, the first smartphone designed together by Google and its Motorola unit. (This was also the first major release to follow the company's $12 billion purchase of Motorola.) Though the Moto X received positive reviews, it lacked any strong differentiator. Even its Touchless Control, which brings your phone to life by uttering "OK Google now," appeared in a new line of Verizon Droid smartphones the week before the Moto X was unveiled.

In other words, this wasn't seen as a breakthrough — a tough challenge with so many other Android manufacturers. Moto, which was seen as a hedge against patent trolls, has not yet seamlessly integrated into the company and appears to be just one of many partners, albeit one that Google owns.

5.The Introduction of Chromecast

In August, Google announced the Moto X, the first smartphone designed together by Google and its Motorola unit. (This was also the first major release to follow the company's $12 billion purchase of Motorola.) Though the Moto X received positive reviews, it lacked any strong differentiator. Even its Touchless Control, which brings your phone to life by uttering "OK Google now," appeared in a new line of Verizon Droid smartphones the week before the Moto X was unveiled.

In other words, this wasn't seen as a breakthrough — a tough challenge with so many other Android manufacturers. Moto, which was seen as a hedge against patent trolls, has not yet seamlessly integrated into the company and appears to be just one of many partners, albeit one that Google owns.

6.Google Stock Hits $1,000

In October, Google stock entered the four-figure range, joining an elite club including Priceline, Seaboard and Berkshire Hathaway. Such psychological barriers are often meaningless — a looming stock split will send it back to three digit territory soon — but it underscored the company's stellar financial performance this year.

7.Google Play Passes 50 Billion App Downloads

This summer, just as Apple announced 50 billion downloads on the App Store, Google was also crowing about the same number of downloads. Google Play launched as Android Market just a few months after the App Store in 2008. However, for much of the ensuing period, Google Play was seen as an also-ran next to the App Store. This is partially because developers generally release iOS versions of their apps ahead of their Android iterations — in fact, often months ahead.

That may be changing. With more than 80% of the global market, justifying an iOS-first strategy is increasingly difficult. If Android does get the edge in new development, it will be harder for consumers to defend their devotion to iOS as well.

Next Generation USB Connector

As mobile devices get increasingly slimmer, so too will their corresponding USB connectors. Even better, you won't have to flip the cable when you try to slip it in upside down. Finally Development for the next-generation USB connector, called the Type-C, is underway and will be thinner and sleeker than current USB 3.0 cables (pictured above), according to the USB 3.1 Promoter Group, which is made up of industry heavy hitters including Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Intel.

To pack the powerful punch of the USB 3.1 standard, which can move data at 10 gigabits per second, into a smaller cable, it will closely resemble the USB 2.0 Micro-B. But it has a few advantages over existing models: Specifically, it's reversible, meaning users no longer need to worry about plug orientation. 

The plug design is similar to the Apple's Lightning cables and will take away one of USB's main frustrations. The downside is that the new cables won't work with existing connectors.

The Type-C connector is built on existing USB 3.1 and USB 2.0 technologies and will have scalable power capabilities, meaning it will be able to charge a wide range of gadgets.

“While USB technology is well established as the favored choice for connecting and powering devices, we recognize the need to develop a new connector to meet evolving design trends in terms of size and usability,” said Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman, in a statement. “The new Type-C connector will fit well with the market’s direction and affords an opportunity to lay a foundation for future versions of USB.”

Google to Launch the New Nexus 10

There have been precious few details on Google’s second-generation Nexus 10, but new reports are now suggesting that the 10-inch tablet could go on sale as early as next week.

A product page for the device was temporarily listed on the Google Play store earlier this week and the page indicated that the tablet would go on sale on November 21. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Google has since deleted the page from its website.

The story was first spotted by Ubergizmo, although the tech website has since removed its article on the issue.

Little is known about the second-gen Nexus 10 at this time -- although a recent leak claimed that the device comes with the same 2560 x 1600 resolution display, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU and 3GB of RAM. It is also expected to launch with Android 4.4 Kit Kat, the latest iteration of Android which is now available for most other Nexus tablets).