Overview of Software as a Service

As the world moving very fast towards the Cloud Computing and SaaS areas, it’s worth just to have an idea how we can summarize it in a very high level way, as below:

Mashups in Action

We have heard enough of Web 2.0 and with it the various sorts of terminologies like Blogs, Wikis, RIA and obviously Mashups.

Though I covered Mashups in detail is one of my earlier posts, but I cant resist to share with you all the power and level where we can now see the Live Mashups in action.

We have shown Real estate to Shops to office building to landmarks etc through the Mashups using the powerful Ajax technology under RIA.

Now, something more interesting…. guess what ! tracking live aircraft movements in the sky using Mashups. There are couple of sites offer this, but like to refer here 2 good ones.

pic credit: Gmaps

and another, which tracks the flights in Netherlands area.

pic credit: casper.frontier.nl

Check out these and let there be no boundaries on what is possible now, maybe we soon we all will be tracked similarly though some technology areas. Keep reading and commenting !

Also, dont forget to subscribe to my RSS Feed To automaticlly remain updated !

Now Listen to Blogs and Articles as MP3

Are you hard-pressed with time and that is the reason you find sometimes difficult to be updated with the latest articles, news snippets and blog posts? To make reading simple, here is a latest innovation that will help you to convert your text article to audio file. Amazing isn’t it? Additionally it can happen in just few simple steps. Just read on…

Carryout Text is the latest FREE web service that will help you convert your simple text file into an audio file.This software is simple to use and is available with no additional cost.

Instead of spending time by reading an article, you can convert that particular text file into a MP3 format and listen to it while working out in the treadmill.

So, the greatest advantage of Carryout Text is to get more things done in less time.

How to use this software application?

In the Carryout Text website do a copy and paste of the selected article and finally click on the submit to process button. This will help you get the MP3 file. All you need to do is download it into MP3 player or iPod and tune into the latest buzz, news and views. Remember to download the created audio MP3 files because CarryoutText does Not keep them stored for long time. Automatically these files will be removed the next day after creation.

Isn’t it cool guys !  Dont forget to CLICK HERE to get my updates….

Best of the Best FREE WordPress Themes

WordPress – is an award-winning CMS, which enables you to build Blogs, Web sites and powerful online applications. Many aspects, including its ease-of-use and extensibility, have made WordPress the most popular blog software available. Best of all, WordPress is an open source solution that is freely available to everyone.

There are hundreds of WordPress themes online waiting to be paid for. Some of them are worth it, some are not. Just because many of our followers decided to stay with Premium themes, that doesn’t mean Free Themes are ugly, cluttered, and boring.

In this showcase below, I have handpicked some Excellent Collection of Fresh High-Quality Free WordPress Themes Around because We all know that we’re going to use our blog as a tool to promote our business, with a clean, professional, corporate look.

Most important they are FREE !!

1.  Foodiary

PREVIEW – DOWNLOAD

2.  ThrillingHeroics

PREVIEW – DOWNLOAD

3.  Morning After

PREVIEW – DOWNLOAD

4.  Berryllimous

PREVIEW – DOWNLOAD

5.  Mayumi

PREVIEW – DOWNLOAD

6.  WP Premium WordPress Theme

PREVIEW – DOWNLOAD

7.  Florance WordPress Theme

PREVIEW – DOWNLOAD

8.  Monkeypr

PREVIEW – DOWNLOAD

Hope you will enjoy using them and make your Blogs worth a visit !

Mashups with Google and Bing Maps

Google or Bing Map-based mashups abound these days. Mashups require services that can be mashed up. Location-based mashups need services that provide boundary information. With Web-based mapping providers, you can easily create a map-based mashup with little or no capital investment and now it covers wide variety of areas starting from Celebrity location to Real Estate to YouTube video popularities.

See some of them in Action here, following site www.taxiwiz.com helps you to calculate the Taxi Fares, mostly though in US cities. Check out !

Since Google and Bing have its’ Maps API, numerous applications, called Mashups, have been developed that integrate customized data on top of Google’s map interface. With the Maps API, it’s straightforward to center a map at a given location, add markers, and display content in info windows—especially if the location is static. However, if the location is driven by user input or retrieved dynamically, the process is somewhat more complex because of the need to geo-code the address.

The following is one cool example that provides a map of all the airports in the world along with routes from those airports and operating airlines. Also provides the ability to read and write reviews for each airport and airline.

Check it out at: http://www.whereables.co.uk/

Finally, see the way to follow the Centuries hit by Sachin Tendulkar, again based on Maps.

Find out more at http://www.mibazaar.com/cricket/sachintestrecord.html

Do let me know how you like these. Also read “Mashups” to know what it means.

Agile Methodology

Nowadays we hear much about Agile Methodologies, especially in the context when we want to jumpstart any development quickly without the documentation part and where requirements are not very clear at the beginning.

To put it in simple words, this methodology is another style of software development that has been characterized by quick start on development, less documentation, change driven and iterative.

In other words, Agile software development is a conceptual framework for undertaking software development projects that can get developed fast without the strict classic guidelines of maintaining the entire life-cycle of the project.

All Agile methodologies generally engage in an iterative workflow and follow an incremental way to deliver software in short time-boxed situations. An iteration could be a small release of software or results being achieved at short intervals. Naturally in these time-boxed development situations, things like coding, design and testing will run in parallel and Iterations are typically a fixed length and this length will depend on the chosen methods under Agile. Each iteration can be referred as a cycle in this context of Agile Methodologies.

There are a number of agile software development methods, most of them give the same time-boxed iterations approach, which could typically last one to four weeks but again depends on the nature of the project. Each iteration is like a miniature software project of its own, and includes all of the tasks necessary to release the mini-increment of new functionality: planning, requirements analysis, design, coding, testing, and documentation.

The most popular Agile methodologies in use today appear to be Extreme Programming (XP), Scrum, Feature Driven Development (FDD), Lean Software Development, Agile Unified Process (Agile UP or AUP), Crystal, and Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM).

Some of the principles behind the Agile are:

• Customer satisfaction by rapid, continuous delivery of useful software
• Working software is delivered frequently (weeks rather than months)
• Working software is the principal measure of progress
• Even late changes in requirements are welcomed
• Close, daily, cooperation between business people and developers
• Face-to-face conversation is the best form of communication
• Projects are built around motivated individuals, who should be trusted
• Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design
• Simplicity
• Self-organizing teams
• Regular adaptation to changing circumstances

Agile home ground:

• Low criticality
• Senior developers
• Requirements change very often
• Small number of developers
• Culture that thrives on chaos

Criticisms include:

• lack of structure and necessary documentation
• only works with senior-level developers
• incorporates insufficient software design
• requires too much cultural change to adopt
• can lead to more difficult contractual negotiations

Agile methods are sometimes characterized as being at the opposite end of the spectrum from “plan-driven” or “disciplined” methods. This distinction is misleading, as it implies that agile methods are “unplanned” or “undisciplined”. A more accurate distinction is that methods exist on a continuum from “adaptive” to “predictive”. Agile methods lie on the “adaptive” side of this continuum.

Some mistakenly believe that Agile methods avoid planning. This is a misconception, as Agile methods pay considerable attention to planning. However, Agile methods apply a planning process that is adaptive so as to accommodate inevitable change. Traditional, non-Agile methods tend to apply predictive planning that resists change and suffers the consequence of conflict between static plans and dynamic reality. Agile development has been widely documented as applicable to small, co-located development teams. Agile methods are more suitable when requirements are emergent and rapidly changing; they are less suitable for systems that have high criticality, reliability and safety requirements, though there is no complete consensus on this point.

Some Hot Technology trends of 2010

As the economy is recovering, technology holds the key for business expansion. In these days it is difficult to predict future as market economy is volatile, consumer demand is erratic and unpredictable while innovation is reaching new heights.

Technology today will touch your lives digitally some way or the other tomorrow.

Here is just a sneak peek into some tech trends that is expected to create an upheaval in the last year of the first decade of the 21^st century.

Semantic Web

In no time you will find an extension of WWW in the form of Semantic Web. The obvious question that is making rounds is what is semantic web? Internet with a mind of its own is Semantic web. For example if you wish to buy a smart phone, all you do now is Google  your search and you are given top 10 or 20 products with the reviews, price comparisons and flipsides. It is only after reading them that you reach a decision. But with semantic web, the best deal will be presented in front of you by finding and combining data. To achieve this, Metadata will be used and soon tools will be available that will transform the Web into indexed database. The latest buzzwords in the world of semantic web today is Resource Description Format (RDF), data interchange formats such as XML, RDF, Turtle and RDF schema coupled with Web Ontology language. So, World Wide Web will soon take over your life completely.

Cloud Computing

Soon there will be a paradigm shift for business houses as Cloud Computing will rule as the most efficient IT model in the business sector. Computing resources will no longer be in-house; instead it will be used on demand enabling businesses to be more agile and flexible. Businesses will be benefitted as the cost will be greatly reduced. Comanies like Amazon, Microsoft, IBM are all putting their strenths to encash this emerging area. Check out for Microsoft’s Azure Cloud computing services to taste this concept.

4G phone

There is writing on the wall that mobile technology is geared up for many innovations in the coming days. The word G holds special significance in the world of communication.  From 2G in the 90’s where a switch to text messaging and digital format is made to 3G ushering a new wave of faster communication and transmission of data, innovation will not get stopped here. People today are at the threshold of 4G and 2010 will see lot many launches of 4G phones worldwide and you can expect much enhanced versions from current say Apple 3GS.

3D television

Interesting changes will soon catch your attention even when you sit in front of the idiot box. The paramount question is how? Well, did you watch James Cameron’s latest magnanimous $300 billion budget movie Avatar? Yes, I am talking about wearing goggles and feeling the depth of the movie in the Cineplex. Whether Yes or No, don’t get surprised if you soon find that television landscape is walking towards a path of change and soon there will be launch of 3D televisions and you get option of depth as well to choose.

Mobile Banking

The entire financial gamut is looking forward for a change in the coming year. The reason is simple. With advancement in mobile technology, banking is expected to reach out to the masses from depositing funds in the account to creating a fixed deposit through just few text messages.

Augmented Reality

It is the new age reality and tomorrow will be better viewed, seen and heard with Augmented Reality. Soon you will have a device powered by AR that will take a snapshot of the person you are talking to, will process the image and present you with all information by checking out profiles at LinkedIn or Facebook. A huge potential is just waiting to herald a new change.

Enterprise social networking

Tomorrow’s business models will be largely dominated by collaboration. The way business is conducted will undergo a dramatic change soon. Earlier e-mail paved a new era and tomorrow enterprise version of Facebook, Wikis and Twitter will be the competitive method of communication. Business deals will get closed faster, decision making process will be accelerated, consumers will receive quicker resolution and employees will get more empowered.

Social gaming

Don’t you hear too often these days that your friend, colleague or brother has recently bought half a dozen chickens, two tractors and some cows? Yes, am speaking of Farmville by Zynga that has driven a large crowd to Facebook. Its not only Farmville, large section is also hooked on Mafia Wars. You will be also be amazed to know that by the last quarter of 2009, Second Life, another popular social gaming has almost 16 million users. Whether you a mingler or loner, social gaming is the best way to stay connected and social gaming is here to stay and more changes are on its way.

So, overall it will be an exciting year ahead in 2010 and we will revisit the Hot Technology Trends of 2010 to validate how much and how many of such trends can really create an impact to the technology domain.

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