Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

What is Ice Cream Sandwich?

It's an OS that merges Android on phones and on tablets, ending the brief dalliance with an operating system based on the same foundations and fundamentals, but divided in look, feel and devices that we saw in Gingerbread and Honeycomb.

But if Ice Cream Sandwich has a flavour, that flavour is honey. Honey from Android 3.0, because much of what we've seen in Android 4.0 behaves like Honeycomb. Barra told us that development on Ice Cream Sandwich was underway before Honeycomb launched and it's obvious that the two walked the same path.

Moving forward you won't have Android for phones or Android for tablets, it will be the same scalable platform. At least that's the intention, although as Android users will be aware, there are a huge array of devices already out there, some Google certified and some not, so we suspect there will legacy devices with older software circulating for some time, or residing at the bottom end of the market.

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Ciao "Super Sic"

The Honda family mourns one of its own

The Honda family is mourning the loss of one its rising stars, the charismatic Italian Marco Simoncelli, who lost his life in a racing accident in today's Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang.

Simoncelli was one of the sport's rising stars, a charismatic 24-year-old who rode with his heart. He was as passionate on the track as he was off, and sometimes that got him in trouble. His was an aggressive style that didn't always suit the venue, but he was maturing as a rider. This season he earned his first two MotoGP podiums and his first two MotoGP pole positions. Only a week ago, he finished a career best second in MotoGP race at the Australian Grand Prix, taking the runner-up spot to Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC212V) with a brilliant last lap pass of Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V).

Photos from that day show Simoncelli standing out on the podium, which he also did in life. It wasn't just because he was one of the taller riders in MotoGP, and it wasn't just for the blossoming, bushy hair that paid homage to guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, but it was because of his outsized personality and his passion for winning.

The Honda Motor Company family would like to express its sincere condolences to the family of Marco Simoncelli, his team owner Fausto Gresini, his team, his legion of friends, and his thousands of fans throughout the world. He will be missed.

Shuhei Nakamoto, HRC Executive Vice President, says "I just don't know what to say; words escape me. Marco was a very nice guy and a very talented rider. Sometimes I was a little harsh with him, for example after his first MotoGP podium in Brno when I told him, 'Lucky podium!' and he was so angry, but I wanted to motivate him as I knew he was able to do even more. I was thinking that when he won his first race we would have been able to celebrate together. Now I just want to say thank you to Marco, for what you gave me, and pass my sincere condolences to his family at this very sad time."

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says, "In a tragedy like this there is not much to say. I just want to give my condolences to his family and all the people who love him. I've been with his father and all we could do was to hug, nothing else matters. It was a fatal accident and everybody in the paddock remains in shock. Many times we ourselves forget how dangerous this sport can be and when you lose people on the way nothing has any meaning. It's clear that we all do what we like, what we love, but on days like today nothing matters."

Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso says, "In these circumstances, words don't seem to be appropriate. I think of Marco's family and all the people dear to him, in particular his father and mother. I also have a child and what happened today is the hardest situation you can imagine. I watched the images and I'm shocked. In a race you fight and push hard and disaster is often around the corner. Marco was a strong rider and he always pushed hard. We raced together since we were kids. I saw him always pushing to the maximum, he crashed many times, but without major injuries, he was seemed invincible. What happened today seems impossible."

Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner says, "I'm so shocked and saddened by the loss of Marco. When things like this happen it reminds you how precious life is, it makes me feel sick inside. All I can say is how sorry I am for Marco's whole family I can't imagine what they are all going through and our thoughts and wishes are with them at this time. I hope they all stay close and pull through this tragedy together."

Press release courtesy of Honda Racing Corporation
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Google Plus vs Facebook: Who's Winning?

There’s a hot new social media contender in town: She’s just shy of three months old and alreadyboasts more than 25 million users -- the fastest growing platform of her kind. She possesses all of the bells and whistles of her competitors, plus a few cool surprises of her own.

World, meet Google Plus.

Still in beta, Google Plus (or G+ for short) is the search engine giant’s latest attempt at social networking dominance (and the successor to its similarly-veined -- but failed -- ventures, Google Wave and Google Buzz).

Seeking to improve upon the Facebook model, G+ has already created quite a stir in the tech world, but critics argue that its chances for long-term success still remain to be seen.

So what exactly does G+ have that Facebook doesn’t? Is it worth the switch? Let’s break down the pros and cons:

The Good

1. Hangouts
Definitely one of the cooler aspects of G+, hangouts are group video chats (à la Skype) that let you converse with pals in real time. Unlike Skype, which charges a fee for multiple users, up to ten people can participate in one hangout at a time, totally free of cost. Fun for a casual chat with friends, yes -- but also helpful for a team call with co-workers.
What’s more, if you want to watch the latest funny cat video with nine of your closest friends, now you can, thanks to G+ Hangout’s recent integration with YouTube. You can choose your desired video on YouTube, click “Share,” and then “Start a Google+ Hangout.” Instant party!

2. Circles
You love your parents but you’re sick of them stalking you on Facebook. G+ has got your solution: an innovative feature that allows you to organize your contacts into separate groups or “circles” (i.e. “Family,” “Work Friends,” or “Music Buddies”) and pick and choose what those circles can view.
For example, if you’d rather Mom not know what shenanigans you were up to last night, no worries -- just limit your status update to your “Friends” circle only.
Circles also let you filter your “stream” (the G+ version of Facebook’s News Feed). Done with work for the day? Simply click over from your “Work” stream to your “Friends” stream, and you’ll only see updates from friends.
G+ also recently added a “Suggested Users” feature that enables you to add famous folks (or strangers) to your circles. Similar to Twitter, users are grouped into categories (e.g., “Entertainment,” “Fun & Interesting,” and “Politics”), and you can browse for people of interest. Plus, you can see updates from your favorite celebrities or bloggers -- even if they’re not technically your real-life friends. (So, yes, you can take your Ryan Reynolds-stalkerdom to an entirely new level.)

3. Instant Uploads
Got some great vacation photos or videos you’d love to share, but dreading the task of having to upload them all yourself? No problem! G+ will do it for you (provided you have an Android phone).
Just snap the pic of your choice, and it will automatically be posted to a private online album. From there, you can share it with whomever you choose with just one click.

The Bad

1. Too Exclusive?
Three months into the launch of its beta, G+ still operates on an invite-only basis. So, despite its initial buzz, there’s been a noticeable decline of late in the number of visits to the fledgling site. And many critics believe it’s due to the limited access G+ has imposed.
Social networks thrive on interaction, they argue, and until G+ makes itself available to all, it risks alienating a lot of potential users, who will quickly lose interest in whatever it has to offer.

2. Real Name Policy
G+ requires proper names for its Google Profiles, asserting that it is an “identity service” which relies on truthful information from its users that will help it build future products. Pseudonyms are forbidden and make the user subject to account suspension, a policy that many oppose. What about users with uncommon names, or those who simply prefer using pseudonyms for security or privacy reasons?
Blogger Violet Blue learned this lesson the hard way: even though she had previously given two tech talks at the Google headquarters, her G+ account was suspended because her real name was not real enough.

3. Facebook is on to the G+ Game
Feeling pressure from the success of G+, Facebook has implemented a number of privacy changes in recent weeks that it hopes will help keep its users loyal.
Dig the G+ circles feature? Facebook just rolled out its improved “Friend Lists,” which allow you to control who sees what you post.
Like being able to read updates from people you’re interested in who aren’t your friends (à la G+ and Twitter)? Introducing the Facebook “Subscribe” button, which lets you keep up with personalities you admire. And as the battle for social network supremacy rages on, we can expect Facebook to continue to step up its competition

What do you think? Have you tried G+? Is it worth the switch, or are you a Facebook fan forever?

news.tobaonline.com
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