Best iPhone 4S Apps

Best iPhone 4S Apps – With the launch of the new iPhone 4S nearly upon it is best that you rethink the apps that you may want to use on your shiny new Apple device. Well worry not help is at hand here is a list of 10 of the must have and best iPhone 4S apps that really will have wowing at your new iOS device.

best iphone 4s apps

 

Best iPhone 4S Apps

1. Infinity Blade 2- An exclusive to the iPhone 4S (tough luck iPhone 4 users) infinity blade 2 hopes to really push the boundaries that the smartphone gaming segment has. And with infinity blade the Epic the team behind many games such as the Gears of War series really showed how amazing smartphone gaming can be. And with the new infinity blade 2 epic is really starting to show the potential of not only their legendary unreal engine but also of the processing power of the iPhone 4S that is now dual core meaning much more power and graphics that truly spring to life. Epic has even promised that you can butterflies and leaves in the environment moving around when you are too.

2. Docs to Go- As many iPhone users find it hard to really get a mobile working app on the iPhone well Docs to go is your answer. With Docs to go any iPhone user not only an iPhone 4S user can get all of the work they needed done with no issue at all. It’s a great way to get rid of any last minute work or any work that was lying about unfinished. Not only that with Docs to go you can send files in any format that you want excel, word, email attachment it’s all covered so that you are never left out on any of the action.

3. Hipstamatic- Although the new iPhone 4S will have a lot of picture cropping and fixing as well as editing functions. One thing it won have is the beautiful interface of the Hipstamatic app that not only has a great interface with lots of customization. But also a great retro vibe in it as well as a great way to shoot retro-esque pictures that range from the 1920′s black and white to the 1980′s polo effect pictures.

4. 360 browser- although flash support is arriving soon to the iPhone it’s still not here and while there are a lot of alternatives to the safari web browser for the iPhone. None is as good at integrating flash into the iOS and this has made 360 browser a huge hit with fans and critics alike.

5. Kindle- although iBook’s is supposed to be the way to get books on the iPhone and iOS devices for Apple fans worldwide. It is just not to the level of the Amazon kindle service in any way and that’s why even the biggest Apple fan who avidly reads will have to and does switch to the amazing collection of books that Amazon offers and that’s why it is a must for all iPhone users who read to get the Amazon Kindle App for their iPhone 4S.

6. Newsstand- Although the iBook’s app may not be at the Same level of book coverage and usability as the Kindle app. Apple is trying to get the same level if not better at magazines for the users and the result is newsstand a place where iOS 5 users can get any and hopefully many types of magazines, newspapers etc. to fill their time with. Hopefully this will work out a lot better for Apple than the iBook’s app.

7. iMovie- now that the iPhone 4S shoots full 1080p a lot more people will be shooting video with it and as with video. You have to edit it later and the only way to do that is on your laptop or desktop but not anymore with iMovie users can simple edit their shoot video on the go on their iPhone 4S as to get their work down fast and efficiently.

8. Keynote- If you ever see yourself in the need for a quick presentation that needs to be done quickly or if you want to get a head start on your presentation on the go then Keynote is for you. It’s is he premier app on the iPhone 4S to make presentations with in a quick and easy manner.

9. VLC- For all of the users who get a lot of video to watch but it’s not supported by your iPhone the VLC app is the answer for you. As it can play almost every single type of video and audio format on your iPhone that is sent or is on your iPhone 4S.

10. Siri- The exclusive to iPhone 4S app is a must use for any person who needs to get stuff done but doesn’t have a personal assistant and with Siri you can get just that ask Siri questions or even tell it to move meetings. Siri is there to help you with all your needs from telling you the weather to reminding you to pick up a present for your wife.

iPhone 4S review

iPhone 4S review - The iPhone 4S has had a very difficult and rough start from the leaving and death of CEO and visionary Steve Jobs to the initial response from people and critics alike who were expecting a iPhone 5. With all of this going on it was hard for the iPhone 4S to get any real attention as it was overly hyped and then almost forgotten off before it really had a hands to show how different it was from its predecessor(iPhone 4) and not just a way to sell the same product again. 

iPhone 4S review

The above video gives a neat iPhone 4S review. With the iPhone 4S Apple has taken the exact same route that it had taken with the iPhone 3GS. Apple has taken the exact same body (iPhone 4 body) and boosted the performance and specs of the iPhone 4. The new iPhone 4S is a lot more than the 3GS was for the iPhone 3G and although the 3GS was given a fantastic reception the iPhone 4S was not graced with the same attitude. With the iPhone 4S it’s is greatly at fault of Apple and the Apple fan boys as they considerable hyped up the iPhone 4S with various over the top hopes and rumours about the device. This lead to a huge media frenzy with constant rumour updates and articles along with screenshots and renderings of the new iPhone ’5′ design. And as with all things overhyped peoples expectation and imagination tend to get the best of them leading them to ultimately be disappointed. Apple also contributed to the whole iPhone 5 rumours by not responding to all of the constant speculation that was going about. This further fuelled the iPhone ’5′ rumour mill leading to a complete overdose of rumours.

iphone 4s review

iPhone 4S review

Thus when the iPhone 4S did finally come about it was met with a less than lukewarm reception making it quite a failure In terms of iPhone initial response. This though should not at all be the case as the iPhone 4S delivers on all aspects the rumoured iPhone 5 was to have. Which means that other than a sleek new iPhone design that every apple fan boy and fan girl were waiting for they got all that they were rumoured to get except maybe the larger screen but that is due to the design of the iPhone 4S. As rumoured the iPhone 4S got an Apple A5 processor making it twice as fast if not faster than the iPhone 4. The new Apple iPhone 4S camera is also a huge improvement to the already extraordinary iPhone 4 camera as not only is the iPhone 4S camera 8 megapixels as compared to the iPhone 4′s 5 megapixel. But the whole setup to the camera has been completely changed and modified making the camera a lot better than its predecessor. Along with that the new camera in the iPhone 4S can shoot full 1080p video which again is a huge improvement to the iPhone 4′s 720p video shooting capacity. The iPhone 4S also has something that no other iPhone before has had or will have it’s a completely new system much like that of Google’s Ice cream voice search engine that although has been announced before Apples Siri has not yet been released or talked about in detail.

The iPhone 4S has had other issues too before its birth as the legendary Steve Jobs quite his role as CEO from Apple and gave his place to Tim Cook. This lead to huge media frenzy as well as a decline in the Apple stock market. This lead a lot of people hyped and excited for the next iPhone as it would have been Steve Jobs last iPhone. But then the iPhone 4S was unveiled by Tim Cook instead of Steve Jobs at the apple event this not only felt eerie to the many Apple fans boys and girls who were used Steve’s Apple keynotes(Also known throughout the world as Steve notes). But then there was the passing of a titan. And Steve Jobs was no longer with us this lead to a complete new interest in the iPhone 4S from users all over the world as they saw it to be the only way to reconnect with their idol. Some are even calling it the iPhone 4S (For Steve) as in the iPhone 4 Steve as a last ditch effort to rekindle their fond memories of their hero.

But honestly the even without the Steve Jobs dying factor the iPhone 4S delivers on all points that it was rumoured to deliver on. From the better 8 megapixel camera that was expected to the faster A5 processing chip that was indicated by many. So before people get upset over the iPhone 4S for not being the iPhone 5 they should realize that they are getting everything that the iPhone 5 was rumoured to have except the new design that unfortunately did not get through. But hey there is always next year!

Amazon Kindle Fire vs iPad

Amazon Kindle Fire vs iPad - Form Factor- Both devices greatly vary in this section from each other as they are supposed to satisfy different everyday needs. With the iPad it’s more of a support tool as in if you want to show something to someone like a graph, video, photo etc. Then the iPad will greatly cater to your needs as it is a much larger decides with its major emphasis being on multimedia tasks such as music, video and pictures. Think of it as a large iPod touch if you can as that is what it essentially is. With the Amazon Kindle Fire it is a completely different story as the device is aimed at a much different function.

amazon kindle vs ipadAmazon Kindle Fire vs iPad

With the Amazon Kindle Fire users are able to bring their tablets from one place to another this greatly due to its much more compact 7 inch screen compared to the iPads 10 inch screen (9.7 to be exact). And with it using an Amazon tweaked version of the android OS it is sure to be a lot more customizable then the iPad whilst also being a multimedia device. This is due to the Amazon aspect of the Amazon Kindle Fire thanks to the extensive Amazon multimedia library the Amazon Kindle Fire will be able to handle a lot more multimedia than any other android OS device in its class intact it can even handle a lot more multimedia content then the iPad. Which is great due to its Blackberry Playbook design that makes it a great table to handle and take about. No matter where you are you can carry your Amazon Kindle Fire tablet without much hassle and this is where the Amazon Kindle Fire starts to make a lot of sense as well show the practicality value of its smaller form factor then the iPad. Following  is the Huffingtonpost‘s comparison chart comparing Amazon Kindle Fire vs iPad vs Galaxy Tab

Amazon Kindle Fire vs iPad

Amazon Kindle Fire vs iPad vs Galaxy Tab Comparison (by Huffingtonpost Tech)

OS- Both the iPad and Amazon Kindle Fire use completely different OS systems to achieve their goals. With the iPad you are getting the trusted and old iOS system that although is quite reliable is becoming dated and has issues with personalization that are NOT being addressed. But if you take away the bland and boringness of the iOS software it is a great OS that can easily handle all of your web browsing and multimedia needs with no hassle at all. With the iOS biggest selling point (apart from the Apple snob value) being the usability and ease of use for users this is especially important for first time tablet and smartphone users.

The Amazon Kindle Fire though is a much more sophisticated device with a lot more layers of OS surrounding it. And although this may be great news for casual to hard-core tech users it may not be the best of news for first time tablet users especially for ones that are not at all used to smartphones. Having of said this the Amazon Kindle Fire is great for your everyday functions that you might expect a typical iPad user to perform things such as watching a video on YouTube or surfing the web are a breeze on the tweaked Amazon android OS. Above all if you read a lot then the Amazon Kindle Fire is a must have for you as it has a massive variety of magazines to pick from as well as the legendary Amazon marketplace. All in all the OS in the Amazon Kindle Fire appeals a lot more to tech users and casual users in general as it brings a lot more ingenuity and breeze of freshness in a tablet world that has becoming increasingly bland and dull over the past few years with each manufacturer just copying each other’s specs and designs to stay competitive. And unfortunately the iPad seems to have fallen victim to the same problem of having become dull and not as intuitive as it was and this is why the Amazon Kindle Fire seems to be the new must have device for users who want a fresh and new look at OS and the multimedia that is associated with today’s tablets.

Verdict- If you are a complete newbie to the revolution of the OS in smartphones and tablets then it is best that you take baby steps and start off with the iPad as it is a great way to get settled into today’s tech world and start to understand OS systems and how to navigate them etc. But if you are a causal to hard-core user who has become bored with the everyday OS and want to try something that will seem new and intuitive to use then the Amazon Kindle Fire is your answer and best of all it’s only $200 and possibly the best $200 you will spend on a tablet until the Amazon Kindle Fire 2.

Amazon Kindle Fire Features

 Amazon Kindle Fire Features – With the launch of the Amazon Kindle Fire the biggest question on a lot of the tech heads minds is what are its big features? And that is a great question but the answer to the question is a lot different to what you might think it might be like. As with most tablet devices especially ones that run android the biggest performance indications are the specs of the device as they are the easiest and most obvious ways to compare the device with other android devices and even the iPad. But with the Amazon Kindle Fire you have a completely different way of viewing performance and capabilities. The following video precentation of  shows the Amazon Kindle Fire Features briefly.

 

Amazon Kindle Fire Features

With the Amazon Kindle Fire the way understand the tablets performance is by understanding the devices interface. As Amazon has tweaked the android interface quite a bit for their tablet. With the Amazon Kindle Fire Amazon has made the android OS adapt to the hardware capabilities of the Amazon Kindle Fire making it a much more improved and refined android experience than any other device that has android before.

And although many companies had tried the whole tweaked interface idea for their own tablets it was never quite as refined and complete experience as Amazon is promising with its Amazon Kindle Fire. And although the Blackberry Playbook did share more than just the form factor and design of the Playbook with the Amazon Kindle Fire it never gave users that unique to Blackberry Playbook experience that users were expecting when they purchased or tested a Blackberry Playbook. Which is why it never really lifted off as all Blackberry really supplied their Blackberry Playbook customer with anything much more than a stock android OS with some better UI and a slightly Blackberrry-esque interface. And although this created a lot of hype before the tablet was released it died out as soon as consumers were able to get their hands on the OS and see it for what it was. This lead to the downfall of the Blackberry Playbook and any many other android OS tablets that had only a tweaked android OS.

amazon kindle fire features

Amazon Kindle Fire Features

With the Amazon Kindle Fire we are expecting a completely unique android OS experience and with all of the recent coverage and screenshots as well as videos of the OS it seems like unlike its competitors the Amazon Kindle Fire will truly provide users with the custom android OS that they have been longing for. This has lead a lot of users in a flurry of excitement and hype for the new Amazon device and hopefully this device will not be a dud that everyone is expecting that it might end up being.

Especially seeing that if Amazon gets their custom Android OS right it could lead to a great Amazon technology section. Meaning that hopefully we could get a lot more Amazon products. Which hopefully mean that we could get a lot more fairly cheap yet high quality products. Not only that but it could also lead to a great drop in prices for many products if they see a demand for a product in particular. This has in fact already agreed with the launch of the Amazon Kindle Fire as both Blackberry and HTC has reduced the price of their tablets by $200 so that they could still compete once the Amazon Kindle Fire is out. This just shows you how much of a market leading potential Amazon has as well as how much power and attention the Amazon Kindle Fire possess.

Amazon knows that it has a very tough segment to fill with the launch of the Amazon Kindle Fire and that is why their created heir tweaked android OS as to stand out from the hordes of android based tablets out there. And the success of this OS is much more important than the success of the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet itself. And although both sells and success are intertwined it is important to give way to the fact that Amazon is taking a very big step with the tweaked OS and if it succeeds it could lead to (hopefully) a slew of other manufacturers who will create a more personalized and unique to their company tablet android OS. This could great help in replacing the iPad as the top tablet as well as put the iOS to shame for not being as customizable and personalized as the competitors. Not only that but if the whole tweaked OS idea catches on you could see it in a variety of things especially smartphones. Meaning that the success of the Amazon Kindle Fire could carry on to smartphones and other electronics too. So in summary the Amazon Kindle Fire will either make or break the chances of their ever being an Amazon electronics brand other than just the Amazon kindle eBook, as well as potentially revolutionise the android OS for future android customers.

Amazon to release “Amazon kindle fire”

Amazon kindle fire - With tablet sales going through the roof it was only a matter of time that the eBook reader giant Amazon tried to make their very own tablet. And well it’s finally here the Amazon Kindle Fire which hopes to have everyone regardless of their budget a tablet user and more than that it comes with quite some impressive specs that truly make it a great iPad competitor. With all of the recent buzz of Amazon reportedly working on a tablet it was just a matter of time before Amazon themselves said that yes we are working on a tablet. And that day has finally come and for all of the recent HP touchpad users it might be bad news as they could have of had one of the best new electronic gadgets for just a mere 100 more dollars. A tablet that wasn’t due to lose its OS support whilst already being a mediocre product. But now with the Amazon Kindle Fire you can be guaranteed to get one of the best devices for a mind blowing $200 and not only that but also a true android OS device. This means that Amazon is providing a great iPad competitor without the crazy costs of one. And if you are able to live without the Apple logo snob value then you will be pleasantly surprised by the value of the Amazon Kindle fire as well as the quality you are assured to be getting with an Amazon product. This has made the Amazon Kindle Fire a must buy for any real tech head out there who either did not want to shell out the extra money for the iPad or doesn’t like the iOS. And at this low price you would be crazy not to consider buying the Amazon Kindle Fire instead of the iPad.

amazon kindle fireAmazon kindle fire

With its 7 inch screen it is the perfect size for carrying around and watching videos or browsing the web on. And although it won’t be a replacement for your laptop it can easily be you’re at home web surfing and YouTube viewing device. And at $200 it would be a shame not to at the very least consider this killer device. Another great thing about the Amazon Kindle Fire is the fact that Amazon will be providing its customers who buy an Amazon Kindle Fire with 30 days of Amazon Prime for free! That’s right for FREE. For the ones who don’t know what Amazon prime is it is a service from Amazon that gets the user discounts, extra fast shipping and even VIP offers and deals. This makes you an Amazon VIP customer if you will.

The Amazon Kindle Fire is probably best compared with the Blackberry Playbook and in that comparison it is an easy pick over the Blackberry as even Blackberry has slashed its Playbook by an astounding $200 since the launch announcement of the Amazon Kindle Fire. Showing that even Blackberry know that the Amazon Kindle Fire is an electronic force that shouldn’t be messed with. And with the Blackberry Playbook being the closet match with the Amazon Kindle Fire you can see how much more you get with the Amazon Kindle Fire. Weather its price wise (Amazon Kindle Fire $200) (Blackberry Playbook $400) or the OS version with the Blackberry Playbook running an older version of the android OS as compared to the fresh and modified by Amazon version of Android. Also another notable difference is form factor the Amazon Kindle Fire is a much lighter and thinner version of the Blackberry Playbook whilst still retaining the same sharp and clear styling’s that remind you of the Blackberry Playbook.

amazon kindle fire

For many though the Amazon Kindle Fire will be there is their long last solution to an iPad alternative but to be honest this is not the case. The Amazon Kindle Fire provides you with not just a lot more quality and support wise. But also OS and usability wise than the iPad. With Amazon having tweaked the android OS to make it smoother and better to run for the Amazon Kindle Fire making it all together a much better tablet experience whilst a great must buy due to its super low tablet price. A price that no other competitor could match especially seeing that Amazon themselves are going to be making a loss on each Amazon Kindle Fire sold. This could be due to the fact that Amazon knows that it doesn’t have any badge value in the electronics world apart from the highly successful Amazon nook which is a great e-reader if not the best. But making a tablet is a completely different game and Amazon knows this and this is why they have such a low price for their halo product. As to make themselves a recognised tablet maker as well as an in demand product manufacturer. So before it’s too late grab yourself a Amazon Kindle Fire before they go up in price and trust me they will go up in price once the demand for the tablet goes higher than the supply and the Amazon Kindle Fire becomes the must have gadget especially during Christmas.

Amazon kindle fire specs

kindle fire spec

Facebook Privacy Issues

Facebook Privacy Issues - With Facebook having been constantly criticised on its ever changing privacy issues it is becoming more and more difficult to make sure that everything that you are posting on Facebook is secure and safe. But it seems that Facebook has even more severe and privacy infringing issues on its plate. Recently Facebook users have found out that they are being tracked by internet cookies by Facebook even after they log out! This is the ultimate infringement of privacy of any user of Facebook. This means that Facebook can track its users even once they log off the website. This means that Facebook is tracking what their users are doing on the internet from watching YouTube videos to knowing the news articles you read.

facebook privacy issues

This is not one of the first Facebook privacy issues but is definitely the most severe case in recent history and with Facebook being the current social networking tyrant it would be a huge case against Facebook if it is found guilty of tracking their users. Currently Facebook is saying that it is not using any of the information that it is gathering from tracking users. But many users are filling to sue Facebook for tracking them. With their biggest gripe being why would Facebook gather information if they do not want to use the information at all? This will make it difficult for Facebook to wiggle out of this lawsuit without being highly compromised. And with this not being the first time that Facebook has been alleged with privacy issues it seems to be like a sign that maybe Facebook’s days are now numbered with everyone moving to the much more fresher and more intuitive Google Plus it will be difficult for Facebook to continue to be this ignorant to its numerous privacy issues and stay on the top of the social networking ladder.

With the latest Facebook f8 keynote which was eerily like the Apple keynote both style and presentation wise from the way the place was set to the way Mark Zuckerburg went about the keynote it was what now seems like Facebook’s last attempt to try and fix its way with all of their problems. And although Facebook did try to fix the numerous problems that it seems to have it did not do enough of a refresh and change to its already overpopulated website. With the addition of some new features such as the Facebook timeline which seems like a useless Facebook gimmick to make users think that Facebook is still fresh and intuitive. And although it might have worked on some users most of the users are able to identify that these new Facebook improvements are just more gimmicks that don’t really deliver on any of the promises that Facebook was expected to do. And unfortunately when you are the ultimate social networking site and you don’t actively listen and update your website then it is probably best that you pass the torch to some other company who is much more capable.

Facebook has far too much competition and not enough fresh and young ideas that will help bring us to the next level of social networking. This means that unless Facebook deals with its numerous issues especially the privacy ones it will be only a matter of time before Facebook becomes nothing more than a fad making it nothing more than a MySpace copycat fad that everyone forgets about. Especially since Facebook is on the top of the totem on social networking it will be a great pity for Facebook who was truly a great company before they become “lazy” and started to stop updating the site with anything really effective to and useful to the user.

And unfortunately the way things are going Facebook will not be able to take the blow that Google Plus will deal it. And after knowing how efficient and user related Google is it will be a very difficult war for Facebook to stay alive after Google Plus gets to its prime and Facebook starts to slowly lose users. Due merely and merely its lack of security to its users making it a ticking bomb with no real hope unless they fix their biggest issue privacy. And with this current allegation against Facebook it seems less likely than ever that Facebook will continue to stay the social networking king. However there is some very minor hope for Facebook if it can deal with its killer problem of privacy issues. But until that day comes there is no real hope for Facebook. Till then all Facebook users can hope for the fact that Facebook deals with its privacy issue sooner than later. Especially if it’s too late for Facebook to get its users back. And with the Google Plus beta now over it seems less likely than ever that Facebook will be able to keep their users for long.

Facebook Privacy Issues

Google Plus Privacy

Google Plus Privacy - With Facebook’s atrocious privacy issues what is Google’s game plan to improve their issues with the same issue. But early beta users are saying that Google Plus is having a lot of the same privacy sharing contact issues as Google Buzz was having. Although this is not 100% confirmed yet it is still said to be an issue and that Google knows about it. Although the issue isn’t as severe as it was with Google Buzz it is still there and that is not good news for anyone who was hoping to go to a privacy issue free system.

Especially since the whole Facebook debacle has recently just blown up so it is becoming more and more of an issue for social networking sites. But with Google having spent so much precise time fixing and tweaking Google Plus even before its beta you can stay assured that no matter what issue that arises Google will do its very best to fix it as soon as possible and as unnoticeably as possible. As not to alert any unnecessary media coverage about the flaws of the system. But having of said that Google is prone to having issues with privacy weather it is Google Buzz or the search engine itself. Google has been a target of the hordes of privacy issue complaints.

Google Plus Privacy

For anyone who doesn’t quite understand the issue with the Google Plus privacy here is a little rundown of what the issue is. Although there is no problem in massively sharing content on Google Plus there is a problem in sharing if you want to share some sort of content that is just between you and one friend for example. Well that content will not stay between the both of you but instead will be able to be leaked to everyone else using Google Plus this can become a huge issue of it really does exist. And if not fixed before the end of the beta Google plus could very well end before it really even begins.

Other than that Google seems to have none of the terrible plagues that Facebook seems to have. Whether it’s the privacy setting issues or the more terrifying user information being leaked/sold to company’s issue. As with all of the recent Facebook debacle concerning these very issues and especially with them not fixing these issues that they know that they have it is becoming more and more apparent that Google Plus does have a great shot at reigning as the new top networking site without becoming a major threat to its users. And without any real privacy issues plaguing the already fantastic Google Plus interface it would be nothing short of a pity if Google Plus does not lift off because of a minor issue with privacy details.

Recently Google has said that the “bug” that was in the Google Plus system has been fixed and that the issue will no longer plague any of the Google plus users. Google has also made sure to ease up its Google Plus privacy controls so that it is much easier for users to both understand and fully control their Google Plus account. This a great sign for Google Plus users about the support and reassurance that Google is providing for all its users. It also reconfirms the fact that Google really has invested a lot of time and money not to mention effort in the Google Plus project not to fully support it. And the fact that Google fully comes up and faces that it indeed did have an issue and that now it has fixed it shows how grown up the company is regarding issues especially issues that are as important and extreme as privacy controls.

This act also shows that Facebook seems to have limited days now and that if Google seems to support both its users and customers like this it will easily overcome any of the challenges that it currently has such as the user base. With privacy settings behind Google Plus it is now possible for Google to finally have a legitimate social network that really works. Especially since Google has spent most of their time fixing and preparing this system that is without a doubt a much better system and user interface then Facebook has or ever had.  Really showing you a much brighter and better future for social networking and the issues that arise when a company has to deal with other people (users) private information. And without a doubt it can be said that from all of the possible companies that could have a social network Google would be the most fitting to have one. And with Google plus Google really is showing that it has more than just internet brand name but responsibility and this is especially seen with Google fixing its privacy issues.

Google Plus Privacy

Google Plus Games

Google Plus Games - With the recent launch of Google Plus many people have wondered how will it stack up against its biggest rival (Facebook) well although Google has in short fixed all the issues that people had with Facebook such as privacy issues, cluttered interface and the once Facebook`s best feature easy to use website functions. But what people tend to forget about is the somewhat popular Facebook gaming. It ranges from Farmville to Mafia wars. Well Google doesn’t like to be left out of the action so Google has announced its new social networking website to have its very own titles of games along with many games that you might already know about and love.

Google is trying to keep all of the games web based and most importantly within the Google Plus website as to keep you socialising and connecting with all of your friends for as long as possible. Titles that Google is planning to include in its repertoire of games include but are certainly not limited to Angry Birds, Zynga Sudoku along with Zynga Poker as well and lastly there is Bejewelled Blitz which has been the same game since it was first launched. Although these are all of the current titles expect Cityville the popular city building game from the makers of the uber famous and fun Farmville to come to Google Plus very soon.

Google Plus Games

Google Plus has been a very long and testing project for Google and with all of the pressure of beating Facebook at its own game as well as having a product that deserves to be given the Google name. Google Plus has a lot better an integration of games on it allowing users to really get the best out of the social networking site. Hopefully Google Plus won’t go the Facebook of abusing you into posting game results and scores to your friends, family etc. This is why you can be guaranteed that although games may be less on Google Plus they will altogether be a much better experience than Facebook has you used to and the top reason supporting this is the fact that Google has invested 200 million dollars in Zynga. For the four of you who don’t know who Zynga is here are some of their game titles Mafia wars, Cityville and Farmville. All of these titles are major time consumers on Facebook and Zynga is easily the biggest gaming company on Facebook. With the 200 million invested from Google probably for Google Plus exclusive titles you are sure to get some quality games to play from Google Plus.

As games are becoming more of a social network must its good to see that Google isn’t trying to go overboard with their new gaming scheme. Which will assure it to be a more legitimate experience both for socialising and gaming as it won’t have the same “nag factor” that Facebook has started to make everyone accustomed to. For example when playing a game on Google plus you won’t constantly be told to post it on Facebook etc. much like you won’t on any really gaming platform Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Steam online. This helps Google Plus become a better choice for gamers who just want some casual gaming without having to be harangued to an inch of their life to post things that really just end up being ignored by all of your friends on Facebook. With this attitude and the reliability of customer and product service that Google has insured throughout the years you can be certain that at the very least for social online gaming Google Plus will be a miles ahead of their Facebook equivalent. And with the Zynga deal you are certified some top notch and quality games to help you kill time or just relax while socialising with your friends.

Verdict- Google has taken a very calculated and well thought out step with their new social networking site and knowing exactly what their competition was and what the competitions limitations and barriers were. Google has really taken the online social experience to a whole new level which hopefully will continue to stay fresh and up to date unlike Facebook. Furthermore Google knows its market and with that Google has taken its first major step into gaming. This is great news for all of those casual and hard-core gamers out there who prefer to have online flash games rather than their more expensive and more time consuming alternatives. And with their partnership with Zynga Google has shown that they only hope to increase their involvement in the gaming industry. Hopefully this will mean a lot of great new games to play on your Google Plus account which so far seems like it will not only be much bigger than Facebook but a lot more refined and longer lasting too. We can hope that Google plus games will be better than Facebook games!

Google Plus Games

Facebook Timeline

Facebook Timeline - With the increased pressure on Facebook to stay as the reigning champion of social networking Facebook has finally given its website a complete re-haul with an all new design and features so that Facebook can keep fresh and in with all of the new changes that are becoming every day in the social networking world. And to do this they have introduced “Timeline” a Facebook virtual scrapbook if you will with a lot of uncertainty and confusion behind its reason and cause. Although Facebook hopes that these changes will help it stay as the undisputed social networking king it seems difficult. As many of the features that they have launched are already behind the curve and with the exception of one (timeline) they are all very much aimed at the same idea of less clutter and more information on Facebook. Although this is great news it shows that although Facebook is looking at all its fault it is not staying as innovative and class leading as it is. And unfortunately that is all that the much hyped and awaited Facebook f8 event proved. With the main importance of the event being given to just two factors. The Facebook redesign overhaul which although is great was to be expected as every company changes their interface design after a certain time as to keep the product fresh and this is more than necessary for websites.

facebook timeline

Facebook Timeline

Although Facebook tried to make it seem more than a redesign and more of a way to make Facebook seem as much more personal site it was evident that the changes were there only for system performance and less clutter which was a major issue with the now “old” Facebook. This is where Facebook brought in its new and “innovative” feature the Facebook timeline. Summed up timeline is nothing more than a virtual scrapbook that is available to be seen by all your friends and families. With the Facebook timeline Facebook hoped to show that it was still cutting edge with the latest trends and ways of the ever growing social networking world. Which is why it was given so much importance throughout the f8 event which seemed a bit too eerily like an Apple keynote event. Timeline is hoping to make a personal lifetime of the users profile with all of the major or important achievements and milestones of the user in one place with a time and date set to each and every event. These events could range from everything like the day you graduated to a status update that got a lot of likes from your friends and family. Although initially Facebook will start you off with a timeline for your profile you will later be able to customise your Facebook timeline with events that you thought were important enough to be on the Facebook timeline you can also delete things from the Facebook timeline that you thought did not deserve to me on the timeline. But although is all good and well a virtual timeline displaying all of your achievements, milestones, events etc. did anyone in the engineering department or creative department in Facebook think what was the point of this feature? Sure it’s a nice thing to have once a year or when you want to display all that you have achieved and done through the year or more realistically just that year. But what is the point of having this on your Facebook profile 24/7 for everyone to view for? It is just not something that would be of much of an importance to anyone using Facebook. And this is why I think that in the long run this will be a complete Facebook flop as the Facebook timeline features no real importance in any way to any other aspect of socialising or connecting on Facebook. And the fact that this was Facebook’s Google Plus killer idea shows that it might just be time for Facebook to hand down the torch to Google Plus which seems to have a lot more creative and innovative ideas about the future of social networking.  Thus the Facebook timeline disappoints me  as I was expecting a lot more from Facebook now that their worst nightmare had become real (Google’s  Google Plus) . And with Google plus this close to opening to everyone and getting out of beta I really thought that Facebook would bring out something that really will assure themselves on top the of the social networking website ladder but unfortunately Facebook has brought over lukewarm products to an industry that is working and growing at a far too rapid a speed to be just reinvested in a website with some mild new features and a site redesign. With Google plus this close to opening to public I would not be surprised if Facebook turns into the new MySpace by the end of 2012.

New Facebook Changes

New Facebook Changes - With the great initial success of Google plus Facebook has decided that its time that they too started to up the ente on their social networking site. As the “old” Facebook was not only starting to look dated compared to Google Plus but was also feeling very slow and sluggish. Well with the pressure of competing with the giant search engine company Facebook went ahead and made its grand redesign event and here is what Facebook has come up with to beat Google`s ever growing social networking site. The major new facebook changes are discussed in this article

new facebook changesNew Facebook Changes 

1. Timeline- This is easily the most controversial and biggest change for Facebook with a lot of people feeling quite uneasy and worried about the feature. Basically broken down Facebook wants “Timeline” to be a scrapbook of your life. But instead of only using pictures on Facebook for the scrapbook it will use all of the milestones you have achieved over the years on Facebook in an archived time wise fashion. The events could be anything from your wedding photos to the status update you once posted even places you have visited will be on the site on a map that shows your birthplace and all of the places you have visited. This is a way for Facebook to encourage people to post more and more about themselves allowing them to have an archive of their life a virtual scrapbook would be the main idea here.

2. Facebook’s apps- Yes there are now apps for everything it seems from the iPhone to Facebook now and unlike your iPhone apps these are not to get you away from your phone or life etc. but to connect you Facebook even more as they will automatically post and share information on your behalf on your Facebook profile. Many people myself included think that this is far too much and as always Facebook has assured us that it can be turned off (somehow).

3. Multimedia- Easily the best announcement at the f8 event was that Facebook has partnered up with many companies such as Netflix, Spotify, Hulu etc. this will all be accessible on Facebook so that you don’t leave the website and spend as much time as possible. Another thing to remember is that when you’re watching your guilty pleasure show or song DONT! As all you do on this multimedia “apps” will be shown on the Facebook ticker to all your friends.

4. Like is no more- As with many websites all you could do was press the like button to show your feelings towards an article, video, comment etc. but with the new Facebook improvements you can set any verb into a button so no more slaving around to just the like button. This is a huge step in the internet as we can finally do more than “like” something and express ourselves more than we could with just liking or disliking a post. Also your friends will be giving a better view of the things they “liked” rather than just liking them.

5. Ticker is a lot more useful- The Facebook ticker will be taking up all of the small updates from everyone such as status changes comments likes and photos that they have posted. This is one of the most important factors that Facebook needed to attend to and I am glad that hopefully with the new found responsibility of the Ticker section Facebook will feel less clogged with information.

6. Biggest yet- Facebook is growing and growing fast Mark Zuckerburg gave lots of statistics in his Apple keynote-ish f8 event but none was more jaw dropping and important as the fact that Facebook now has 800 million users from which the most of them are highly active. Not only had this but the daily visits of the website topped at a record breaking 500 million. Which shows us that Zuckerburg is showing us that Facebook is going harder, faster and stronger than ever before.

Final Thoughts- Facebook is growing and this new change in Facebook is proof of just that but will these changes be good changes or will they just plague what now seems to be a doomed website. With Google Plus having just launched and Facebook just now trying to clean up its act about all of the issues it had it seems like a desperate act of hope from Facebook to try and keep its long overdue monopoly over the social networking world. But the biggest question remains is that with these new changes what will Google respond with? And how much of a bite will Google take out of Facebook once it opens its Google Plus to everyone? But for now all we can really say is that although quite late Facebook is headed in the right direction of the next generation of social networking and hopefully it will not get forgotten like MySpace.

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