3 app building services for building an Android business app

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/3-app-building-services-for-building-an-android-business-app/#ftag=RSS56d97e7

I've found three such services that warrant your time and effort. Each of them offer pretty much the same service:

1. Build an app that contains various types of pages
2. Include their ads (or pay a premium to remove the ads)
3. Publish the app to the Google Play Store

What's key to this is the type of pages these services offer. You won't be creating seriously in-depth, interactive tools. But you can add pages to your app like:

• RSS feeds
• Websites
• YouTube channels
• Photos
• Videos
• Social links
• About
• Audio player (with custom audio track)
• PDF
• Contact
• Phone
• SHOUTcast Radio
• Custom pages

Let's examine each of these three services and see which one is best suited for creating your businesses Android app.

1. Andromo

The Andromo service is one that will allow you to pretty much customize your app how you want it, within some very tight limitations. You build your app by adding Activities. Once you've created a project (you can only create one with the free subscription), you then click the Activities drop-down (Figure A) and select which activity to add. Once you've added an Activity, you can then fill in the details (such as URL, RSS feed, images, audio, and more).

Figure A

The Andromo Activities list.

Once you've created all of your Activities, you can then:

• Edit styles
• Create a dashboard (with background image)
• Set up monetization (displaying third-party ads)
• Add services (such as Google Analytics)

Finally, with a single click, you build your app. After the app is built, it's up to you to get the app distributed. Besides the limitation of what you can add to the app, this is one of the biggest misses of Andromo. There's no facility within the service to help publish your app. You're on your own.

Andromo is the only service in the listing that has a paid offering, which allows you to create more than one app and rid your app(s) of ads.

2. AppsBar

The AppsBar app builder offers a bit more in the way of features. Your first step is to select a category. Depending on the category you choose, you'll have different options to add. Most every category offers the ability to add websites, contact info, and social networks. However, some categories allow for further additions. For example:

• Real estate: Request info, properties, services
• Online business: Employees, services, coupons
• Restaurant: Menus, events, reservations
• Salon: Staff, services, gallery, appointments
• Author books: Schedule, release info

The list goes on (there are quite a few categories). You can also add forms and ecommerce to your app.

From the Page Manager (Figure B), you walk through the editing of each piece of your app (editing the name and information for each page).

Figure B

The Appsbar app manager page.

As you build the app, you can do real-time testing with the emulator on the right side of the window. This makes for a very simple process. Once you've completed adding and editing, click Publish. If there's any information missing from the various pages or app settings, you'll be prompted to made adjustments. If there are no problems, click Continue To Publish and then fill out the necessary information for the app (keywords, title, etc) and send the app off for review.

Appsbar has a significant review process in place. They'll comb through every aspect of your app and make sure it's modified to meet the needs of the app store. Once the app has passed review, it will be published to their Appcatch where they'll then help you get your app pushed to the app stores desired.

3. AppsGeyser

In similar fashion to both Andromo and Appsbar, AppsGeyser allows you to easily create an app for your business. However, unlike Appsbar, you're quite limited to what you can add. AppsGeyers allows the addition of:

• Web pages
• Offline content (like ebooks)
• TV channels (there's an extensive listing of channels that can be added)
• Social feeds

You won't be adding ecommerce or selecting from various categories to fine-tune your app. This one is very basic, but it can at least get you started. The one thing AppsGeyser does have is the ability to easily submit your app to the Google Play Store, to the AppsGeyser Market, and even using a QR code for easy download (Figure C).

Figure C

Publishing your app with AppsGeyser is simple.

AppsGeyser also allows you to edit the permissions your app needs, such as:

• App can set wallpaper
• App can add shortcut to home screen
• App can write files to external storage

The truth about AppsGeyser is that its fit for business is slim. But if you're just looking to get an app that offers information about your company (and not much more), and you want an easier path to get your app into the Google Play Store, this is the service to start with.

Codeless app building for business has a ways to go. As it stands, it will never best having in-house staff to build your app. But if you're looking to get something out there (in some cases, something very basic), and you're willing to spend a bit of time and effort to do so, you should give one of these services a try.

For the time being, programmers have nothing to fear from these services. But if they continue to evolve, things could easily change.

Microsoft Office Goes Fully Free on iPhone and Android Phones

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/office-mobile-for-office-365/id541164041?mt=8

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.officehub

Some other

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cn.wps.moffice_eng

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.quickoffice.android

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobisystems.office

WebScaleSQL(“We're Gonna Need A Bigger Database”)

http://webscalesql.org/

What is WebScaleSQL?

WebScaleSQL is a collaboration among engineers from several companies that face similar challenges in running MySQL at scale, and seek greater performance from a database technology tailored for their needs.

Our goal in launching WebScaleSQL is to enable the scale-oriented members of the MySQL community to work more closely together in order to prioritize the aspects that are most important to us. We aim to create a more integrated system of knowledge-sharing to help companies leverage the great features already found in MySQL 5.6, while building and adding more features that are specific to deployments in large scale environments. In the last few months, engineers from all four companies have contributed code and provided feedback to each other to develop a new, more unified, and more collaborative branch of MySQL.

But as effective as this collaboration has been so far, we know we’re not the only ones who are trying to solve these particular challenges. So we will keep WebScaleSQL open as we go, to encourage others who have the scale and resources to customize MySQL to join in our efforts. And of course we will welcome input from anyone who wants to contribute, regardless of what they are currently working on.

Master the command line

http://linoxide.com/guide/linux-cheat-sheet.pdf
http://www.nixtutor.com/linux/all-the-best-linux-cheat-sheets/

Secure your Google account with a little 2-step shuffle

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/secure-your-google-account-with-a-little-2-step-shuffle/#ftag=RSS56d97e7

 Security has become issue number one for many companies, people, services, and devices. With more people hopping over to the cloud, having tight security could mean the difference between your data being secure and your data being stolen. This has become especially true with the massive use of mobile devices to connect to those accounts.

Your Google account is no exemption. If you have a simple password, that account will most likely get hacked. If you have a complex password, the possibility decreases. With 2-step verification, the likelihood of your account getting hacked is even further reduced (drastically even).

What is 2-step verification and how do you get it? Simple — after you set up 2-step verification, you enter your Google account password, and then you're prompted for a passcode that's sent to your mobile device (via text, voice call, or the mobile app).

“Mobile app,” you say? Why yes. Google has created an Android app, Google Authenticator, that makes 2-step authentication simple. Google Authenticator works like this:

1. Set up 2-step verification for your account (on your PC)
2. Install the Google Authenticator app (on your Android phone)
3. Log into your Google account the standard way (again, on your PC)
4. When prompted, the 2-step code will be sent via the method you set up
5. Enter the code to authenticate your login
6. Enjoy your Google account with its new level of security

Setting up your account for 2-step

Before you can make use of the Google Authenticator app, let the 2-step verification wizard help you through the simple set up on your PC. The first step of the wizard requires you to log into your Google account. This is a standard login (your email address and password associated with that account). The second step (Figure A) prompts you to enter a mobile phone number so that Google can send an electronic message with the verification code. This code will be used to authenticate against untrusted computers.

Figure A

Setting up 2-step authentication for your Google Account.

You'll immediately receive either a text or voice message (whichever you chose to use) with a verification code. Enter that code and click Verify (in the 2-step wizard). The next step will ask if you want to trust the computer you’re on. If so, keep Trust this computer checked and click Next. If not, uncheck the Trust this computer box and click Next.

The final step of the wizard is to confirm the enabling of 2-step verification. All you have to do is click Confirm, and you’re done. 2-step verification is now activated for your Google account.

After 2-step is established, you have to reconnect all of your apps. You'll be prompted (once you’ve completed the last step of the 2-step setup) to click the Reconnect my apps button. After clicking this button, you'll be asked to log back into your account and retrieve the backup codes. You can refer to your phone for the backup codes, or you can retrieve them by following these steps:

1. Click on the Go to my settings button
2. Scroll down to Backup options
3. Follow the instructions for Backup codes

Either print those codes or save them as a text file. That's how you'll gain access to your account, should you ever not have your phone handy.

Google Authenticator

As I mentioned before, there are three ways to get your verification codes:

• SMS
• Voice message
• Google Authenticator

The nice thing about the Google Authenticator app is that it can generate a code for you, even if you’re in Airplane mode. To install this app, do the following:

1. On your Android device, open the Google Play Store
2. Search for Google Authenticator
3. Locate and tap the entry for the official Google app
4. Tap Install
5. Tap Accept
6. Allow the installation to complete

Once the app is installed, you can launch it from within your app drawer. From the welcome screen (Figure B), tap the Begin Setup button.

Figure B

Google Authenticator running on a Verizon-branded Samsung Galaxy S4.

First, you'll be prompted to enter your Google account password. Do that, and tap Done. Next, you'll be required to OK the EULA. If you get a failure (and you most likely will), you'll be prompted to sign in via the web browser. Tap the Next button, and sign into your Google account when prompted. You'll then receive the verification code on your mobile device. Enter that code, and the verification will succeed.

The next step is to set up Google Authenticator. To do this, open up a web browser on your desktop and go to https://g.co/authenticator. You'll be prompted to log into your Google account. Upon successful login, a pop-up window will appear with a QR code. On your device, tap the account (from within Google Authenticator) that you want to set up. In the resulting window, tap Scan barcode. You may be prompted to install the ZXing barcode scanner (if so, tap Install). Hold the device up to the screen so ZXing can scan the code. Upon successful scanning, you'll see the Google Authenticator app display a verification code. The code will only last a short time. You must enter that code into the required text area (within the web browser). When that step is complete, the Google Authenticator will be officially set up.

Now, when you want to log into your 2-step enabled Google account, you can get your verification code for that account from the Google Authenticator app (no more need to get the code sent via SMS or voice message). Again, this app will work even if you’re in Airplane mode.

If you decide 2-step verification is too cumbersome, you can always modify the settings to turn it off.

However, to keep your Google account as secure as possible, consider using 2-step authentication and the Google Authenticator app. Your data will thank you for it.

What do you think? Is 2-step authentication the best way to keep your data from being hijacked? If not, let us know a better solution in the discussion thread below.

ZArchiver

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.zdevs.zarchiver

ZArchiver - program to manage archives (archive manager). 

The program has a simple and functional interface.

Attention! The program has problems with work on Android 4.4. I still can not understand reasons .

ZArchiver lets you:
* Create following archive types: 7z (7zip), zip, bzip2 (bz2), gzip (gz), XZ, tar;
* Decompress archive types: 7z (7zip), zip, rar, bzip2, gzip, XZ, iso, tar, arj, cab, lzh, lha, lzma, xar, tgz, tbz, Z, deb, rpm, zipx, mtz, chm, dmg, cpio, cramfs, img (fat, ntfs, ubf), wim;
* View archive contents: 7z (7zip), zip, rar, bzip2, gzip, XZ, iso, tar, arj, cab, lzh, lha, lzma, xar, tgz, tbz, Z, deb, rpm, zipx, mtz, chm, dmg, cpio, cramfs, img (fat, ntfs, ubf), wim;
* Create and decompress password-protected archives;
* Edit archive: add/remove files to/from the archive (zip, 7zip, tar, apk, mtz);
* Create and decompress multi-part archives: 7z, rar(decompress only);
* Partial archive decompression;
* Open compressed files;
* Open an archive file from mail application;
* Extract splited archives 7z, zip and rar (7z.001, zip.001, part1.rar, z01).

“Hydrogen”

http://www.opendaylight.org/

OpenDaylight is an open platform for network programmability to enable SDN and create a solid foundation for NFV for networks at any size and scale.

OpenDaylight is an open platform for network programmability to enable SDN and create a solid foundation for NFV for networks at any size and scale. Enterprises, service providers, equipment providers and academia can download Hydrogen today and begin to evaluate, commercialize and deploy SDN and NFV.

OpenDaylight software is a combination of components including a fully pluggable controller, interfaces, protocol plug-ins and applications. The Northbound (programmatic) and Southbound (implementation) interfaces are clearly defined and documented APIs. This combination allows vendors and customers alike the ability to utilize a standards-based and widely supported platform without compromising technical creativity and solution innovation. With this common platform both customers and vendors can innovate and collaborate in order to commercialize SDN- and NFV-based solutions.

Hydrogen is the first simultaneous release of OpenDaylight delivering three different editions to help a wide array of users get up and running as quickly as possible--Base Edition, Virtualization Edition and Service Provider Edition.

For Developers looking to get acquainted with the code currently in the repository, visit theDeveloper Wiki.

Download here.

Wings for your Windows Explorer!

http://ejie.me/

Clover 3

Wings for your Windows Explorer!

Clover is an extension of the Windows Explorer, to add multi-tab functionality similar to Google Chrome browser. After install Clover, you will be able to open multiple folders within the same window, and you can also add folder bookmarks.

Outernet - Information for the World from OuterSpace

https://www.outernet.is/

'Streak' for Gmail notifies senders when a recipient reads an email

Here is a new feature - email tracking - that changes the way you track sent emails. Streak has come up with a Google Chrome browser extensionthat lets senders track when recipients open and read an email.

Once you have installed Streak for Gmail, the first thing to do to get started with email tracking is to toggle the feature on while composing an email using the "eye" icon. You can default email tracking to on or off in the Streak Settings tab in Gmail's settings interface.

Users get read notifications when their email is read. Users can change the default setting of desktop notifications to chat or email notifications in the Streak Settings interface.

Open any tracked email and the right sidebar of Gmail will show a timeline of reads of each individual message. You'll find the reader's name, device and location. For even more details and stats, the "Show Details" link can provide more information displayed graphically.

There is also a "Recently Viewed" link inside of Gmail. This link shows up underneath your "Sent Mail" folder, and if you don't want to see it you can just click the triangle to toggle it off.

Clicking on that link will take you to a list of your emails ordered by the date that they've most recently been read. Emails are annotated with the actual view date and they appear in an order based on when they were viewed (newest up top) instead of when you sent out the email.

By default, you can send 200 tracked emails a month but its really easy to unlock unlimited email tracking by sharing Streak Email Tracking with friends You'll be given the option to share when you first start with email tracking or when you hit the 200 email limit in a month.

"Streak is currently free while in Beta and there will always be a free plan. In the future, Streak will offer paid premium features," says the company.

http://www.streak.com/

Seven ways to set up multi-booting with Windows 8 and Linux

Ref:- http://www.zdnet.com/seven-ways-to-set-up-multi-booting-with-windows-8-and-linux-7000026392/

1. Install the Linux GRUB bootloader

Well, the first and certainly the simplest if it works properly, is to install the Linux GRUB bootloader as the default boot object, and have it control dual-booting with Windows. 

To do this, of course, you have to have a UEFI-compatible Linux distribution - the ones I have tried and can vouch for are openSuSE, Fedora, Linux Mint and Ubuntu, but there are others and there are more coming in the near future. 

If you have a UEFI Secure Boot compatible Linux distribution, you don't even have to change the UEFI configuration settings, although a lot of people will choose to disable Secure Boot anyway. 

When you install a UEFI-compatible Linux distribution, if everything works as it should and the UEFI firmware configuration works properly and does not get improperly "reset" (which I have seen happen far too often), then when you reboot after installation completes you will get the GRUB boot menu, and you will be able to choose either Linux (the default) or Windows 8 to boot from it. 

At that point you are almost home free - but be aware that I have personally seen (and personally own) systems which at some later point will suddenly reset the configuration to boot Windows for no particular reason. If this happens, you should consider using one of the other methods described below, because my experience has been that it doesn't happen just once.

2. Use the BIOS Boot Select Key

The second possibility is that you choose a UEFI-compatible Linux distribution, the installation goes along just fine, but when you reboot it comes up with Windows rather than Linux. This can be very disheartening, but it is actually not that difficult to work with. 

The important thing to remember is that the Linux installation will have added itself to the boot list: you just need to be able to get to that list to boot it. 

The simplest way to do that is to use the BIOS Boot Selection option, which is activated by pressing a special key during the power-on or reboot process. That "special key" varies between systems, I have seen Escape, F9 and F12 used on some of my systems, and I'm sure there are others. 

When you press it, the Windows boot process will be interrupted and you will get a list of available operating systems - probably Windows 8 and Linux. I personally don't care for this option because I don't like to have to "race" with the boot process to make sure that I press the Boot Select key in time, and if I am distracted or too slow then I have to go all the way through Windows boot and then just immediately reboot to get back to the Boot Selection menu. 

But a lot of people don't seem to mind it, and it certainly is an option which requires a minimum of fiddling and fighting with stubborn BIOS configurations. One way that this can be made a bit easier is to go into the BIOS setup and choose a start-up delay, many systems will allow you to set anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds of delay before Windows actually boots, thus giving you a lot more time to press the magic key.

3. Enable 'Legacy Boot'

The third "simple" possibility is to enable 'Legacy Boot' in the BIOS configuration, and just ignore the whole UEFI issue. 

This is not an option that I personally prefer, in part because I am stubborn and in part because as Adam Williamson explained to me some time ago there are some functional advantages to UEFI boot. But it certainly is a viable option, and strictly in terms of getting Linux installed and booting it might actually be the absolute simplest solution. 

The only problem that I have seen with this option is that some systems make it difficult to enable Legacy Boot, either the option is well hidden in the BIOS configuration, or you actually have to set a BIOS password before they will let you change it. I have heard that there might be some systems which don't have Legacy Boot support at all, but I have never seen one like that.

Anyway, if you choose this route not only does it make things much simpler for installing and configuring dual-boot, it allows you to install pretty much any Linux distribution you want, without regard to UEFI compatbility. 

I have personally used this option to install non-UEFI Linux distributions, such as SolydXK, PCLinuxOS and Linux Mint Debian Edition in a multi-boot configuration with some other UEFI-compatible distribution. I can then go back and disable Legacy Boot, and just use the UEFI-compatible GRUB to boot the non-compatible Linux.

4. Try using the Windows bootloader

The fourth possibility should be to use the Windows bootloader to dual-boot with Linux. I say should be, because people keep posting comments which say "just use easyBCD to set it up", or even "use bcdedit", but try as I might I can't get it to work. 

I wrote about this a year or so ago, when I got my first UEFI system, and I assumed at that time that the problem was just that easyBCD was not completely adapted to support UEFI boot, but now I have tried it again, with the latest version of easyBCD that I could get from the NeoSmart web page and I still can't get it to boot Linux at all. 

Now, it may be that I am just too dense to figure it out, but if anyone is going to come along and post a comment that says "it works fine", then please be prepared to be very specific, and give exact details of what you did to get it to work. Because I have tried everything thing I can think of, and no matter what I do the only thing I get when I try to boot any Linux installation is a message that says "Windows Failed to Boot". 

I have also searched the web for more information, and the only concrete examples I can find are those who have failed, the same way that I have.  I can find lots of places that say "easyBCD works", and "use easyBCD to multi-boot Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP, MacOS and Linux", but not ONE which actually says "we did this with Windows 8 UEFI and LInux, it worked, and here is what you have to do".

What I did was the following.  I downloaded and installed easyBCD 2.2 on two different Windows 8 UEFI systems (the recently purchased HP Compaq, and my Acer Aspire One 725). When I then ran easyBCD (as administrator, of course), I was surprised that it came up with a list of operating system for its boot configuration. I know that the Windows bootloader had not been seeing or offering to boot anything other than Windows 8. It took me a minute to realize that what it was listing was everything which was in the BIOS boot list. 

That was exactly what was being offered if I used the Boot Selection option, as described above, but if I just let Windows boot normally there was no sign of these others. Even if I put a 30-second delay in Windows boot, using either bcdedit or easyBCD, it would stop and list only Windows 8.  So why was easyBCD listing all the others? I didn't understand, but I hoped that it might be a good sign, that easyBCD was at least finding the other options, and all I had to do now was add them to the normal WIndows bootloader menu.

I tried to do that, first by just marking one of the Linux distributions as the default boot object. easyBCD let me do that with no complaints, but when I rebooted it just came right back up with Windows. Bah.

Then I tried using the "Add" option in easyBCD, and gave all the information for one of the Linux partitions.  This time at least when I rebooted it showed the Linux option in the boot list, but when I tried to boot it I got the "Windows Boot Failed" message. I shouted at the blasted computer that I wasn't even trying to boot Windows, so how could that fail, but that didn't help either.

Then I saw that what easyBCD was actually setting up was an attempt to boot something called /NST/neogrub.efi (or some such thing close to that, I don't have the exact name in my head right now, and I am fed up with easyBCD and Windows, so I'm not going back to look again). 

So I tried putting various bootable files in with that name - first I tried the grubx64.efi image from one of the LInux distributions, then I tried copying the boot block (first 512 bytes) of the disk and/or Linux filesystem, as used to be done in order to dual-boot Windows XP and Linux, and then I got desperate and just put a Linux kernel under that name. Of course, none of those worked. 

I finally decided, based on my own experience and the lack of success stories or real configuration information on the web, that easyBCD is of no use whatsoever in setting up dual-boot Windows/Linux with UEFI boot enabled. It might be possible to use it if you enable Legacy Boot, and then set it up exactly the way that it used to be done on Windows XP, but if you're going to do that, then just use method three above, and save yourself a lot of trouble.

After fighing with easyBCD for a very long time, and finally surrendering, I decided to make a run at the bcdedit utility, which is the standard Windows approach to this kind of configuration. I am reasonably familiar with this program, as I have used it to set up dual-boot on Windows XP, so I wasn't exactly blundering around in the dark. 

But again, no matter what I tried it didn't boot. I could get the Linux item added to the Windows bootloader menu, and I could set all kinds of different things as the boot object, but none of them worked. Finally, just to prove to myself that I wasn't doing something just fundamentally wrong (or stupid), I just set the boot object of one of my Linux attempts to be Windows 8, and it booted right up. Grrrr.

So, my conclusion from all of this is that one of the major reasons that easyBCD is of no use in setting up Linux dual-boot is that it is basically impossible to use the Windows 8 bootloader to boot Linux with UEFI boot enabled. Again, it might be possible with Legacy Boot enabled, but I don't care enough at this point to find out. 

If you know that I wrong about this, and you have personally set up a Windows 8 system to boot Linux using the Windows bootloader, then please tell me this in the comments, and please, pleasebe specific and tell me how you did it, because I would love to know.

5. Install a different Boot Manager

The fifth UEFI multi-boot option is to install a different Boot Manager, such as rEFInd from Roderick W. Smith. This has the advantage of being able to boot almost anything - Windows, Linux, MacOS - and it is very powerful and very flexible in automatically finding whatever might be on the disk and presenting you with a boot selection list. 

Unfortunately the one thing it doesn't solve is the "uncooperative/unpredictable BIOS configuration" problem described above. If Windows, or the boot process, or something else is monkeying around with the BIOS configuration and preventing you from permanently setting GRUB as the default bootloader, then it is almost certainly going to prevent you from setting rEFInd as well.

6. Try a workaround

The sixth option is not exactly a solution to the uncooperative/unpredictable BIOS configuration problem, it is more of an ugly workaround for it. 

It turns out that in addition to the normal "boot sequence" list in the UEFI boot configuration, there is also a "next boot" option, which specifices a one time boot configuration. 

This is normally null, so the system follows the boot sequence list, but if it is set the system will try to boot that item first, and will also clear that setting so that on the next boot it goes back to using the default boot sequence list. 

The next boot configuration can be set from Linux using efibootmgr -n XXXX, where XXXX is the item number from the boot list; to find out the number for your Linux installation(s), just useefibootmgr with no options (or efibootmgr -v if you want to see all the gory details): the number will be something like 0001 or 0002 in most cases. 

This "next boot" option could be turned into a semi-permanent work-around by adding theefibootmgr command to the Linux startup scripts, so every time you boot Linux it would reset the value so that it would boot Linux again the following time. I didn't say it was nice, or elegant, or even pretty, but does work, because I have tried it.

7. Trick the default boot process

Finally, the seventh option is to "trick" the default boot process by putting the Linux shim.efi (orgrubx64.efi if you disable Secure Boot) image in the place where the Windows Boot Manager is normally located. 

On the systems I have tried, this is in the EFI boot partition (typically /dev/sda2 on Linux, mounted as /boot/efi), under the name /EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi.  I have had some success in doing this, but be warned that some systems (especially HP Compaq) are so aggressive about checking and resetting the default UEFI boot configuration that sometimes they will actually notice that it is not the "original" bootmgfw.efi program insttalled, and they will actually go and get a copy of the original and put it back in place, thus undoing your clever deception. You can probably imagine how irritating and frustrating it is when this happens...

So, there you have it.  Seven different options to set up multi-booting with Windows 8 and Linux. 

I suppose there are others that I have not thought about, or that I am not remembering right now, but these are what I think are the most obvious.

I have tried all of these at one time or another. The simplest and nicest of course is the first, just install and boot grub, if that works on your particular system. I also know some people who swear by the second option, just press Boot Select, and they think that I am just being lazy and stubborn by not using that.

Beyond those two, it would probably take more dedication, learning and trial and error to get the others working (some I still haven't gotten working). But in the long run, if you are determined to dual-boot LInux and Windows, you should be able to do it.

Windows Desktop Gadgets

Battery Meter
http://addgadgets.com/battery_meter/

http://addgadgets.com/

http://8gadgetpack.net/

Battery Meter displays your battery status with icons, percentage remaining, time remaining, current voltage, charge rate, discharge rate, current charge capacity, and maximum charge capacity.

Flyout features can be shown by clicking on the icon or title to display the following information: manufacturer name of your battery, device name, unique ID, serial number, chemistry, retain capacity, maximum charge capacity, designed capacity, and designed voltage.

In settings you can change the gadget size up to 400%, fixed unit to watt hour (Wh) ampere-hour (mAh), adjust the color of the gadget’s background and text, and set auto update notifications.

Cloud Computing....?

Cloud Computing is the use of Computing Resources(Hardware like Hypervisor,Storage,switches  & Software like Virtualization,vlan trafficing , dynamic ip allocation ) that are delivered as Service over the Network.It's called cloud since all these above mentioned resources can be scaled on request  and based on usage.

Why cloud Computing is preferred / benefits of Cloud Computing

·      Scalability : -The customer doesn't have to know (and buy) the full capacity they might need at a peak time. Cloud computing makes it possible to scale the resources available to the application. A start-up business doesn't have to worry if the advertising campaign works a bit too well and jams the servers.

·      Pay Per Use :- Customers pay only for what they use. They don’t have to buy servers or capacity for their maximum needs. Often, this is a cost savings.

·    The cloud will automatically (or, in some services, with semi-manual operations) allocate and de-allocate CPU, storage, and network bandwidth on demand. When there are few users on a site, the cloud uses very little capacity to run the site, and vice versa.

·     Reduces Cost :- Because the data centers that run the services are huge, and share resources among a large group of users, the infrastructure costs are lower (electricity, buildings, and so on). Thus, the costs that are passed on to the customer are smaller.

·    Application programming interface (API):- Accessibility to software that enables machines to interact with cloud software in the same way that a traditional user interface (e.g., a computer desktop) facilitates interaction between humans and computers

·   Virtualization technology allows servers and storage devices to be shared and utilization be increased. Applications can be easily migrated from one physical server to another.

Types of Cloud Computing :-

·         Public Cloud

·         Private Cloud

·         Hybrid Cloud

Public Cloud  :- In public cloud applications, storage, and other resources are made available to the general public by a service provider. These services are free or offered on a pay-per-use model. Generally, public cloud service providers like Amazon AWS, Microsoft and Google own and operate the infrastructure and offer access only via Internet

Private Cloud : - Private cloud is cloud infrastructure operated solely for a single organization, whether managed internally or by a third-party and hosted internally or externally.

Hybrid Cloud : -  Hybrid cloud uses both public and private cloud infrastructure.

Cloud computing  Models

·       Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).  IaaS  offers  computers - physical or  virtual machines - and other resources like storage so that developers and IT organizations can use to deliver business solutions.Cloud providers typically bill IaaS services on a utility computing basis: cost reflects the amount of resources allocated and consumed.

·         Platform as a Service (PaaS). Pass offers computing platform typically including operating system, programming language execution environment, database, and web server. Application developers can develop and run their software solutions on a cloud platform without the cost and complexity of buying and managing the underlying hardware and software layers.

·       Software as a Service (SaaS). In the SaaS , the service provider hosts the software so you don’t need to install it, manage it, or buy hardware for it. All you have to do is connect and use it. SaaS Examples include customer relationship management as a service.

Woman Protection Apps

Help Me on Mobile

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.onmobile.helpme&hl=en

YWCA Safety Alert

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ywca.main&hl=en

Fightback

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.canvasm.wsa.view&hl=en

I AM SAFE

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobiwhiz.iamsafe.app

Scream Alarm!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gopal.appmaker.android.com&hl=en

Alert.Us - Family Safety GPS

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=us.alert

cab4me taxi finder

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cab4me.android&hl=en

Nirbhaya

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.smartcloud.nirbhaya&hl=en

VithU

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.startv.gumrah&hl=en

Women Safe Circle                                               http://www.windowsphone.com/en-in/store/app/women-safe-circle/24ff65e9-f3e5-48fa-b88a-7a75de5421ce

mdefence

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zestwings.mdefence