Submitted by NUS Student Chapt... on Tue, 09/08/2011 - 15:21
The elections for our fifth executive committee will be held online this week!
There are eight electoral positions that a student can contest for:
Chairperson, Vice-chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Technology and Student Service Director, Technology and New Media Director, Events Director and Creative Director
Submitted by NUS Student Chapt... on Sun, 20/02/2011 - 22:35
Apple iPad vs Samsung Galaxy Tab vs
Notion ink Adam Tablet
The tablet that initially came in as a replacement to the netbooks now comes in varying sizes. Recently, the market has literally been flooded by Android-based devices and the Android vs. Apple battle has officially made its way into the world of tablets. I’ve picked up 3 head-to-head competitors, all of whom provide very unique and exciting features.
The Adam Tablet
Screen technology and display features:
Both the iPad and the Adam have 10″ LCD displays with capacitive touch screen technology. Samsung, however, has opted for a smaller 7” capacitive display which seems to easier to handle. The Galaxy tab and Adam both compete well with the iPad’s screen resolution. In addition, the Adam features PixelQi technology which translates into lower power consumption, direct sunlight readability and higher contrast when switched to BW mode for reading while the iPad and Galaxy Tab don’t seem to have any switch, not even for adjusting the brightness of the screen.
iPad vs Tab Screen Size
Performance/usability:
In terms of performance, it's hard to distinguish the three. An interesting fact about the Notion Ink Adam is that its processor is capable of running Windows 7 (even though it runs an Android platform currently). The big difference is in the software. Apple newest updates to the already impressive iOS4 will include a new Game Center, TV rentals, iTunes Ping functionality and AirPlay wireless streaming. Apple's App Store is also a colossus, boasting an unrivalled 250,000 apps. The Galaxy Tab and Adam meanwhile run Android 2.2 (Froyo) and can match the iPad for multi-touch control, pinch-to-zoom and general UI responsiveness. The Android Market might have fewer apps (around 100,000+ at last count), but Android still boasts one thing that the iPad doesn't have - Flash 10.1 support and. So basically, if you get an iPad, you can’t watch videos on the YouTube. The Adam will support 1080p HDMI video output.
Camera:
One of the major drawbacks of the iPad is the lack of a camera. The Galaxy Tab meanwhile has two cameras, a rear-facing 3.2MP lens with an LED flash and an extra 1.3MP camera on the front for basic QVGA video calling. The Notion Ink Adam features a 3MP camera with a patented swivel (up to 185°) action which allows for both video calling and regular photography. Check out the swivel in action below...
Size & weight:
The Apple iPad measures 242.8 x 189.7 x 13.4mm and weighs 680g. On the other hand, the Adam measures 238 x 158 x 13mm and weighs 600-650g. The Galaxy Tab is the smallest with dimensions 190.09 x 120.45 x 11.98mm and weighs a mere 380g.
Wireless:
All 3 tablets offer 3G networking, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, each with some internal variation. Additionally, the Samsung tablet can also be used to make phone calls via a Bluetooth headset and to send/receive SMS/MMS data. In contrast, there are 6 variations of the Adam available. 4 have wireless and screen differences, while 2 use different 3G options determined by the wireless in your country.
Storage:
Apple’s iPad models are available with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB of non-expandable memory. In contrast, you can expand both the 16GB and 32GB models of the Galaxy Tab with memory cards of size up to 32GB. The Adam can also be expanded by upto 32GB.
Battery life:
Apple claims a 10-hour battery life for its iPad, and the Adam is specified to have 16 hours of wifi browsing. It also boasts a 160-hour battery life with the backlit LED light turned off. The battery life for Galaxy Tab is, however, just 7 hours.
Price:
Notion Ink has officially confirmed that the Adam will retail at $327 (only) for its base model. The fully souped-up one will cost in the vicinity of $800, while iPad costs $829 and Galaxy tab $200-$300 (with contract).
And the rest...
The iPad also includes A-GPS functionality (3G + Wi-Fi models only) and a built-in digital compass. It has a 30-pin dock connector, headphone jack, built-in speaker, microphone and SIM card tray in some models. It can playback H.264 video up to 720p and doubles up as a e-reader thanks to Apple's own iBooks app and downloadable Kindle software. Prices start at £429 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only model, rising to £699 for the full-whack 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G variant. As for the new Galaxy Tab, it comes with built-in gyroscopic and geo-magnetic sensors, plus A-GPS or even full-blown GPS. It has HDMI output, one USB port, built-in one speaker, 3.55 mm headphone and microphone jack. It also has its own iBooks rival too in the shape of 'Readers Hub', which has access to 2 million books, over 2,500 magazines and more than 1,600 newspapers. Samsung has yet to reveal pricing details, which will probably be set by the mobile carriers who sell it. Adam will be able to run apps from the Android Market, with a separate platform for software custom-made for the Adam on an app store called Genesis. Their own store will provide apps, music, movies, and “millions of books at aggressive prices”. Notion Ink has promised that Adam will come with its own office suite that promises to be a lot better than apps available on the Android market. Adam also has a HDMI output, 3 USB ports, built-in speakers and microphone, microphone jack and headphone jack. Moreover, Notion Ink apart from having a multi-touch screen has included a trackpad on the back of the device. That means the screen can remain clear of hands while you move a cursor or scroll with your fingers on the back of the device.
Conclusion:
While the iPad is still the most desirable tablet computer available, the Galaxy Tab and the Adam will provide stiff competition, especially if they are sold at a sub $500 price point. Their inclusion of a built-in camera and expandable memory provides a healthy edge over iPad. With Android rapidly improving, the prospects for the Galaxy Tab and Adam look bright. The iPad hardware seems to be seriously lacking when compared to the Adam’s Tegra 2 foundations, PixelQi screen, trackpad and other features. The choice is clear - the Notion Ink Adam Tablet PC!
Submitted by NUS Student Chapt... on Sat, 05/02/2011 - 00:26
Life is all about change. Everything needs to be renewed time and again. This is more prominent than ever in this era of technology, where the ubiquitous cell phone gets replaced by its successor almost every couple of months. As you all know, we have had our elections very recently and our executive committee members for this year have been chosen. NUS ACM has been given an enormous jolt of enthusiasm and life with their recruitment. We are now looking to recruit members for various sub-committees to support our newly elected leads. Follow this link!
Submitted by NUS Student Chapt... on Sun, 23/01/2011 - 17:40
Google Instant:
Everything needs to be instant in this fast age. Instant noodles, instant messaging. Just when you thought nothing else could be “instantized”, Bam! Google makes itself instant! With this latest enhancement of its search engine, Google search results now appear as you type. What’s more - Google even provides search suggestions as you type, thus further reducing the time spent typing in the entire query. It almost feels like Google is psychic!
Google two step verification:
Do you feel insecure when logging into your mail account in public computers? Fret not! For our beloved Google is rolling out a two step verification system, where in addition to your password, a usb dongle needs to be connected or you need to enter a code generated by an app on your phone! So losing your password is not equal to losing your privacy or compromising your security. However, don’t expect to see this too soon. Its being implemented to apps premiere, education and government customers first.
Submitted by NUS Student Chapt... on Sat, 24/07/2010 - 04:59
Google's track record in the social sphere has not really been that impressive, to say the least. Orkut, Buzz and this have all come and stayed but none of them have been able to make an impact; at least not as much as Facebook. Maybe it is because their approach has always been content-driven. Anyway, if rumors are to be believed, Google is going to bring out yet another social product soon called Google Me which will supposedly be a direct competitor to Facebook.
Now, why is Google really keen on controlling the social domain? Okay, maybe not controlling, but why is it keen on being one of the major players at least?
Submitted by NUS Student Chapt... on Tue, 20/07/2010 - 15:03
This one is mainly for the student groups here in NUS but is quite relevant to small businesses as well. I must confess now itself that it is always tempting to have our own website. This is understandable but then, more often than not, this is just about owning a unique web address, is it not? We'll get to that in a bit.
Anyway, so apart from the obvious fact that Facebook pages are free, why should you consider moving?
The Social Web: The web is becoming increasingly social and the reasons to own a website today with no social integration are becoming fewer and fewer for we have evolved from the time we were happy to just look at beautifully styled yet static web pages.
Today, users have grown to expect more. For one, people expect that your website is updated frequently ie they are looking for fresh and relevant content on every visit. When your site doesn't project that feel, you have lost them already. On the other hand, if it does, then users expect an integration with their social network so that they can like and share your content.
Submitted by NUS Student Chapt... on Thu, 15/07/2010 - 10:18
Ever since we started in January 2008, our objective has always been to make the chapter a hub for technology-related news and activities. However, our focus thus far has been primarily on the offline events that we conduct through the year.
We did have a newsletter that we sent out to members every month. With four articles and a simple theme, the IT Bytes seemed to serve its purpose quite well by keeping students informed of updates in the tech world in that month by presenting it in a no frills-manner that people liked and appreciated.
It was only much later that we came to realize, however, that a problem with our newsletter was the fact that it was not real-time; A term that people seem to have fallen in love with, post-Twitter.
To summarize, students are willing to read a peer's take on a tech event or news story but only expect it to reach them on time when the news is still hot. Even with that understood, we were reluctant to start this blog then as we were not sure if it would work out the way we hoped it would as the concept of an online community or a web-based interest group was quite new to NUS.
Submitted by NUS Student Chapt... on Thu, 15/07/2010 - 10:06
A Practical interpretation
I think the first point of difference would be the fact that we would not exactly count as a news source at least for those who already follow the likes of Techcrunch, Mashable, Wired, Engadget etc. The reason for that is quite obvious - We are not that big yet!
As the articles here would be written by students, what you would get to read is a more practical and a relate-able take on a recent technology news story from your peer's perspective. This is important as we focus on not just keeping students informed but also on how students can actually benefit from being informed. This is something I really hope this blog would achieve.
A good example of what I am trying to convey here would be this article on Five facts about Social Apps. While the idea is to talk about the privacy backlash that Facebook faced recently, the article also sheds some insight on how social applications work.
Submitted by NUS Student Chapt... on Thu, 15/07/2010 - 05:07
The widely publicized Facebook privacy row in May has not really stopped users on Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms from connecting to new applications and games.
Two things however, are clear from the issue - One, users are increasingly concerned about the privacy of their data on social networking websites and two, users are also frustrated that they are not being told enough.
So I decided to pull together some privacy-related facts about these applications so that you know exactly what is going on the next time you connect to one of them.
By connecting to an app on Twitter, you are giving it full control over your Twitter account - ie both read and write access. Simply put, you are authorizing the application to be able to perform any action that you can do on Twitter without your permission - eg post a tweet, follow a tweep etc.
Unlike Twitter, Facebook never gives any of its apps write access by default. This permission is granted only if you as the owner give access to the application explicitly or if your account gets compromised.
Submitted by NUS Student Chapt... on Thu, 15/07/2010 - 04:24
You can use the Shorten application UI to shorten your link or by making a GET or a POST request to the app as shown below.
From your address bar - In case you are in a hurry, you can go to http://nusacm.org/apps/shorten?url=original-url to quickly shorten your link.
From your code - You can also make a POST request to http://nusacm.org/apps/shorten with a single parameter url and get back a JSON response which has the shortened URL.
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