Once in a while an object or an idea comes along that completely capture the public imagination. The Jaguar E Type. The Ford Mustang. The Coke bottle. The iPhone. The iPhone is so perfect, such an intuitive piece of design, that all handheld communications devices have to follow its lead or suffer the consequences.

It’s the same thing you see in website design, where a specific successful site (like Facebook) dictates the way other sites work, look and feel. Amazon has left its mark on the ecommerce sites you use today; social media sites look like Facebook, or borrow its functionality.

The original functionality of the Windows Phone was a disaster. Trying to borrow Windows functions in a smartphone is like trying to carry a library around on your back: the information is there, but who would want all the effort of trying to extract it? Interestingly enough, Windows’ partnership with Nokia sees two previous titans of the communications industries struggling to keep up with companies that were once their less important cousins: Nokia’s new Lumia is the company’s last-ditch attempt to get back on the bandwagon.

The moral of the story is simple and one that ought to be heeded by the new kingpins. Android, BlackBerry and iPhone have had varying shelf lives, with the iPhone heading the pack for longevity in the era of smartphone technology – but they are all only as potentially successful as their current technology.

Yes, iPhone is still delivering intuitive and engaging graphic interfaces, which guide the user through multiple applications and functions to easily find what he or she wants to do. Yes, Android is mimicking a lot of this functionality to great effect. And yes, Windows Phone’s initial decision to ignore the same interface and feel is the reason why it has had to be redesigned from scratch. In the long term, though, there will be other pretenders – and one of those will win the crown.

Apple’s previously unblemished record for innovation and design genius has suffered a few minor dents in recent months. Nothing major, certainly nothing in the same league as Microsoft having to take the Windows Phone 7 back to the drawing board and start again – but one or two glitches or misdirected apps have popped up and briefly made headlines. Not that those headlines will mean a great deal to the average Apple customer, who is a devoted fan and one of the most loyal brand evangelists you will ever meet.

Microsoft’s absence from the scene (it has been away redesigning the Windows Phone!) has proved pretty expensive for it in terms of market share. In 2010 Microsoft had a 9 per cent share of the smartphone market, while Android was making out better at 26 percent – now, Android takes nearly 50 percent and Microsoft has just over 5.

It’s interesting to note that the company with the biggest advertising presence (Apple) boasts a much smaller share than Android – which came onto the scene later and which still appears to be mimicking the Apple design. The key, of course, is that Android has mimicked Apple’s iPhone while Microsoft made the rather arrogant mistake of assuming that something so popular could be ignored in favour of its clunky original design.

Android is currently on the upswing of the wave that Apple are now riding the other side of. Android handsets are entering the golden age of communication device design, when all the original glitches have been found and ironed out – and extra functionality has been added to make the phone owner’s experience even more intuitive and absorbing.

Apple’s handsets, on the other hand, passed their pinnacle two versions ago – the newest iPhone seems to exist more to make current customers go out and spend more money on new toys than because they have anything extra to give. Though the latest screen and better camera looks like it may prove a turning point in regenerating new interest. As for Microsoft – it has a long, long way to go if it is going to catch up.

About the Author: Roxanne P. is a Freelance and Staff writer who writes informative & creative articles on Technology for various technology company. Her expertise are in writing articles related to internet providers, mobile broadband deals , Social media etc.

Getting instant access to a potential audience of millions was easy in the days when just a few TV channels were available and viewers were essentially captive. But with mobile phones and the internet there is a greater degree of fragmentation and the traditional media outlets are not as reliable as they have been in the past. This has allowed application-download services and social-networking sites to become important tools for spreading messages, political or otherwise.

In the US, it was the campaign that eventually got Barack Obama into the White House which became the blueprint for how political groups might use mobile apps to their advantage. As well as fundraising and broadcasting information on mobile platforms, the side effect of a campaign which targeted tech-savvy users was that the candidate in question was by association perceived to be more accessible and in touch with modern needs.

Part of the benefit of politicians and political groups choosing to use mobile apps as a means of promoting their agenda is that they are not just a one-way street, as is the case with print and broadcast media. Apps can allow constituents to interact directly with authority figures, enabling a two-way conversation which might have been impossible in previous years. The instantaneous nature of digital communication is another boon, because short-form messages can be fired off in response to people on Twitter applications and dedicated programs, many of which will satisfy voters more than a letter or phone call.

A second vital aspect of harnessing mobile apps is that they cater to an increasingly mobile community. People are no longer required to stay at home or in the office if they want to access the internet and all of its communicative potential. With mobile web access becoming faster by the month and powerful smart phones with large screens making app opportunities more ambitious, those groups which ignore or misunderstand the modern voters, activists and bloggers will lose out. Those that embrace the mobile world will thrive.

Although few politicians would be willing to admit it, it is now necessary to think of a candidate or a cause in terms of branding. Just as businesses engage with customers and get their image and message on to the pocket-sized device that everyone owns, so must politicians follow this route if they want to walk in step with modern society.

Most current mobile phones echo the way a sat nav deals with location-based services and allow people to broadcast their whereabouts to friends and followers. This is why social-networking sites have become an important aspect of the various political movements, revolutions and revolts that have occurred around the world in recent months. Apps and mobile services that let users experience the way a sat nav deals with problems such as organizing a march or a rally are another facet with which political groups are becoming familiar.

The ways in which mobile apps have revolutionized political groups and the organisation of their activities are many. It is not an overstatement to point out that the changes which have already occurred may be eclipsed by future developments.

About the Author: Roxanne P. is a Freelance and Staff writer who writes informative & creative articles on Technology for various technology company. Her expertise are in writing articles related to internet providers, internet technology, Social media etc.

For shoppers its a new life, in just few clicks you’re ensured safety of a transaction, and now it also has an Android app, which makes it that more useful.

What is it?

Google wallet , which launched in the US in September, is a new android phone app that lets you quickly and easily pays for items in shops using your phone. It’s a ‘virtual wallet’, which means that stores your credit cards, loyalty cards and gift cards.

 How does it work?

It uses near field communication (NFC), a wireless technology that allows two device two ‘talk’ to each other by touching, or being placed close to each other. It’s similar to how the London Underground’s Oyster Card system works. So you just need to tap your phone against a payment reader to pay, and also to earn your normal shopping benefits, such as loyalty points. It can be used in over 1, 40,000 shops in the US.

 Ah, so is it one of those services that’s only available in the US?

Afraid so. However, unlike Google Music or Amazon Cloud Player , Google Wallet is definitely coming to the UK. Recent reports suggest that Google will launch it in time for next year’s Olympic Games in London. If this is the case, trials are likely to take place soon. To receive email updates about Google Wallet, register at www.google.com/wallet/get.html.

 What’s so good about it?

Its main appeal is that all your payment options will be on your phone, so you’ll no longer need to carry a chunky wallet around with you, stuffed full of credit cards, loyalty cards and cash. Take a look at Google’s ‘Introducing Google Wallet’ video on You Tube to see how liberating it will be to ditch your bulky wallet!

 Is it safe?

Yes, very. You need to set up a Google Wallet PIN, and enter it before making a purchase. There is no different from entering a code with a chip and PIN credit card. You can also set the length of time allowed for you to enter your PIN- one minute, five minutes, and 15 minutes or 30 minutes – after which the option is timed out.

 How can you be so sure it’s safe?

Because Google Wallet uses a chip called Secure Element. This is separate from the phone’ main operating system and hardware, which means only Google Wallet can access it. All your details are encrypted as they pass from your phone to the payment reader. Also, Google Wallet is very easy to lock. You simply touch the lock icon located at the top-right of the app.

 Does this mean it can’t be hacked?

It makes it unlikely, although the obvious incentives will undoubtedly drive criminal gangs to try. Google says that Secure Element has been designed to stop malicious Android apps accessing Wallet.

 What is my phone is stolen?

The thief won’t be able to access your details, so you don’t need to panic, but you should still tell your bank to cancel your cards.

 Does it cost anything?

No. it’s completely free.

 Does it work with all credit cards?

At the moment, in the US, users need a Citi MasterCard account or a Google Prepaid Card. The latter is a virtual card that you can top up for free using your existing credit or debit cards. US customers who signed up to Google Wallet before the end of 2011 were given $10 on their Google Prepaid Card, so hopefully the company will be just generous when the service reaches the UK.

 Does Google know what i buy?

This is interesting. Google says that Wallet does not “currently” receive information of the products you buy. This gives Google the option to change the rules at a ruler date. Google Wallet does record the time of a purchase, and how it was bought.

You can reset your details to erase all transaction history.

 So what’s in it for Google?

Very good question. According to reports, Google plans to make money by sending ‘sponsored’ deals from Google offers (www.Google.com/offers) to your phone. That’s why it would be so useful for Google to know what you’ve bought and from where, so they can tailor specific adverts to you.

Google Offers isn’t available in the UK yet, but in the US it offers special online discounts for a specific period of time.

 What phones can it be used on?

It’s still early days for google Wallet, so it can only be used on the company’s own Galaxy Nexus S (www.google.com/nexus). But more Android phones are likely to be compatible with the app next year.

 What happen if i switch phones?

You’ll be able to switch your Google Wallet account to your new phone, although if you’re using a credit card you’ll need to decommission your existing phone first. As a security measure, Google won’t let you put the same credit card on two different phones at the same time. Balances on your Google prepaid Card can also be transferred.

 Will TI be a success?

Difficulty to say. One of the biggest obstacles will be the public’s reluctance to use and trust NFC. A recent survey conducted by consumer research team Intersperience (www.intersperience.com) found that just 17 per cent of Britons would be happy to use their mobile phone as a Wallet. The study found that consumers generally feel less confident about security on mobile device, so Google will have to work hard to convince people that it’s safe to use.

People are also concerned about having their phone stolen and hacked, and being unable to pay for anything if the battery on their device runs down. Many shoppers will simply be reluctant to swap a real wallet, chunky though it may be, for a virtual one. Google also needs to persuade enough shops to offer the service in order for it to be widely used by shoppers. But perhaps the biggest hurdle will be mobile network refusing to allow it (see box below).

Despite this research, payment companies such as PayPal are optimistic that we will soon be living in a ‘cashless’ world. In November, managing director of PayPal UK, Carl Scheible, said: “by 2016, you’ll be able to leave your wallet at home and use your mobile as a 21^st- century digital wallet.”

 Wasn’t there a similar service launched ?

Yes, Orange and Barclaycard launched Quick tap in May, which lets customers pay for purchases up to £15. Shops that signed up to the system include    McDonalds’s, Subway, EAT, Pret A Manager and Boots. It can be used on Samsung’s Tacco and wave 578 phones. At the time of launch, Orange vice President Pippa Dunn said: “it is going to start a revolution in the way we pay for things on the high street.” But if Britons really are as reluctant to use NFC as the above survey suggests, this could be a slow revolution.

Let us know what have you planned this year for gaming and what all things you want to see in gaming department. Here is the list of Top 10 most selling video games.

10. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock  This game is published by Activision-Blizzard.  This is the biggest grossing game of all time with earning life-to-date sales of $830.9 million (not counting additional income from digital add-on sales).

9. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare This game is published by Activision-Blizzard. This is the fourth game in the series which brought players into the present.

8. Mario Kart (with Wheel) This game is published by Nintendo. This game provides you a natural feel of racing. It allows 12 players to compete together online, something the series had never done before.

7. Wii Fit Plus This game is published by Nintendo. Its an enhancement of the original game, “Wii Fit Plus”. It includes 21 new mini-games and exercises to the popular franchise, while retaining all the elements (and pricing) of its predecessor.

6. Guitar Hero World Tour This game is published by Activision-Blizzard. This is a new full band game.

5. Wii Play (with remote) This game is published by Nintendo. This collection of mini-games becomes popular for its extra controller. Players have the choice to buy a standalone one or pick up “Wii Play”.

4. Rock Band This game is published by Viacom/MTV Games. This game recorded sale of $670.7 million. Players having plastoc guitars,

3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 This game is published by Activision-Blizzard. This is an action game which records a gross income of $713.6 million.

2. Wii Fit – This game made its entry in 2007. This is publish by Nintendo.

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops – With sales of $787.4 million so far, “Black Ops” is, as of the industry’s top selling game. Activision-Blizzard are the publisher of this game.

Most of the Best TV Shows are the Returning Shows some of which will be missing our favorite cast members. Nevertheless, they were and still will be the one of our Best TV Shows. With so many choices and so many opinions falling at the same place, we have sort through the most crazily watched shows below are the more then 10 of the Top 15 shows you won’t want to miss this fall.

Pan Am (ABC)

If you don’t remember when flying was actually fun and people got dressed up to board an airplane, then you’ll want to watch this new ABC series set in the 1960s and starring Christina Ricci as a rebellious bohemian who becomes a Pan Am stewardess in order to see the world. Rounding out the crew are Karine Vanasse, Kelli Garner, Margot Robbie and Jonah Lotan as a cocky and charismatic new pilot. Premieres Sept. 25.

Two and a Half Men (CBS)

Goodbye Charlie Sheen, hello Ashton Kutcher. After much ado, Kutcher will make his debut this Fall as Walden Schmidt, an Internet billionaire with a broken heart. How he’s related to Sheen’s character Charlie Harper and what’s become of Charlie is unknown. If rumors are true, creator Chuck Lorre, no fan of Sheen anymore, will kill off the character. Premieres Sept. 19.

The X Factor (FOX)

Simon Cowell is back and hopefully badder than ever in the show he left “American Idol” to bring to America. He’s got his (sometimes) favorite sidekick, Paula Abdul, with him along with Nicole Scherzinger and LA Reid. Premieres Sept. 21.

Ringer (CW)

Sarah Michelle Gellar, who broke out with “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer,” is back on the small screen. In CW’s new mystery thriller “Ringer,” Gellar plays twin sisters trying to escape their dangerous and complicated lives. Premieres Sept. 13.

Playboy Club (NBC)

Not surprisingly, this show about Hugh Hefner’s original club, set in 1960s Chicago, has already drawn protests from anti-porn groups. It stars Eddie Cibrian and Amber Heard, who have colorful personal lives of their own. Premieres Sept. 25.

Dexter (Showtime)

That gritty cable drama with Michael C. Hall as a moonlighting serial killer is back for another season. This time, Hall is grappling with his faith. Enter Edward James Olmos as a theology professor. Premieres Oct. 2.

New Girl (FOX)

With “New Girl,” Zooey Deschanel makes it a family affair at Fox, joining big sister Emily Deschanel (“Bones”) to play Jess, a socially awkward gal who moves in with three bachelors after her boyfriend dumps her. The guys try to help her re-enter the dating scene while getting close to her model BFF, played by Hannah Simone. Premieres Sept. 20.

2 Broke Girls (CBS)

Call it a modern day “Laverne and Shirley.” Kat Dennings, who displayed her dry wit in “Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist,” stars as a smart-mouthed Brooklyn waitress who moonlights as a nanny and ends up moving in with her new co-worker (played by Beth Behrs), an heiress who has to make her own living after her Bernie Madoff-like dad is locked up. Premieres Sept. 19.

Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

The award-winning HBO drama led by Steve Buscemi is back and will no doubt get a boost at this year’s Emmy Awards. This season, Buscemi’s Nucky is fighting to hold to his Atlantic City turf from rival Jimmy, played by Michael Pitt, but he may be distracted by the appearance of his dead — or is she? — wife. Premieres Sept. 25.

The Office (NBC)

Who will fill Steve Carell’s shoes now that Michael Scott has left Dunder Mifflin? James Spader has been hired, but he will replace Kathy Bates as CEO of Sabre. Meanwhile, Jim and Pam are expecting their second baby. Premieres Sept. 22.

Charlie’s Angels (ABC)

Minka Kelly, Rachael Taylor and Annie Ilonzeh may be hoping this Miami-based reboot does the same for their careers as it did for Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith. The series is set to premiere on the anniversary of the day the original show debuted 35 years ago. Premieres Sept. 22.

A Gifted Man (CBS)

This new CBS drama starring Patrick Wilson as a hot-shot surgeon whose recently deceased ex-wife (Jennifer Ehle) begins appearing to teach him lessons from the hereafter has some serious Hollywood muscle behind it. Besides Wilson, the show’s creator is Oscar-nominated screenwriter Susannah Grant (“Erin Brockovich”). Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme helmed the pilot. Premieres Sept. 23.

Glee (FOX)

It’s graduation year for three of the show’s biggest stars — Lea Michele,Cory Monteith and Chris Colfer. Executive producer Ryan Murphy said the full roster of who’s graduating and who’s staying will be revealed in the Sept. 20 season premiere.

Last Man Standing (ABC)

Coming off his latest box office success in “Toy Story 3,” Tim Allen returns to TV. In ”Home Improvement,” it was Allen and the boys against mom. In his new series “Last Man Standing,” Allen is outnumbered by his wife (Nancy Travis) and three girls and finds his masculinity tested when he has to stay home while his wife rejoins the workforce. Premieres Oct. 11.

Terra Nova (FOX)

This new series long in the making also has a Hollywood heavyweight behind it. Steven Spielberg is the producer of this dinosaur drama about the Shannon family, who must travel back to prehistoric Earth to save the human race. Yes, there will be plenty of dinosaurs. Premieres Sept. 26.

But, what if the day you starts at your job site, gives the immense pleasure which you are looking for with a lot of money? There are a big number of people who enjoy their profession. They just live their dreams while they are doing their job. We did find some people who are the real professionals of their field.

Rock climber Steph Davis climbs up the north face of Castleton Tower in Castle Valley, Utah. Yeah, she gets paid to do that. Spend some time here and find out 10 coolest jobs and get inspired by the people who do them.

1) Stunt Woman

Alisa Hensley

Passion is the word behind most every different initialization. Performing stunts is no more a MEN’s job. Women are now rising as a new stunt star. Alisa Hensley is one among these new bies. She is an established name in the list of lady stunt performers. She has a long career in Hollywood; she is doubling for well-known actresses including Cameron Diaz, Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, and Yvonne Strahovski on the NBC series “Chuck.”Her career started with a free stunt performance, in a TV show. After this show, she came in contact with Stunt Coordinator Joni Avery who led her to the well known PAMELA ANDERSONs show, V.I.P. There is nothing she can’t do, say it be martial arts, ride motorcycles, fence, shoot firearms, rock climb, rappel, swim, and many different forms of falling.

2) Russell James, Photographer, Victoria’s Secret

How will you define a dream job? Probably Russell James may define it by referring to his own job. Russell James. Taking pictures of lingerie models, working barefoot, and having your work showcased in every Victoria’s Secret store in the world for everyone to see, is all about his job.

His popularity can be estimated by the fact, that he has to keep 25 others on his pay roll plus supermodels he works with for operating smoothly and efficiently.

His clients defines his job as to “make the girl feel sexy and beautiful, without being weird”,

Models also feel safe with this glamor world’s famous personality.

He has been first noticed by Ed Razek, the creative director of Victoria’s Secret, when he took a picture of Tyra Banks that ended up on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

Dylan Lauren, CEO, Dylan’s Candy Bar

Nothing big in this world can be achieved without a passion. Dylan Lauren, is the one who have achieved her desired destination. She always wanted to do something different right from her childhood.

All just got started in 2001,when she opened the Dylan’s Candy Bar location in New York. While pursuing her graduation from Duke University, she got her inspiration from the,”Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.”She has travelled a long way in search of the world’s most exciting confectionery creations. Acc. to her, the candy store she has opened is her so called “Disney World with candy”.

There are Dylan’s Candy Bar locations in New York City, East Hampton, and Roosevelt Field in New York; Houston; Orlando; and, coming in 2012, stores in Miami and Los Angeles. The stores employ 206 people and sales for 2011 are expected to hit $25 million.

Not only candies but other apparels, fashion symbols, even some candy themed household items are also available here.

In 1986, while having an encounter with a shark, an idea about such a camera striked to his mind. He then developed a small camera which can record the behavior of sea creatures in situations where a handheld camera could never go.

In 2003, Greg and his team deployed the first land-based Critter cam on wild lions in Kenya, capturing remarkable new images and ushering in a new era of behavioral science.

Jennifer Glanville, Brewery Manager, Boston Beer Co.

Jennifer Glanville, her job is just to drink even in the morning. There’s a tasting every day at 10:30 a.m., and unlike in the wine world, where professional tasters spit, Glanville and her brewing compatriots swallow. This is the best way to test the finishing of the beer, she says.

“My bad day at work is probably somebody else’s best day,” Glanville said.

It is not as easy as it appears. It’s a lot more than just drinking. A lot of work and passion goes into brewing craft beers for The Boston Beer Co., the maker of the Samuel Adams line of beers. It’s Glanville’s job not only to ensure the quality of the beer being made, but to come up with new flavors and new ideas that take traditional styles and turn them on their head.

She is quite hard working in perfecting what might be her favorite brew yet.

“It’s a match made in heaven, I guess, because I’ve been here 10 years,” Glanville said. “It’s hard to imagine what else now would fulfill me.”

Nathan Sawaya, Brick Artist

Nathan Sawaya, A Brick Artist is one of the passion lovers who even dropped his six figure salary. Being a lawyer; he was quite a successful professional. One day he just got into his boss’s room and quitted his job to live his passion.

He then made himself committed with the plastic blocks full-time.

Today, he is a “LEGO certified professional” whose work can be seen around the world in museums and fine art galleries. His work was even featured in the annual Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalog, offering customers customized, life-size sculptures of themselves or their loved ones.

Replicas of the libraries famous marble lions, Patience and Fortitude is his recent work which has been gifted to The New York Public Library. The half-scale sculptures took more than 60,000 legos and have an estimated value of about $30,000.

Victoria Miller, Detroit Public Schools

Not only to play instruments, how to be a leader is the lessons which are being taught in the Detroit Public Schools. These schools have got a extra ordinary music teacher, Victoria Miller.

“The time is so hard that the school kids need somebody to tell them the difference between to do and not to do.”-these are the words of this teacher. She sees it as her personal duty to give these kids a chance. For these students, spending time in band practice means less time in the dangerous Detroit streets. For some, it’s been a life saver. She just tries to keep them out of danger.

One day, a student’s friend was murdered while the student was in band practice. After that day, Miller is thanked for saving his life. The student thanks by saying as “The best teacher I ever had, period.” he said.

Car Aficionado

Mike Prichinello and Zac Moseley
Owners, Classic Car Club Manhattan

Searching all over the world to find the coolest and most powerful cars around. The duo of Mike Prichinello and Zac Moseley (Owners, Classic Car Club Manhattan) is running a car club with more than 300 members to drive the amazing collection of cars either on their own or as part of events, such as skeet shooting, road rallies, and visits to sports parks.

They live their dreams, they live their life, and they drive all the greatest cars, according to them.

Some more clubs are proposed to be opened in Miami and Los Angeles. Though they love speed and glamor, they fulfill their duties such as paying insurance policies costing $20,000 a year, dealing with accidents, overhead, and the dreaded state motor vehicles department.

Ryan Harris, Co-Owner, Eco Board works

Surf board designs somehow enhance your joy to surf with the waves. Ryan Harris has got a responsibilities of developing world’s first of its kind, ecofriendly surfboards. He surfs them also to test his creations.

“I get dirty like a five-year-old every single day, covered in dust, covered in resin and then get to clean up and go home and then do it all over again,” Harris said. “I love it. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

It all started in May; 2011.Harris with his friends opened their shop. Now they are selling a short board for $600.That’s a bit expensive than a normal material non Eco-friendly board.

Harris handcrafts all the boards in his Hawthorne, Calif., production studio. Firstly the design is finalized. After that, Harris crafts the basic board, adds natural resin, and then bamboo in order to make the board more flexible, and then he vacuum-bags it. Finally, it goes into the “hot box” and by 6 a.m. the next morning it’s ready for the fins to be added.

Steph Davis

Isn’t it adventurous to climb a rock without rope? You must have wasted some of your complete weekend in climbing rocks, but Steph Davis is the lucky person to do this daily. The 38-year-old Moab, Utah, resident on a typical day will climb up a sheer rock face hundreds of feet high — without ropes — then casually jump from the top, coasting back down to earth using a small parachute. She also jumps out of planes. For Davis, rock climbing started as a hobby in college. Making it a job stemmed from her figuring out what she really loved, rather than “getting bogged down in what job” she should be doing and how much money she should be making. It’s about living your passion in your own way, she says. Her job also helps her to examine the larger questions in life and deal with fear, not by just trying to overcome it but by being aware of it and working “alongside it rather than being controlled by it.”

She has got a lot of sponsor’s paying out with 80% of her total. She’s established relationships over the last 20 years of climbing with Well-known outdoor brands like prAna, Clif Bar, Mammut, and Back country.com. She’s also a scholar with a master’s degree in literature and is presently working on her second book, “Learning to Fly,” slated for publication sometime next year by Touchstone/Simon & Schuster.

The company said that utilizing its tools, which include 90 templates, any registered firm in India will be able to set up a website in less than 15 minutes.

Google, which is working with web host provider HostGator, hopes to help five lakh small and medium businesses in India get online in next three years through this programme. “In many ways, this is the most important initiative we have announced in recent years,” said Rajan Anandan, head of Google’s India operations.

“There are over 80 lakh SMEs in the country. Of these just 4 lakh have websites.”

Nikesh Arora, Google’s global chief of business operations, said that as more and more people search for information on services and products on the web, it will be important for SMEs to have online presence. “In the next 10 years, if you don’t have online presence you will not succeed. We recognize India as a high growth and high potential internet market… we are committed to play the role of a catalyst to bring the benefits of internet economy to SMEs,” he said.

Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh, who was at the launch event, said the initiative could not have come at a better time. “Government is realizing the potential of SMEs and is today announcing that from now onwards it will procure 25% of its goods from small businesses. The initiative from Google is laudable. We will explore how we can work together with the firm so that we can make SMEs more visible,” said the minister.

“I hope the initiative is not just a ploy to gain foothold in the market,” he said. To create an account, users will need to furnish an ID document, either a PAN, or Tax Deduction Account Number.

(TAN) or Corporate Identify Number (CIN).

It’s always been this way. The horse and buggy was once the dominant means of travel for Americans, but once the automobile was invented formerly solvent buggy makers found themselves out of a job.

This dynamic repeats itself whenever an invention comes along that significantly improves on a previous one. It’s particularly true when the invention offers convenience and ease of use. What follows is a list of products and services that became so indispensable to consumers that they instantly lost interest in their previous favorites.

What are some inventions that killed other products and services? lets find out.

Apple iPod

The iPod is a portable media player introduced by Apple in 2001. Prior to the iPod, the Sony Walkman was the most popular music player for anyone who wanted to listen to music on the go. The Walkman was somewhat bulky, however, and the musical selection was limited to however many 90-minute cassettes its owner could stuff into a fanny pack.

The iPod shrunk both the musical format and the device used to play songs to a single object about the size of a credit card. Some models, such as the 160-gigabyte iPod Classic, can store 50 days’ worth of music. PC World magazine said the iPod had ‘irrevocably altered the landscape for portable audio players,’ and indeed it so outpaced sales of the cassette-playing Walkman the latter simply couldn’t compete. The Walkman was discontinued in October 2010.

Amazon Kindle

Amazon.com reported it sold more e-books than paperback books during the last quarter of 2010. So while it still may be too early to say e-books have overtaken real books with consumers, the popularity of the Amazon Kindle e-reader suggests a mass consumer exodus to digital from paper books may be underway.

It’s not hard to understand why the Kindle and other e-readers are so popular. The device is smaller than a magazine and can store up to 3,000 books, all while weighing less than eight ounces , as in the case of the Kindle Touch. Compared to storing 3,000 hardcover copies, there’s simply no contest.

Email

Email is a ubiquitous part of everyday life for most people in the industrialized world. In a bygone era sending correspondences required having stamps and envelopes on hand, finding a U.S. Postal Service mailbox to send the letters and then waiting long stretches of time for a response.

Thanks to email, the most fleeting thought can now be sent instantly to multiple parties, and waiting to hear back even 10 minutes is sometimes considered agonizing. With the type of instant gratification email provides, it is unsurprising the U.S. Postal Service has seen a precipitous decline in business since 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Apple iPhone

The mobile phone was a revolutionary invention. Without the constraint of wires, telephone users were free to make and receive calls on the go. It had an incalculable effect on both personal and business life by allowing its owner to close a big sale and then reach the babysitter, all while sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Traditional cellphones, which simply make and receive calls, are now being crowded out of the marketplace by smartphones, specifically Apple’s iPhone. This device not only makes calls but sends and receives emails, plays music and videos, takes pictures, and supports myriad applications . The standard cellphone has since experienced a marked decline in sales, while the iPhone and other so-called smartphones have seen steady increases.

Netflix

When the VCR made home video a reality in American households, rental outlets such as Blockbuster did a brisk business. That all came to a grinding halt, however, when a new service was launched called Netflix. Founded in 1997, its business model as a subscription-based service revolutionized the home video market. Instead of taking out individual titles for a fixed length of time, Netflix simply mailed them to your house.

Part of Netflix’s success is attributable to the absence of late fees. Subscribers could keep DVDs for as long as they wanted without ever being assessed extra charges, the bane of the video renter’s existence. Blockbuster simply couldn’t keep up with the competition and in September 2010 it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Digital Word Processors

People of a certain age still remember the staccato sound of a typewriter. For years it was the device of choice for anybody who needed to present neat and orderly text, whether in a term paper, a business proposal or a resume.

In the 1970s, the first word processors were introduced. Since they weren’t much more than a keyboard with a monochrome monitor and a memory card, they didn’t pose much of a threat to the typewriter. In the 1980s, however, user-friendly computer programs such as Microsoft Word came along, and today it’s the most dominant word processing software on the market.

In 2009, Microsoft claimed that approximately half a billion people use the Microsoft Office suite, a software package that includes Word. By contrast, seattlepi.com reported the last manual typewriter factory in the world was down to its last 500 units. So get them while they last.

Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI)

For decades, special effects in movies were created through a variety of handmade techniques, such as matte paintings and stop-motion animation. Violent action sequences required the use of controlled pyrotechnics and dedicated stunt players, many of whom faced hazards to life and limb. At times they even had deadly results: Stunt actress Sonja Davis was killed during a scene on the set of the Eddie Murphy film ‘Vampire in Brooklyn.’

This all changed with the advent of computer-generated imagery, or CGI. The 1991 film ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ was an early example of the technology, and in just two years it had evolved by leaps and bounds, as the visual effects in 1993′s ‘Jurassic Park’ attest. While many filmmakers still prefer the look of live visual effects, CGI is now widely used and it has opened up a world of possibilities unthinkable using past techniques. After all, ‘Avatar’ just wouldn’t have worked if it had been rendered using claymation.

Electronic Commerce

In the past, shopping was an experience that almost always necessitated rubbing elbows with fellow consumers. If it had to take place on a major shopping day, such as the day after Thanksgiving, you risked getting trampled and sometimes found the very item you wanted to buy was sold out.

As Internet use became widespread, however, it’s become less necessary for consumers to subject themselves to the commercial equivalent of the Running of the Bulls. ‘Black Friday’ is now followed three days later by ‘Cyber Monday,’ a term that entered the national lexicon thanks to its use in a 2005 press release from the National Retail Federation that showed increasing electronic commerce on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, brick-and-mortar stores have reported consistently mediocre ‘Black Friday’ sales.

Apple iTunes

iTunes is a program that plays digital music and, more important, features an online store where music can be purchased and immediately downloaded, along with games, podcasts, movies and ringtones. It was introduced by Apple in 2001, the same year the iPod made its debut. The music industry is still trying to recover from its effects.

While baby boomers have been reluctant to reject physical media such as compact discs, younger generations have embraced digital music. In 2008, their business helped make the iTunes Store the number one music retailer in the U.S. Meanwhile, downloadable music has been devastating to brick-and-mortar music stores such as Tower Records, Sam Goody and Virgin Megastores, all of which saw their U.S. operations shut down by 2009.

Online Travel Agencies

Traditional travel agencies featuring actual human beings are unlikely to go away entirely, but they have seen a large decline in their business in recent years due to the advent of travel websites including Kayak, Expedia and Orbitz. The websites offer recommendations by other tourists, guide books, online forums and, of course, bookings.

Some 70 million people used an online travel agency just in July 2006, and Expedia.com reported almost $3 billion in revenue in 2008. The online agencies have had a negative impact on traditional travel agencies, as agents find themselves being the middleman who’s cut out of the action as the online agencies sell directly to Internet users.

Apple is launching its latest mobile operating system, iOS 5, today. While most of the focus has been on the new features it will introduce on iPhone, the latest iOS will actually change the way many iPad owners use their devices. Here’s a look a some of the new features and changes that stand out.

1. New multitouch gestures By swiping four or five fingers upwards, you’ll bring up the multitasking bar. Swiping four or five fingers to the left and right while in any app lets you flip between apps without needing the multitasking bar. The app to the right will be the one you last used.

2. Split keyboard By holding down the “hide keyboard” icon and dragging up, you’ll be able to split the on-screen keyboard in half, making it much easier to type with your thumbs while holding the iPad with two hands. Holding the “hide keyboard” icon and letting go opens a popup dialog where you can also choose to undock the keyboard to the middle of the screen.

3. Synched notifications Much has been made of the completely redesigned notifications in iOS 5 for iPhone, including the unobtrusive new Notification Center. This feature is present on the iPad as well, but another nice function is the ability for notifications to pop up on your iPad and iPhone lock screens simultaneously. Dismissing the notification on one device also dismisses it on the other.

4. Tabbed browsing The iPad’s Safari web browser is already great, but iOS 5 makes it better with the addition of tabs. These work just like on your desktop computer’s browser, allowing for quick switching between sites.

5. Browser reading list and reader view Blog posts and other stories you want to save for later can now be added to Safari’s reading list for easy access. When you’re reading a story, you can switch to the reader view, which pops up a new window containing a nice, clean text version of the story with pictures.

6. Texting with iMessage iPad finally gets in on texting with iMessage. This new app allows you to text with other iOS device users free of charge. Taking things a step beyond basic texting, it also features group messaging, read receipts, photo/video sharing, and the ability to see when other users are typing.

7. Photostream picture syncing The iPad photo app ties into Apple’s iCloud service in a great way. If you’ve got photo syncing enabled in iCloud, any images you take with your iPhone’s camera or save to another iOS device will automatically appear in real time on your iPad for instant viewing.

8. Email and Calendar enhancements The email app now supports rich text editing for writing emails, including bold, italics, and underlining. Apple has also updated the calendar app to finally support swiping between months with a nice page-turning animation.

9. Newsstand This new permanent fixture of the iPad’s screen is where the device gathers together all of your news reading apps and digital magazines/newspapers in one place. Tapping the Newsstand icon expands rows of bookshelves on screen containing these apps.

10. Typing shortcuts The iPad is a lot easier to type on than the iPhone, for sure, but iOS 5 makes it even easier to say what you want using shortcuts. With this feature, you can assign frequently used text, such as “see you soon,” to shorter trigger words, like “sys.” Typing these in any app will expand the corresponding text automatically.

11. Twitter integration Twitter is everywhere in iOS 5 for iPad. From within Safari, mail, maps,YouTube, and other apps, you can easily tweet the content you’re looking at — maps, videos, photos, and more.

12. Global dictionary Finally, tapping and holding your finger on any word on web pages and in most apps will open a popup menu containing the option to display the definition of the word. This feature actually originated in iBooks.

Power up your iPad
In addition to these major features, iOS 5 for iPad introduces a number of smaller tweaks and extra functionality to Apple’s popular tablet. Overall, the new OS is a huge update, with features that will make using your iPad easier, faster, and more powerful.