Issue #4September 2012
 
Greetings!

This month, we can't ignore the elephant in the room...the new iPhone 5!  We've found an article that might be of interest to you if you just purchased your new iPhone 5...and even if you haven't!  Over 5 million iPhone 5s were sold in the first three days of the launch.  While Wall Street was disappointed with these initial results, Apple explains the shortfall of analysts estimated 6-10 million units sold due to supply issues.  Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement, "While we have sold out of our initial supply, stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date."  In this newsletter, we've also included an article about the details of the new Apple iOS6 software update.
 
As promised last month, we also want to take another look at cloud computing as it is becoming an ever increasingly popular topic these days - especially in the workforce.
 
Enjoy!
 
Regards,
Boris Jordanov
FrontGate Technology Solutions, LLC
iPhone 5 Apps You Need To Download Now!
eweek.com, Don Reisinger
 
1.  YouTube: There was a time when YouTube was available natively in iOS. However, with iOS 6, that won't be the case. So iPhone 5 owners will need to download the app in order to run YouTube apps from within the software. Keep that in mind upon breaking the iPhone 5 out of the box.  
 

2.  iDownloader Pro: With iDownloader Pro, iPhone 5 users can download, well, just about anything they come across. If they like something in the browser, they can click it and download it to their device. If they like a song, it can be downloaded. The same can be done with videos. iDownloader Pro is designed to help iPhone owners download whatever they want, whenever they want, just as they would on a PC. It costs $1.99.

 

3.  Camera+:  Camera+ delivers the functionality that iOS 6 users will wish was offered natively. The app does everything from improving the brightness of a photo to stabilizing shots and lining up an image. And for just 99 cents, it's a bargain.

 

4.  TurboScan:  TurboScan is one of the applications in this roundup that both consumers and enterprise users can get behind. The program, which costs $1.99, allows users to quickly scan multiple documents into PDFs by simply snapping pictures of them.  It's a popular app for good reason: it really works.

 

5.  iSchedule:  iSchedule doesn't get much attention in the corporate world, but it should. The application allows users to manage their work schedules and share them with others all from within the application. At $2.99, it's a little expensive, but it's a valuable tool for enterprise users.

 

6.  Dragon Dictation:  Although it might seem odd to have a dictation app offered in addition to Siri, it makes a lot of sense especially for enterprise users. With Dragon Dictation, users will be able to record audio notes, send them off to others, and have it fully translated into text. It's a great app that's available for free.

 

7.  Google Earth: Google Earth is a fine alternative to the Maps application that will be making its way to the iPhone 5 in iOS 6. In fact, the free app might just be even better. After all, in addition to providing 3D views of cities and buildings, like Maps, it'll also let folks explore visual images of the world. It's a must-have for any iPhone user.

 

8.  Wolfram Alpha:  Wolfram Alpha is arguably one of the best ways to find out information on a host of topics. The application, which costs just $1.99, lets users search for everything from math equations to very in-depth data on economic factors, definitions and more. Wolfram Alpha is an app everyone should have with them.

 

9.  Battery HD+:  Battery HD+ is the kind of utility that many iPhone 5 users will definitely need when they boot up the smartphone for the first time. The app lets users see how much of their battery is left, and can see how that translates to music playback, video playback and Internet browsing. It's a nice utility for enterprise users, especially. Plus, it's free.

 

10.  Angry Birds Space:  Everyone needs some fun in their lives. So, what better way to achieve that than with help from Angry Birds Space? The title is one of the highest-ranking games in the App Store, and at just 99 cents, is a cheap way to get in hours of gameplay on the iPhone 5.

Updating Your Apple Software to iOS6...
10 Things to Get Excited About
eweek.com, Don Reisinger 
 

Apple's iOS 6, the latest version of the mobile operating system was made available for download to Phones, iPads, and the iPod Touch on Sept. 19.  It came with more than 200 improvements in terms of new and improved applications as well as bug fixes.  Read on to learn more about iOS 6 and find out why it's worth downloading now that it is available-for free.

  

1. The all-new Maps:  The new Maps in iOS 6 is Apple's answer to the Google Maps applications that was previously built into the operating system. With the new Maps, iOS 6 users will be able to get turn-by-turn directions, 3D maps and see real-time traffic updates. Better yet, those who want Google Maps won't have to look too hard to find it. It will be making its way to the App Store, giving users all of the choices they desire. 

 

2. Siri improvements:  Apple's Siri has gotten a much-needed facelift in
iOS 6.  According to the company, the app will do a better job of accurately answering questions and will work on the iPad. Siri will also now deliver sports information and let users both find restaurants and make reservations. Siri is finally growing up.
 

 

3. Facebook integration:  In iOS 5, Apple delivered Twitter integration across the built-in applications. In iOS 6, the company is now offering Facebook integration. It's not a major update for enterprise users, but for consumers that love going social, it's a must-have.

  

4. Passbook could be neat:  Apple's Passbook is perhaps the least-understood addition to iOS 6. But it could also be the most promising addition to the operating system. With Passbook, users will be able to keep boarding passes, coupons, movie tickets, and other location-specific items in a single spot. And when folks get close to a particular venue, Passbook will alert them to an event. Look for Passbook to be the centerpiece of Apple's location-specific efforts in the coming years.   

 

5. New and improved Mail:  If enterprise users have wanted anything from iOS, it's an improved Mail. In iOS 6, Apple has finally delivered that. With the new and improved Mail, users will be able to set up a VIP list to keep the most important messages in a single, easy-to-find place. In addition, users can more easily add photos or files to messages. The app's new design should even prove a bit easier to use. All in all, it looks to be a solid update.

 

6. New phone features:  Although iOS 6 comes with a host of non-calling-related additions, the improvements it brings to the phone features are quite nice. Now, users will be able to decline calls, and reply with a message. iOS 6 will also let users remind them to get back in touch with the person at a later time. Busy iOS users will be able to set a Do Not Disturb feature that doesn't allow calls to go through. Nice.

 

7. Bug fixes galore:  With more than 200 improvements to the operating system, users can expect a host of bug fixes in iOS 6. As is typical of the company, Apple hasn't disclosed what it fixed, but the company has reassured folks that the platform will be more responsive and oddities will be addressed. Let's hope it follows through on that promise.

 

8. iCloud tabs is nice:  Apple's consistent success has convinced a surprisingly high number of consumers to buy both iPhones and iPads. With that in mind the company has decided to bridge the gap between those devices with iCloud tabs built into Safari. With iCloud tabs, users can have open a bunch of sites in Safari on the iPad, and then access those same tabs on the iPhone. It should be a welcome addition for many iOS power users.

 

9. Panorama built-in:  With the launch of the iPhone 5, Apple announced that panorama picture-taking will be built into iOS 6. With that features, users will be able to take an entire panoramic image of their surroundings. The feature is available in a host of App Store programs, but it's nice to have it available in the company's operating system.

 

10. FaceTime over cellular:  A look at the iOS features that will excite mobile users wouldn't be complete without a mention of FaceTime over cellular. For the first time, users will now be able to place videocalls from FaceTime over carrier networks. Previously FaceTime was available solely on Wi-Fi networks.

Characteristics and Benefits of Cloud Computing, Best Practices for Building Cloud Apps 
DevX.com, Debu Panda

 

There are several characteristics of cloud computing can that benefit companies. Some of the main characteristics and benefits are:

  1. Pay per use -- One of the most important characteristics of cloud computing is its rental and pay-as-you-go model. This greatly lowers startup costs and total cost of ownership. You do not have to worry about purchasing expensive hardware and software licenses nor worry about availability, scalability, reliability and security aspects of your infrastructure, platform or application. You will be charged by the cloud vendor based on the actual usage of resources. This helps companies to focus on innovation and greatly reduces the time required to launch new products.
  2. Computing resources available on the Internet -- The hardware and software resources are available on the Internet. These can be accessed by either developers to build and deploy applications or end users to perform their regular work.
  3. On-demand and self-service -- The services are available on-demand and users can provision their services themselves. For instance, if you are a developer and you need an application server instance such as WebLogic Server for building and deploying your Java application, you can start a virtual machine running WebLogic Server from a self-service portal within a few minutes. You do not have to worry about locating hardware and installing software. This greatly improves productivity and leads to customer satisfaction.
  4. Resource pooling, multitenancy and virtualization -- One of the important concepts of cloud computing is treating the hardware as a resource pool and using it based on demand. Virtualization helps effective usage of computing resources by treating them as a resource pool and promoting multi-tenancy. Multi-tenancy promotes the ability to share the same computer by multiple organizations without compromising their security and privacy. This leads to effective usage of hardware resources and lowers cost of ownership.
  5. Elastic in nature -- Cloud computing encourages elasticity in the application platform. By elasticity, I mean the actual resources used by the application may grow or shrink based on the load on the application. For example, the number of instances of virtual machines running an application may dynamically grow during the peak load and may shrink automatically in the off-peak hours. This provides automatic scaling of applications without intervention from the application administrator and leads to effective usage of resources based on demand. 

Here are a few best practices that you can use while choosing a platform or building an application that you plan to deploy in the cloud.

  • Do not jump on the cloud bandwagon without doing proper research. Check whether the application you want to build makes sense for deploying in the cloud. Use public cloud for consumer-facing applications, whereas private cloud is well-suited for large internal/enterprise applications that require integration with lot of local data and applications.
     
  • Security and privacy are big concerns for many applications, and these may mandate that your applications cannot be deployed in a cloud environment. Ensure that the cloud platform you plan to use addresses these security concerns before building and deploying the application.
     
  • Performance and scalability are also concerns for applications that may be available globally. Ensure that your cloud provider has the capability to deliver those applications all across the globe.
     
  • Building cloud-based applications is different from building applications on-premise. Some applications may not be suitable for the cloud. Design your application for performance and scalability, and build it so that it can benefit from the cloud's elastic computing nature. Typically, a stateless application can scale better by adding server instances.
     
  • Use a standard for building applications and plan to use IaaS. This will enable you to change between cloud providers or between private and publiccloud.
     
  • There is no standard for PaaS-based applications, so choose your platform based on your enterprise needs. Use a platform that provides a standard API for building applications and avoid lock-in to retain the option to move to another platform if required.
     
  • Explore alternative persistence technologies for database persistence if your application requires dynamic search, scalability and storing of both structured and unstructured data.
     
  • If you are planning to build a private cloud, use cloud management software instead of reinventing the wheel to manage your cloud platform.
 
Tips and Tricks for Your iPhone and iPad!

 

We will feature a different iPhone or 
iPad tip or trick in each issue of our  newsletter.  (Not that we are assuming
you don't  already
know it all!)

 

Tip # 4: Close
open apps to save battery life.
 
Make sure apps you're no longer using are not open and draining the battery. Do this by double-tapping the Home button and you'll see all the recently used apps running in the background along the bottom of your phone -- such as a GPS app you no longer need because you've reached your destination. Press and hold an icon and they'll all jiggle, which means you can tap the X to close the open apps at the bottom of your iPhone.  
 
Do you have a unique iPhone or iPad tip to share?  Email us at info@
frontgatetech.com with your idea!  

 

 

You could win a $25 apple gift card if your tip or trick is shared in an upcoming FrontGate
newsletter!

 

 
 
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