Technology


Archive for November, 2009

ANDROID PLATFORM – Easy system for mobile application development.

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. The Android SDK provides the tools and APIs necessary to begin developing applications on the Android platform using the Java programming language. New age of communication has brought up amazing innovations for the mobile users as Android has shown its presence as a new platform for mobile application development. Android platform was released in year 2007 serving the mobile users all over for the quality application development.

Additional applications are playing amazing role in the modern times when people are getting crazy about latest versions of new high profile mobiles. There are thousands of applications available on the internet to download in various categories, such as security applications, fun applications, business applications, internet applications, utility applications, and many more. Users of new generation are multiplying rapidly with the demand of custom mobile applications to run on their respective mobiles.

Android mobile application development is done by following the guidelines of the Android SDK (Software Development Kit) provided by the Google. It is an easy system for developers to build attractive and custom designs of applications. It provides the set of developing tools, which can be used smartly for molding the creativity to real applications. The tools provided by the Android SDK are debugger to test the programs and find bugs, various libraries, tutorials, ample codes and handset emulator. High performance and quality applications can be developed by using the SDK since it provides great built-in features and high level flexibility to develop smart mobile applications. Using the SDK, Android developers not only develop applications for companies but also for the individual businessmen from various business industries.

In-built libraries of the Android allows developer to create rich applications and tools provided which helps in running, debugging & testing these applications instantly. Android allows developer to make such applications that facilitate user to take full advantages of the mobile set, for instance by using these applications users can use all the attracting features like camera, SMS facilities, MMS facilities and many more features of the handset. Android is the open source product, according to experts it will continue to render cutting-edge technologies for the users with the emerging time. Android platform is the boon for the developer’s community for building innovative and quality applications for their clients.

Android holds the promise of unprecedented benefits for consumers, developers, and manufacturers of mobile services and devices. Handset manufacturers and wireless operators are free to customize Android in order to bring to market innovative new products at a faster pace and at a much lower cost. Developers will have complete access to handset capabilities and tools that enable them to build more compelling and user-friendly services, 11bringing the Internet developer model to the mobile space. And consumers worldwide will have access to less expensive mobile devices that feature more compelling services, rich Internet applications and easier-to-use interfaces — ultimately creating a superior mobile experience.

AJAX TECHNOLOGY – An interactive way of designing web applications.

Friday, November 6th, 2009

Ajax is a way of programming for the Web that gets rid of the hourglass. Data, content, and design are merged together into a seamless whole. When your customer clicks any screen element on an Ajax driven application, there is very little lag time and the page is displayed instantly without refreshing or reloading.

Ajax is a group of interrelated Web development techniques used on the client-side to create interactive Web applications. With Ajax, Web applications can retrieve data from the server asynchronously in the background without interfering with the display and behavior of the existing page. The use of Ajax techniques has led to an increase in the interactive or dynamic interfaces on Web pages and better quality of Web services due to the asynchronous mode. Data is usually retrieved using the XMLHttpRequest object. Despite the name, the use of JavaScript and XML is not actually required, nor do the requests need to be asynchronous.

Ajax is a way of developing Web applications that combines:

  • XHTML and CSS standards based presentation
  • Interaction with the page through the DOM
  • Data interchange with XML and XSLT
  • Asynchronous data retrieval with XMLHttpRequest
  • JavaScript to tie it all together

An Ajax application eliminates the start-stop-start-stop nature of interaction on the Web by introducing an intermediary — an Ajax engine — between the user and the server. It is always thought that adding an intermediary layer to the application will make it less responsive; however, the opposite is true in Ajax.

Instead of loading a webpage, at the start of the session, the browser loads an Ajax engine — written in JavaScript and usually tucked away in a hidden frame. This engine is responsible for rendering the user interface and communicating with the server. The Ajax engine allows the user’s interaction with the application to happen asynchronously — independent of communication with the server. So the user is never staring at a blank browser window and the hourglass icon, waiting for the server to complete with the process.

Every user action that normally would generate an HTTP request takes the form of a JavaScript call to the Ajax engine instead. Any response to a user action that doesn’t require a trip back to the server ,such as simple data validation, editing data in memory, and even some navigation, the engine handles on its own. If the engine needs something from the server in order to respond, such as submitting data for processing, loading additional interface code, or retrieving new data, the engine makes those requests asynchronously, usually using XML, without stalling a user’s interaction with the application.

The biggest challenges in creating Ajax applications lies to the designer and not the developer since the core Ajax technologies are mature, stable, and well understood.

So, if you are still not using Ajax technology for developing Web applications, then you are lagging behind in the world of technology and advancement.

Cloud Computing

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

Cloud computing has emerged as a better way to run your business. Instead of running your applications yourself, they run on a shared data center. When you use any application that runs in the cloud, you just log in, customize it, and start using it. That’s the power of cloud computing.

Cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. These services are broadly divided into three categories: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The name cloud computing was inspired by the cloud symbol that’s often used to represent the Internet in flow charts and diagrams.

The majority of cloud computing infrastructure, as of 2009, consists of reliable services delivered through data centers and built on servers with different levels of virtualization technologies. The services are accessible anywhere that provides access to networking infrastructure. Clouds often appear as single points of access for all consumers’ computing needs. Commercial offerings are generally expected to meet quality of service requirements of customers and typically offer SLAs. Open standards are critical to the growth of cloud computing, and open source software has provided the foundation for many cloud computing implementations.

A cloud service has three distinct characteristics that differentiate it from traditional hosting. It is sold on demand, typically by the minute or the hour; it is elastic — a user can have as much or as little of a service as they want at any given time; and the service is fully managed by the provider (the consumer needs nothing but a personal computer and Internet access). Significant innovations in virtualization and distributed computing, as well as improved access to high-speed Internet and a weak economy, have accelerated interest in cloud computing.

A cloud can be private or public. A public cloud sells services to anyone on the Internet. (Currently, Amazon Web Services is the largest public cloud provider.) A private cloud is a proprietary network or a data center that supplies hosted services to a limited number of people. When a service provider uses public cloud resources to create their private cloud, the result is called a virtual private cloud. Private or public, the goal of cloud computing is to provide easy, scalable access to computing resources and IT services.

Businesses are running all kinds of apps in the cloud these days, like CRM, HR, accounting, and custom-built apps. Cloud-based apps can be up and running in a few days, which is unheard of with traditional business software. They cost less, because you don’t need to pay for all the people, products, and facilities to run them. And, it turns out they’re more scalable, more secure, and more reliable than most apps. Plus, upgrades are taken care of for you, so your apps get security and performance enhancements and new features—automatically.

Finally, cloud applications don’t eat up your valuable IT resources, so your CFO will love it. This lets you focus on deploying more apps, new projects, and innovation. In nutshell, Cloud computing is a simple idea, but it can have a huge impact on your business.

 
Customer Speaks
 
 
Our Team Lead from Q3 was in Chicago with AMB this week. We have been involved in many demonstrations and meetings with customers and partners including Microsoft. We have been asking a lot of the Q3 AMB Team and they have surpassed my expectations on deliverables and efforts to deliver new features and functions, such as the new Address Correction, Cross Database, the e-commerce website, new data sources, testing - this product is near impossible to break, and more. These have been important for all of our prospects, customers and business partnerships.

I truly thank the team for their professionalism, efforts beyond most others and retaining a great and excited attitude and work ethic. Though I must say they have worked with these ethics and strength from their first days on this project.

For these reasons AMB has very long plans for utilizing Q3 and this team for years to come. Thank you, Q3 AMB Team !!
Steven Meister
CEO, AMB Dataminers Inc.
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