The importance of Facebook in our lives is totally undeniable. It has been a revelation. Since the site went functional in February, 2004, almost 500 million people have registered onto the site. But what makes Facebook so successful is the various types and numbers of apps it supports. In fact, with almost four hundred thousand apps under its directory, Facebook is attracting more and more people to be a part of the largest social networking experience in the planet.

This whole situation can excite you to create your own Facebook app. Making applications for Facebook is actually easier than it seems. Many people are of the belief that one has to be a master at coding and computing in order to create working apps. But it is just a myth. By a little dedication, and with general knowledge about computer languages, you can be successful in creating your personal app for Facebook.

Preparation for a Facebook Application

• The Plan

Plan out what the app is going to do. Also, think about the customers it will cater to. To expect a great response in the first few days is absurd. If the application is good, it will be slowly, but surely, shared. If you intend to make a Sudoku game, you can anticipate only Sudoku enthusiast to show concern for your app.

• The Name

Choose a trendy name for your app. Clichéd and boring names are a huge turn off, while fancy and somewhat odd names can actually help you gain attention.

• The Hosting
  The first technical support that you will need is to have your own hosting space to put all your app files in there, since Facebook  doesn’t host your app files.

Facebook Application Development Tutorial

First you need to apply for creating a new Facebook application. Checkout Facebook developers area for some really helpful tips and tricks. Set Up New Application by filling out the forms -

Remember, you can’t host your application on Facebook, you need have your own hosting where you will have all your application files, and you will need to link to those files from Facebook. That can be done in 2 ways -

Register your application canvas first - 

Provide the following details -

• Canvas Page URL – The unique URL for your Application, should have your app name in here.
• Canvas Callback URL – The URL to your domain where you have your App files hosted.
• Set Render Method to FBML

Facebook Application Developers

Download Facebook Application Development Client Library

Here is the Facebook Platform which will let you develop apps for Facebook – download here. You need to include this Facebook library in your app and initialize it at the very beginning. This is necessary to get authorized access to Facebook user’s data.

If you know FBML i.e. Facebook Markup Language, then its easy for you to understand. Here is the full specification for FBML.

You can develop your app in your own preferred programming language i.e. PHP, .NET, Java, PERL, Ruby on Rails, etc. You just need to integrate the data flow algorithms properly with the Facebook Platform API.

In the beginning, while initializing the Facebook library, make sure you prompt the user to request access to his/her sensitive data, and never save them in your database. Unauthorized use of users’ data or using them on unsecured channels, or saving them in local directories or databases should be avoided strictly.

Next Steps

• Execute it

Put your app up in the Canvas, using any WYSIWYG HTML editor. Log into the host server; create a Facebook directory which has to be linked to the main Facebook site. Then, download the application template. Run the command for the application you create.

• Link the Canvas page

In the application settings, link the Canvas URL. The application will start functioning as a regular FB App.

Remember one thing. Anyone can create FaceBook applications, but the key to a successful FaceBook app is being viral.

Windows officially has been churning out two versions of its operating systems since the time of Vista; the 64-Bit and the 32-Bit version. Although the two may look deadly similar to a common man’s eyes, there exist some inherent differences that make both suit different procession needs and cater to varied clientele.

Talking in the simplest terms, the difference in Windows 7 64-bit and 32-bit lies in the data handling capability of the processors; the 64-bit version can take care of a larger amount of Random Access Memory when compared to its counterpart and that too more effectively. The major kinds of differences that underlay both these systems that decide the buyer’s choice are as follows.

Memory

The basic part as mentioned above is that 32-bit Windows 7 can handle only up to 3GB of RAM, which is very unlikely compared to the 64-bit version which has the ability to handle a whooping 192GB as Random Access Memory. And talking of memory, with applications becoming more and more complex each passing minute, they are becoming largely memory hungry at the same time. As such it cannot be ignored that 3GB RAM would become obsolete, as the applications would demand for more of capacity as a part of RAM to work efficiently.

Performance

Although the 32-bit version of Windows 7 is more or less enough to carry out most of the major operations of a general consumer. But talking of specialized applications, the releases come specific to 64-bit or 32-bit systems. The edge that 64-bit systems have over the 32-bit OS is that software and applications made for 32-bit OS can be run by the 64-bit OS as well (exceptions for some likes of anti-virus programs), but the reverse is not happening. 64-bit programs demand more and faster processing which is beyond the capability of 32-bit systems to handle.

Markets

As already said above the 64-bit programs demand more processing power, they also are able to deliver superior performance. As such the shift to 64-bit versions in case of software companies is quite visible now. And this is a clear indication that sooner or later the 32-bit systems would turn obsolete as would be able to handle upcoming programs on their platform.

Hardware

One of the biggest drawbacks of having two separate versions is that the device drivers are not common. Separate drivers are released for both the versions and this not only makes the deal cumbersome, but also limits to the list of devices one can plug in to both of the versions. As such it is a necessity to check for the driver version before picking up a device out from the store.

Security

Although most claim there are no major differences between the software architecture of Windows 7 64-bit and 32-bit besides the processing power; Windows did do a few tweaks and fixes to its 64-bit version making it a step ahead of its 32-bit counterpart. For instance, with inbuilt features like driver signature and Kernel Patch Protection, the 64-bit release of Windows 7 is considered to be somewhat more secure when it comes to the malware and rootkits on the table.

Thus it is worth an option to consider getting the 64-bit version upfront, at the same time it is not the very need of the hour as 32-bit releases of software are still coming and will do so for some time now.

Final Word

Windows 7 64-bit version is not only having an edge over the 32-bit release, but with higher capability to handle data, the software makers are also tending to move towards the platform for better and superior software performance. As such it is not wrong to say, that the era of 64-bit processing to totally dominate the scene isn’t far away…

Windows 8 developer preview was released the past week with much enthusiasm and encouragement. The Windows 8 welcome screen is clearly based on the Windows Phone 7 lock screen that has been appreciated by consumers. The Metro based user interface of the welcome screen gives it a clear look.

As of now in the developer build, you can only change the background image and the rest are not configurable, but this surely looks to change by the time the commercial release is made available.

The log in screen has also been made more touch screen friendly owing to the fact that this version supports multiple hardware platforms. In the build conference, Microsoft showcased how an user could log into his or her system by touching two unique points on a photograph. Facial recognition and other bio-metric security is planned for the main release.

Windows 8 Login Screen for Windows 7

You can get the Windows 8 log in screen for your Windows 7 desktop or laptop by following these steps

1. Download the Windows 7 Logon Changer tool from here
2. Install the application
3. Run the application
4. Follow the on screen information to change the Windows 7 log in screen
5. You have successfully changed the Windows 7 log in screen

Windows 8 Logon Screen for XP

You can download this pack created by a DevianArt user here.  Replace the  logonui.exe file  in the system 32 with the new logonui.exe you downloaded. Your log in window will change to the Windows 8 style. There is also another way to change the screen manually, this involves tweaking the Windows Registry and is not advice for novice users. Follow these steps to change your log in screen manually:

1. Download this registry file to your computer
2. Go to your System32 folder. This should usually be at C:\\windows\system32\\oobe
3. Create a new folder named info
4. Create a new folder inside the folder info named backgrounds
5. Copy the Windows 8 Login screen image into this folder. This file should be less than 256KB in JPG format
6. Restart your computer
7. You have successfully changed your Windows XP login screen

Google recently pulled the plug on their Google Toolbar software for the new Mozilla Firefox 5 version. Google recently announced that they are discontinuing their support for all newer versions of the Firefox browser. You can nevertheless use the toolbar like you used to in the previous versions. The current version is still up for download here.

One of the main official reasons given by Google is that the features offered by Google Toolbar are already available, which is not always  the case. There are still many features offered by Google Toolbar that are unavailable natively on Firefox browser. Google Side Wiki support and the Google Translate are the two most notable ones that are not available on Firefox without the Google Toolbar.

How to Download and Install Google Toolbar for Mozilla Firefox?

You can download Firefox by following these steps:

1. Go to the Google Toolbar download site
2. Click on Accept and Download

If you are using a version of Mozilla that is greater than version 4, Google Toolbar cannot be installed.

You can, nevertheless install the following add-ons to add the same functionality that the Google Toolbar provides.

• A very neat AutoFill add on. You can download and install it from here:  add-ons to fill out forms.
• A very good Page Translation add on, you can download and install it from here: translation add-ons.
• Find in page feature is native to Firefox and you can use it by Ctrl+F keys.
• Firefox natively has Spell-Check software. You can find the documentation for the same here: built-in spell-check
• A very good Page Sharing add-on. You can download and install it from here: add-ons for sharing.
• A very compact add-on to add website thumbnails on a new tab, you can download and install it from here: add-ons for generating site thumbnails.
• A very useful Bookmarks add-on, download and install it from here: bookmark add-ons
• A Gmail notifications add on, download and install it from here: Gmail add-ons.

As TRAI has limited the number of messages you can send every day, we need to find another way out of this. 160by2.com, a free text message service provider on the internet, is offering a downloadable J2ME mobile application which allows its users to send free text messages from cell phones throughout India. It is very easy and convenient and helps you to stay connected even if you step out and don’t have any free SMS balance. The only things that you need to access 160by2 on your mobile are an active GPRS connection which is only to access via GPRS and a J2ME MIDP2 device.

Verify Your Phone’s Compatibility

If you have a compatible phone, then simply go to this link through your mobile’s web browser and download the 160by2 mobile application. But if your mobile phone is incompatible and does not meet the minimum requirements to install this application, you can still access your 160by2 account through your phone’s web browser. The file that you need to download is just 28KB and it’s pretty easy to install too. Plus you get a familiar look on your mobile just like the web version of 160by2 along with added features which promises an even more enticing texting experience on your mobile.

Install 160by2 Mobile Application through Your Mobile Phone

1. Firstly you need to ensure that your phone has a GPRS connection.
2. Now go to this link and login.
3. Fill out the installation queries and download and install the application.

Install 160by2 Mobile Application through Your PC

1. First of all, you need to login to your account to download.
2. Now you can select your mobile from a list and start downloading the .jad and .jar files.
3. Get these files transported to your phone and install the application.

The 160by2 Mobile Application Features

• Send 145 characters long text messages text messages from your mobile phone.
• You can forward more than 5000 free templates to your contacts.
• Access your cell phone’s phone book, inbox and outbox.
• You can upload, update and backup your phone book and 160by2 contacts.

The 160by2 Mobile Application offers two types of messaging services. The user can choose between services with a GPRS connection and without a GPRS connection.

Send SMS with GPRS Connection

160by2 Mobile Application offers the “Via GPRS” feature which allows the users to send text messages free of cost from their GPRS enabled mobile phones. The additional features of this service include:

• The user can access all of his contacts from his SIM card or phone memory and 160by2.com account.
• The user does not need to login every time he or she wants to access the 160by 2 Mobile Application and send texts. Even if the user exits the application, it keeps the user logged in to his account until he logs out.
• The users are allowed to upload, backup and update their phone book on 160by2 account.

Send SMS without GPRS Connection

If you don’t have GPRS connection on your mobile, you still need not to worry. Now you still can enjoy the messaging services. The 160by2 Mobile Application now comes with a feature called “Via SMS” which allows its users to send text messages anywhere in India even if they don’t have GPRS connection on their mobile phones. The additional features offered by 160by2 are:

• The user authentication is done with the help of their mobile numbers. So the user doesn’t even have to login to his 160by2 account.
• The user can send texts up to 10 recipients at once but the application will charge only for a single SMS as per the current tariff plan.

Themes are applied on a browser to change its appearance. The default user interface might not be very intuitive or in some cased the user would want to change the appearance. Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer briefly enjoyed success with their theme engine, which still is popular in the case of Firefox. Themes are very popular and many users have taken to installing themes on their browser. Browser themes range from celebrity themes to a theme of your favorite football club.

What is a Browser Theme?

A browser theme is a skin that can be used to change the appearance of the browser.

Google Chrome Themes

Chrome is a browser developed by Google. Chrome has become popular within a short time and many users have taken to using the browser. The extensions and themes have made Chrome a fast browser with good functionality. In Google Chrome, the Web Store is the place to go, to download themes and extensions. You can compare the theme that you installed with the other themes in the web store and find out which is more popular than the other. Millions of themes have been uploaded with millions of downloads. Themes have turned out to be more attractive to users than extensions because of it basic functionality of making the user experience better.

Themes serve a broader purpose than the extensions; extensions are built for a specific purpose. A theme, on the other hand serves the taste of the user. Themes are also protected against browser software updates and don’t become incompatible. Chrome web store categorizes the themes into various sub-sections based on the theme meta-data. The theme page also has the top 10 theme list that contains the most popular theme based on the number of downloads or other user mentioned parameters.

How to Install a Google Chrome Theme?

You can install a Chrome theme by following these instructions:

1. Go to the Google Chrome Web Store
2. Click on Themes in the left side panel
3. Search for the theme that you want to install or browse through themes
4. Select and click on a particular theme
5. Click on Add to Chrome button to install the theme
6. Restart your browser
7. You have successfully installed a new theme on your browser

Top Google Chrome Themes 

Very few themes in the top ten are brand based; most of them add value to Chrome interface. Let us look at the top Chrome themes at the moment. Click on the theme names below to get the theme.

Porsche Theme

This theme is a popular theme based on the Porsche Sports car. Very popular among car enthusiasts and has good background picture that goes with the other parts of the theme perfectly.

Download link.

James White Theme

This is a theme created by popular visual artist James White and is very popular among users.

Download link.

Anna Sui Theme

This theme has rock n’ roll elements with a stinge of old school nostalgia associates with it.

Download link.

Chuck Anderson Theme

This theme created by artist Chuck Anderson is popular for its clean look.

Download link.

Dolce & Gabbana Theme

This theme is based on the fashion brand D&C.

Download link.

Splendid Theme

This theme design started as a tee shirt design ended up as a Google Chrome theme. Very pleasant and popular among users

Download link.

Rampage Theme

This theme has a glam look to it and has been downloaded in thousands

Download link.

Cath Kidston Theme

Based on the popular UK lifestyle brand, this theme has been downloaded by many people and is very popular

Download link.

Koji NISHIDA Theme

Designed by the popular artist and designer of the same name, downloaded by thousands

Download link.

Kate Spade Theme

A colorful theme that is very popular amongst the users

Download link.

iPhone is one of those phones, which offers multitudes of services to a user; let it be any lesser service or an advanced service like voicemail inbox. Although almost all cell phones do have this option created in them, but very few cell phones like iPhone actually make use of it for the user. So what is this voice mail function exactly? The voice mail, which is also known as voice message inbox is a service that all the service providers offer. If a user fails to pick up a call and he/she has activated voice mail service, then the call is forwarded to the voice mail inbox, where the caller can leave a message. After user gets free, he/she can just dial its mail box no. and listen to all the messages at any time.

But to set up this very useful functionality, first you need to set a password for your inbox in order to use it. The password is required for extra security and to ensure that no one other than an authenticated user gets to the messages which may contain personal information. So what if someone forgets the password or how to generate a password if a user is suing the service for first time on iPhone? Let us walk you through the steps!

First we will see how to reset the password!

1. If a user doesn’t remember his/her password, first thing that should be done is contacting the respective service provider.
2. If your service provider offers visual voicemail then you don’t even have need to call that provider, you can directly change your password using your iPhone. Go to Settings –> Phone –> Change voicemail password.
3. Alternatively if one chooses to call service provider, he/she has to go through IVR process and after opting for appropriate options the password can be re-created.
4. Check Apple’s own support cable: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1687.

If one wants to check on internet, he/she is surely find loads of links especially devoted to it. By the look of it, many AT&T users are suffering through the same issue.

So we will also take a brief view of how to reset voicemail password on an iPhone running with AT&T service.

1. Make a call on 800-331-0500.
2. Enter the wireless number starting with area code or press 1 to use existing number.
3. Press key “3” to get help with voicemail or “5” for enterprise customers.
4. Press key “3” to reset voicemail password.
5. Enter billing zip code upon asking.
6. You will receive temporary password through SMS shortly.
7. Using the temporary password you can open your VM inbox and then change it afterwards.

Many people assume GPS (Global Positioning System) and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) to be one and the same thing. But, they are not. In fact, they are two different technologies that do different things that do not have anything to do with each other. GPS is a system that is used to find out and point towards any point on earth using a satellite; on the other hand, GPRS is a service that enables the mobile phone service providers to provide 2G data services to their users. The similarities end with the  letters GPS present in both names.

GPS and GPRS are not even competing technologies. One precedes the other by several years and has been in use by the military for a long time. The GPS system was introduced to track down enemies and pinpoint to their specific location. The GPS system was made available to the public in general only a few years later. The GPS system let the receivers pinpoint their location within 10 feet of where they are on the map. Over years several uses for GPS have been invented.

Some of the uses of GPS

1. Navigation system, for cars and trucks
2. Flight navigation systems
3. Tracking of convicted felons in parole

GPRS is part of the 2G technology and is rather an outdated one considering most of us use 3G now. GPRS lets people access internet over their mobile phone. You can also connect several other mobile devices using the GPRS network, the bandwidth though is restricted and is usually considered as the dial-up equivalent speed. GPRS is even more relevant in the developing countries where 3G spectrums and the technology to use it are not yet available.

Some of the uses of GPRS

1. Affordable high speed internet to mobile devices
2. Connects several different mobile devices besides the mobile phone
3. Relatively cheaper compared to 3G

First introduced in July 2007, iOS is Apple’s proprietary mobile operating system. The iOS is used on various Apple products like the iPad, iPhone and iTouch. Over the years iOs has evolved and enhanced its user experience. The iOS is well known for its strong security as well. The current version of iOS is 4.3. Apple products are well known for their inbuilt software integrity and are very difficult to jailbreak.

Lately the very well-known iOS hacking team has developed a new jailbreak for the iOS 4.3.1 operating system. This untethered jailbreak works for various apple devices like the iPad, iTouch and iPhone 3GS and 4. What this means is that under normal operations the user is required to connect his/her Apple device (iPad, iTouch or iPhone 3GS or 4) to a computer every time in order to reboot it. However, now with the untethered jailbreak for iOS 4.3.1 the user no longer needed to connect the Apple device to the computer in order to restart it. Unfortunately the untethered jailbreaks for iOS 4.3.1 doesnot enable carrier unlock. This means that the user still has to remain loyal to his carrier and that he cannot unlock the device to use any SIM card.

Untethered Jailbreak iOS 4.3.1

• Pwnage Tool for Mac Users

Can be used on the following Apple Devices

1. Apple Tv 2^nd Generation
2. iPad (1^st Generation only)
3. iPod Touch (3^rd Generation)
4. iPod Touch (4^th Generation)
5. iPhone 4
6. iPhone 3GS

The above mentioned untethered jailbreaks for iOS 4.3.1 donot work in the case of the second generation iPad. But all hope is not lost; the iOS hacking team are developing new tools to jailbreak iPad 2. The untethered jailbreak for iOS 4.3.1 exploits a security loophole in the iOS mobile operating system.  The tools mentioned above are easily available for download from the internet. Once downloaded, users have to run the tools while their Apple device is connected to the computer in a switched off mode. Once the application is run, users have to follows basic instructions and then the application takes over to jailbreak the Apple device. When everything is complete your apple device will restart to a fully jail broken iOS 4.3.1 firmware.

The bright prospects of MySpace has changed over years and has waned recently. The once popular social network site is now much less popular than its newer cousins, Facebook and Twitter. The drastic change took place from the middle of 2000s when other players in the market started offering better services and marketed their product well. The number of active accounts on MySpace is on a drastic free fall. Many users who have their account have left it dormant for years; they have either moved on to Twitter or Facebook or have just deleted their MySpace account.

Deleting your MySpace account is rather simple, follow the steps mentioned below to completely delete your account. You must remember that all you music and posts on the site will be removed when you delete your account. You will also lose all settings of the account that you delete because this procedure is to delete your account permanently.

Permanently delete MySpace Account

Follow these step by step instructions to permanently delete your MySpace account:

1. Log into your MySpace account that you want to delete
2. Select My Stuff at the top of the page
3. Select Account Settings
4. Select Cancel Account that you will find at the left side of the page under the Account Settings & Privacy sub-section
5. Click on Cancel Account
6. Choose from the given options the reason you want to quit MySpace and click Cancel Account
7. Add into the given dialog box any comments you might have with respect to deleting your account
8. Log into your email account associated with this MySpace account
9. You would have received a email with the subject “Please Confirm your MySpace Account Cancellation.” Open that email
10. Click on the cancellation link provided in that email. This will take you back to the MySpace cancellation page for the last steps
11. Type your email address that you used with this MySpace account

You have successfully deleted your MySpace account permanently!