The design of your blog is crucial to your blogs success. This is one of the most overlooked blogging tips in the online blogging world. Many people are under the impression that the more elaborate and exciting that their blog looks the more traffic that they will gain. However, it should be noted that a simple and clean design is much more effective for a blog.

There are numerous reasons for this. Remember, that not every visitor to your blog will be using the same browser. Many templates and blog layouts that people use are not designed with the compatibility of all major web browsers in mind. This means that a blog that appears perfect in Fire Fox may appear out of order in Internet Explorer. Therefore, you must seek out designs that look well and are compatible with every browser possible.

Blogging tips in regards to the design and layout of your blog also dictate that your blog should be easy to navigate. Make it simple for visitors to your blog to find what they are looking for. Don’t add hundreds of plugins to your blog. This will only make your blog appear complicated and may distract readers from your content. Additionally, many plugins can actually cause a blog to load slowly.

By following these simple design based blogging tips you will make your blog more clean and effective for the visitors who come to your website. This will maintain your current readers and will draw in new ones.

The Web search engine giant Google Inc., is more ‘intruding’ into a world out of the Web. The company has now prepared an energy efficient Google LED bulb that you can turn on and off with an Android smartphone or an Android touchpad. The Google bulb is proposed to save energy as least as possible. Once the control of lighting of your home comes in your hand, you can instantly manage it and save energy even a bit. Google has worked in association with Lighting Science Group to realize this amazing Android smartphone controllable LED lamp.

The intelligent Google bulb works with a computer chip, which helps you control the lighting of your home. Most of Android smartphones from companies like Samsung, HTC, Acer, LG, Sony Ericsson, and many other will be compatible with the feature. An application on your handset will help you control the lightning. You can just touch on, off or on buttons to control your bed room’s bulbs now.

Does it sound great?

The Google LED bulb is also equipped with GPS system and proximity sensors. It will automatically turn off and on your room’s bulbs when you get in and out of the rooms. The feature will save your time and the energy as well in a fantastic way. Even a single second’s sparing of energy can be saved with the technology. Moreover, it is an LED bulb that itself consumes less energy than the CFLs.

Google LED bulb can noticeably replace all other innovative bulb controlling methods. You may remember the Clapper of 80s. It was a wonderful technology that you can just control the lights and stereo on claps. But the technology failed as it responded to your coughs and your dog’s barking near to your windows. The new Google LED bulb won’t have any such deficiencies, because it is made up using the most advanced technologies like proximity sensors and GPS.

In fact, Google LED bulb is part of that Android @Home project that is expected to bring several services under the control of Android smartphones and tablets. The project is also to offer a step light, security lamp and a light switch in near future. Google’s decision to revolutionize home automation is a clear indication of the Web giant’s plan not to confine itself in Web services only.

More home automation products are anticipated to come out of Google’s labs in the coming months and years. Your Android smartphone and tablet will eventually turn as an ultimate controller of many incredible activities other than for just making calls, surfing the Web and watching films. You will be simply able to manage lightning, security, stereo and TVs of your household with your valuable Android products. We can’t wait for such a world that Google is trying to realize in coming years.

Today, having a phone as a means of communication is as normal as breathing but having a phone that surpasses just the normal calling, texting and perhaps the normal use of internet is something to be considered as great or ‘cool’ because what we now call a smartphone is a device to behold. How else can you explain an android phone that sends text messages, can receive and make a call, has a camera, can be a workstation when connected to the internet, one can listen to music and record or download it, watch videos, chat with friends or clients while using other applications on the same phone.

Imagine loosing your android phone that has all that because loosing it is like loosing your identity with contacts, text messages, photos, videos, reminders and so much more information saved up in the phone. But the good news is that there are some steps you can take to secure your smartphone, whether from ill intended people like thieves or cyber criminals.

Use the simplest of all, PIN (personal identification number)

Now, this has got to be the simplest and most common of all as every phone has a system where you can set up a pin and you’re the only one who should know the PIN combinations to your phone. Always ensure your phone has a PIN that you have memorized. Even accessibility to your emails, company documents including internet access should be safely secured by a strong password or PIN.

Use tracking systems

Most phone manufacturers are producing smartphones with tracking systems in place. You can also download an application to that effect if your phone doesn’t come with it. Some systems are quite sufficient and are able to wipe out your information remotely if the phone gets stolen so that your information won’t be accessed or tampered with. The android phone for instance sends alert messages when sim cards are exchanged. You can also track it online using GPRS or cell towers and even view images caught by its spy camera.

Be alert!

Be ware of software, sites or programs that cannot be genuinely traced which can get to your credit card and private information that you probably don’t want anybody to access. Cross check hyperlinks and their landing pages to ensure nothing is left to chance.

Update your phone

Just like computer or any other device updates, your smartphone should regularly get updated and not just for promotions or a catch somewhere but for security.

Choose the right software

Many offers on softwares are coming up but its best to choose softwares from a credited company and one that is mostly recommended everywhere, because software can be maliciously used to extract or damage your smartphone. Installing a strong antivirus on your android phone to guard against damaging soft wares and viruses is highly recommended.

Phone covers/bags

Many of you might think its silly or old fashioned but when your phone drops and hits a hard surface or goes into some place holding water you wont like it at all. So use a phone cover especially when moving around because it helps prevent the phone from breaking when it hits a hard surface or from immediate damage when it comes into contact with water. There are trendy smartphone covers and bags available everywhere so get one!

The old saying goes; you never know what you got till it’s gone but don’t let that be you when your phone is no more. Plus, safeguarding your phone and even other devices you have is better than having to repair them or worse having to replace them because they were stolen. Choose the right applications, softwares and programs for your android phone and keep in mind that your smartphone is as important to you as that car you drive or the house you live in because it holds much of your important information and even future decisions.

Wapedia – Best Android App to Access Wikipedia Free Version: 1.6.1 Taptu

Want to access Wikipedia from your phone with just one tap? This Android app makes it easy to explore the pages of Wikipedia and mark where you’ve been with bookmarks and a history file. This is truly a best Android app to navigate Wikipedia, and all the pages and headings are laid out nicely on your phone’s screen.

Wapedia remembers the page you were reading last, so you can pick up your research where you left off.

INFORMATION OVERLOAD: Wapedia lets you instantly jump from the top of a long document to the bottom. You can set a preference for how much of a page you want to load at once, and from there you can move up and down the page with arrows and intuitive navigation. This app works with other wikis, so in case you exhaust the 3 million+ articles on Wikipedia, there’s tons more for you to browse.

SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE: If you find something wonderful, this app will let you share it quickly. Click on the Share link and you will be prompted to share via email, Facebook, or Twitter, or to open the link in a browser. Sharing ideas with friends and colleagues is a great way to strengthen social bonds and keep a conversation going. So go ahead and find, read, and share with this great resource.

Quickpedia

Free Version: 1.0.7 Next Mobile Web

Quickpedia is a simple Android app with a straightforward interface for all uses. You are given the options of Search, Featured, Popular, News, and Nearby. When a Wikipedia article is displayed on your screen, the app provides you with the options to use a Bigger Font or Smaller Font, Send to Friends, or Send to Self. You can save your email address in the settings for quick mailing in the future, and navigate to the home page by pressing the menu key and then tapping Home. You can also refresh the article, which lets you read it even when you’re offline.

FEATURED AND RANDOM: This Android app can take you to a randomly selected article, or you can view the articles that are currently being featured on Wikipedia. Quickpedia is relegated to honorable mention status because it does not allow you to bookmark your favorite articles.

Droid Dictionary – Best Dictionary App for Android

Free Version: 1.4 Webcipe

This Android app is a simple front end to definitions, wikis, and thesaurus entries. It includes a useful “speak” icon that will pronounce the word you are looking at. If you download the Droid Dictionary Plugin ($0.99) from the Market, you can also save your words and definitions with this app.

As an artist, the key to selling more artwork is maximizing its exposure. The internet is an increasingly popular tool for promoting original art, and if done properly, can be quite profitable.

One of the most effective (and free!) online marketing tools for artists is the blog. Artist blogs provide an easy way to display your art, discuss your creative process, post exhibition announcements and more. Best of all, blogs require no working knowledge of HTML and the search engines love their dynamic content.

What is a blog and how will it sell my art?

A “blog” is a web-based diary or journal. The author of a blog, also known as a “Blogger”, publishes content on a regular basis about a focused topic. These regular postings typically provide a “community” feel by allowing site visitors to post feedback to your journal entries. This mode of communication can deepen relationships with potential art buyers, leading to increased sales.

Blogs also have the ability to archive all of your previous posts, dynamically creating an individual page for each journal entry. The feature is great for art buyers using search engines to find original art. For example, if you have a blog post describing a painting that you just completed of the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset and an art buyer in Florida goes to Google and searches for “painting of Golden Gate Bridge at sunset”, there is a very good chance that your blog entry will appear pretty high in the rankings. Cha Ching!!

Many artists have felt the pain of email marketing losing its effect due to spam filters, junk email overloads and virus paranoia. Blogs provide a new way to communicate with clients, fans and industry professionals. This trend can support your email marketing efforts by allowing blog subscription options for site visitors so that they are notified whenever your blog is updated along with providing a permanent place on the web for all of your postings as opposed to newsletter emails that are typically deleted.

How to start a blog

Blog Publishing Tools To begin, visit some of these free blogging sites, all offering unique template options that even an artist can appreciate, image uploads and syndication ability. Blogger.com (blogger.com) – Simple to set up and multiple authoring ability MSN Spaces (spaces.msn.com) – Create your own mini site, with an exceptional blogging feature Live Journal (livejournal.com) – Requires a bit of ‘blogging knowledge’ to get it set up Blog Drive (blogdrive.com) If you’re interesting in reviewing additional blog features, these sites require a small monthly fee to maintain. Typepad (typepad.com) – starts at $4.95/month Tripod Blogs (tripod.lycos.com) – starts at $4.95/month Note to artists with MySpace accounts: MySpace provides members personal blogs, but it is important to know that MySpace blogs are not currently listed in search engines, which as noted above, is one of the main reasons to get a blog. While MySpace works to remedy this issue, it is recommended that you blog using a tool that is accessible to search engine spiders. Decide on a title for your blog The title of your blog should be brief and to the point. You can get creative with your language in the blog description / tag line. A focused title will help with higher search engine rankings and make it clear to visitors what the blog is about. For example, the title for ThePauper.com blog is “Diary of a Pauper”. The blog description is “Rants and raves about the careers and lives of starving artists.” The title is concise, stating exactly what it is, while the description is a bit more creative. Blog theme It’s important to establish yourself as a professional working artist if you want to use your blog as a vehicle to sell your art. Blog theme involves the layout and color of the page, quality of the artwork images displayed and verbiage used for blog postings. Select your blog template carefully and make a habit to review your blog from the perspective of a potential client. Is the page visually appealing? Do the images of your artwork provide a link to an extra large version to see detail? Does your content have a consistent theme? Here’s a good example of a working blog by mix engineer, Ken Lewis: http://protoolsmixing.com/blog.html The content theme is exceptionally consistent, plus the colors and page layout match his website. What to write What’s beautiful about blogs is that there are no rules on what to write, but if you want to attract and keep an audience, you might consider some of these suggestions. Keep your posts creative and interesting. Move and inspire your readers by being completely honest about your creative process. Use keywords in your blog title and post. Using the example mentioned earlier – if your post is about a Golden Gate Bridge painting, be sure to use that exact phrase in the title and body of your blog. Think about what people might type into search engines to find your content and then use those keywords in your blog. This technique will help increase the ranking of your web page on search engines. Post daily, or at least twice a week. If you publish blog entries frequently, you will see more return visitors, subscriptions to your blog and comments from site visitors. Proofread and preview your blog entries before posting. Some blog HTML editors have a way of creating weird symbols out of certain characters and a quick spell-check never hurts. (Note: be sure to create your blog entries using Word or some other text editor. Many blogging tools tend to “time out” after a certain amount of time and you could potentially lose hours of work.) Publish your blog Finally! Your blog looks great and has unique content. Now, depending on the blogging tool that you selected, follow the steps to publish it to the World Wide Web. Test the live URL that now houses your blog. If all of your graphics appear correctly and the copy is flawless, then you want to make sure that you promote your blog on your personal website, in your email signature and by word of mouth. Using the tools you already have to spread the word while testing your dedication to frequent posting is the best way to get started. Part 2 of will unveil tons of ways to promote your blog online.

UEFA Europa League is a tool that easily and quickly shows you the latest news by your android phone, including fixtures, results, standings, top scorers and top assists. Please note that it is just an info-provider that offers football fans the up-to-the-minute news about UEFA Europa League 2010/11, obviously, you cannot watch the matches directly on phone, but you will gain most of the helpful info you need about the match.

Like other apps that used for viewing football info I have installed before, this one also provides you the instant fixtures and results, including group, teams, time and scores. As a result, you won’t miss any matches you want to view. In addition to fixtures and results, standings may be an important info you concern, UEFA Europa League gives you a list about league tables/statistics. The tables are divided based on different groups. You can have a clear view about the tables, plus, more info are given, including, Games Played, Wins, Draws, Losses, Goals Scored, Goals Against, Goal Difference, Points. As to top scorers and assists, it lists the players’ names, which teams they belong to and the numbers of goads and assists.

It auto-updates data each time when you enter this app, or you may reload data or scores by manual. UEFA Europa League also supports Chinese teams, especially suitable for Chinese users. So whether you are English or Chinese user, you can download the app to your android phone.

For me, this app is nice because it give me most of the needed info. I think it would be better if it provides more related UEFA Europa League news.

For Android users, 2010 has given them some amazing Droid apps to use and play with. However, a few stand out more than others. From third party web browsers and news apps to movies and finances, there are Droid apps for anyone and any subject.

Web browsers are a dime a dozen these days, but Dolphin has been able to lead the pack for mobile web surfing. Not only do you get multi-touch support and other highly coveted features, but also faster download speeds and the ability to switch between mobile and regular websites. This droid app is free, but you can get the ad-free version if you wish. The Dolphin Browser is not only faster than most stock web browsers, but it also beats other popular 3rd party ones such as Skyfire and Opera.

If you’re looking for a VoIP service that’s free to use, Google has you covered. Google Voice is a great way to not only save a few bucks on your next phone bill, but can turn any Android device into a VoIP phone. You can also receive texts and set the app to ring on whichever device you wish. Just create an account, memorize your VoIP number, and you’re good to go.

For those who like to keep an eye on current events, the Associated Press has come out with a droid app of their own. With this, you can keep track of local, national, and world news in various categories while you’re at work, home, or on the go. Compared to other news apps, AP Mobile loads headlines super fast and in a finger-friendly format to boot. Pick it up for free in the Android Marketplace.

Want to find the best movies in your area or on DVD & Bluray? If you said yes, Movies by Flixster has you covered with movie reviews, trailers, photos, and theater locations. You can also review films that you’ve seen and check out show times on the fly from your Android device. All of the critic reviews are provided by RottenTomatoes.com, one of the most popular movie sites on the web.

These days, keeping track of what you earn and spend is more important than ever. However, Mint is a great one of the droid apps that helps you do that. You can keep track of recent transactions, compare spending habits to your monthly income, and monitor account balances without having to stop by the ATM or look at your bank’s website for the same info. This is also an app that’s exclusive to the Android Marketplace. Take that, Apple and Palm!

With so many droid apps being developed and released, Android is becoming a powerhouse for Smartphone and tablet makers worldwide. If there’s a problem or some info to search through, someone out there is making (or has already created) some droid apps for it.

Apple iPod Classic 160gb has large storage capacity in which you can have the benefit of 48 hours of music playback and it allows you to store 40,000 songs or watch 200 hours of video. This iPod is considered to be a highly portable digital music player with versatile features. It is specially built to store large amount of digital files, which support all media file format. It is built with intuitive interface that enables you to have easy access to applications and enjoy songs and videos. This iPod is made with Genius feature, by just few clicks you can maintain your personal library and create playlist of tracks with files of desired songs and videos.

This intuitive interface is supported by easy to touch buttons. This iPod is built with cover flow feature, which is a specialty to Apple iPod digital music players. By just flipping your fingers over the control pad you can browse through music library, album art and collection of songs. Enter easily into the track list by simply selecting the album art. This Apple iPod looks beautiful and made with sleek anodized aluminum body. The structure lost for longer life and polished with stainless steel that encloses the body with rounded edges. It is available in both silver and black color.

This iPod weighs 15.6 gms and has overall dimension of W 10.4 x H 6.2 x D 1.4 and made with 2.5 inch diagonal screen. This screen can produce 320 x 240 pixels resolution. This iPod support audio standards like WAV, AIFF, AAC,MP3, Audible, Apple Lossless and video support of MPEG-4, MOV, H.264 with photo standards of GIF, BMP, PNG, JPEG, PSD (Mac only), TIFF.

It comes with Component vide, Connectivity Docking connector, Composite video facility with headphones. This iPod feature date display, playback speed control, calendar, phone book and it can be upgradeable to firmware. This iPod has facility for notes, built-in games and photo wallet.

It has USB 2.0 compatibility with the provision for hold button and volume limiter. This iPod works on normal itunes and itunes 7.6 or later versions. It has battery level indication with rechargeable Lithium ion battery type. The package comes includes USB 2.0 cable, Earphones and Dock adapter.

Android tablets are hot right now and are already fulfilling many peoples’ online needs by being portable powerhouses capable of allowing users to enjoy music, video, eBooks and the net wherever they may be.

Tablets represent a huge challenge to laptop PCs because they generally have a much longer battery life so don’t need a power outlet, and are so compact and light that they can be carried anywhere with the minimum of fuss.

Folks are already loving the connectivity that their tablet allows them, but as with any technology things are always changing and here let’s look ahead to 9 features that Android tablets could have in the future:

1. Integrated GPS – This would allow your tablet to act as a satellite navigation system, or perhaps as a data logger to record your travels. This feature would give you yet another excuse to ditch extra devices and stick with just a tablet!

2. Multi touch screens – This type of touchscreen allows you to make multiple selections at once or ‘pinch to zoom’ images to expand them. This is already available on some, but expect to see it as standard in the future.

3. Faster processors – At the moment we can see that processors running at around 700MHz are easily adequate, but as apps evolve and we make more demands on our tablets then don’t be surprised to see processors growing faster.

4. 3G connectivity from SIM – Most tablet PCs have WiFi, but what happens if you want to connect to the net outside, say from a hilltop? A 3G connection via a SIM card that you just charge with money would give you a permanent internet connection. Just imagine the possibilities!

5. Upgradeable – Luckily most tablets can upgrade their version of Android OS, one of the benefits of Google’s OS, so make sure that yours is ‘future-proof’ before you buy so you don’t miss out on new versions of Android.

6. Higher resolution screens – The better your resolution the better experience you will have, especially when reading eBooks where you’ll want to avoid eye-strain. Expect 1024 x 600 pixels to be the minimum standard.

7. More internal memory or memory expansion slot – Newer devices always need more memory to cope with advancements in software, so expect future tablets to come with larger amounts of memory or at least a memory card slot that will allow you to expand their memory personally.

8. USB port – Crucial if you’re planning on connecting your device to a flash memory card or HDD. Heavy users of different material such as pdfs should make sure they’ve got USB connectivity.

9. Camera – You might wonder why a camera would be necessary on a tablet, but they are so compact that there is no reason why you couldn’t use them as a portable video-calling device, or just take snaps and upload them to Facebook or other places immediately.

The great news is that many tablets around today already have some of these features, so you won’t go wrong if you buy one now. You may find that the ability to upgrade your tablet with memory or software is what makes it truly future-proof, so bear that in mind when shopping.

To find the highest-quality, but best value tablets you need to go online, find a reputable store and purchase from them. Then you will save literally hundreds of dollars over the high street!

One of my favorite hobbies is to hang out in a little corner of the internet, helping other users with modifications and what-not for their phones. Over the course of a month I’ve come to realize that there are absolutely so many first time Android users out there chomping at the bit for root. Generally, the guys and I over at Root-Ed try to educate these people so their not back in the chat room the next night begging and pleading for help because they’ve bricked their phone somehow. Don’t get me wrong, Introducing people to root and the vast possibilities that are opened up upon rooting is quite enjoyable, but with Christmas coming up I hope to reach out to some of the new android owners and educate them a little before they decide to take the plunge. To touch a little on the topic of the disadvantages of rooting, why shouldn’t a first time user root?

We’ll start off with the simple fact that Root gives you many more privileges in the Linux operating system than a normal user account. Your able to access and modify system files such as the framework, which in itself is a primary reason why the uneducated should not root for one simple reason. If one has no knowledge on how to backup and or recover their device, if a system file is modified, the device could simply make the device inoperable. Not only would one have to worry about that, but one thing any person wants to do when rooted is theme. A popular theme application is Metamorph, an application designed to allow root user’s the ability to; once again, overwrite system theme files Android found in the framework. If one downloaded and applied a theme not designed for their phone and or framework, we come back to the boot-loop issue. As you can see, there’s several way’s a first time android user could easily brick their device. One other thing to add is that people do not even consider the fact that once rooted, their manufacturer’s warranty is no longer valid, so if your a phone dropper, that should be a key point in your decision.

Something I’ll be covering in a followup post are the advantages of rooting and why it can be beneficial. I’ll also be covering an introduction to root and what you should know before attempting to root your device. This post isn’t designed to scare a user out of rooting their device, but to give fair warning what could happen. I won’t touch on the advantages as that portion of this two piece article is soon to come.