Aneel Brar's Blog

Weekly Blog #8

aneelbrar — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:21:20 +0000

We watched a movie called “WarGames”. The movie was interesting. I didn’t like how the ending was really fake nd they let the guy go, but other than that it was a good movie. We learned about hacking computers and how it’s illegal. We did a project on AUP. It was an easy project. We learned about software piracy.

Weekly Blog #7

aneelbrar — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:42:17 +0000

This week we did presentations. The most interesting presentations were on Mac Vs. PC. I learned a lot on the history of Macs and PCs and what the difference between them. We also had a presentation from two students from SFU. They talked about computer science classes at SFU. The SFU presentation was interesting because I learned a lot of new things. I really liked the pictures of the Surrey campus because it looks nice. We also read about computer ethics. Basically, it said how you should use a computer and how you shouldn’t.

Weekly Blog #6

aneelbrar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:37:02 +0000

This week we did a project on Powerpoint. I did mine on internet censorship. I learned a lot of things about it and why some countries have it. This project was a little hard because a lot of the sites contained the same information but just re-worded it.

A Twitter bug and two Facebook viruses are spreading

aneelbrar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:05:53 +0000

How’s this for public embarrassment? A bug spreading through Twitter today causes infected users to send direct messages to friends promoting a product that makes them “feel great and look good,” as the messages say.
The product? A colon cleanser.
As you can imagine, those attacked by the colon-clearing trick aren’t so happy to offer up the free promo. We received messages from former colleagues and business associates discussing their supposed weight loss secret.
Tweets contain links, some through Bit.ly and others through a secondhand redirect that starts with a “q” and ends in “.Info.” Once clicked, they redirect to a site promoting a product called Cleanse Pro X, which appears to be a fruity pill that washes your body of human waste.
The Bit.ly link has been clicked more than 4,000 times, but we don’t have data on how many people have actually found their way to the site. It’s unclear how users were affected.
Meanwhile, Facebook warned of two new viruses today that target its social network. The tricksters send e-mails purporting to contain password information from Facebook, but instead unleash a virus on the user’s computer.

Weekly Blog #5

aneelbrar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:49:47 +0000

This week we learned how to use Excel. I learned the basics last year, so I know how to do most of it. I got confused at first with the ones where I had to find true or false because it was confusing. I figured it out because some of my classmates helped me. These Excel classmates are fun.

Weekly Blog #4

aneelbrar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:28:15 +0000

This week we did an assignment on a timeline about the history of Windows. It was easy and I learned a lot about Windows and how the new features worked. I learned how to use Inspiration. It’s easy to learn how to use.

Windows Timeline

aneelbrar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:03:42 +0000

Windows

Verizon Unleashes Droid Assault on iPhone

aneelbrar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:48:42 +0000

On Oct. 30, Verizon Wireless is widely expected to launch the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid, its entry into the Android smartphone market. It’s ramping up to the event by kicking off an ad campaign that appears to put the Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone firmly in the crosshairs.

About the Droid

Although Verizon hasn’t officially announced details of the phone, The Boy Genius Report has posted a review as well as supposed photos of the device. The only information Verizon is currently offering is a teaser Web site.

Formerly known as the “Sholes,” the Droid is slightly thicker than an iPhone 3GS and has a slider keyboard, according to The Boy Genius Report. It is made of metal and very sturdy.

The Droid is also very fast, according to the review. Its QWERTY keyboard has a soft-touch rubberized finish, but the keyboard design may not yet be entirely finalized. The Droid will be shipped with a desktop cradle-cum-charger that will turn it into a multimedia station.

The Droid’s speed may come in part from a 600 MHz TI OMAP 3430 CPU, as reported previously in LinuxInsider. This is a multimedia applications processor that TI claims delivers up to three times better performance than ARM (Nasdaq: ARMHY) 11-based processors.

The Droid supports microSDHC cards, according to leaked specs published by AndroidAndMe. It has a 5 MP camera with autofocus and video recorder. Its 3.7-inch display offers a resolution of 854 by 480 pixels and supports 16 million colors.

The Droid reportedly won’t be released with BLUR, the Motorola adaptation of Android. Motorola declined to confirm or deny that. “Right now there is no additional information we have to share on our next Android-based device, but please stay tuned for upcoming news,” Motorola spokesperson Kathy Van Buskirk told LinuxInsider.

The review posted by The Boy Genius Report glows with positive comparisons to the iPhone, and it appears Verizon wants to directly challenge Cupertino with its marketing strategy. However, the Droid may not pose a very serious threat to the iPhone, according to Carl Howe, director of anywhere research at the Yankee Group. “Every carrier wants a phone that can take on the iPhone,” he told LinuxInsider. “This is Verizon’s third try after the BlackBerry Storm and Storm2. If this doesn’t do the trick, we’ll just have to wait for Verizon to get the iPhone 4G, which is rumored for next year.”

About Android 2.0

The Droid reportedly runs on Google’s (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android 2.0 operating system.

Also known as “Eclair,” Android 2.0 appears to be a major improvement on earlier versions of Android, according to another post on The Boy Genius Report. It offers built-in compatibility with Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Exchange and has a unified inbox. However, this inbox won’t work with users’ Gmail accounts because it has its own Gmail application.

Google Maps has been updated in Eclair to include Layers, so users can overlay search queries, Wikipedia entries, Latitude buddies, and other information. Eclair appears to include some multi-touch gestures such as two-finger tapping, but it does not have zoom-out gestures or offer pinching.

“The Android folks are learning from past efforts, which is generally a good thing,” Allen Nogee, principal analyst at In-Stat, told LinuxInsider. “The group is much more organized than it was from the start, and this has resulted in a more coherent product.”

While Eclair’s browser is better than earlier Android browsers, it does not have Flash 10, according to The Boy Genius Report. The reviewer pointed out, however, that this is not the final build of Eclair, and the operating system may be tuned up further.

“As we have not announced Android 2.0 and we don’t pre-announce features, we unfortunately have nothing to share at this time,” its spokesperson, Carolyn Penner, told LinuxInsider.

Google and Verizon earlier this month announced a strategic partnership that would see both companies investing heavily in creating, marketing and distributing products and services. In essence, that could give Verizon dominance of, if not a lock on, Android applications, services and devices.

Locking Horns With Apple

On Sunday, Verizon Wireless ran a television ad dissing the iPhone over its lack of a physical keyboard, its inability to multitask, and its camera’s inability to capture images in dark conditions. The ad also slammed the iPhone for being a closed platform. “Everything iDon’t, Droid Does,” the ad stated.

On Monday, Verizon Wireless unveiled a new Web site that leads with similar criticisms of the iPhone.

Verizon Wireless’s main site also includes a dig against Apple, with the slogan “Want 5 times more 3G coverage than AT&T (NYSE: T) ? There’s a Map for that.” This echoes ads for the iTunes App Store, which use the catchphrase “There’s an app for that.”

While the ads may be clever, that doesn’t mean Verizon and Google will make any headway against the iPhone. “iPhone killers always look good on paper,” the Yankee Group’s Howe said. “We’ve got to see the real prices, plans and performance before we can judge how much of a threat the Droid is.”

Motorola and Verizon have their work cut out for them if they want to take on the iPhone.

“So Verizon and Motorola, two companies that have lagged behind in the smartphone area, suddenly release a device and say it will change the world? I think it will be difficult in such a competitive environment,” In-Stat’s Nogee said.

“Consumers will have to [decide] whether they want a new and somewhat unknown phone platform on a good network or a known, good iPhone experience on an OK network,” Howe pointed out. “Apple has a much higher brand value and consumer cache than Motorola at present, and that’s going to affect consumer choices.”

Weekly Blog #3

aneelbrar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:25:49 +0000

Last week we did two projects. They were easy and took up a lot of class time. I understood it. We also had a test that I thought was really easy.

Weekly Blog #2

aneelbrar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:45:47 +0000

This week we did a project on helping people buy a computer. It was fun and kept me busy for a while. I understood most of the stuff that we had to research for it.

1. Do you like computers and technology?

Yes, I do.

2. What do you like most about computers and technology?

I like figuring out how everything works and how technology makes everything easier to access.

3. What do you like least about computers and technology?

I don’t like when the computer crashes.

4. How do you learn best during Computer Studies class?

I learn best I’m not sitting beside “people” that talk a lot.

5. Do you study for tests?

Yes.

6. Describe your study strategies?

It depends what kind of test it is. If it’s a unit test, I sit up in my room and study for about an hour and a half. If it’s a quiz I study for about half an hour.

7. Has the study of computer terminology assisted you in understanding computers and technology better?

Yes, it has.