The modern Muslims are getting used to using a religious software and information services (e.g. sms) to get a right time for prayer (salat), that is regarded as an important part of muslim’s life. Now at the very start of RSS boom Muslim community got the access to Muslim Prayer Time

(Azan) RSS feeds for PCs, mobiles and other devices from Pray In Time Information center.

Accurate calculations of Muslim prayer times for every location is a non-trivial task, because the time of prayer depends on the sunrise and sunset times and geographical location. The sunset and sunrise is different in different locations and change throughout a year. Historically, prayer timing was determined by Islamic religious scholars and the prayers were informed about start of a prayer by the muezzin from a minaret.

Now in the most of modern cities there it is difficult for Muslims to hear an adhan (call to prayer) that makes alternative way of informing prayers about prayer timetable more and more important.

One possibility is to use Azan Islamic software for mobile and PCs, sms azan services that created a market for religious software developers. With the start RSS era this service became available globally for free. It only requires an RSS reader (such as IE 7.0) and hence can run on virtually any PC, PDA, cell phone and any other computer device. The prayer should just visit the Pray In Time information center’s web site: http://www.pray-in-time.org, select the necessary location and subscribe to this free namaz time service RSS. At the moment more than 6 millions inhabited locations are covered and the number is growing.

Glossary.

Adhan (Azaan, azan and other spellings) (أَذَان) is the Islamic call to prayer, recited by the muezzin. The root of the word is ʼḏn “to permither derivative of this word is uḏun, meaning “ear”. Adhan is called out by the muezzin from a minaret of a mosque five times a day (Sunni Islam) or three times a day (Shi’a Islam) summoning Muslims for fard (mandatory) salah (prayers).

Salat (also salah, solat, solaat, namaz, solah, salaat, namaaz and other spellings) (Arabic: صلاة, Qur’anic Arabic: صلوة, Persian: نماØning to pray, or to bless, generally refers to prayers that Muslims offer to God (Arabic:Allah) and most commonly refers to the five dailyritual prayers in Islam. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam in Sunni Islam, and one of the ten Branches of Religion in Shi’a Islam. As such, it is compulsory (fard) upon every Muslim.

About Pray In Time information center.

Pray In Time was created to provide a reliable information to muslim community via web. Started as a Prayer Time information service it added a global muslim directory covering almost all aspects of Muslim’s life.

http://www.pray-in-time.org

Source by Abu Yusuf

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

CRM (Customer Relationship management) is all about the theory used by companies to administer and manage their customers, partners, vendors and other stakeholders efficiently.

Features of CRM

CRM is made up of three key features, which are Operational CRM, Collaborative CRM and Analytical CRM.

• Collaborative CRM is to directly communicate with customers without inclusion of any sales or service representatives.
• Analytical CRM is to investigate customer data for a vast range of reasons and functions.
• Operational CRM deals with providing complete front office support to sales, marketing and similar services.

The communication with the customers is recorded and added to the customer’s contact history database and can be easily retrieved for future reference. The biggest benefit about maintaining this contact history is that the customers can easily contact with the service personnel without having to repeat any of the earlier communication or information.

That is why CRM software is used popularly in call centers or BPOs for supporting the call center staff.

Direct interaction is carried out with collaborative CRM that includes feedback from the customers and reporting of issues if any. This interaction can be carried out through a variety of channels like email, phone, SMS, etc. The main objective behind going in for collaborative CRM can be reducing the company costs and improving the services provided.

Analytical CRM finds multiple uses such as taking management decisions, predicting future trends, analyzing customer behavior, planning and executing marketing campaigns and much more.

Operational CRM is mainly concerned with automating customer processes and providing appropriate support to these services.

CRM is not just a mere technology; it is in fact the move towards handling your customers better and more efficiently. The top management should tap CRM’s complete potential to maximize the benefits for their respective organization.

Source by Rama Krishna

Why Text?

Text messaging is a quick way to stay in touch with people for personal or business purposes. With text messaging, you can chat with a partner by typing on the keyboard and reading what they write to you on the screen. Many text messaging products can work with cell phone text messaging (aka SMS or Short Messaging Service) so you can chat with people who aren’t in front of their computer. So, why not just pick up the phone and talk?

It’s faster than e-mail and phone calls. And you don’t have to pay anything to text. If you need to chat with someone briefly or ask a quick question, it’s much less intrusive than calling someone. As with most developing technologies, several types of text messaging are available and each one is incompatible with the others. But don’t let that keep you from trying it out. The main text messaging products are ICQ (www.icq.com), MSN Messenger (www.msn.com), AIM (www.aim.com), and Yahoo Messenger (www.yahoo.com).

btw (By the Way…)

Each one is free and simple to download, install, and sign up. You can locate your “buddies” by searching in an online directory by their screen name, e-mail address, name, or telephone number. Once you get the hang of it, text messaging can be extremely addictive. As you continue to use text messaging, you will find yourself learning to abbreviate words and sentences. When you leave an online chat, you might say BRB (Be Right Back), I’m afk (away from the keyboard), or TTYL (Talk to You Later). See glossary below.

Some text messaging products are beginning to offer voice and video chat. The future of digital communication is an integrated product, since voice, video, interactive text messaging, and e-mail are all effective means of communication. In the future, you will be able to switch between text, voice, and video with ease. Until then, we will continue to use different methods for different communication needs 🙁

Glossary

🙂 Smiley face. Means that someone is happy

😉 Smiley face with wink.

🙁 If someone sends you this in an e-mail, they’re probably not having a good day

BTW – By the Way

FYI – For Your Information

FWIW – For What It’s Worth

IMHO – In My Humble Opinion (or IMO)

TIA – Thanks in Advance

WRT – With Respect To

LOL – Laughing Out Loud

ROTFL – Rolling on the Floor Laughing

AFK – Away From Keyboard

TTYL – Talk To You Later

CYA – See You Later

Source by Deryck Richards

You have no doubt read various examples where Lean Six Sigma was used to identify and eliminate waste in both manufacturing facilities and service companies (i.e. financial institutions and hospitals). Most of us can quickly see how concepts such as inventory reduction and improved product quality are applied to physical objects or documents. But what about Field Service Organizations where the primary product (a completed service request) is often vaguely defined and the main component (technical expertise) is intangible? How can we apply the same techniques to obtain the same results (increased speed, reduced costs, and improved quality)?

In this article we will focus on just one element of Lean Six Sigma: Waste Reduction. While service managers may intuitively suspect that there are many areas of waste within their organization, they may not realize that the same tools used to streamline production assembly lines can be used to improve field service processes.

Let’s begin by comparing the fundamental activities performed in both a manufacturing facility and a service field organization:

System Inputs

• Manufacturing: Product sales order is entered directly into the MRP
• Field Service: Phone call or e-mail manually entered into SMS

Scheduling

• Manufacturing: MRP checks parts stock lead times, current inventory, etc. before sending detailed demand to plant floor.
• Field Service: Typically SMS only checks technician availability before dispatching (with limited detail).

Process Activities

• Manufacturing: On plant floor – fabricating; assembling; testing.
• Field Service: At customer site – replacing parts; troubleshooting; adjusting.

Completion

• Manufacturing: Final QC inspection; Ship; Invoice.
• Field Service: Customer Sign-off; Forward info; Invoice.

Although the specific tasks are different (along with the terminology), you can see that there are many parallels within the two processes. And, being similar processes they often are subject to similar sources of waste. Below we examine the most common areas of waste that are normally targeted by Lean Six Sigma projects.

Processing

Processing waste is often the results of over processing in both manufacturing and service. In manufacturing this refers to making products at higher (and more costly) specifications than required by the customer.

In a field service organization you can over-service a customer by exceeding the contractual Service Level Agreement (SLA). For example, you may provide an average one-hour on-site response when the SLA only specifies an average 4-hour response. While it is usually better to over-perform than under-perform on SLAs, it still represents waste as you are not matching the customer demand requirements – which can lead to higher costs or missed revenue opportunities.

TIP: Measure your actual response times separately for each service area and compare to the local competition. In some areas you may have a competitive advantage (e.g. lower than industry standard response times) that can be leveraged by your marketing team.

Transportation

On a manufacturing floor, products are transported from station to station throughout the process. When these are mapped and measured carefully, you will often find the product moves great distances throughout the facility, and represent potential opportunities to reduce waste.

Transportation waste in a field service organization takes the form of miscommunication. Service request information is transported (communicated) from the customer to the call center, from the call center to the field technician, and (often in paper form) from the technician back to a central billing location. If you have a separate dispatching or triage help desk, there are even more handoffs. Each handoff represents an opportunity to introduce delays, errors, and non-value-add activities.

TIP: Create a pipeline report that shows the number and average age of service requests in each stage of the process (Opened – Not Dispatched; Dispatched – Not Started; Started – Not Completed; Completed – Not Invoiced; Invoiced). This will help you to identify bottlenecks that are caused by transportation delays within the process.

Motion

There are several Lean Six Sigma tools that focus on creating effective work areas by, among other things, reducing the unnecessary and awkward movements an operator may experience while performing their activities.

Perhaps ironically, motion waste in a field service organization is often the result of an attempt to improve quality. For example, if a Dispatcher needs additional clarification of a SLA requirement, they may physically walk over to the Contracts area to retrieve a paper file. Likewise – especially during an end-of-month billing frenzy – the Invoicing team may run to the Finance area to find a “live” person to check credit status.

TIP: How often do you observe call center personnel walking around the office while speaking to customers over their wireless headphones? Consider physically rearranging the work areas and/or creating electronic data marts where customer account information will be easily accessed by everyone in the office.

Inventory

Spare parts inventories in either central warehouses or technician vehicles are often subject to management review and scrutiny. In fact, this may be the one area where you have already applied Just-In-Time or other Lean Six Sigma techniques.

However, inventory can also be thought of in terms of unutilized field service hours. These hours are typically non-productive and non-billable. Since Field Labor cost (excluding overtime) is essentially fixed, even minor productivity gains will have a significant impact on your bottom line.

TIP: Revenue-by-tech is an often-used and sometimes misleading measurement. Technicians can boost this metric by replacing more parts or increasing repair times. While your company may benefit from short term revenue, customer satisfaction and overall profitability will suffer. Technician productivity (hours billable / hours available) is a key metric for any field service organization and should be measured continuously and reported daily.

Waiting

Just like a worker on the production floor or a teller at the bank window, field technicians are generally paid even during idle times. But beyond this obvious cost concern, delays within a field service process are typically passed directly and immediately to the customer – leading to increased frustration and lower satisfaction.

There are multiple opportunities for waiting in a field service process including: Dispatching (technician waiting on service requests), Parts Shipping (technician waiting for parts to arrive at site), Invoicing (billing personnel waiting for completed paperwork from field technician), and Contract Administration (waiting for site audit information or pricing to enable contract set-up in SMS).

TIP: When measuring Time-To-Dispatch, make sure you measure from the service request Open time to the technician Accepted time (not when the call center first relayed the request to the field). This ensures you are measuring delays that impact the customer, not just when calls are “thrown over the wall” to the field.

Defects

Most manufacturing facility closely monitors product defects throughout the production process. The goal is to identify and correct defects before they are passed forward to downstream operations.

You are probably aware of (and currently measure) two of the most common and visible product defects in service organizations: Call Backs and Re-bills. But note that these are end-point defects, that is, they are often the results of other errors passed throughout the process. For example, the Call Center may mistakenly identify the wrong piece of equipment when the service request is entered into the Service Management System. This defect could lead to assigning/dispatching errors and/or the technician arriving to the site without the proper replacement parts. If the technician then returns the completed paperwork without correcting the product information, the Invoicing team may apply the incorrect pricing and payment terms. The same defect is passed through multiple operations causing multiple errors.

TIP: As a general rule, you should divide Call Backs into a least two categories: with and without parts. If parts were used, you may need to review stocking practices and policies. If no parts were used, it may indicate a technician training issue (insufficient troubleshooting or other repair skills).

Overproduction

Producing too much product is easily visible as excess inventory in a factory setting. But how does overproduction affect field service? Remember, your finished product is a completed service call. While it may seem counterintuitive that you could have too many completed service calls, you must consider this in terms of scheduling. For example, a technician may have four Preventive Maintenance (PM) visits scheduled over the next two days (two PM visits each day). If the technician completes all four PM visits on the first day you may feel you have gained some advantage. But what if these PM visits are performed at the expense of other non-PM service requests? What about the schedules of the other technicians in the same service area? Were their PM schedules affected as they covered the non-PM workload of the first technician? Did the service office as a whole experience more overtime expenses as the team scrambled to meet customers commitments?

Smoothing out field service production is as important as a manufacturing floor. Not only does it make you a more efficient organization, it also reduces the stress on the Dispatch Team, Field Management, and (most importantly) the customers by reducing the need to constantly adjust and communicate ETAs.

Tip: Segment the each field technician’s labor hours by Time-of-Day, Day of Week, and Service Type (PM, non-PM, Install, etc.). Then compare this information among technicians working in the same service area. If the hours-distribution varies significantly among technicians it could indicate a scheduling or performance issue.

The items noted above represent just a few examples where waste could be found throughout the field service process. There are many, many more – each which could have a significant impact on your service business. Also, you may have noticed in the comparison above that manufactured products are typically subjected to various quality checkpoints throughout the production process. This helps ensure defects are not passed to the next work station (an important Lean Six Sigma objective) or, even worse, to the customer. However, field service events have no final inspection – except by the customers themselves. This factor alone should encourage you to consider using Lean Six Sigma to proactively identify waste and other process issues.

Source by Lloyd R Lewis

J1587

SAE J1587 is a specification which defines messages that are transmitted on a SAE J1708 network. J1708 specifies the data link and physical layers, while J1587 specifies the transport, network, and application layers.

J1587 is similar to J1922, which also defines messages for a J1708 network and also the same three protocol layers. J1587 is outdated and being replaced by J1939.

J1587 Purpose

The purpose of SAE J1587 is to define the format of the messages and data being communicated between microprocessors used in heavy-duty vehicle applications. It is meant to serve as a guide toward a standard practice to promote software compatibility among microcomputer based modules. J1587 is to be used with SAE J1708, which defines the requirements for the hardware and basic protocol that is needed to implement J1587.

J1587 Messages

J1587 uses messages for diagnostic purposes. For example, it sends messages for fuel economy, coolant temperature, fault codes (also known as diagnostic trouble codes or DTCs) and many other parameters. All together J1587 defines around 500 parameters. J1587 does not send control type messages, instead that is handled by J1922.

J1587 Message Format

All messages have the following format:

Message ID

One or More Parameters

Checksum

Messages start with a MID, which stands for message identifier and indicates the source address of the transmitting node. For examples, see the below MID table. The next value is the PID, which stands for parameter identifier and indicates what parameter the following data corresponds to. The data and its length are defined by the PID value. After the corresponding data, either another PID is present or the message is terminated with a checksum.

MID, PID/Data, [PID/Data, PID/Data,…], Checksum

J1587 MID Example Table

0-127 Defined by SAE J1708

128 Engine #1

129 Turbocharger

130 Transmission

131 Power Takeoff

132 Axle, Power Unit

133 Axle, Trailer #1

134 Axle, Trailer #2

135 Axle, Trailer #3

136 Brakes, Power Unit

137 Brakes, Trailer #1

138 Brakes, Trailer #2

139 Brakes, Trailer #3

140 Instrument Cluster

242 Axles, Trailer #4

243 Axles, Trailer #5

244 Diagnostic Systems, Trailer #4

245 Diagnostic Systems, Trailer #5

246 Brakes, Trailer #4

247 Brakes, Trailer #5

248 Forward Road Image Processor

249 Body Controller

250 Steering Column Unit

251-255 Reserved to be assigned

J1587 Parameter Length

The amount of data which is transmitting following a PID is defined by the value of the PID. A PID of 0 to 127 is followed by a single byte of data. PIDs from 128 to 191 are followed by two bytes of data and PIDs greater than or equal to 192 are variable length.

J1587 PID Example Table

0 Request Parameter

1 Invalid Data Parameter

2 Transmitter System Status

3 Transmitter System Diagnostic

4 Reserved

5 Underrange Warning Condition

6 Overrange Warning Condition

7 Axle #2 Lift Air Pressure

8 Brake System Air Pressure Low Warning Switch Status

9 Axle Lift Status

10 Axle Slider Status

11 Cargo Securement

12 Brake Stroke Status

13 Entry Assist Position/Deployment

14 Entry Assist Motor Current

15 Fuel Supply Pump Inlet Pressure

16 Suction Side Fuel Filter Differential Pressure

17 Engine Oil Level Remote Reservoir

18 Extended Range Fuel Pressure

19 Extended Range Engine Oil Pressure

20 Extended Range Engine Coolant Pressure

128 Component-specific request

129 Injector Metering Rail #2 Pressure

130 Power Specific Fuel Economy

131 Exhaust Back Pressure

132 Mass Air Flow

133 Average Fuel Rate

134 Wheel Speed Sensor Status

J1587 Priority

In J1587, priority is assigned to individual parameters. However, J1587 is transmitted by J1708 which contains a single priority for each message. If multiple J1587 parameters are packed into a single message, the message shall take on the priority of the highest priority parameters.

Priorities have a range of 1 to 8 and specify how much extra time has to be waited before the message can be transmitted once the J1708 network goes idle. Therefore, priorities influence the amount of network bandwidth available.

J1587 Example

For example, J1587 specifies a parameter for engine speed. The ‘Engine Speed’, which is PID 190, defines the parameter to be an unsigned 16-bit value, with a bit resolution of 0.25 RPM/bit, offset of 0 RPMs, and a network update period of 100 ms. Below are two more examples.

PID 183 Fuel Rate (Instantaneous)-Amount of fuel consumed by engine per unit of time.

Parameter Data Length: 2 Characters

Data Type: Unsigned Integer

Bit Resolution: 16.428 x 106 L/s (4.34 x 106 gal/s or 1/64 gal/h)

MaximumRange: 0.0 to 1.076 65 L/s (0.0 to 0.284 421 90 gal/s or 0.0 to 1023.98 gal/h)

Transmission Update Period: 0.2 s

Message Priority: 3

Format:

PID Data

183 aa

a a- Fuel Rate (instantaneous)

PID 184 Instantaneous Fuel Economy-Current fuel economy at current vehicle velocity.

Parameter Data Length: 2 Characters

Data Type: Unsigned Integer

Bit Resolution: 1.660 72 x 103 km/L (1/256 mpg)

MaximumRange: 0.0 to 108.835 km/L (0.0 to 255.996 mpg)

Transmission Update Period: 0.2 s

Message Priority: 3

Format:

PID Data

184 aa

a a- Instantaneous fuel economy

J1587 Diagnostics

J1587 sends diagnostic information very similar to the J1939 DTC approach. J1587 uses PID 194, which is titled ‘Transmitter System Diagnostic Code and Occurrence Count Table’, to report diagnostic information. When there is an active fault, PID 194 is transmitted periodically and is always available by request. The PID 194 message contains the SID/PID identifier of the failure and the FMI.

J1587 SID

Subsystem Identification Numbers (SIDs) are numbers assigned by the SAE or the SAE Truck and Bus Low Speed Communications Network Subcommittee. There are 255 SIDs definable for each controller or MID. SIDs are numbers that can be used to identify a section of a control system without a related PID. SIDs should only be assigned to field-repairable or replaceable subsystems for which failures can be detected and isolated by the controller (MID). SIDs 1 to 150 are assigned by SAE staff. SIDs 156 to 255 are assigned by the SAE Truck and Bus Low Speed Communications Network Subcommittee. MID related SIDs start with number 1 and sequentially increase. Common SIDs start at 254 and sequentially decrease. Below is an example of engine related SIDs.

Engine SIDs (MID = 128, 175, 183, 184, 185, 186)

0 Reserved

1 Injector Cylinder #1

2 Injector Cylinder #2

3 Injector Cylinder #3

4 Injector Cylinder #4

5 Injector Cylinder #5

6 Injector Cylinder #6

7 Injector Cylinder #7

8 Injector Cylinder #8

9 Injector Cylinder #9

10 Injector Cylinder #10

11 Injector Cylinder #11

12 Injector Cylinder #12

13 Injector Cylinder #13

14 Injector Cylinder #14

15 Injector Cylinder #15

16 Injector Cylinder #16

17 Fuel Shutoff Valve

18 Fuel Control Valve

19 Throttle Bypass Valve

20 Timing Actuator

21 Engine Position Sensor

22 Timing Sensor

23 Rack Actuator

24 Rack Position Sensor

J1587 FMI

The Failure Mode Identifier, FMI, describes the type of failure detected in the subsystem identified by the PID or SID. The FMI, and either the PID or SID combine to form a given diagnostic code. If additional common failure modes become detectable, the remaining failure mode identifiers would be assigned by the SAE Truck and Bus Low Speed Communications Network Subcommittee.

J1587 FMI Table

0 Data valid but above normal operational range (that is, engine overheating)

1 Data valid but below normal operational range (that is, engine oil pressure too low)

2 Data erratic, intermittent, or incorrect

3 Voltage above normal or shorted high

4 Voltage below normal or shorted low

5 Current below normal or open circuit

6 Current above normal or grounded circuit

7 Mechanical system not responding properly

8 Abnormal frequency, pulse width, or period

9 Abnormal update rate

10 Abnormal rate of change

11 Failure mode not identifiable

12 Bad intelligent device or component

13 Out of Calibration

14 Special Instructions

15 Reserved for future assignment by the SAE Subcommittee

Source by JR Simma

Anniversaries commemorate a relationship’s longevity and celebrate the idea of many more years to come. Corporate anniversaries should not be overlooked, as it is a respectable achievement to have kept a business running – similar to keeping a marriage together for so many years.

Significance of 25 Years

If you are able to successfully stay in business for a quarter of a century, then you should celebrate! Enduring 25 years of stress during hard times and joy during periods of prosperity shows a business stamina that should be recognized. You might even choose to present original employees with a commemorative plaque and gift at the party.

Celebrate 25 Years of Business with a Silver Anniversary Party

Wedding anniversaries are not the only occasions that get to apply special meanings. Traditionally, a silver wedding anniversary signifies 25 years together, but there is no reason why your business can’t celebrate its 25th anniversary with a silver theme.

Silver is strong, durable, and powerful, just like your business has to be to last this long. Silver can denote a formal evening or work for a casual party as well. Whether you choose formal or casual, day or evening, get guests prepared with silver anniversary invitations.

Silver Anniversary Party Tips and Ideas

When planning your silver anniversary, you will need to choose anniversary invitations. What better way to highlight your accomplishment than by selecting silver anniversary invitations? You could choose elegant pocket silver anniversary invitations, incorporating your corporate colors, with silver as an accent. For example, if your logo is navy blue, you might choose a navy blue pocket folder with your logo embossed in silver on the pocket and the words “25 Years” in silver. The silver anniversary invitation itself could be navy blue with raised silver lettering in silver envelopes with a navy blue lining.

If you are planning a more casual party, you might choose silver anniversary invitations with a less formal look and feel. For instance, you might choose a light blue with a swirled silver border inviting guests to a silver anniversary beach picnic, which could take place at a nearby lake if you live in a landlocked state.

If you are planning a semi-formal party but still want a beautiful silver anniversary invitation, you might choose silver paper as your invitation inspiration. You could choose a square shaped silver paper with a satin bow centered at the top with black lettering. You might also choose a single pane silver anniversary invitation on shimmering silver paper with an embossed border and black lettering. If you really want guests to prepare for a celebration, you might consider a tea length silver anniversary invitation in a tri-fold design with a pair of die cut champagne glasses across the tri-fold opening. Guests will be impressed and won’t be able to miss the reason for the party.

Sending dazzling silver anniversary invitations will not only get guests in the mood to celebrate your 25th corporate anniversary, but will provide the perfect keepsake to last the next 25 years.

Source by Grace W Chen

Sometimes, it is difficult to choose a device that would be ideal for both work and entertainment. But the option is still there. In order to solve this issue, many manufacturers made massive efforts and have launched the 2-in-1 notebooks. The new released HIPO i101 is such an innovative laptop/tablet hybrid that combines the best bits of both in one versatile device. It perfectly decides the issue of choice.

HIPO i101 is an Intel Baytrail-T (Quad-core) Z3735F powered 2-in-1 notebook with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support. It has 2GB DDR3L of RAM and runs the operating system version of Windows 10 on a 32GB eMMC. In addition, it gets a 10.1 inch, 1280 x 800 IPS screen, which has a 16:10 aspect ratio.

Design and Display

HIPO i101 is a dainty little thing. With the dimensions of 258*172.6*10.1mm, it fits easily into a messenger bag or rucksack, making it an ideal choice for students or users that like to work on the go.

With the compact straight plate form, it looks friendly and inviting. Since it is convertible, you can use the HIPO i101 as either a tablet or a laptop, depending on what suits you. As a tablet, it acts excellently as a decent device for entertainment. Impressively, it’s very thin and feels comfortable in the hand. As a laptop, it can be compared with other notebooks in functions. What’s more, it is much more compact and thinner than the latter.

As for the display, HIPO i101 uses a 10.1 inch, 1280 x 800 IPS screen, which is unsurprising. But it’s just clear enough for routine use, watching movies and videos.

Features and Performance

The performance of HIPO i101 is also okay. It runs on a Baytrail-T (Quad-core) Z3735F from Intel with integrated graphics Intel HD Graphics (Gen7) and 2GB of RAM, which allows you to run any apps and games from the Windows Store. Due to the installed operating system version of Windows 10, you will be able to work with this novelty in the already familiar programs such as MS Office, Skype, Photoshop and others.

The device has two cameras, a rear (2.0 MP) and frontal (2.0 MP). The front camera takes high-quality Shelfies, which are not ashamed to be published on the Instagram. Also, this camera is perfect for video conferences. Other specifics include 2 built-in 8Ω/0.8W speakers, supporting WiFi (802.11a b/g/n + BT 4.0), 3G, Bluetooth, and Ethernet Network (Mini USB switch to Ethernet Network), HOST USB port, 3.5mm standard headphone jack, 2.5MM power connector, 1.4A HDMI port, Pogo pin connect, etc.

Battery

Equipped with the 3.7V/6000mAH Lithium-ion polymer battery, HIPO i101 can last for 4 to 6 hours with the active use of the Wi-Fi or 3G battery module.

Conclusion

Although HIPO i101 has no many amazing points, it will be a right choice for those who are looking for a compact and portable device and suffering from the option between a laptop and a tablet.

Source by Sarah HA

The cost of developing an app, be it for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, or some other ecosystem, cannot be distilled easily into a single number. The average cost of app development has been estimated at somewhere in the neighborhood of $6,500. Unfortunately, that value can be misleading because there are far more low-end apps than there are high-end apps.

How much development costs will come down to how complicated an app will be, how many custom features will be included, what ecosystems the app will need to run on, and so forth. This article explores some of the considerations that go into deciding to develop an app and does its best to put a price tag on the options.

The Basic App

A basic app would be something like the email app included on most mobile devices. It is simple, has a very basic user interface, and doesn’t require the programmer to go outside of the nicely packaged APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that are standard on most operating systems. These apps cost anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000.

Content Driven Apps

A content app makes use of a database or some other content source, which it then parses to provide a dynamic experience for the user. Working with content is difficult because information is never static. Programming these apps requires a much more abstraction, which is necessarily more time intensive. Depending on the amount of content, these apps will probably from $5,000 to $50,000.

Games

Games vary widely in complexity, which makes it difficult to pin down a price. The easiest way to evaluate the cost of a game is to break the genre down as follows.

• 2D Games – Most mobile devices have free 2D game engines available. This takes a lot of the work out of programming and helps to reduce costs. Cost estimates for developing a game range from $8,000 to $150,000. Total cost will be determined by:

1. Complexity of game play (Think PONG versus Mario)
2. Complexity of levels
3. Need for accurate physics simulations (Angry Birds is a physics game)
4. Social Media Integration (+$2,000)
5. Multi-player functionality (Difficult to code and hence expensive)
6. Need to connect to an Internet database for a score board (+$1,000), a reward system (+$5,000), downloaded content (+$ 5,000), etc.

• 3D Games – Unlike 2D games, there are very few free 3D game engines available and those that do exist aren’t terribly good. The best options are to lease an engine from another company or have a coder build one from scratch. Either way, a 3D game will probably cost from $20,000 to $250,000. The same factors discussed for 2D games will determine the price of a 3D game.

Firmware or Hardware Modification

This category is for apps that modify functions like the camera, GPS, etc. An example is an app that speeds up the camera shutter or adds filters to pictures. There are no APIs for developing these apps, which means the programmer will be doing a lot more work. $10,000 is probably the base cost, with the upper limit depending only on complexity.

Costs by Stage

Before wrapping up, it is worth looking at cost based on the steps of development. Here is a rough breakdown of costs for each stage.

• Design – $50 to $150 per hour

• Coding – $100 to $150 per hour (Note that outsourcing can be cheaper, but the quality is often lower)

• Testing – $25 to $100 per hour

• Back End Development – $100 to $150 per hour (only necessary for some apps)

• Validation – $50 – $100 per hour

The Bottom Line

The average app costs about $6,500 to develop, though costs can range from a low of a few hundred to as high as $250,000. Coding is probably the most costly aspect of development simply because it takes the most time. Complexity is always the most important factor in determining the cost of an app and a programmer is the most qualified person to evaluate complexity. Quotes from several reputable design teams are essential for getting a handle on cost. They should be obtained long before delving into the development of an app.

Source by Raphael Huppe

Why You Should Start A Premium Rate Service Sending Text Messages to Subscribers

Over 16 million people use mobile phones in Kenya. You are able to reach millions of people who are looking for information and are willing to pay you for it through bulk SMS . You would be earning upwards of Kes 2.78 shillings per SMS which, when you add the numbers up, is quite a return.

How to SMS using premium rate SMS How to text message using Premium Rate SMS

Say we have set up for you and shown you how to SMS Gujarati Language lessons to your subscribers:

(a) To introduce a client to your service, you simply ask them to SMS your chosen code word, say “Gujarati”, to 5242.

(b) Once your client sends a text message with the word “Gujarati” to 5242, he shall be automatically registered to receive the daily Gujarati text messages that you provide;

(c) You will have provided us with a list of SMS text messages of Gujarati lessons (say 30 SMS text messages, 1 SMS text message lesson per day for 30 days);

(d) Every morning your client will receive one lesson by SMS text message for the rest of the month;

(e) Depending on the volume of SMS text messages per month, you will make upwards of Kes 2.78 for every SMS text message that is received by your client;

(f) For example, if you have 5000 clients, you will be sending out 5000 SMS text messages per day. At a rate of Kes 3 per SMS text message, you will be making Kes 15,000 per day or Kes 450,000 per month. Kenya has 16 million plus mobile users. It is not difficult to secure more than 10,000 users for your service. Do the math;

How to SMS Business Tips using premium rate service or bulk SMS

Market for Business Tips

Kenyans are increasingly entrepreneurial with what is unfortunately called “the informal sector” dwarfing corporate business in the sheer volume of transactional volume and the claim on the population of Kenya.

With a 40% unemployment rate (a figure I believe to be a gross underestimate, especially when the authorities consider self-employment to be unemployment), many Kenyans wish, secondly only to getting a job, is getting education.

The wealthiest Kenyans are not employees but politicians with business interests and businessmen with or without political interests. Kenyans are therefore enamoured to business one way or the other. This makes them very hungy for tips on how to succeed in business.

Outside formal education books, the best selling titles in the book market are what are called management and self-help literature. As Kenyans become busier, tips on what they would have read from these books. There is a carvenous gap between the desired and possessed business knowledge. You can fil this gap using premium rate SMS .

Setting up the premium rate SMS channel

1. The first step is to contact a Premium Rate Service Provider.

2. In the first stages of completing the online registration form, you would be required to provide a keyword of your choice. If you are going to be sending premium rate text messages containing business tips, you would select a relevant keyword such as “Biz” or “Tips”, or something indicative of what the service is about. This is the word that subscribers would be sending by SMS to the short code we will provide if they want to be subscribed to your service.

3. The second stage of the online registration process would be to read and understand the terms and conditions of the Premium Rate Service Provider. These are very important as they set out how you will relate as an agent to Viva. Importantly, at the bottom of these terms and conditions is the table detailing the revenue share that you would be received. Section 4 of the terms and conditions provides for two ways through which you can be paid. Read them carefully so that you can understand them.

4. The third stage of the online registration process involves contacting the Premium Rate Service Provider.

5. Once the Premium Rate Service Provider confirms that it is available, you will pay your first month’s monthly fee.

6. Once payment is made, Viva will proceed to liase with our premium rate service provider to set up the keyword on our shared short code. Set ups are usually done on Mondays and Thursdays.

7. Once the keyword is set up on the short code, we shall send you an email confirming that the keyword has been set up. We shall also request that you send us an email message in MS Excel with 14 – 30 SMS text that you’d like us to begin sending out from the short code. Each message must not exceed 160 characters (including spaces). We shall also provide you with an online platform from wher you can monitor who has subscribed to your service, the number of subscribers, the number of SMS text messages sent daily and other important data.

8. The next step is marketing. You need to begin advertising your short code and keyword to the public. For example, you could put print advertisements saying “SMS Biz to 5242 to get a daily inspirational teaching from the New Testament”.

9. There are many ways of advertising, including radio, newspapers, classifieds, TV, or pay per click advertising.

10. When people see your adverts, they will SMS the keyword to the short code and the short code system will register their numbers.

11. Every day, the system will send out one text message (or two, depending on how you want it) to all the numbers registered on the premium rate SMS system.

12. At the end of the month, you calculate the amount of money due to you by visiting your online platform’s section on successfully delivered messages. Once you get the number of successfully delivered messages for the subject month, you multiply it by the amount per SMS that is due to you. This amount per SMS varies from Kshs 2.78 to 3.89 depending on the volume.

Source by Stephen W Alala

Are you getting prank or harassing cell phone text massages and want to find out who has been sending them? This article will provide some tips on how to trace a cell phone text message. Getting constant text messages from an unknown source can be very annoying.

You get the number off your caller ID and call them back only to get silence. If you continue to receive text messages or even prank calls on your cell phone there is a way to fight back. Preforming a reverse call search will give you all the information you need, like the persons name and address. Some search providers will give you all sorts of personal info on any phone number.

It is possible to not only get their name and address but you can look up their criminal and court records, job history, address history, marriage/divorce records and much more. The unknown caller will not be unknown any more. You will have more info on them then they do on you. Text or call them back and tell them you have their name, address and even know where they work. Tell them about their speeding ticket they got two years ago and what kind of car they drive.

In almost every case this will immediately stop the harassing text or phone messages. If not you have enough information to turn them in to the authorities. You can use a reverse call search to trace any cell, pay phone, mobile phone, business or residential landlines and some pre paid phones.

If you do a search you will find a lot of free services. Or at least they claim to be free. Do they work? In a word, No. The free sites that provide look ups all use the same free, worthless data base. If you are lucky you might find some info on land based phone numbers, the same info you can get from a phone book.

If you want the good info, or need to trace a cell number you are going to have to pay a small fee. The paid directories provide top notch service and keep their data up to date. This cost them money so the do have to charge. You really do get what you pay for. Some directories have an option to do a one time search for a lower cost. The problem with that is if you need their service again you will have to pay again. Paying the small difference for the yearly option is a better deal in the long run. Once you discover what you can dig up on someone you will find your self looking up all your friends and co-workers.

Be prepared on what you find out. Some people have a secret past that they never told you about. Professional investigators will use the service to do their research and now you can get access to the same tools they use.

Source by Mike D Tucker