Category: Technology

Downloading Toolbars: More than Just Google

In today’s browser wars between Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Internet Explorer, a good toolbar can be a deciding factor, but before one picks one of th big boys there are lesser known independents out there.  There is the

Downloading and installing these toolbars are easy and if you want to remove them the process is just as quick.  I would recommend to try a few until you pick the one that you like the best and remember the big guys don’t always have all the features you need and want. Themost important thing is to figure out what you want to use your toolbar for and then go and find the one that suits you the best.

 

Conduit May Make History

Conduit, an Israeli high tech company which enables easy web and mobile toolbar and app development and distribution, might possibly go down in history with Israel’s largest internet-company sale of all time.

The firm is currently negotiating a deal for more than a billion dollars. The potential buyers include web leaders Microsoft and Google. In the past, Conduit turned down a $100 million offer.

Conduit’s network allows businesses and individuals to create personalized apps and toolbars, and their users include large organizations such as MLB and the NBA, Fox News and Time Warner Cable, as well as Rihanna. The network is available to smaller businesses as well.

Almost half of Conduit’s employees were taken on during this past year, although the company was founded in 2005. During its first three years, the firm raised a mere $9.5 million, while in 2009, revenue reached $100 million. Last year, the firm brought in $300 million.

The firm’s chief marketing officer Shaul Olmert was not inclined to comment on the current negotiations. “We have tried to build an internet company on an international scale in Israel,” he said. He added that Conduit is especially committed to Israel, and that it would continue to develop there. According to the company, the network has more than 230 million users; half the amount of Facebook users, and more than both Twitter and LinkedIn.

Conduit’s founders; chairman and CEO Ronen Shilo, Chief Technology Officer Dror Erez and Chief Operating Officer Gaby Bilczyk, own 48% of the company. Yozma, a venture capital fund, owns 10% from their $1.5 million investment in 2005, while Benchmark Capital hold the remaining 21% as a result of an $8.5 million investment in 2008.

 

Genetic Code of Wild Strawberries Cracked

wild-strawberryScientists have cracked the genetic codes of wild strawberries, as well as a certain type of cacao used to make chocolate. The new information should help breeders develop better varieties of mainstream crops.

“Because farmers have been crossbreeding and hybridizing food crops for centuries to improve traits, they tend to have large complicated genomes but the wild strawberry’s is relatively small so we can get access to all of these useful genes comparatively easily,” said Dan Sargent of BBSRC Crop Science Initiative.

Todd Mockler of Oregon State University explained that “this will accelerate research that will lead to improved crops, particularly commercial strawberries. It could lead to fruit that resists pests, smells better, tolerates heat, requires less fertilizer, has a longer shelf life, tastes better and has an improved appearance.”

Amazing Innovations for 2010

1. Bionic legs were developed this year which can help paraplegics to stand up and walk. This device, called E-legs, is designed to help those who have been told that they will never walk again, to walk. Using sensors to interpret from the person to the electronic legs where the person wants to go, these legs can take him there.
2. Electric cars are beginning to make headway into the car marketplace, especially the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Bolt. There are still limitations like the price and the speed, but you can still just plug-in and go. Due to greater demand every car manufacturer has designed at least one model of these gas-saving wonders.
3. Apple’s iPad is one of the most popular new innovations of the past year. Steve Jobs called the iPad a truly magical and revolutionary product. This amazing device bridges the gap between laptops and smartphones, and in just the first month Apple sold over 1 million of these babies.

Indian Satellite Explodes Soon After Take-Off

Indian-SateliteIn what was India’s second satellite launch failure this year, a rocket carrying an Indian communication satellite exploded soon after to take-off on Saturday. Just moments after the launch of the satellite television images show an exploding rocket in fire and smoke high above Sriharikota space center in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The failed rocket was carrying a GSAT-5P communication satellite into Earth’s orbit.

According to the chairman of the Indian Space Research organization K. Radhakrishnan the rocket developed a problem exactly 47 seconds after lift-off, when it also lost command. Due to the resulting higher angle there was higher stress on the vehicle, causing it to explode.

Back in April of this year a similar failure occurred when a rocket on a developmental flight crashed into the Bay of Bengal. Excessive pressure and thermal problems most likely caused the rotor to seize and the turbine casing to break apart, leading to the crash.