Even as Apple revels in the unprecedented success of the iPhone 4S launched this October, speculation is rife about the launch of iPad 3 and the iPhone 5.

iLounge reports that a well-trusted source suggests both the gadgets could gain in size when released in 2012. The iPhone 5 is on track to be introduced in summer of 2012, and is still in the engineering phase, not early production.

Apple iPad 3 to be thicker:- Though not much is known about the iPad 3, details posted online by iLounge indicate the next generation model will be 0.7 mm thicker than its predecessor. According to iLounge, the next iPhone, still in the early stages of development, will not use the tapered “teardrop” design as was rumored.

It is rumored that the iPad 3 will be upgraded to a retina display of 2048 x 1536 resolutions, double that of the iPad 2. The new smartphone may have a larger 4-inch display which will make the entire device 8mm longer. The next iPhone may feature aluminum casing and support LTE, the report said.

To accommodate the higher resolution display, the iPad 3 will need a twin light bar system inside the tablet to keep its colors bright. This will make the tablet thicker than the sleek iPad 2, but still thinner than the original device.

“(The iPhone 5) is on track to be introduced in summer of 2012, and is still in the engineering phase, not early production,” said iLounge

Adding fuel to the fire, an analyst confirmed to CNET that production has started on high-resolution displays for the next-generation iPad.

“It’s happening QXGA, 2048×1536. Panel production has started [for the next-generation iPad]. There’s three suppliers,” Richard Shim, an analyst at DisplaySearch, told CNET.

The iLounge report indicates that the iPad 3 may be unveiled in January and may hit store shelves by March. iLounge reports that a well-trusted source suggests both the gadgets could gain in size when released in 2012.

Shim also told CNET that Apple is interested in making a mini-iPad based on a 7.85-inch screen, which could probably come in the second half of 2012.

iPhone 5 to sport larger screen:- The iPhone 5 is also set to get a makeover. According to iLounge, the next iPhone, still in the early stages of development, will not use the tapered “teardrop” design as was rumored.

However, they confirm the new smartphone may have a larger 4-inch display which will make the entire device 8mm longer. The next iPhone may feature aluminum casing and support LTE, the report said.

iLounge said, “[The iPhone 5] is on track to be introduced in summer of 2012, and is still in the engineering phase, not early production.

“We suspect that poor battery life doomed the prior prototype version, and that this one is being built with LTE-ready battery drain in mind.”

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A technology website AllThingsD has reported that Facebook is closely working with HTC to make the phone, which in all likelihood is going to be a savvy smartphone.

Not the first time:- This is not the first time that Facebook is rumored to be working on its own phone. About a year back, CNET had reported that Facebook was in talks with major hardware manufacturers to come out with a smartphone. But as smartphones began hitting the market sporting Facebook-specific buttons, the rumors subsided.

If the latest rumor is to be believed, Facebook is reconsidering the option to build its own phone. Facebook is an important component of new Windows Phones as well, as they come with Facebook and Twitter integrated into the operating system, letting you sync your contacts with those on your social networking sites.

It remains to be seen how a Facebook phone is going to fare in the marketplace, when there already are strong players like iPhone and Android.

Smartphone specifications:- Reportedly, the smartphone will be powered by a customized version of Google’s Android operating system, and will be optimized to let you access Facebook the way you do on PCs.

The phone has an interesting codename ‘Buffy,’ after the name of a popular TV show about vampires. AllThingsD declined to unveil any details about the sources from where it got the news. The new Facebook phone will not simply sport a few Facebook buttons, but will offer a unique Facebook experience, with social networking built into the heart of the device.

It also reported that Facebook had earlier been in talks with Samsung to manufacture the device, before finally zeroing in on HTC.

The choice certainly makes sense. The latest smartphones from the HTC stable, Salsa and Chacha, have dedicated Facebook buttons and are apparently more Facebook-friendly than other phones.

Motorola and INQ Mobile are the other mobile makers that have also included Facebook buttons on their phones. About a year back, CNET had reported that Facebook was in talks with major hardware manufacturers to come out with a smartphone. But as smartphones began hitting the market sporting Facebook-specific buttons, the rumors subsided.

A unique Facebook experience:- According to AllThingsD, the new Facebook phone will not simply sport a few Facebook buttons, but will offer a unique Facebook experience, with social networking built into the heart of the device.

Facebook is an important component of new Windows Phones as well, as they come with Facebook and Twitter integrated into the operating system, letting you sync your contacts with those on your social networking sites. AllThingsD has reported that Facebook is closely working with HTC to make the phone, which in all likelihood is going to be a savvy smartphone.

It remains to be seen how a Facebook phone is going to fare in the marketplace, when there already are strong players like iPhone and Android. Both of these existing platforms have good support for Facebook.

Facebook and HTC declined to say anything on the rumor.

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According to a report by Juniper Networks, Android is the leader when it comes to malware in smartphones.

The report reveals that Android malware has risen 400 percent since July this year, with October and November registering the fastest rise in malware since Google introduced the Android platform. Most Android malware now have the ability to access personal data or important services.

In October, the number of malware samples found in Android more than doubled compared to September. Several security firms have expressed their concerns about the incidence of growing malware across the Android platform. Juniper’s Malicious Mobile Threats Report which was released in May revealed a 400 percent rise in Android malware from 2009 to summer 2010.

Google blamed for malware rise:- What is the reason behind this ominous increase in malware on Google’s mobile platform? According to Juniper, it is Google’s fault.

It is quite easy for developers to make and put applications on the Android Market, as they only need to open a developer account and pay $25. Several security firms, including McAfee and Symantec, have expressed their concerns about the incidence of growing malware across the Android platform.

Google apparently has no review process through which it screens these apps for malware or checks them. It has been reveals that Android malware has risen 400 percent since July this year, with October and November registering the fastest rise in malware since Google introduced the Android platform.

Though malware infected apps which are reported by users are promptly removed from the app store, it is only after many users have already downloaded the apps. Unsuspecting users have no way of knowing which of them are malware disguised as a useful apps.

In March this year, Google took down over 20 apps from the Android marketplace after it was learned that they were carrying a Trojan called DroidDream. It is quite easy for developers to make and put applications on the Android Market, as they only need to open a developer account and pay $25. Android malware now have the ability to access personal data or important services.

Several security firms, including McAfee and Symantec, have expressed their concerns about the incidence of growing malware across the Android platform. Everybody aware that Android is a leader when it comes to smartphones, but did you know that it also tops in mobile malware?

Android malware getting smarter:- Juniper notes that Android malware are not only increasing in number, but are also getting more advanced. Most Android malware now have the ability to access personal data or important services. Android malware can be of different types, depending on what they can do. Over half of the malware samples were found to be spyware, fishing out personal user information.

The other half consisted mostly of SMS Trojans which sends text messages to premium-rate numbers, thus costing the users.

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“We will no longer continue to develop Flash Player in the browser to work with new mobile device configurations (chipset, browser, OS version, etc.) following the upcoming release of Flash Player 11.1 for Android and BlackBerry PlayBook,” Adobe’s vice president of interactive development, Danny Winokur, wrote in a company blog post.

“We will of course continue to provide critical bug fixes and security updates for existing device configurations. We will also allow our source code licensees to continue working on and release their own implementations,” he added.

Winokur wrote that in the future, Adobe’s work with Flash on mobile devices will focus “on enabling Flash developers to package native apps with Adobe AIR for all the major app stores.” Announcing the shift towards HTML5, a competing technology that is now universally supported on all major mobile devices, Winokur said that HTML5 is “the best solution for creating and deploying content in the browser across mobile platforms.”

Steve Jobs wins:- Flash has been a bone of contention between Apple Inc. and Adobe since Apple’s former Chief Executive Steve Jobs stood steadfast against featuring it on iPhone and iPad, and said it doesn’t belong to the future of mobile computing. He even posted a letter on Apple’s website in April 2010 criticizing the technology.

“Flash was created during the PC era for PCs and mice,” Jobs wrote. “Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards all areas where Flash falls short.”

Microsoft Corp. also recently signaled a move away from Flash on mobile devices, saying in September that Internet Explorer 10 in Windows 8 will not be supporting Web plug-ins on tablets.

The future:- Announcing the shift towards HTML5, a competing technology that is now universally supported on all major mobile devices, Winokur said that HTML5 is “the best solution for creating and deploying content in the browser across mobile platforms.” However, the company said it is already working on Flash Player 12, and that it can still “innovate with Flash where it can have most impact for the industry, including advanced gaming and premium video.”

On the other hand, Adobe also said that the discontinuation will extend to consumer electronics devices such as televisions, and endorsed that developers prefer to build native apps for them.

“Adobe will continue to support existing licensees who are planning on supporting Flash Player for web browsing on digital home devices and are using the Flash Player Porting Kit to do so,” the company confirmed to GigaOm.

“However we believe the right approach to deliver content on televisions is through applications, not a web browsing experience, and we will continue to encourage the device and content publishing community down that path,” Adobe said.

End for Open Screen Project:- Adobe had launched ‘Open Screen Project’ in 2008, after Apple came out with the iPhone without Flash support, aiming to make a consistent app runtime across multiple devices, so that any Flash application once developed could be distributed across web browsers, mobile devices and TVs. Various notable device manufacturers, telecommunications carriers and content developers allied with Adobe under the program, but companies like Microsoft and Sun Microsystems stayed away.

So far, they have only been able to bring the exposure to Google TV devices, which have also struggled to gain traction in the market.

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Microsoft has a patent agreement which allows it to receive patent royalties from manufacturers that produce smartphones or tablets running Android operating system. Microsoft has said that it has “taken licenses to patents for Windows” and its patents are available to other manufacturers on “reasonable terms.” Microsoft had alleged that Barnes & Noble was violating five of its patents, and tried stop the imports of Nook readers. The U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington received a formal complaint from Microsoft with details about the patent infringement.

The Redmond-based giant claims that Google’s Android platform uses key technologies which are based on Microsoft’s patented inventions.

It has struck a licensing deal with two of the biggest manufacturers of Android devices: Samsung Electronics Co. and HTC Corp.

Microsoft allegedly attempting to monopolize market:- Barnes & Noble believes that Microsoft could be monopolizing the market with these agreements. The company has sent a report to Gene Kimmelman, Justice Department’s chief counsel, for competition policy with details about Microsoft’s patent claims, calling them “trivial and outmoded.”

Barnes & Noble has alleged that Microsoft is aggressively trying to hinder competition by increasing the costs to such manufacturers.

Giving examples of Microsoft’s patent agreements, Barnes & Noble says that Microsoft has made the patent agreements to make sure that other manufacturers using other operating system don’t make a dent in the sales of Windows smartphones and tablets.

Right from the very beginning, Microsoft has been accused of arm-twisting PC manufacturers to push Windows operating systems on their machines.

Earlier, Microsoft had alleged that Barnes & Noble was violating five of its patents, and tried stop the imports of Nook readers. The U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington received a formal complaint from Microsoft with details about the patent infringement.

Nook readers are e-book readers produced by Barnes & Noble and run on the Android platform. Google’s Android platform uses key technologies which are based on Microsoft’s patented inventions. It has struck a licensing deal with two of the biggest manufacturers of Android devices: Samsung Electronics Co. and HTC Corp.

Microsoft ready to sign deal:- In response to Barnes & Noble’s report, Microsoft has said that it has “taken licenses to patents for Windows” and its patents are available to other manufacturers on “reasonable terms.” According to Microsoft, all modern operating systems include some patented technologies which cannot be used without authorization. Barnes & Noble has alleged that Microsoft is aggressively trying to hinder competition by increasing the costs to such manufacturers.

It added that it would be pleased to sign a licensing deal with Barnes & Noble to resolve the differences.

Microsoft’s monopolistic practices have often drawn a lot of criticism from experts and tech enthusiasts. Right from the very beginning, Microsoft has been accused of arm-twisting PC manufacturers to push Windows operating systems on their machines.

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As indicated by the National Solar Jobs Census 2011, the industry witnessed 6.8% job growth in a year. The review suggests the job rate will grow by 24 percent for generation of 24, 000 fresh jobs in the next year. The numbers shows Colorado dominated the second position and has 6,186 solar jobs. While at national level, overall solar energy jobs including manufacturing, residential, and commercial rose 6.8 percent in the twelve month period.

The National Solar Jobs Census 2011 data for a year period ended August, maintained that out of 100,237 solar energy jobs in 50 states, California accounted for 25,575 jobs during the period.

Growing solar-energy industry:- The study also said California is second to none in electricity generation from both photovoltaic solar panels and concentrated solar power systems mentioned study. California industry and policymakers have a tremendous opportunity to build on this solid foundation and make solar a centerpiece of the state’s energy policy.

The census is released Monday by a Washington based research and education organization, the Solar Foundation. The National Solar Jobs Census 2011 data for a year period ended August, maintained that out of 100,237 solar energy jobs in 50 states, California accounted for 25,575 jobs during the period.

The figures shows Colorado dominated the second position and has 6,186 solar jobs. While at national level, overall solar energy jobs including manufacturing, residential, and commercial rose 6.8 percent in the twelve month period.

David Hochschild, vice president of Fremont-based Solaria Corp., said the technology is on the verge of playing a dominant role in the conventional energy market.

Growth despite recent closure:- Besides the current generation of green jobs in California, high-meteoric growth is expected for the industry in comparison to the overall U.S. economy said Michelle Kinman a clean energy advocate for Environment California. “California industry and policymakers have a tremendous opportunity to build on this solid foundation and make solar a centerpiece of the state’s energy policy.” Kinman added.

Industry advocate opined that a recent political scam leading to insolvency of the Northern California solar panel manufacturer Solyndra should not hinder the growth of solar industry. The Fremont, Calif., company was closedown following a $535-million federal loan assurance. The study also said California is second to none in electricity generation from both photovoltaic solar panels and concentrated solar power systems mentioned study. California industry and policymakers have a tremendous opportunity to build on this solid foundation and make solar a centerpiece of the state’s energy policy.

Arno Harris, chief executive of Recurrent Energy, a San Francisco solar developer said in this regard, “We have to look beyond the failure of one company and see the tremendous success that’s occurring here.” This study shows the growth of clean-technology industry sprouting throughout the States, while Californian natives hold one-fourth of the total solar energy jobs in the U.S.

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The San Ramon, California-based Chevron said it earned $7.8 billion, or $3.92a share, last quarter, compared to a profit of $3.8 billion, or $1.87a share, a year earlier. Analysts had expected a smaller profit of $3.48 per share.

Revenue during the July-September quarter leaped 30 percent to $64.4 billion from $49.7 billion in the previous year, but trailed the analyst projections of $70.4 billion. Chevron’s average sale price of a barrel of crude oil hit $97 in the quarter, well above $69 a year earlier in the same period. Chevron’s global net oil-equivalent production slumped to 2.6 million barrels per day in the last three months, down from 2.74 million barrels in the same quarter last year. According to the company, production was hampered by two hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, maintenance related work at oil installations, and less output at some joint ventures overseas.

Moreover, the company’s average sale price of natural gas liquids was $4.14 per thousand cubic feet in the third quarter compared to $4.06 last year.

Despite a 5 percent drop in production, the company’s upstream operations, including the exploration and production units, generated $6.2 billion in profit, a 74 percent increase from third quarter in 2010.

Energy production slipped:- Chevron’s global net oil-equivalent production slumped to 2.6 million barrels per day in the last three months, down from 2.74 million barrels in the same quarter last year. According to the company, production was hampered by two hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, maintenance related work at oil installations, and less output at some joint ventures overseas.

“Production increases from project ramp-ups in Canada, the U.S. and Brazil and new volumes stemming from the acquisition of Atlas Energy Inc. were more than offset by maintenance-related downtime (and) normal field declines,” the company said.

Upstream and downstream operations:- Despite a 5 percent drop in production, the company’s upstream operations, including the exploration and production units generated $6.2 billion in profit, a 74 percent increase from third quarter in 2010.

Moreover, Chevron’s downstream operations reported a profit of $1.986 billion, including $500 million from the sale of its British refinery to Valero Energy. Production was hampered by two hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, maintenance related work at oil installations, and less output at some joint ventures overseas.

Chairman and CEO John Watson stated, “We had another successful quarter, with both strong earnings and cash flow. Current quarter earnings for our upstream operations benefited from higher crude oil prices on world markets.

“At the same time, gains on asset sales and improved margins for refined petroleum products contributed to increased earnings for our downstream businesses.”

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The shutdown is initiated so that the internet search giant can focus on its new Google Plus network and make way for more meaningful projects. The social networking tool led to a furor over privacy violations, as the program automatically exposed users’ private and potentially sensitive email contacts. Though the company tweaked the default setting and set-up process to allow users to manually approve their followers, the damage was already done. Horowitz said, “We aspire to build great products that really change people’s lives, products they use two or three times a day. To succeed you need real focus and thought and thought about what you work on and, just as important, what you don’t work on.

Google vice president for products, Bradley Horowitz, wrote in a blog post Friday, “In a few weeks we’ll shut down Google Buzz and the Buzz API, and focus instead on Google+.

“While people obviously won’t be able to create new posts after that, they will be able to view their existing content on their Google Profile, and download it using Google Takeout.”

“We learned a lot from products like Buzz, and are putting that learning to work every day in our vision for products like Google+. Our users expect great things from us; today’s announcements let us focus even more on giving them something truly awesome,” said Bradley Horowitz, Google vice president for products.

Google Buzz controversy:- Google Buzz, which is integrated into the company’s web-based email program Gmail, allows users to share messages, web links, photos and videos with friends and colleagues. However, the social networking tool led to a furor over privacy violations, as the program automatically exposed users’ private and potentially sensitive email contacts. Though the company tweaked the default setting and set-up process to allow users to manually approve their followers, the damage was already done.

Horowitz stated, “We learned a lot from products like Buzz, and are putting that learning to work every day in our vision for products like Google+. Our users expect great things from us; today’s announcements let us focus even more on giving them something truly awesome.”

Services being chopped:- Further, the Code Search will be shuttered along with the Code Search API on Jan. 15, 2012. Jaiku, a product acquired in 2007 that let users send updates to friends, will be axed on Jan. 15, 2012. The University Research Program for Google Search which provides direct access to Google search results will close on Jan. 15, 2012. Also, its curtains down for Google Labs site Friday, while Boutiques.com and Like.com websites will be replaced by Google Product Search.

Horowitz said, “We aspire to build great products that really change people’s lives, products they use two or three times a day. To succeed you need real focus and thought and thought about what you work on and, just as important, what you don’t work on. It’s why we recently decided to shut down some products, and turn others into features of existing products.”

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Zoellick urged the European countries and the United States to fix their respective debt problems as soon as possible, failing which the debt crisis would snowball into one of the biggest financial crisis for the world. The world economy is entering a new danger zone this autumn,” cautioned the president. If China were to continue on its current growth path, by 2030 it would have an economy equivalent to 15 of today’s South Koreas, using market prices. It’s hard to see how that expansion could be accommodated with an export and investment-led growth model.

US, Europe need to act:- The latest U.S. labor report suggests that employment unpredictably stagnated in August while the European sovereign default risk rose to a record high, suggesting that the global economic recovery is weakening. Zoellick is upbeat about the economic growth model being followed by China. He urged the Chinese government to expedite the process of structural reforms to enable further development.

“The financial crisis in Europe has become a sovereign debt crisis, with serious implications for the Monetary Union, banks, and competitiveness of some countries,” Zoellick was quoted as saying in the Reuters.

“My country, the United States, must address the issues of debt, spending, tax reform to boost private sector growth, and a stalled trade policy. The world economy is entering a new danger zone this autumn,” cautioned the president.

Comments on China:- Zoellick is upbeat about the economic growth model being followed by China. He urged the Chinese government to expedite the process of structural reforms to enable further development. “If China were to continue on its current growth path, by 2030 it would have an economy equivalent to 15 of today’s South Koreas, using market prices. It’s hard to see how that expansion could be accommodated with an export and investment-led growth model.” – Robert Zoellick

These structural reforms will help the world’s most populous country to derive growth based on domestic consumption. Currently, China is essentially an export driven economy. So much so that the country artificially keeps its currency weak and does not revalue it for it favors Chinese exports. Some of the structural reforms include reducing income tax rates, improving healthcare services and labor mobility. “In the next 15 to 20 years, China is well-positioned to join the ranks of the world’s high income countries,” he said.

“If China were to continue on its current growth path, by 2030 it would have an economy equivalent to 15 of today’s South Koreas, using market prices. It’s hard to see how that expansion could be accommodated with an export and investment-led growth model,” averred Zoellick.

The president however cautioned that China needs to avoid the ‘middle income trap’, a situation where national productivity and income growth comes to a standstill when per capita income hits a range of $3,000 to $6,000.

“That’s a transition that only a handful of countries have made and, sadly, many have failed,” warned the president.

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Your chances of success in affiliate marketing program will undeniably rise higher if you understand the following points and make your efforts accordingly.

Choose your product effectively:- Generally, affiliate marketers choose a couple of products in a hurry, due to the urge and excitement of earning profits. After a few efforts, when the marketers find that their promotions are not bearing profit, they stop believing in the genuineness of the affiliate marketing programs. This is all because the marketers choose the wrong product.

Conduct a product research:- A concise product research on product benefits and its authenticity is extremely important for affiliates to follow. This could be done through conducting news letter follow ups, reading product reviews, and gathering updates on its sales from the company reports.

Stretch out for sufficient commissions:- Affiliate marketing programs generally offers affiliates 20 to 50 percent of commission on each product sold. Again, more sales mean more commissions and for that you need to promote your products on those marketing sites which generate good number of visitors. The sites also at the same time must maintain High Sales Conversion ratio. High sales conversion ratio means the rate at which the visitors turn to sales.

Promote your product wholeheartedly!:- It is extremely significant to promote your product earnestly. Product promotion requires traffic generation through various blogs, forum posting and article submission. Finding your product-relevant websites requires timely effort and efficiency. But the trick, if once learnt efficiently, can improve your sales at ever expanding figures.

Make sure you earn every share out of your sales:- To maintain a track record on every sale made by you is as important as product promotion. It is your duty to check out that the affiliate tracking software, for example cookie tracking, used by your affiliate program is authentic and give you profit on every sale made.

Every mode of communication, through which sales are made, should be tracked; whether it is phone, fax, and emails, snail mails or others.

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