About Me

My photo
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Application Developer, Database Administrator, and Project Manager in a wide variety of business applications. Particularly interested in client/server and relational database design using MS-SQL Server & Oracle. Always interested in new hi-tech projects, as well as close interaction with the DB querying & reporting. Actively seeking the processes for merging Enterprise Lean Sigma (ELS) with Information Technology.

Sunday 28 November 2010

Thursday 25 November 2010

Favourite Shopping apps for your Smartphone


ShopSavvy is one of the most polished shopping apps I came across, and it's 
available for both iOS and Android. Scan any bar code and find online stores 
and nearby retailers selling any particular product, along with competing prices 
from all locations. ShopSavvy can calculate the location of the nearest retailers 
carrying a desired item and provide maps and directions. It can also tell you 
whether or not the product is actually in stock at a given location. Additionally,
there's a Deals feature that offers up shipping promos, coupon codes, rebates,
and weekend sales.



Barcode Hero is an iOS app that lets you use the camera of the iPhone or iPod Touch
to scan the bar codes of products that you see on store shelves. It then provides 
instant recommendations, product details, and price comparisons from a variety of 
online and brick-and-mortar retailers.In addition to the scanning functionality, 
you can browse and search for products by category, share items with friends 
or family to get real-time feedback, and share wish lists. You can also save 
items as a reminder to purchase at a later time.


If you want to take the stress out of shopping for the handymen (or -women) 
in your life, Aisle411 is a great place to start. This feature-packed and 
easy-to-use app is designed to help you navigate large retail locations, 
such as Home Depot and Lowe's.The app has many functions, but what stands 
out are its list and location features.


TheFind's Beat This Price app for iOS lets you search for a particular item at a given 
price and then populates a list of competing prices from other vendors. It also uses 
LBS to help you find the nearest retailer selling the product.





Wednesday 24 November 2010

iPad Killers

10 iPad competitors to watch...

iPad launch
The Apple iPad has re-energized the market for tablet computers but it has gone nearly all 
of 2010 without a serious challenger. That will soon change. Here are 10 upstarts taking 
aim at the iPad.

Samsung Galaxy Tab
Based on a similar design to the Samsung Galaxy S smartphones, this 7-inch Android 
2.2 tablet is loaded with strong specs and will be available on multiple carriers. 
It will likely be the iPad's most serious competitor to arrive before the end of 2010.


Cisco Cius
Primarily an enterprise communications and collaboration device, the Cisco Cius 
is an 7-inch Android tablet with a heavy layer of Cisco customization on top. 
Consumers won’t be interested, but existing Cisco customers who want a corporate
-controlled tablet might be.

BlackBerry PlayBook
Aimed at stopping the iPad’s momentum with executives and business professionals, 
the 7-inch BlackBerry tablet will be built on its own QNX operating system and is flush
with power with a 1 GHz dual core CPU and 1 GB of RAM. However, battery life may 
be an issue and it won’t arrive until 2011.

Toshiba Libretto
One of the more innovative tablet competitors is the Libretto with its dual 
7-inch multi-touch screens. One screen can be used entirely as a virtual 
keyboard while you work on the other. It runs Windows 7 acts a little more 
like a netbook than a tablet but it’s an interesting concept.

ASUS Eee Pad
Now one of the world’s top five computer makers and one of the leaders in design, ASUS has talked 
throughout the year about launching various iPad competitors (branded “Eee Pad”) from 9-inch to 
12-inch models, running Windows 7, Windows Embedded Compact, or Android. ASUS has promised a tablet will be coming in the first quarter of 2011.

Lenovo U1 Hybrid
One of the big hits of CES 2010, the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid is a convertible tablet with a multi-touch 
screen that detaches from a hardware keyboard. The main system runs Windows 7 but the detachable 
11.6-inch screen turns into a standalone tablet running Linux. It has been delayed until 2011, 
but Lenovo says the standalone tablet will be released separately as the Lenovo LePad in December.

Archos 10
Archos is a PDA and tablet company that has been trying to break into this market for a 
couple years with several different form factors and operating systems. The company could 
have a moderate success with its 10-inch tablet running Android 2.2

Viewsonic ViewPad 100
This 10-inch tablet dual boots Windows 7 and Android 1.6. It has an LED display, 1 GB of RAM, 
a 1.66 GHz CPU, and a 16 GB onboard SSD drive.



Toshiba Folio 100
This 10-inch tablet runs on the Nvidia Tegra processor and Android 2.2. Unlike the 
Toshiba Libretto, this is a standard slate form factor. It’s a vanilla tablet that Toshiba 
will try to price as low as possible.

Acer's big guns: 10", 7" and dual-screen tablets



Acer's 10-inch Windows 7 tablet, coming February 2011, will run on a next-gen AMD processor. 
Wi-Fi and 3G will both be available, and twin front and rear-facing 1.3-megapixel cameras will 
take care of any chat/snapshot needs.


The Windows Tablet comes with its own docking keyboard, transforming it into a mini-workstation.


Another view of the Tablet in the docking configuration


In addition to a Windows model, Acer will also be offering Android tablet models, 
like the one shown here.


The Android tablets will debut later--April 2011--and will run off 
Nvidia's Tegra 2 dual-core processors.



Both Windows and Android tablets will be compatible with Acer's also-announced 
Clear-Fi network, which will share content wirelessly in a home environment.




Unlike the iPad, Acer's Android Tablets will offer dual cameras: a 5 megapixel 
rear camera, and a front-facing one for video conferencing.





The 7-inch version of the Android Tablet will sport a 1280x800 dual screen with a 
16:10 wide-screen aspect ratio.


Prefer to touch type? The Iconia has a full touch-screen keyboard.


Iconia is, at its heart, a Core i5 laptop with familiar specs: up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 
integrated Intel graphics, a hard drive up to 750GB, and Windows 7 Home Premium. 
Ports are also typical for a high-end laptop: 2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0, HDMI and VGA.

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Thursday 18 November 2010

WIZTEC in the making...

How it all started...


House warming at Makola in 2002...



Opening the new branch at Mawaramandiya in 2010...