Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Building Integrated Apps for the Mobile Workforce
The Google Apps Marketplace is a storefront for Google Apps customers to discover, purchase, deploy and manage web applications which are integrated with Google Apps. These applications are typically used from desktops and laptops, but many vendors on the Apps Marketplace have also optimized the experience for their users who are on-the-go. There are several different strategies for enabling a mobile workforce, and each requires a different approach to authentication and authorization.
Lightweight: Synchronize Contacts, Calendars and Docs with Google Apps
Google has written applications and synchronization clients to help ensure that the core Google Apps data is available to users on their mobile devices, whether they’re on their mobile phones or tablets. By storing contacts, dates and documents from your application in Google Apps using the application APIs, you can leverage these features to provide a mobile view for your users.
Since you’re only accessing the application APIs on your web application’s server, and the user has already linked up their mobile device to their Google account, there are no special techniques for authentication and authorization when using this lightweight approach.
Standards-based: Build a mobile-optimized web application
With the latest advances in HTML5 web technologies such as offline and local storage, it’s possible to build mobile interfaces for business apps which are full-featured and accessible to users on many devices. The primary goal in building the mobile web application is to optimize the user experience for different input devices, form factors and limitations in network availability and bandwidth.
Because the application is in a web browser, most of the changes to implement are in the frontend-- HTML, JavaScript and CSS. User authentication and data authorization continue to use the same OpenID and OAuth technologies as are used for the desktop/laptop version of the application.
Device-custom: Build native companion apps for mobile devices
Does your application need access to hardware-specific APIs which are not available in a web browser, or do you feel a great user experience can only be achieved using native code? Several Apps Marketplace vendors have built native applications for popular mobile platforms like Android and iOS. Although it takes considerably more effort to build multiple native applications to cover the major platforms, these vendors can also take advantage of the additional distribution channels offered by mobile stores.
Authentication and authorization are often challenging for developers building native mobile applications because they cannot simply ask users for a password if their app supports single-sign on to Google with OpenID. We recently published an article describing a technique using an embedded webview for accomplishing OpenID authentication in mobile apps. This article includes references to sample code for Android and iOS.
 Many Project Management applications, like Manymoon, store important dates on Google Calendar. These dates are then available on mobile devices. |  GQueues has a HTML5 mobile app. Their founder has written about why they used this technique. |  Native applications, such as the OpenID Sample Store displayed, can use an embedded webview to authenticate users. |
 | Ryan Boyd profile | twitter | events Ryan is a Developer Advocate on the Google Apps Marketplace team, helping businesses build applications integrated into Google Apps. Wearing both engineering and business development hats, youll find Ryan writing code and helping businesses get to market with integrated features. |
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Tuesday, March 10, 2015
New 3 Legged OAuth support for Google Apps Administrative APIs
Google Apps is designed to provide a secure and reliable platform for your data. Until today, Google Apps administrators had to sign requests for calls to Google Apps APIs using their username and password (this is called ClientLogin Authorization).
Yet sharing passwords across sites can pose security risks. Furthering our commitment to make the cloud more secure for our users, today we are pleased to announce support for OAuth authorization on Google Apps APIs.
There are several advantages to using OAuth instead of the username/password model:
- OAuth is more secure: OAuth tokens can be scoped and set to expire by a certain date, making them more secure than using the ClientLogin mechanism.
- OAuth is customizable: Using OAuth, you can create tokens that scripts may only use to access data of a particular scope when calling Google Apps APIs. For instance, a token set to call the Email Migration API would not be able to use your login credentials to access the Google Apps Provisioning API.
- OAuth is an open standard: OAuth is an open source standard, making it a familiar choice for developers to work with.
1. Provisioning API
2. Email Migration API
3. Admin Settings API
4. Calendar Resource API
5. Email Settings API
6. Audit API
OAuth support for Google Apps APIs is another step towards making Google Apps the most secure, reliable cloud based computing environment for organizations. To learn more about OAuth support and other administrative capacities launched in Google Apps this quarter, join us for a live webinar on Wednesday, September 29th at 9am PT / 12pm EST / 5pm GMT.
Administrators for Google Apps Premier, Education, and Government Editions can use OAuth authorization for Google Apps APIs starting today.For more information about the OAuth standard, visit http://oauth.net.
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Monday, March 9, 2015
Building SaaSy Voice a test application for the Apps Marketplace
Why did we decide to build SaaSy Voice? Voice applications are fun and allowed us to experiment not only with our APIs, but with Twilio’s voice APIs. Learning new APIs and creatively mashing them up with Google technologies is one of the many reasons we love our jobs in Developer Relations.
The first step in launching our application on the Google Apps Marketplace was to build the core business logic. This was simple. We wanted to allow companies to buy a new phone number for their business, assign extensions to their employees, and allow for voicemail or call forwarding to existing numbers. We wanted simple management functionality for administrators to manage extensions and view call activity for their company. In just a few days we built the core application in PHP with a MySQL database and spiced up the design a bit by using free CSS templates.
The next, and very important step, for our application was to integrate with Google Apps. We started with single sign-on integration using OpenID. Allowing users to quickly access their voicemail using their existing Google Apps account is a great user experience and a common feature of apps in the Google Apps Marketplace. We used Janrain’s PHP OpenID library with the Google Apps discovery extensions to integrate OpenID very quickly.
Our integration with Google Apps wasn’t complete with just single sign-on though, as we were aware that many other integrations with Google Apps could improve application provisioning for administrators and day-to-day effectiveness for end-users.
Here was our initial list of most helpful integrations:
Make the signup process easier. Instead of manually entering employee information by hand or implementing a cumbersome bulk import process, the application simply connects to Google Apps and automatically retrieves the list of users in the domain. Administrators can easily choose which of their users to assign extensions to. (Provisioning API)
Integrate with a user’s existing contact data to allow employees to see who called them. Showing rich contact information inline with voice mails makes it easier to reply to messages by phone or e-mail. (Contacts API)
Export voicemail logs and analyze them in a form business users are comfortable with: the spreadsheet. The application automatically creates spreadsheets in Google Docs where logs can be easily filtered, sorted and visualized. (Documents List API)
Integrate voicemail activity into Gmail. Business users often spend much of their day in their e-mail inbox. Instead of requiring users to open a new window to review voicemails, the gadget integrates a simple list view of recent voicemails and allows them to play messages without leaving their e-mail. (Gmail Sidebar Gadgets)- E-mail voicemail messages to users as they arrive. Using Gmail Contextual Gadgets, we can embed a voicemail player right below the e-mail to allow a user to listen to their message right away.
- Create a Gmail Contextual Gadget that gives a one-click option for calling the user who e-mailed you. When you click the ‘call’ button, the sender is called on their phone number stored in the user contacts and you’re connected immediately using your company phone number.
These are just a few of examples of how integration can improve the productivity of users, and the possibilities are endless. We’ve heard from customers and vendors alike that Google Apps users love integrated applications. We look forward to hearing about the great integrations you build -- let us know what you’re doing via Tweeting/Buzzing with #AppsIntegrations.
You can learn more about how we built SaaSy Voice, you may wish to watch our Google I/O session on Integrating your app with the Google Apps Marketplace.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Martin Luther King Jr Interactive E Book for the Smartboard
The book has great information text about MLK Jr., as well as questions to test for comprehension. When they get the question correct, it cheers for them! They just love it! Click the picture above to check out the book on Teachers Pay Teachers. Or... be one of the first two people to comment and Ill email it to you for free!
MAKNAZ The Saudi Repository for Learning Objects
"The Maknaz project provides a complete solution for the implementation, customisation, maintenance and support of a reliable and effective online learning environment, including all the required hardware for sustaining a highly sophisticated environment supporting 22 leading national universities."
- Abdullah Al Mogheerah (NCELs Manager for Planning & PMO)
Bob Little ranked Abdullah Al Mogheerah as the 4th most influential person in the corporate e-learning world in 2011 (on Jan 4, 2011)
MAKNAZ (or Treasure Chest)?
THE BIG CHALLENGE
Interestingly, Maknaz empowers users to search for (and filter) contents across more than 36 international repositories, including ARIADNE, NSDL, University of Cambridge, MIT (OpenCourseware), IDEALS @ Illinois, JorumOpen, Delft University of Technology, Johns Hopkins University (MUSE Project) and Hong Kong University. By doing so, users have access from one search box more than one million learning resources (objects/items), which makes it immediately attractive to find potential learning resource gems.
So, while Maknaz is being populated with local content from Universities around Saudi Arabia, Maknaz has already an immediate attraction with its federated search across multiple learning repositories around the world.
To go beyond just focusing on developing and sharing content, Maknaz has areas for communities, forums and blogs to bloom, which is great to spark connections and facilitate collaborations among users.
The big challenge with such massive projects is getting buy-in by stake holders (Universities, academics, students, etc.), changing peoples learning and sharing mindset from copyright to copyleft (or Creative Commons), and creating an environment where honest discussions and constructive criticism can flow without disruption and fear.
Having now been to Saudi Arabia twice for educational purposes (Nov 2008: 2 E-Learning workshops and Jan 2010: E-Learning Audit of Universities), I am still amazed how fast they are moving ahead with e-learning and investing in the infrastructure to make it happen.
What is even more encouraging and exciting was meeting several young upcoming academics during the process, who have brilliant ideas, and are very passionate about innovating the way they learn, and empower students to learn. I remember even one E-Learning Dean, who told me that he woke up at night having dreams about e-learning. I am passionate about learning and e-learning, but I have yet to have any dreams to testify that.
Finally, having a passionate and strategically driven NCEL push forward with so many innovative projects, hosting conferences, and providing tons of training programs (for both men and women) to support the development of the learning nation, and topping that with a growing group of academics hungry to learn and innovate, it will certainly be interesting to see how the transformation of Saudi Higher Education unfolds in the future :)
Sunday, March 1, 2015
9000 Free Resources by Teachers for Teachers TES
- TES
- TES Resource Bank
- Via Patricia Donaghy
TES?
The TES (Times Educational Supplement) is Britain’s leading publication covering the world of primary, secondary and further education, as well as the market leader for teaching job vacancies.
TES RESOURCE BANK?
"The TES resource bank (9000+ resources) is a place where you can share materials with other teachers and recommend your favourite teaching resources. TES makes it easy for you to upload and download files and direct other users to websites that you have found useful. Once registered, you are allowed to freely use the resource bank to download any useful material. Resources are divided into over twenty different categories. The ICT section, alone, has 270 resources!" - Patricia Donaghy
Also, if you want to find educational resources for English (1900+), or Modern Foreign Languages (1400+), I suppose this resource bank should provide you with plenty of options.
WHAT ELSE?
In addition to contributions from teachers sharing their home-grown resources, you can have fun swapping ideas, and letting off steam in the Staffroom. Yeah, there is even a Blogs section, plus reviews of books, software and other published resources.
Finally, you might want to check out the weekly TES Magazine, which is free with all editions. A full colour glossy covering teachers’ personal and professional lives, it contains primary and secondary sections with features about good practice, tips on how to teach, special needs and ICT – plus health, money and travel.
Great :)
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Download Did You Know 2 0 With YouTube Catcher For Your Class !
- YouTube Catcher
- Free FLV Player
- YouTube Video - Did You Know 2.0
- Via Jane Knight
YOUTUBE CATCHER?
YouTube Catcher is another tool that allows you to download YouTube videos easy and fast!
I am still wondering why YouTube does not allow users to download videos directly. It would probably take their software engineers approximately 5-10 minutes to add this feature, but something seems to stop them from doing it. Whatever it is, they are creating new business opportunities for innovative and entrepreneurial minds behind tools like YouTube Catcher. There are actually several such tools already available, including VideoDownloadx.com, which I have discussed earlier. In that sense (and AdSense) it is great for them. However, the moment YouTube enables us to download directly from their site; I suppose we will eventually have to say adios amigo to these tools. But, in the meantime we can enjoy them to do our stuff, although it is a bit more inconvenient.
HOW?
How do I do it?
- Alright, first find a YouTube Video you want to download, and then Copy and paste its URL into the form below (this is just a screenshot, so please click here to try it out for real! Do you think I am that stupid!).
- Then click the DOWNLOAD button to start. Please, REMEMBER to rename the file with a .flv extension (Why cant it do it for us! Oh man!).
To watch the FLV Videos on your computer device, you need a FLV Player. Click here to download a free FLV player . In addition, you can also convert these FLV videos to other formats like avi, mpeg, mp4. And you can transfer these videos to cellphones or Ipods!
Interestingly, this cool and easy-to-use tool allows you also to convert your YouTube videos to MP3 files directly from the site, in the same fashion as downloading them. If you dont have time to watch your videos, you can at least listen do them on your Ipod (or MP3 player) while driving, or doing repetition work that requires no deep thinking!
DID YOU KNOW 2.0?
That was cool! Do you know of any videos that can engage my students (and educators!) to really think about their education and future careers before they graduate?
Alright, here is one video that I strongly recommend to download (URL: http://youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U) using YouTube Catcher, or whatever tool/way you can.
This video is an official update to the original "Shift Happens" video from Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod. This June 2007 update includes new and updated statistics, thought-provoking questions and a fresh design. My mind is already reflecting about my future job possibilities!
So, if you dont have a good Internet connection in your classroom (or none at all!), it should not stop you from showing short (preferable below 10 minutes, unless super interesting!), engaging and relevant videos to spice up the students learning minds and facilitate discussions. Some students might be sleepy when they come to class, but a juicy YouTube video (You know what I mean!) might just be enough to warm-up their learning minds to actually participate. You probably just need to mention YouTube and Facebook in class, and students are already getting excited.
There are many things we can do to engage and inspire our students to participate and learn. Sometimes a relevant and exciting YouTube video can do the trick. Trust me :)
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Fantastic Four 4 for PC full version
Fantastic 4 is a beat-em-up based on a movie of the same name, which is in turn based on a comic book series created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. The game takes some cues from X-Men Legends in that you can quickly switch between up to four different heroes and upgrade their abilities as you battle your way through Dr. Dooms legions of robots and other monstrous foes and minibosses. Unfortunately, the game suffers from imprecise controls, a lackluster presentation, a few bugs, and other issues that make it difficult to recommend.
In the game, youll control four different heroes (hence the name), each of whom has unique powers and abilities. Mr. Fantastic is able to stretch and deform himself, which allows him to reach far-away objects and attack enemies from a great distance. The Invisible Woman is a relatively weak hand-to-hand fighter, but she can turn invisible and perform abilities that freeze opponents in place. The Human Torch is extremely fast and can ignite enemies, while the Thing is a large brute who can dish out tons of damage, as well as take it. All four heroes wont be available to you at all times. In most of the levels youll be limited to only one or two characters, as the games storyline will often depict the foursome splitting up and taking on tasks in parallel. Switching between heroes can be done quickly by tapping on the D pad in the console versions of the game, while in the PC version, each character is mapped to a key.
Each character has three special cosmic powers that can be unleashed with double button presses, as well as combo moves that can be done by pushing the two attack buttons in different orders. Unleashing a cosmic power is quicker and easier than performing a combo, but these cost energy, which recharges slowly or can be replenished from broken items or defeated foes. If you play your cards right, you can recharge as much energy as you use, so in enemy-rich areas, its possible to unleash one cosmic power after another, making them somewhat imbalanced. There are other interesting aspects to the fighting system, such as the ability to grapple or combo-grapple with your teammates.
However, in a practical sense there really isnt as much variety as you might think in the fighting system. Just about every character has a ranged attack, an area attack, and powerful moves for single foes. In most cases, the game is designed to reward strength over other abilities, so youll usually use The Thing or Mr. Fantastic when theyre available since theyre the best melee fighters. Its also worth noting that both the cosmic powers and the combo abilities in Fantastic 4 can be upgraded using points you earn as you fight enemies and make your way through levels. Points are shared across characters.Read more
System requirements:
MINIMUM PC REQUIREMENTS
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
Pentium III or Athlon 800MHz Processor
256MB RAM
3500MB Hard Disk Space
DirectX 9.0c
32MB nVidia GeForce or ATi Radeon 7200 Class Video Card
DirectX compatible 16-bit Sound Card
4X CD-ROM Drive
Keyboard
Mouse
Screen Shots: Click on the image to view large
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Thursday, February 12, 2015
Hitman Codename 47 for PC full version with system requirements
Hitman: Codename 47 is a game in which you strangle a man as he urinates in a storm grate. And thats only the beginning of the dark, adult subject matter. The game puts you in control of a trained killer who uses stealth and firepower to murder various thugs and criminals. Even if you like the basic premise and action of the game, a number of very serious flaws quickly sap its entertainment value.
The frame story, such as it is, owes a large debt to the movie La Femme Nikita, or its Americanized version, Point of No Return. Your alter ego, the bald and nameless hit man, begins the game restrained to a bed in padded room. Youre then greeted by a disembodied, Russian-sounding voice that orders you through a training course tutorial. Here, with melodramatic camp, hell instruct you on how to use a garrote to strangle a dummy, drone on about the origins and technical specs of the AK-47, and largely annoy you. Oddly, your character never once stops to ask where he is, why he has a bar code on the back of his head, or who this talkative Russian is whos ordering him about. The main hint about the hit mans origins is a vague, uninformed, and potentially insulting introduction in the manual that compares science and religion and hints at Frankenstein-like attempts to outdo nature. The predictable truth about the hit mans origins is eventually revealed as you progress through the game.
As you immediately learn in the tutorial mission, controlling the hit man can be a real chore. Your crosshair changes based on the weapon type youre holding, and it also changes when you move it over an object you can manipulate. When you right-click on the object, a pop-up menu lists your available options. So, with a dead body, for instance, you can drag it away from the scene to prevent suspicion, or you can don its clothes for a disguise. This system is clever in theory but annoying in practice, since youll often click on an object and nothing will happen. But then youll move the crosshair slightly, and then it suddenly works. Another control problem is actually in the lack of control on certain occasions. Instead of manually climbing or jumping at particular times, the hit man will automatically carry out those actions when at a junction that allows it, though you can only guess which those are. At other occasions, youll inexplicably be able to climb ladders manually. Whats even more surprising, given that the game emphasizes stealth, is that you cant go prone to hide or snipe. Youll also get frustrated at the frequency with which the hit man gets snagged on doors, chairs, and other objects.
What really impedes control is the use of a third-person view. You can switch between two external camera views, but both are jerky and awkward. In the default view, movement and exploration inside buildings can be very frustrating as ceilings and walls sometimes partially block your view. A third-person view such as this doesnt work well in a game that requires situational awareness, stealth, and accurate aiming. The only time you get a first-person view is when sniping or using binoculars.
System requirements:
MINIMUM
Pentium II 300MHz or equivalent processor
64MB RAM
400MB hard drive space
8X CD-ROM drive
DirectX 7.0 compliant 3D accelerated video card with 12MB VRAM
DirectX 7.0 compliant sound card
DirectX 7.0 or higher (included)
Keyboard, Mouse
RECOMMENDED
Pentium III or Athlon processor
128MB RAM
DirectX 7.0 compliant 3D accelerated video card with 32MB VRAM
Mouse with scrolling function
Screen Shots: Click to view large
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Download Hotman code name 47
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Street Cricket 2010 for PC full version
Im just want to say that, Looks better and you can enjoy while playing but first watch the screen shots and then download it........!
System requirements:
Operating System: XP/Vista/windows 7
System Memory: 512 MB
Processor: 1800 Mhz
DVD-ROM : 16x
Hard Disk Space: 200MB
Directx : 9.0c compatible with graphic card.
Screen Shots: Click on the image to view large screen
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