No Google Today

Google Tools Practical Reflection

"No Google Today, wait, wait, I can't find my car keys"

Whether we like it or not, “Google” is almost synonymous with “Internet”. Year after year, Google has developed enough online applications for us to be able to do anything you need to, by only using Google.

Now we have a search engine, an online email service, satellite maps,  a blogging platform, photo and video sharing applications, a Desktop anywhere, an online word processor, an encyclopedia, a web site creator, an online directory and even an Internet browser!

Not to mention His PPC advertising system, its main source of revenue.

Now look at the list above. It´s pretty long, isn't it? Well you know what? It´s only 10% of the programs, applications, widgets or services Google provides today.

It was an interesting journey for me to understand and explore the potential behind Google Tools, and how it reflected in the way I can present my personal and professional image online.

The New Year

UAE ushers in year 2013 in style

2012 in Pictures

The best photos from the UAE

Atiq ur Rehman, Staff photographer, shot this picture as participants enjoyed the stunning desert views during the Gulf News Fun Drive 2012

Ahmed Ramzan, Staff photographer, shoots the sixth and final round of the UIM F1 H20 World Championship 2012, as Thani Al Qamzi wins Grand Prix of Sharjah.

Asghar Khan, Chief photographer, took this picture of an Emirati woman at the Shindagha heritage village in Dubai.

Arshad Ali Staff Photographer captures this moment as an artist performs during the Sharjah Water Festival 2012 Al Majaz Park in Sharjah.

Chief photographer, shot this picture of Emirati girls and boys of Al Zaabi Tribes waving the UAE National Flags during the 41st National Day celebrations of the UAE, organised by Al Zaabi Families at Al Zaabi Residential City in Abu Dhabi.

Abdel Krim Staff photographer Abdel Krim shot this picture of Jennifer Lopez perfoming at the Media City Amphiteatre in Dubai

Fog Warning

Fog warning issued for Tuesday

Thick fog blanketed most parts of the country for a second day on Tuesday, forcing traffic to a crawl in some areas.

Visibility was poor and motorists were not able to see more than a car’s length ahead. On Al Khail Road in Dubai, visibility was at 50 metres in some areas. 

Dense fog also settled on key roads like Shaikh Zayed Road and Business Bay Crossing. Motorists reported a traffic jam on Al Khail Road towards Sharjah.

On Monday, the situation was worse on some of the highways such as the Al Ain-Abu Dhabi Road.

“Fog had covered everything,” said Mohammad Zaman, a mini-bus driver in Al Ain. The conditions, however, failed to prevent some drivers who were seen driving at high speed. Some of these daredevils also did not use headlights, he said.

A police officer described these drivers as irresponsible, advising them not to put their and others’ lives in danger. “Such conditions are far from ideal for driving and demand more responsible behaviour from road users,” said the officer.

He said foggy conditions demand alert driving at reduced speed with low-beam or fog lights on to increase the visibility of their own cars.

The national weather bureau has a fog forecast for this Tuesday, asking early morning and late night drivers to be careful and alert. Describing fog as a regular seasonal phenomenon, a weatherman said it is the result of low overnight temperatures, humidity and low wind speed.

The conditions are bit warmer this year as last year’s maximum temperature at this time of the year in the internal areas was around 28C. The lowest minimum air temperature was recorded at -0.7C in 2004 at Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah.

The temperature has not yet fallen to that level this year. The lowest temperature recorded this morning in the country was 12.9 degrees Celsius at Jebel Jais, and 15.1C in Al Ain. “This is not unusual,” said a forecaster, adding that it depends on the cyclical change of weather patterns.

The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) said thick fog covered most of the country on Monday. Horizontal visibility dropped to 300 metres at Dubai airport, 250 metres at Abu Dhabi airport, 100 metres in Liwa, Al Buteen, Khalifa City, 400 metres in Jebel Ali and 50 metres in Al Daffara. There was, however, no fog downtown in Al Ain but dense fog was reported on the Al Ain-Abu Dhabi Road.

According to the NCMS, the temperature will gradually rise all over the emirates, reaching 33 degrees Celsius in most of the internal areas. It will be a few degrees lower in the coastal areas where it will be 28 degrees Celcius. Fair weather is expected in the next 48 hours with the possibility of clouds in some areas.

Deira Souq projects

Dubai weighs ambitious canal Deira Souq projects

Shaikh Mohammad views the design of the Deira market expansion project. He was briefed on the plan by Mohammad Ebrahim Al Shaibani, Director General of Dubai Ruler’s Court and Executive Director and CEO of the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), the developer of the project. Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid, Crown Prince of Dubai, Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Supreme Fiscal Committee and other senior officials were present.

Two major projects totalling Dh4.5 billion unveiled publicly on Thursday call for a major Dh3 billion facelift for Deira Souq area as well as a Dh1.5 billion suspended canal to link Dubai Creek extension to the Gulf through Jumeirah.

The ambitious plans were announced on the website of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai who viewed a series of architectural renderings.

On his official website, Shaikh Mohammad posted a video exhibiting aspects of the Dubai Souq makeover including a massive new skyscraper at the bend in Dubai Creek towering over Dubai’s historical heritage areas.

The Deira Creek project calls for six hotels, residential and trade towers, a yachting marina and cargo storage areas.

It was stated that the new raised canal would extend from from the “Khaleej Trading Centre to Jumairah Beach in Dubai, going through Shaikh Zayed road, Al Safa Garden, Al Wasl street over two kilometres long with a cost of over Dh1.5 billion.”

Shaikh Mohammad also commended the “ suspended channel’s idea as a substitute to the former ground channel....”

UAE teens

UAE teens spend triple world average on fashion

A study of the Global Teen Insights Programme, Mena Edition 2010, found that UAE teens, between the ages of 12 to 19 years, spend three times as much as their global peers across 23 countries on clothes, apparel and make-up. The study reveals that teens in UAE spend an average of $71 (Dh260) a month on fashion, compared to the global average spend of $21.

A 2011 research conducted by UK’s Bailey Review of Commercialisation and Sexualisation of Childhood, to unravel and tackle issues around the premature sexualisation and commercialisation of children, found 40 per cent of parents said they had seen things in public places (shop window displays, advertising hoardings) that they felt were inappropriate for children to see because of their sexual content. Over 50 per cent felt that celebrity culture, adult style clothes and music videos are encouraging children to act older than they are.

According to the results of a survey conducted by the Department of Education in the United States last year, 88 per cent of parents of five to 16-year-olds believe that their children are under pressure to grow up too quickly.

International surveys of teenagers have found that the average girl begins using beauty products at round the age of 13, prove records from the NPD Group, a retail market research firm. In the United States, tweens between the ages of 8 to 13 spend more than $40million a month on beauty products. In the UAE, Emirati teens and tweens spend an average of $25 each per month on makeup products, compared to $6 per teen in other countries.

iPhone 5 launches in UAE Sunday

Customers in the UAE will be able to pre-order the highly-anticipated iPhone 5 through etisalat’s website from Sunday.

The telco operator will offer value-packed prepaid and postpaid package options on all three new iPhone 5 devices — 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.

There are three packages mentioned on the website — free with subsidised devices, free device with 4GB package and free mobile connection.

Khalid Al Khouly, Chief Marketing Officer at etisalat, confirmed availability of the iPhone 5 in the UAE from December 13 onwards.

“The new iPhone 5 has been much-awaited across the region and we understand the enthusiasm of our customers to own a piece of the action. We assure customers that the features of the iPhone 5 device, combined with Etisalat’s wide 3G network in the UAE, will provide an exceptional user experience,” Al Khouly said in a statement.

Du was not available for comment.

Both the telco operators were planning to launch the device in November. The official UAE launch comes more than two months after the initial launch in the US. The iPhone 5 was first launched on September 21.

Apple is officially launching the iPhone 5 in the UAE and China on December 14, with price expected to be the same as the iPhone 4S.

Retailers are selling the 16GB iPhone 5 between Dh3,000 to Dh4,000 in the grey market while etisalat is selling the  new iPhone 5 at Dh2749 for 16GB, Dh3149 for 32GB and Dh3549 for 64GB devices.

Etisalat’s customers buying the new iPhone 5 will enjoy an enhanced mobile data experience offered on the nation’s widest 3G HSPA+ network. Etisalat’s HSPA+ network covers more than 99 per cent of the country’s populated areas and supports Internet speeds of up to 42Mbps.

It allows customers to enjoy speed-demanding apps such as video-streaming, networked gaming, browsing and much more.

Apple’s all new iPhone 5 has a larger display, a faster chip, ultrafast wireless technology and an 8MP iSight camera that shoots 1080p HD video.

It sports a 4-inch Retina display that lets you see larger, vivid and lifelike images. With support for the latest wireless technologies, iPhone 5 connects to more networks all over the world.

The all-new Apple-designed A6 chip in iPhone 5 is powerful with an outstanding battery life. Its CPU and graphic performance is twice as fast as the A5 chip.