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SOFTWARE CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON THE PEOPLE

SOFTWARE CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE TECH

The Idaho Technology Council’s fourth develop.Idaho conference featured some technical discussion on computer software, harnessing big data and using cloud solutions, but many of the speakers also focused on supporting the people that make software, and increasing the number of such people in Idaho.

Leaders in the tech industry say they’re working to increase the size and workforce of the technology industry. ITC President Rich Stuppy, the vice president of operations at Kount, said at the conference April 23 that the council’s goal is to make technology the top producers of new jobs and economic output by 2030. Stuppy said the ITC can’t do that alone, though it could get some help from the state government.

"Nurturing this industry is one of the single most important things we must do. Period," said Idaho Department of Commerce Director Jeff Sayer. Sayer commended the ITC's recent legislative efforts earlier this year in changing the state's cloud computing exemption and limiting patent trolls.

"You have a lot of fans, a lot of people that are supporting this, and a lot of people supporting the growth," Sayer said.

Idaho universities are also looking to increase the number of potential tech workers. Tim Andersen, chair of the Boise State University Computer Science Department, said the university is poised to have more computer science graduates. Boise State has added new computer science professors in the past few years. That will raise the number of graduates, which has hovered at around 20 to 25 graduates per year.

"Within the next 1-2 years, we’ll see 50-plus students graduate from Boise State," Andersen said.

The ITC is also looking to increase the number of high school students taking computer science classes and Advanced Placement tests, and is seeking to help develop curriculum and find teachers in junior highs and high school that can "champion" computer science, according to Jim Gasaway, vice president of information technology at Keynetics.

Once people enter the software industry, company leaders said they take steps to make their companies appealing to the tech workforce. Keynote speaker Ryan DeLuca, CEO of Bodybuilding.com, said having a mission-based company and strong company culture is important, and that one bad executive can ruin a company's culture. Jared Sund, senior product line manager for Autodesk, also said that a company's work environment and mission are key factors in getting people to work for your company.

The conference also saw the launch of a new smartphone application, Salmon Social, which lets users discover nearby people places based on users' demographics and interests.

The event ended with Brad Wiskirchen, CEO of Kount, discussing fraud issues for online and brick-and-mortar retailers. Kount is a fraud and risk management company based in Boise.

Wiskirchen said data breaches like those at Target and Michaels will likely continue for more than a year, until new "chip and PIN" systems replace credit and debit cards. He said fraud is becoming a big business, with the people who commit the fraud able to share information quickly.

"The challenge right now is there are so many ways we transfer data and so many ways we transfer money. The fraudsters have so many options," he said.

Wiskirchen said changes to payment systems, and a likely increase in mobile payment systems, will just change how fraud happens. He said individuals and businesses should take basic precautions, like changing passwords and checking their payment procedures, to make them less susceptible to fraud.

"The fraudsters are like teenagers. They're lazy. They'll do what they have to do," he said. "There's too many good targets out there for fraudsters to waste their time on someone who has their act together."

Is Vijayawada capital ?

Common capital of A.P 

It needs no persuasion to con­vince people that capitals have always attracted attention. For modern-day tourists, politicians or the conquerors of yore, the capital is the very essence of a particular nation or a state. The secret lies in it being a political and administra­tive hub from where decisions flow and policies are made. It is pre­cisely for this reason, the capital, in the economic sense of the word, also flows into the region. Now the question that seems to bother a number of people relates to the ex­istence of two capitals in one region for two separate states, namely, Telangana and residuary AP. Not a new concept though, it is a rather knotty issue.

In the modern world, we have countries with two or more capi­tals. Bolivia has two at Sucre and La Paz, Netherlands at Amsterdam and The Hague, South Africa at Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloem­fontein. While the administration exists at one place, legislature or the judiciary exists in another. It all boils down to working it out prop­erly.

In our own country, Punjab and Haryana have the same city for their capitals. Chandigarh is a Union Territory with both the cap­itals. All is well over there. Jammu and Kashmir has a winter capital at Jammu and a summer capital at Srinagar. A long time ago, British India had two capitals - Calcutta and Shimla - the latter being the summer capital. However, the capital issue in Andhra Pradesh has several dimensions to it for various reasons. Not many discussions and debates were conducted over the contentious issue. An ad hoc ar­rangement hammered out for rea­sons of expediency is bound to cre­ate problems. It’s like starting on a building without a plan or laying a road without a route. The problems have begun to pop up; the contours are visible and are quite clear.
The two capitals of Telangana and residuary AP in Hyderabad will have separate administrative build­ings and infrastructure. The prem­ises of the legislature for the fledg­ling states will have to be shared as of now. The High Court looks into the cases in both the states for now. For transition, on the face of it looks okay but for 10 years, it will raise problems that need solutions. Employees would be redistribut­ed

When the residuary AP capital continues to be located in Hydera­bad, it does not do so in a vacuum. Daily functioning, necessity and need would imply additional in­vestment in infrastructure for ad­ministration in Hyderabad. This would have to be foregone after the lapse of 10 years. Will a govern­ment then invest so much only to forego it 10 years later? What if Telangana government pressurises the residuary AP government to hand over more buildings or terri­tory or whatever? What legal and other assurances stand to protect the interests of the new AP in Hyderabad?

There are more than 140-odd public corporations, commissions and organisations like the APPSC, APSEB, APIIC, Telugu Academy, Discoms etc. which have to be par­titioned. Several of them have nearly no infrastructure in the See­mandhra region except for some small offices. Where does the mon­ey to replicate all of them in the new AP come from? These are prob­lems which are of an immediate nature; then there are short-term problems. These need the most urgent attention. There is a very strong human dimension to all of these issues. What about the pen­sion of employees of corporations or organisations that are bifurcat­ed? Where does the money come from? Are pension funds taken care of?

There is a need for a fast-track grievance redressal commission established by the Union Govern­ment through an ordinance, if nec­essary, to deal with issues like post­ings, promotions, salaries and pen­sions. Immediate working grants for quasi governmental and au­tonomous government organisa­tions have to be released and spe­cial funds created for the purpose. These are all no small issues that need urgent attention.

As for the residuary AP State, there can be a decentralised form of the capital system. The legisla­ture and the judiciary can be estab­lished at two different locations. In fact, the legislature can start func­tioning separately at a specific town or city in Seemandhra right away at the earliest. After Andhra forma­tion in 1953, a few sessions of the legislature were held at Visakhap­atnam at Andhra University. Some sessions were held at Vijayawada also. There have been long-stand­ing demands for a high court bench at Guntur and Visakhapatnam since 1956.

The need for addressing the con­cerns of students and higher educa­tion needs no reiteration. Newer centres for higher learning have to be created urgently and existing facilities at Andhra University, Acharya Nagarjuna University and Sri Venkateswara University need to be expanded with additional grants. The backward districts of both states have to be replenished with new primary, secondary and high school facilities.

Most security-related law and order training centres and institu­tions including command and Cen­tral systems have been centralised in Hyderabad. A few exist outside too.

However, the division of these centres and along with them the state security forces has to be based not on population, but on security perceptions and prognosis for the future. A coordination centre has to be established at Hyderabad, if necessary, by special central legis­lation specifically in relation to intelligence sharing and security.

A common water disputes settle­ment commission has to be created through central legislation for the two states of Telangana and re­siduary A.P. with offices in Hydera­bad and the coastal delta region. This can help minimize differences and provide solutions to water sharing and related problems.

Facts Of Vijayawada Growth

Comparision Of Vijayawada and Major Cities



Airports to Get facelift

Existing Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati airports are likely to be brought up to interna¬tional standards based on expeditious decision by the Centre.

Railways Mulling Overnew Zone

Indian Railways will also deliberate the establishment of a new railway zone in Andhra Pradesh.

Possibility of Metro Rail in 1 Yr

The Central government will check the feasibility of Metro Rail facility in Vishakhapatnam and Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali Metropolitan Urban Development Authority within a period of one year from the appointed day.

Coastal Andhra Head Off

Coastal Andhra region recorded a per capita income of Rs 36,496, Telangana (including Hyderabad) Rs 36,082 (33,771 excluding Hyderabad), and Rayalaseema Rs 33,056 in 2007-08. Rayalaseema draws its income from agriculture to the tune of 25%, followed by 24% in coastal Andhra and least in Telangana at 22%.

Highway Edge for Coastal AP

The intensity of national highways in the recent years was relatively high in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema than that of Telangana. This is mainly due to the geographic advantage exploited by the Golden Quadrilat¬eral National Highway, which passes through both these regions. However, the intensity of PWD roads is relatively higher in coastal Andhra compared to both Rayalaseema and Telangana.

100 Percent Electrification

The present generation installed capacity as on June 30, 2010 in coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana is 5242.46 MW, 1840.14 MW and 4368 MW respectively. AP also achieved 100% village electrification.

Andhragotmore Primary Schools

In the number of primary schools per lakh popula¬tion, Rayalaseema (85.9) is leading in all periods followed by coastal Andhra (77.4).

Natural Irrigation in AP

Given that most of the central parts of coastal Andhra region is located in between the river Godavari in the north and river Krishna in the south, there are natural factors that have offered extensive possibilities of expanding irrigation through canal system. On the other hand, both the Telangana and Rayalaseema regions are not able to access river waters due to lack of gradient.

Two districts now in APSPDCL

The districts of Anantapur and Kurnool which fall within the jurisdiction of the AP Central Power Distribution Company Ltd. will now be reassigned to the AP Southern Power Distribution Company Ltd.

All Edu Quotas Ditto for 10 Yrs

Current admission quotas in all government or private, aided or unaided, institutions of higher, technical and medical education will continue for a period of ten years.

Better AP-T Connectivity

The Central Government will take measures to establish rapid rail and road connectivity from the new capital of Andhra Pradesh to Hyderabad and other important cities of Telangana.

Insitutions in12, 13th Plan period

The Central government will take steps to estab¬lish institutions of national importance including include one IIT, one NIT, one IIM, one IISER, one CU, one Petroleum Uni¬versity, one Agricultural University and one IIIT, in the 12th and 13th Plan periods of AP.

One More Major Port for AP

A new major port at Duggirajupatnam in Andhra Pradesh will be constructed by the Centre. It will be completed in phases, with Phase I being completed by 2018-end.

Tribal Univs for Andhra and T

The Central government will establish one AIIMS-type Super-Specialty Hospital-cum-Teaching Institution in AP and a Tribal University each in the two states. It will also construct the National Institute of Disaster Management in AP.

Steel Plant Likely at Kadapa

Within six months from the appointed day, SAIL (Steel Authority of India Limited) will examine the feasibility of establishing an integrated Steel Plant in Kadapa. Also, IOC or HPCL will explore the possibility of setting up a greenfield crude oil refinery and petrochemical complex in AP.

Two States One Governor

The Governor will remain in position for both the states till decided by the President. The Governor will be responsible for law and order, internal security and security of vital installations in the common capital area.

Council for Water Boards

The Central government will constitute an Apex Council for the supervision of the Godavari River Management Board and the Krishna Board. The comprises the Union Minister of Water Resources as the chairperson with the CMs of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states as members.

One High Court Until Otherwise

The High Court of Judicature at will be the Common for the State of Telangana and the of Andhra Pradesh till a separate for the of is constituted.

Central Govt Plays Chief

The Centre will take appropriate fiscal measures, including offer of tax incentives to promote industrialisation and economic growth in both States. It will also support programmes for the development of backward areas.

Polavaram in Central grip

The Central government would control the regulation and development of the Polavaram Irrigation Project. The Centre will execute the project and obtain all clearances including environmental, forests, and rehabilitation and resettlement.

Secial Support for AP Capital

The Centre will help in the creation of a new capital for AP, by denotifying degraded forest land if necessary. Special financial support will be provided for the creation of the new capital including its own Raj Bhavan, High Court, Secretariat, Legislative Assembly and Council.

AP, Rayalaseema Lead in Literacy

The overall literacy rate in APin 2001 is 60%. Coastal Andhra notched up to63 per cent while Rayalaseema recorded 60 per cent literacy.

Industrial Hub Vijayawada

vijayawada miss the chance of industrial hub


The proposed Visakhapatnam-Chennai industrial corridor is expected to give fillip to the economic prospects of See­mandhra. Conceived with an investment of over `1 lakh crore, the prestigious project is expected to create more than 50,000 jobs, both directly and indirectly, in the first phase alone. It is touted as one of the projects that could potentially transform the industrial landscape of Seemandhra in less than a de­cade of its commissioning.

Being set up on the lines of the model Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project, this is also one of the key sops offered by the Central government as part of the special package to Seemandhra in the Reorganisa­tion Act and will be developed in two or three phases spanning more than 15 years.

“The idea is to create a strong economic base with globally competitive environment and state-of-the-art infrastructure to activate local commerce, enhance foreign invest­ments and attain sustainable development,” says B Ashok Reddy, president, Global Hu­man Resources and Corporate Affairs, Info­tech Enterprises Ltd.

Concedes S V S Rama Raju, president, Operations, Nagarjuna Agrichem, “The pro­posed industrial corridors promise to open the floodgates for new investment opportu­nities and will redefine the economic land­scape of Seemandhra.”



It may be noted that Visakhapatnam was recently included in the upcoming Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor, which will essentially give thrust to industrial develop­ment in three border districts namely Anan­tapur, Chittoor and Nellore. As per the proj­ect development plan, the Krishnapatnam port region development will be taken in the first phase, while areas around Hindupur-Chittoor-Nellore will be developed in the second phase.

“While the Chennai-Bangalore corridor will include only three districts of See­mandhra, the Visakhapatnam-Chennai cor­ridor is expected to cover maximum number of districts and villages along the stretch of the corridor. Essentially, this will ensure that development is not restricted to one or a few locations but whole state,” said Reddy.

Typically an industrial corridor, developed by the government in private partnership, will act as an intermediary to develop infra­structure projects, which in turn attract in­dustries and of course investments.

“The essence of such an industrial corridor is to increase employment potential, exponen­tially raise exports and augment industrial output, which in turn underscores the growing economic scenario of the region, all in a given period of say 10 years or so,” explained Vanitha Datla, executive director & CFO, Elico Ltd and vice- chairperson, CII-AP chapter.

The corridor passes through a combina­tion of well developed locations such as Vi­sakhapatnam, Vijayawada, moderately de­veloped areas like Kakinada, Rajahmundry and Machilipatnam and under developed industrial areas like Gudur, Nuziveedu and Ongole. These have varying natural resourc­es, human skills but are with or without qual­ity physical and social infrastructure that could propel industrial growth.

“The missing link is the infrastructure ie., logistics, industrial and social, which is in­capable of handling the envisaged industrial output and exports,” said Raju.

Investment regions and industrial areas will be proposed along the stretch covering key places such as Rajahmundry, Kakinada, Nuziveedu, Vijayawada, Bhimavaram, Machilipatnam, Guntur, Ongole, Bapatla, Nellore, Gudur and Naidupeta. Besides, self-sustaining industrial townships with world-class infrastructure, road and rail connectiv­ity for freight movement to and from ports and logistics hubs, domestic/international air connectivity, reliable power and quality social infrastructure have to be created to provide a globally competitive environment that is not only conducive for setting up busi­nesses but also superior compared to the existing hubs.

“The industries coming up would have the advantage of improved infrastructure as there would also be logistics hubs to facilitate warehousing and movement of goods. A similar advantage in terms of trained man­power would become available as knowledge hubs are also being planned in such regions on PPP basis,” said Datla.

Premium infrastructure and high-speed connectivity will offer immense opportuni­ties for businesses and sectors that are like­ly to get a boost including steel, cement, food processing, IT, automobile, readymade gar­ments, petroleum, chemicals and petro­chemicals complex.

Significantly, the corridor assists potential investors in organizing, negotiating loans and to some projects even advances. Exten­sion of credit facilitation is the star attraction of the project. With access to capital getting tighter, thanks to the global macro econom­ic situation, prospective investors with mid and large-scale projects will be enthused with such an option.

In specific cases, it will also raise financing instruments like project development fund, viability gap fund and revolving fund that could be used for undertaking project devel­opment activities on a PPP model.

The corridor also facilitates, among other things, resources required for companies to commence operations. Over time, districts and villages along the stretch will attract for­eign investment and attain sustainable de­velopment and emerge as a hub of social and economic development.

Evidently, implementation of the project requires huge investment and public and private sector participation is imperative. Development of infrastructure, power plants, ports, airports, special economic zones, in­dustrial parks, agro-processing hubs, knowl­edge cities and integrated townships can be developed on a viable PPP model with par­ticipation from both the Central and state governments.

All this is expected to boost trade and com­merce between south India and East Asia by enabling quicker movement of goods.

“Once implemented, the industrial corri­dors will result in world-class tolled road, high-speed rail link and centres along the corridor would develop as industrial clus­ters,” said Reddy of Infotech adding that the manufacturing hubs in and around Ananta­pur, Nellore and Chittoor that the corridor will create will be critical to the future growth of Seemandhra.

“It is among the key components of the Na­tional Manufacturing Policy (NMP) that aims to raise the share of manufacturing in See­mandhra to the country’s GDP,” he added.

Stating that the industrial corridors will pave way for the emergence of industrial cit­ies otherwise known as ‘smart cities,’ Datla said, they will help develop infrastructure linkages such as pioneer power plants, as­sured water supply, high capacity transpor­tation and logistics facilities for industries. “Notable among the benefits is the fact that these industrial corridors will provide em­ployment to a majority of the local popula­tion. Besides reviving the real estate sector, the industrial corridors will also provide a boost to the city’s economy,” she added.

SOFTWARE Hub Vijayawada

Vijayawada Becomes Softwarehub

Contrary to the claims of the State government that it is making strenuous efforts to promote the IT and IT enabled services industry in the Tier II and Tier III cities, the atmosphere for the IT industry in the city, which is expected to become the capital for the residuary Andhra Pradesh State, is not so encouraging.

However, due to the efforts of the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Vijayawada, a statutory body that works under the Union ministry of Communications and Information Technology, a few IT and IT enabled services companies are evincing interest to operate from the city, which is considered as the emerging Tier II destination after Visakhapatnam.

According to the officials of the STPI,  Vijayawada, four companies including Pyramid Soft Solutions, Altitude Solutions Ltd, and Sailfish Solutions are going to launch their operations from the facility developed by the STPI at its office in the city. Another company is coming up on a private premises in the city soon.

“These companies would probably start their operations from February and we are going to inaugurate the newlybuilt facility at our office likely by the end of this month,” said officer-in-charge of the STPI, Vijayawada, S Ramesh.

The STPI has recently developed 4,000 sft space for the benefit of the companies in addition to the existing 2,000 sft space from where four start-up companies are operating.

Meanwhile, no medium or major companies are ready to operate from Vijayawada city despite the availability of state-of-the-art facility `Medha Tower’  with about 2 lakh sft, inaugurated in January 2010 at Gannavaram.

The L&T HiTech City Ltd, a joint venture of the L&T Info City Ltd and the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC), developed the IT park.

The park has so far attracted only four small and medium IT companies, which occupied just 13,306 sft.

The companies, Extranet Software Solutions, Galla IT Services, Indmax IT Services and Xact Data Discovery, employ only about 200 staff, while the developers promised creation of about 3,000 jobs.

It is said that management of the IT Park has failed to attract companies due to its terms and conditions in the allotment of the space for the companies and also several infrastructural deficiencies. They had raised the issue of addressing the cost factor, marketing strategies and transportation facilities to the IT Park at various fora.

“The L&T officials should address the issues of cost and other factors so as to attract more firms and living quarters should be provided inside the park as it is 30 km from the city,” said Managing Director of Galla IT Services, G.V.Rao.

Though some experts opine that the city would become the most preffered IT destination after the bifurcation, G.V. Rao said, “I do not agree with this observation since the companies are not willing to come here from Hyderabad. The employees are also not keen to work in Vijayawada.”

According to CII sources, Vijayawada region has excellent human resource as there are nearly one lakh graduates, including 13,500 engineers from 35 engineering colleges and 2,600 MCA graduates from 46 colleges passing out annually.

Confederation of Indian Industry’s Vijayawada Zone chairman M Lakshmi Prasad says that expansion and development of the Gannavaram airport is a must for the  IT and ITeS companies’ development in Vijayawada.

He said HCL Technologies had held talks with L&T but not made any agreement due to bifurcation issue.

However, the STPI is going to construct an IT Tower with 50,000 sft space with an estimated cost of Rs 30 crore. “The foundation for the construction of a new IT Tower will be made during the inauguration of the recently developed 4,000 sft space,” said S Ramesh.

There are about 36 IT/ITeS companies in the city, with 22 coming under the STPI fold, four in L&T Hitech City (SEZ) and the remaining under non-STPI and non-SEZ fold.

PGECET KEY 2014

PGECET 2014 Answer Key Download ECE,CSE,IT,Civil,Mech,EEE Set A,B,C,D



Post Graduation Engineering Common Entrance Test 2014 exam was started from 26th May 2014. Students who are applied for the exam are downloading the hall tickets for the exam and now they are writing the exam. The details of the exam center will be printed on the hall ticket, students need to visit the exam center on the day of PGECET 2014 exam. After the exam is completed students will look for the download of PGECET 2014 answer key. We are going to update all the answer keys of the pgecet 2014 exams for all the branches such as ECE, CSE, EEE, Mech, Civil, IT.

IPHONE is the cloths for YOUTH

Have you noticed that your local teens have been looking especially shabby of late?

Are they sporting T-shirts that don't even appear to have come from Abercrombie, American Eagle, or any brand that belches a logo as loudly as it can?

I may have a reason for this.

Apparently, the young rulers of tomorrow are eschewing mere clothing for some of the finer things in life. According to the International Business Times, teens are examining their wallets and deciding that, oh, clothes are so yesteryear. They don't give them the status and power they used to.

Instead, teens are spending more money on food and gadgets.

The IBT cites research from Piper Jaffray, and quotes an associate professor in Business Enterprise at Fordham University, Marcia Flicker.

The suggestion is that those gaudy teen clothing brands that you see peppering malls are all suffering from a lack of financial seasoning from their former regulars.

Fashion, it seems, is how teens used to show off their social wherewithal. Now they spend a fulsome 21 percent of their money dining out.

It's unclear whether these teens are dining out at Burger King a lot, their local trattoria sometimes, or the French Laundry hardly ever. However, if they're not showing off by eating out, they're apparently doing it by buying gadgets.

Flicker explained it in terms of the specific iPhones teens display: "Will they buy the iPhone 6 when it comes out, or be stuck with the slower iPhone 5? Or, even worse, still have an iPhone 4?"

Yes, there cannot be much worse than the iPhone 4, can there? The sheer shame of it.

Yet the researchers insist that expensive phones are where teen preening is at.

Perhaps it's odd those examining the research specifically refer to iPhones. Sometimes, that's the shorthand for "cell phone."

However, researchers have bent their brains over backward in order to definitively declare Apple as the teens' favorite. Or not.

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Last year, research from Buzz Marketing insisted that, as far as teens were concerned, Apple was done. The Samsung Galaxy and the Microsoft Surface were apparently the gadgets closest to teen bosoms.

Last month, however, research from Piper Jaffray offered that 61 percent of US teens had iPhones -- a 13 percent rise from last year. Moreover, 67 percent said they expected their next phone to be an iPhone too.

Those passionate about numbers will, though, wish to make calculations. Are teens really spending so much less on clothes in order to afford their not exactly cheap iPhones and Galaxys?

Or have parents been forced to spend more of their own hard-earned income on keeping their little status-conscious loved ones happy?

Microsoft design a new database software

Microsoft announced today that it is just one step away from shipping its next-generation database software.
The software giant today said it has sent the final software code to its internal manufacturing process, the last move before the software is sent to customers.

The new product, called SQL Server 2000, is part of Microsoft's aim to make its Windows 2000 operating system more attractive to businesses that need to create e-commerce Web sites.
The database, which stores and manages Web content and other corporate information, should be available to customers within four to six weeks, said Jeff Ressler, Microsoft's lead product manager for SQL Server.
As previously reported, SQL Server 2000 features more Web support, more security and improved analysis for business information. Microsoft executives have touted the new database as powerful and reliable enough for large businesses and e-commerce Web sites and hope it can better compete against rival offerings from Oracle, IBM and Informix.

The product is part of a family of Web development software--recently renamed .Net Enterprise Servers--that the software giant plans to ship soon. .Net Enterprise Servers serves as the foundation of Microsoft's new Internet software strategy.

Microsoft will hold an official launch event for SQL Server and its family of .Net products on Sept. 26. Other products include Commerce Server 2000 for building e-commerce Web sites; Exchange 2000 messaging software; BizTalk Server, the company's XML-based software for linking different computing systems across the Net; and Application Center 2000, for managing e-commerce Web sites.

Ressler said Microsoft expects all the products--except BizTalk Server--to be sent to its internal manufacturing process by the launch event. BizTalk Server will ship in the fall, according to Microsoft.
All versions, including personal edition, developer editor, desktop edition and enterprise edition, of SQL Server have already been sent to manufacturing, except for the mobile version for Windows CE devices, which will ship in the fall, Ressler said.

Google replaces Apple as the 'world's most valuable brand' thanks to 'surprise and delight

Google and Apple

In a study by an American market researcher the search giant was named the world’s most valuable brand, knocking Apple from the top spot after three years of iPhone-dominance.

The re-shuffle is echoed by a recent UK study suggesting that the company's retail stores have also fallen out of favour, thanks in part to the company's tendency to over-sell the helpfulness of their Genius Bar services.

Millward Brown, the agency that conducted the research into brand value, said that Google’s brand value had risen 40 per cent in a year to $158.84 billion (£94.24bn) while Apple’s fell by 20 per cent to $147.88 billion.

Of course the notion of ‘brand value’ is pretty murky, with Millward Brown claiming that it combines straightforward measures of financial success with more subjective metrics like consumers’ reactions to a company.

For Google the success is due to their ability to ‘surprise and delight’ the public. Speaking to Forbes, Millward Brown’s Oscar Yuan said that while Apple’s recent successes have been “more evolutionary than revolutionary,” Google has been ‘aggressively’ moving forward with projects ranging from self-driving cars, to providing Wi-Fi to the world using weather balloons.

The best of Google X - the internet giant's research lab for new technology
1 of 5
Google Glass.Self-driving cars. A neural network.Project Loon. Google bots. 
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Google Glass.Self-driving cars. A neural network.Project Loon. Google bots. 
“[This] does enormous things for the brand—it’s seen as a making-dreams-come-true-type company, and that certainly helps their brand value,” said Yuan.

“Google continues to deliver on bringing to consumers and the business world things they’ve never seen before and things they’ve never imagined were possible. That shows in their brand value,” he added.



In Millward Brown’s rankings the top 100 brands were dominated by North American countries, making up half of the list, and occupying all of the top ten spots. After Google and Apple, the company ranked IBM, Microsoft, McDonalds and Coca-Cola as having the next most valuable brands.

From the UK competitors mobile operator Vodafone was ranked highest (#20) followed by HSBC (#28) and Shell (#53). Overall it was technology companies that generated the most ‘brand value’ ($841,482m of the total list) followed by telecoms firms ($330,427m) and retailers ($280,975m).

Microsoft Tablet Beats the All Tablets

MICROSOFT New Tablet


The Pro 3 remains visually similar to Microsoft’s previous Surface devices, but offers a larger, 12-inch, 2160 x 1440 screen with a 3:2 aspect ratio and a faster, more power-efficient Intel Core i7 processor.

In a press event hosted in New York and streamed over the internet, Microsoft’s Surface head Panos Panay said that the company wanted to take away consumers’ “conflict” about "being told to buy a tablet when they know they need a laptop".

The new Surface is just 9.1mm thick, which is thinner than the iPad 4 (9.4mm) and weighs just 800 grams, significantly less than a 13-inch MacBook Air, which weighs 1.35kg. This means the new Pro 3 isn’t as lightweight or slim as the most advanced tablets, but it’s not far off while managing to offer the computing power of a laptop.


Microsoft has also re-engineered the device's kickstand to improve its “lapability” ('Don't laugh,' said Panay after he used the term). As well as the original laptop mode and 22-degree angle (fairly upright, like a picture frame) there’s also a new “canvas mode”; a 150-degree angle that lets users lean right over the device.

The company has also re-designed the Type Cover – the attachable keyboard that functions as a cover, making the trackpad 68 per cent larger and improving how it attaches to the display to create a more convincing laptop experience.

Microsoft's Surface Pro 3: A tablet to replace the laptop
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Surface Pro 3Surface Pro 3 backviewPro 3 Kickstand (and its new angles)Redesigned Type CoversMicroSD card readerSide view (showing new keyboard configuration)
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Surface Pro 3Surface Pro 3 backviewPro 3 Kickstand (and its new angles)Redesigned Type CoversMicroSD card readerSide view (showing new keyboard configuration)
Speaking at the event, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stressed that the company was “not building hardware for hardware’s sake” but wanted to create “experiences that bring together all of the capabilities of our company”.

Nadella said that the company wanted to achieve the “alchemy of bringing hardware and software together,” a design ethos that has become almost mythical amongst device geeks and that Apple’s mobile products have been consistently praised for.

Will Microsoft achieve this? Unfortunately the appeal of the new Surface - as beautiful looking and light as it is - will almost certainly hinge on users' feelings about Windows 8 (click here to read our review of the Pro 2 for our thoughts on Windows 8). Microsoft has updated a lot of features since the operating system's shaky debut, but many will just not feel comfortable with its tile-based interface.

Despite this Microsoft is doing all it can to convince customers, and for those who need a mobile device that can be as productive as a regular computer, the Pro 3 might be worth the trouble. As well as the full-fat processor, keyboard and screen, the Pro has all the legacy Microsoft software that many users can't do without and a new note-taking capabilities for working on the go. It's the best tablet they've made yet, whether it'll beat the laptop remains to be seen.

Prices for the Pro 3 start at $799 (£474) with configurations using i3, i5 and i7 processors. Pre-orders are available from MicrosoftStore.com from 21 May.

Paedophile asks Google to remove pages

GOOGLE to Remove Pages

The 'take down' requests to the world's biggest internet search engine came after a European Court ruling on Tuesday that people have the “right to be forgotten.” The controversial decision, by the Court of Justice of the European Union, was in response to a case brought by a Spanish man who complained that an auction notice of his repossessed home on Google's search results had infringed his privacy. It applies to all web search companies and will affect hundreds of millions of people living in Europe.

The ruling, described as “disappointing” by Google, means that web search engines face legal action if they refuse to remove information deemed “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant.”

And it has emerged that a former British politician seeking re-election has demanded that links to information about his behaviour in office be removed, while a man convicted of possessing child abuse images has requested links to pages about his conviction be deleted. And a doctor wants negative reviews from patients removed from the results, according to the BBC.

The court decision allowing such demands is in contrast to assurances made by the EU's advocate general last year that search engines were not obliged to honour such 'take down' requests. And although EU Commissioner Viviane Reding supported this week's ruling as “a clear victory for the protection of personal data of Europeans”, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales dubbed it “one of the most wide-sweeping internet censorship rulings that I've ever seen” and warned: “When will a European Court demand that Wikipedia censor an article with truthful information because an individual doesn't like it?”

Eric Schmidt, executive chairman, Google, admitted there are “many open questions” when asked about the impact of the ruling, during the company's annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday. “A simple way of understanding what happened here is that you have a collision between a right to be forgotten and a right to know. From Google's perspective that's a balance,” he commented. “Google believes having looked at the decision, which is binding, that the balance that was struck was wrong.”

The company will need an “army of removal experts” to comply with the ruling, according to a source close to the internet giant. And concern is mounting that there will be a wave of demands by people wishing to clean up their past. Emma Carr, director of privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: “It is hardly surprising that people, intent on rewriting their own history, have already requested that Google remove links to articles referring to their past.” She added: “Those arguing that this ruling is a successful move towards 'the right to be forgotten' are quite simply wrong, it is going to be of huge detriment to freedom of speech.” And Ms Carr warned: “There is little doubt that making intermediaries responsible for the actions of the content of other people will inevitably lead to greater surveillance and a risk of censorship.”

In a statement, a Google spokesman said: “The ruling has significant implications for how we handle take down requests.” They added: “As soon as we have thought through exactly how this will work, which may take several weeks, we will let our users know.”

Samsung to rebrand Heathrow airport's Terminal 5 'Terminal Samsung Galaxy S5'

The South Korean electronics company is estimated to have spent $14 billion on advertising in 2013 – 14 times as much as Apple spent in the same year and a sum larger than Iceland’s total GDP.

Now in an announcement that might be crossing the line from ‘pervasive commercialism’ to ‘actual satire,' the phone manufacturer has said it will be renaming Terminal 5 in London’s Heathrow airport to the ‘Terminal Samsung Galaxy S5’ for two weeks.

“The initiative includes all signage throughout the Terminal Samsung Galaxy S5 terminal – at the entrance and drop-off locations, in the lounges, at security and at the gates,” said Samsung in a press release.

The Galaxy S5 has been generally well received but also criticized for its lack of imagination.

“In addition, all 172 digital panels in the main terminal, gate rooms and baggage reclaim areas will feature the rebrand ‘Terminal Samsung Galaxy S5’ and images of the Galaxy S5 smartphone.”

Samsung’s UK and Ireland vice president of Marketing Russell Taylor said that the move would “maximise brand impact” and was a “one-off opportunity to push the boundaries like no other brand has been allowed to do before.”

As the Galaxy S5’s ad campaign has been prominently featuring the number ‘5’ throughout you could argue that there is some logic to targeting Terminal 5 beyond pure marketing avarice, but it’s likely that the brashness is likely to put people off.

Still, at least they’re not putting adverts on the Moon.

E-cigarettes

E CIGARETTES

One leading expert said it would be “perfectly reasonable” for the devices, which will soon be licensed as medicines, to be prescribed on the NHS.

Despite concerns that the recent rise in popularity of ‘e-cigs’ may be “re-normalising” smoking, Professor Robert West of University College London said that they had proven to be highly efficient quit-smoking aids, which could “substantially improve public health”.

Around a quarter of the four million people in England that attempted to quit smoking in the past year used e-cigarettes to help them.


The new study, published today by UCL researchers, looked at the success rate of nearly 6,000 quitters. Those who used e-cigarettes were 60 per cent more likely to report succeeding than either those who tried to quit with over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapies, or those who quit without help. E-cigarettes were found to be as effective as prescription medicines, but the group of smokers with the highest quitting success rate were those who used free NHS stop smoking services.

There has been a huge rise increase in the use of e-cigarettes in the past two to three years, with some estimates putting the number of UK users at more than two million.

The reaction to the rapid rise among governments and public health experts has been mixed. Some have heralded the devices, which contain nicotine but are far less harmful than an ordinary cigarette, as a powerful tool to drive down the number of smokers, and regulators are planning to licence them as medicines by 2016.

However, others have warned that they risk “renormalizing” smoking and encouraging young people to take up smoking. The Welsh Government is even considering a ban on the devices in public places – a position that is challenged by this latest research.


Professor West, director of tobacco studies at UCL and the study’s senior author said that once e-cigarettes had been approved the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), it would be “perfectly reasonable” for them to be prescribed on the NHS.

However, despite their benefits, there are concerns that the tobacco industry could still benefit from the rise of e-cigarettes. So far two companies are understood to have applied for a medicines licence for their e-cigarette products, one of them a subsidiary of British American Tobacco.

If they are successful in their MHRA application, and the products are approved for NHS prescription, it could, in theory, lead to NHS funds being paid to a tobacco manufacturer.

However, Professor West said that, overall, e-cigarettes were “not good news for the tobacco industry”.

“The tobacco industry would love them to go away…” he said. “They sell tobacco and do very well out of it and they would like to carry on doing that,” he said. “However, [they] recognise that e-cigarettes are a major factor and the question is: what are they going to do about it?”

“It’s such a complicated area…the tobacco industry has money coming out of their ears. For them it is petty cash to put in an MHRA application…for a small e-cigarette company that is innovating, the cost and the timescale involved is prohibitive. The challenge for the MHRA, and I know they’re looking at this, is to bring the cost and timescale for getting a medical licence down to a point where the medium-sized companies doing the innovating can take part.”

Professor West added that the proposed Welsh ban on ‘vaping’ in public places on the basis that it might be ‘re-normalising’ smoking among young people was “not borne out by the evidence”.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said that officials were “looking at the options” and that the proposals recognised the potential public health benefits of e-cigarettes.

Martin Dockrell, head of Public Health England’s (PHE) tobacco control programme said that e-cigarettes represented a public health “opportunity” but said they were not completely free of risk.

“PHE believe e-cigarettes need to be regulated to ensure they deliver nicotine effectively, minimise the potential for harm, and are marketed only to adults as a replacement for smoking,” he said.

WILL FACEBOOK SAVE DEMOCRACY ?

FACEBOOK

The banner is the result of Facebook global roll-out of a feature named “I’m a Voter” that made its first appearance in American news feeds during the 2010 midterms. However, this year it will be accompanying elections everywhere from Colombia to South Korea – and, of course, popping up all over Europe for this week’s parliamentary elections.

Speaking to The Independent, Facebook’s head of political outreach Katie Harbarth, said that the feature was a “natural fit” for the social network, dovetailing with its mission to “make the world more open and connected” – as well as perhaps giving people an opportunity for a quick humblebrag about their democratic credentials.


“I think that we’re a platform for people to share who they are, whether they just bought a house or had a baby or got married,” says Harbarth, “But politics is something everyone has their own viewpoint on and is another thing people want to have a discussion about.”

Harbarth points out that in 2013, elections were the second most talked about topic on Facebook– second only to the one-man social-media goldmine that is Pope Francis – and that with 26 million daily active users in the UK, the social network has “become the place where people are having these conversations as well as getting a lot of their news."

Facebook's "I'm a Voter" button as it will appear to European users tomorrow. Building a sense of political identity into Facebook certainly plays to the site’s strengths, offering users another avenue for self-expression as well encouraging the sort of public spat that can make the social network feel lively and relevant.

Some people might decry this as another example of narcissism in digital life (‘does anyone care that you voted?’) but it might also have a beneficial effect for democracy. A 2012 study published in the journal Nature showed that Facebook’s US ‘I voted’ button encouraged (or shamed) an additional third of a million voters to hit the ballot box in 2010.

James Fowler, the lead author of the research, said the study “suggests that social influence may be the best way to increase voter turnout. Just as importantly, we show that what happens online matters a lot for the ‘real world.’”

With turn-out among first-time voters predicted to drop to around 27 per cent across Europe for this year's parliamentary elections, it seems that even a small bump would be appreciated.

And not only is the peer pressure useful – Facebook also provides an ideal method to disseminate basic facts such as poll station locations. For first-time voters especially, delivering this sort of information at the right time and in the right place could be the difference between ‘yeah, why not, I’ll vote’ and not bothering at all.

Some organizations have said that this doesn’t go far enough though, with research published this month by Swing the Vote showing that almost half of 16-to-25-year-olds wanted to see more information about policies and pledges on social networks.

A Ukip supporter at a shopping centre in Croydon Some parties may have got a minority interested in the EU elections - but you could hardly call their supporters youthful. Not everyone thinks that social media will be democracy’s panacea though. Michael Sani, the managing director of Bite the Ballot, said that although initiatives likes Facebook’s “I’m a Voter” button were “undoubtedly positive” they didn’t address the whole issue.

“It doesn’t rectify the core problem, which is a lack of engagement and education in school,” Sani told The Independent. “It’s such a huge black hole in this country, where people just aren’t educated and that initial spark isn’t created from a young age.”

There’s also the criticism that although social networks like Facebook allow users to share messages about their political alignment, they might also shut down debate by tailoring the content that users see to keep them happy and clicking.

This argument – the so-called ‘Filter Bubble’ proposed by Eli Pariser  in 2011 – applies to all of the web, and refers to how site’s algorithms tend to resurface content that they know the user likes, leading, in Pariser’s assessment, to “a world constructed from the familiar is a world in which there’s nothing to learn.”

However, this sort of problem is not likely to affect something as simple as Facebook's voter button, and with governments across Europe becoming ever more desperate to get young people interested in elections (see Denmark's sex-and-violence pro-democracy message for a how-not-to-do-it) anything that persuades more people to make a trip to the ballot box can only be a good thing.

GOOGLE GLASS

GLASS FROM GooGlE

The increasing number of Google Glass invites has led to Project Glass being open to everyone in the US, so curious, tech-savvy early adopters can answer most of these questions on their own. But there's one query they're all struggling with right now at checkout: is Google Glass worth it?
To answer that burning question, I turned a critical eye to Google's wearable computer and tested its Explorer Edition of Google Glass for six months. With the sound of my voice, I took hands-free photos by saying "Okay Glass, take a picture." I instructed it to upload the resulting point-of-view image to Twitter and Facebook and attached a caption, all with voice commands.
What's it like to wear Google GlassIt's a surreal experience at first
I saw flight information automatically beam to my eye with a gentle Google Now reminder the day before traveling. The weather for both my departure and destination cities, and directions to the airport were already being provided by this instinctual software. All of this data appeared in the top right corner of my vision, all without the need to take out my smartphone.
Google made the complicated ownership decision easier thanks to the release of Google Glass 2, an updated version of its Explorer Edition heads-up display with an almost identical form factor. It includes new accessories and made prescription glasses attachment compatible with the frames. Moreover, new apps and updates to the linear operating system that weren't available at launch make this current Google Glass a tempting buy.
What does wearing Google Glass look likeThis is what users see when wearing Google Glass
Still, this new Project Glass model is better at addition than subtraction. While features have been added, the price hasn't dropped in a year. At $1,500 (about £897, AU$1,593) plus tax, Google's experimental wearable is exorbitantly priced for the average person. It's also best if you're an Android, not an Apple person.
Compatibility with the iPhone has improved thanks to the launch of an iOS MyGlass app and the ability to read text messages, but it stops short of tapping into Glass' hands-free SMS response capabilities. Maps navigation also requires MyGlass to be open on the phone, not in the background. All of these features are missing for Windows Phone 8 users entirely, though technically any Bluetooth phone can offer Glass tethered data with a personal hotspot enabled.
Google Glass is very much a prototype, even after twelve months of being in the hands and on the faces of tens of thousands of beta testers.
But that's partly why this out-of-reach, futuristic-looking curiosity is so fascinating, despite, or possibly because of the massive cost to your Google Wallet (that's actually how you have to pay for Google Glass). Peoples' mind=blown reaction, more so than snapping photos hands-free and getting directions that turn with your head, makes whomever is donning Google Glass a walking wonder.
Google Glass disneylandIt became an attraction of its own at Disneyland
How to get Google Glass

Google undoubtedly wanted Glass in the hands of developers who will make the experience better, more so than curious individuals who want it for personal use. Therefore, developers were the first to qualify for Google Glass invites.
Now it's for sale to anyone living in the US. Google threw Project Glass into open enrollment for 24 hours on April 15 and then permanently made it available a month later. Good things come to those who wait, too. As of reporting, all new Google Glass models come with free frames for prescription glasses or a free sunglasses shade attachment that typically costs $225 (about £135, AU$239).
Signing up for the normal Google Glass waitlist in June of 2013 gave me access to an Explorer Edition beta code in November, while my friend who registered in December received an invite less than three weeks in January. That alone shows how much easier it became to receive an invitation.
Strict rules still limit who can ultimately take advantage of the invite code and purchase a prototype. For example, you must be 18 years old and a US resident, so adults living in the UK and Australia aren't eligible just yet. These age and country-specific rules also apply to the open enrollment day.
A Google Glass UK release date could be announced on June at Google IO 2014, where the company is expected to shed light on its product plans for the rest of the year.
Google Glass 2 unboxingThe unboxing at my fitting appointment
The fit

Google Glass now ships to US addresses, though the company still encourages beta testers to pick it up in person at its New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles offices. LA, specifically Venice Beach, is where I went for my "fitting experience" with a friendly Glass guide named Frank.
The Google employee helped with my Google Glass unboxing, adjusted the nose pads, tweaked the delicate nose stems and shaped the malleable titanium head band until it didn't sit so crooked on my face.
Within ten minutes it looked perfect, or at least as perfect as one can appear with a wearable computer sitting on their face.
Google Glass fittingGoogle makes sure Glass fits you just right
The look

Though pliable, the titanium head band remains durable as it stretches from ear to ear. It runs alongside a plastic casing that hides Glass' key components and gives it an overall clean look. This subtle style makes the exposed parts like the camera lens in the front stand out even more - for better or worse.
Everyone's attention is also immediately drawn to the adjacent cube-shaped glass prism that sits above the right eye. It has an acceptable 640 x 360 resolution and hangs just out of the way of the wearer's line of sight. For the wearer, this personalized display acts as a much bigger screen, one that's equivalent to a 25-inch HDTV sitting eight feet away.
Google Glass dimensionsToo big to carry in a pocket
The Google Glass dimensions are 5.25-inches at its widest point and 8-inches at its longest point. It's too long and wide to fit into my pocket, even though I've been able to carry a Nexus 7 tablet in my jeans' back pocket with a little squeeze.
Society has banned fanny packs and the titanium head band doesn't collapse, so storage options are limited. When out and about it's either on my face or in the complementary case, which I stow in a backpack. There's no in-between.
Google Glass colorsGoogle Glass comes in five colors
The new Google Glass is almost indistinguishable from its predecessor, and the fact that it comes in the same colors doesn't help you tell them apart. The options are black, orange, gray, white and blue. Or, as the Glass guides insisted: charcoal, tangerine, shale, cotton and sky.
Charcoal and cotton, the two non-color colors, appear to be the most popular, as they were initially sold out when I first entered my invite code to buy Google Glass. Luckily, before my seven-day invite expired, both options became available and I chose white. The choice made online actually didn't matter until I got to the on-site appointment. I was given one last chance to switch colors during the moment of truth.
Google Glass batteryThe battery bulges behind the ear
The glaring exception to Glass' svelte design is the battery that rests behind the right ear and juts out rather noticeably. It's too big, yet it's not big enough for a full day's charge. Battery performance did improve with the Android KitKat update in April, but more power from this energy-eating wearable is still a priority of Explorers.
The feel

Even with the bulkiness of the battery and durable frame, Google Glass is extremely lightweight and comfortable resting on my face. It weights just 42 grams (1.48 oz) and because everything, including the screen, is just out of my line of sight I often forget I'm wearing it.
How much does Google Glass weighGoogle Glass is surprisingly light
At first, Google Glass did give me slight headaches as I strained my right eye to focus on the tiny prism in the top right corner of my vision. The team at the Venice headquarters did forewarn me about temporary Google Glass headaches, instructing me not to use Glass for more than a few hours the first couple of days. It's incredibly unnatural to have just one eye focus on a screen while the other goes without use, but my eyes and brain adjusted to the phenomenon in a few days to the point where it's now intuitive.
Like a modern smartphone, there are few physical buttons and ports on Google Glass. That's because most of the interaction is done via a long 3.25-inch touchpad on the right side. Underneath the touchpad is a micro USB port for charging the device and on the top is a camera button that's great for quick snaps in noisy environments.
Google Glass reviewThe power-on button is hidden near your temple
The most discreet button is tucked away on the inside on the touchpad and near the temple. Giving it a light press turns Google Glass on and powers up the all-important apps.

EARN Money By Playing Games

Make Money From Games

Introduction

Making money off a web game is quite doable if you put your mind to it. With a Flash game, there are clear, established ways to make money, and for certain kinds of games, you can generate more revenue than going through a mobile App Store.

Besides creating games to make money whether it be for a living or for profit, it forces you to put more effort into what you’re doing. Creating a finished product and shipping it - the “last 10%” is something that can only be taught by doing it.

You’ll learn how to market your game, how to roll it out to testers, how to think from the user’s perspective, how to negotiate and get that sense of independence from knowing what you’re doing, which opens the doors to bigger and better opportunities.


Ads

Ads are a default way to make money, but unless your game is wildly popular or has already been sponsored, you aren’t going to see very much.

The amount you get from your game can be measured either in CPM (how much you get for every 1000 views of the ad) or in CPC (how much you get from a clickthrough). CPM varies depending on the quality of the ad, which in turn is dictated by the quality and size of the audience. It's more common for games than CPC.


Roughly speaking, ads fall into 2 categories.

In-Game Ads
Portals (Revenue Share)

Mochi and CPMStar are the major players in the world of in-game advertising. Mochi tends to have lower CPMs than CPMStar, but Mochi's biggest asset is it's distribution network. They blast out new games to thousands of portals to aid in your distribution. CPMStar is an invite only network.

With Portals, your best bet is Kongregate, which shares between 25 - 50% of revenue (through banner ads and pre-game ads) depending how integrated your game is with their API and exclusivity to them. Their CPMs are decent because of the relatively high quality of the games on the site and the focused, gamer-centric audience.

Bottom Line: All in all, ads are at best, a supplementary form of revenue that can tack on a little extra to a game that’s popular or sponsored, but they are rarely a primary source.


Sponsorships

Sponsorships are in general, the best way to make money with Flash games.

Sponsors are game portals who purchase exclusive rights to market and distribute your game on their site and other portals. How do they make it back? Through attracting players back to their portal, which drives in ad revenue for them.

Sponsorships vary widely in payment styles and terms. Generally speaking, they fall into one of 3 categories.

Lump Sum
Performance-Based
Hybrid of Both

Lump Sum

In lump sum arrangement, the sponsor pays you a fixed amount to buy exclusivity to the game indefinitely or for an agreed upon period of time, before the game “unlocks” and can be distributed on other portals.

What’s the range? From as low as $100 all the way up into the $10,000+ range. The median is somewhere around $500 for the average sponsor. For higher end sponsors such as Armor Games, it's still possible to receive a couple thousand.

This all depends on your ability to negotiate, your prior portfolio, the terms, the sponsor, and of course, the quality and potential of the game.


Performance-Based

In a performance-based arrangement, you are paid per click back to the sponsor’s site or per plays on their site.



Hybrid

Put the two together, and you get a model where you get some upfront payment and payment upon reaching certain milestones. For example, Armor Games could offer you $3,000 base but $150 for every 100k plays on their site and $200 for hitting the front pages of Kongregate and Newgrounds - all milestones that our best games regularly hit.

In the very best circumstances, a well-performing game may receive an offer to port the game over to iOS. ArmorGames did this for Kingdom Rush, and it’s opened up a new frontier in the world of sponsored games.



How do you find a sponsorship in the first place?

Two ways.

FlashGameLicense
Contacts / Your Network

FlashGameLicense (FGL)

FGL is essentially an eBay for sponsored games. For a 10% cut, they practically guarantee that a decent game (by their definition - they rate you from 1 - 10, with 8 being the magic number) will receive bids from sponsors. Some developers have voiced concerns with FGL, but for most developers, it’s still a great way to get noticed for the first time.

My advice is this: do your research and make sure you’re not getting screwed by the sponsor. Don’t automatically accept the highest offer. Think it through and go with your gut instinct.



Networking

The second way to snag a sponsorship is through contacts and people you know. I can’t coach much on this because it’s a natural cycle - if you know good game developers or have prior contact with the owners of sites, it’s relatively easy to snag a sponsorship that way. Building a reputation for making great, well-performing games will land you in this spot over time.


Virtual Currency

Some API providers such as Mochi have created virtual currency platforms for providing microtransactions to end users. Although there are plenty of stories of runaway successes with this model, you should be realistic about your chances because those successes came about from particular kinds of games which differ a lot from the games that most Stencylers will be making.

It sounds enticing to be able to sell “level packs” for your game, but you’re often much better off with a sponsorship instead, something that sponsors and industry veterans I’ve talked to have echoed.

Bottom Line: In short, unless your game’s hugely popular, is a Facebook/social game or really fits the virtual currency model, stick to the other methods of generating revenue instead.

Note: This advice is specifically for web games.