Tips | Top 6 Alternatives to Google Adsense

Google Adsense, as we all know, is one of the largest advertising group and currently the market leader in Online Advertising Industry. Getting Google Adsense approval is like a dream for all the bloggers. But what really disheartens one is the fact that getting this approval is quite difficult as Google follows some seriously strict guidelines which its users must abide by to activate or to continue with the Google Adsense program.


So, for all those who have been denied Approval of a Google Adsense account or has been banned due to some reasons, it's not the end of the World, Guys! Though the alternatives won't help you earn the same revenue as that from Google Adsense, but for those who are looking for an alternative to the Google Adsense, following is a list of Top 6 Alternatives to Google Adsense :


# Luminate
Luminate Inc. (previously known as Pixazza Inc.), founded in 2008, is an online advertising program and currently the market leader in making the images more interactive, offering World's first platform for image application. It currently serves more than 150 million users per month and 30 billion page views per year. This 'first-of-its-kind' platform gets operational when a user mouse-over's an image, displaying the related products and information to that user.  It takes into account the keywords that have been tagged with an image and then display the relevant ads accordingly.

The minimum payout is $10 which can be received on a PayPal account or via Standard Cheque.

 # adBrite
adBrite Inc., is an online advertising network which serves ads on 112,009 sites and is the 10th largest ad network on the Internet, according to Media Metrix. Attributor survey ranked adBrite as the 6th largest ad server in 2008 with a 2% share of the market. adBrite now reaches 300 million unique visitors per month with more than 150 million in the U.S. itself. adBrite runs many different services such as adBrite Intelligence™  and adBrite Audience Manager™.

The minimum payout is $100 which can be received via Standard Cheque.

 # Chitika
Chitika Inc., founded in 2003, is a search-targeted advertising network and research firm. The name Chitika means "in a snap" in the South Indian language of Telugu. It offers 3 different products or kinds of ads to the users :
(i) Chitika | Premium : Chitika | Premium displays ads to visitors that reach a page directly from a major search engine.
(ii) Chitika Local Ad Exchange : Chitika launched Local Ad Exchange (LAX) with the intent of bringing together search-targeting and local advertising.
(iii) Chitika Mobile :  Chitika Mobile is a feature that allows standard Chitika | Premium ads to change dynamically into mobile-designed ads based on a user's user agent.

The minimum payout is $10 which can be received on a PayPal account or via Standard Cheque.

# Kontera
Kontera Technologies Inc., founded in 2003, is an advertising network, providing in-text advertising and information services.It is a leading provider of In Text advertising for your website, delivering state of the art contextual ads. There are over 140 million monthly unique users on the Kontera network.Kontera ads are used in over 1% of the top 10,000 websites ranked by traffic.

The minimum payout is $50 which can be received on a PayPal account or via Standard Cheque.

 # Bidvertiser
Bidvertiser is a PPC based program offering fully customizable, content based advertisements. Bidvertiser offers website owners with the ability to sell their ad space, automatically, to the highest bidder. Advertisers can place ads directly on sites of their choice and pay only when a visitor clicks-through their site. Bidvertiser serves text ads in all types of standard ad units, including banners, buttons, skyscrapers and inline ads. They also offer an affiliate program which is optional, but can help you earn extra cash.

The minimum payout is $10 which can be received on a PayPal account or $25 which can be received via Standard Cheque.

# Infolinks
Infolinks Inc. is a leading provider of pay per click In-Text advertising services, working with online content publishers worldwide. It delivers highest click-through-rate in the industry, and lead the market with innovative technologies that bring the advertisers the highest ROI and the publishers the highest earnings. It provide engaged website audiences with advertisements that truly match their interests as they read. Advertisers reach global markets with local precision, via 300 million unique views across 50,000+ premium sites that work exclusively with Infolinks.

The minimum payout is $50 which can be received on a PayPal account or $400 which can be received via BankWire / ACH payments.

These are some of the best alternatives you can use to monetize your blog and to earn money. Share your opinions and reactions . We'll surely get back to ya'soon..!!

Read More

Review | 'Motorola Droid RAZR' : Thinner;Smarter;Faster;Stronger

Motorola has unveiled the 'Droid RAZR' smartphone - World's thinnest smartphone - at a joint event with Verizon in the New York City in a totally new avatar which combines the 'Droid' brawn with the legacy of 'RAZR' design.

Motorola Droid RAZR

This latest addition to the Verizon's Droid Lineup, after Droid Bionic, is 'impossibly thin' which comes with a 4.3 inch qHD super AMOLED screen with a Gorilla Glass coating powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor. But the feature that makes the phone stand out from any other in the World is its thin form factor. At 7.1mm(0.28 inch), the Droid RAZR stands as the thinnest smartphone in the world right now.

5 years later after the original flip Droid RAZR phone was ceased, Motorola has come up a long way to produce this hugely improved new version which is almost unrecognizable to its predecessor.

With the old same name comes a whole new range of features that come loaded into the new RAZR smartphone. Have a look!

PROS

• The Droid RAZR comes with a solid 4.3 inch qHD super AMOLED display.
• It runs on a 1.2GHZ TI OMAP4430 processor.
• It runs on Android 2.3 Gingergread OS.
• It comes with 1GB of RAM and 16GB onboard memory along with 32GB expandable capability via a micro SD card.
• It has a 8 MP rear-facing camera with with dual LED that has 1080p Video Recording capabilities
• The phone comes with a 4G LTE support.

• It is the thinnest - just 7.1mm - smartphone available in the market right now.

• The phone's display is made out of the Gorilla Glass and the phone has a Kevlar fiber casing along with Motorola's new Splash guard technology and a stainless steel core.

• Other features like Bluetooth 4.0 and HDMI out options.
• 'Smart Actions' application comes installed that helps to automate tasks and optimize battery efficiency.
• 'Motocast' application also comes installed that will stream and download media to the phone from a corresponding desktop PC app.
• The phone has a Webtop application that turns the phone into a portable PC, similar to that in Droid Bionic.
  

CONS

• The phone's battery isn't swappable i.e. the battery can't be removed.
• It's not a World phone as it does not support CDMA network.

So,the Droid RAZR is ready to hit the shelves as the pre-order to the phone would start by October 27 and would soon be available some-time in November with a price tag of $299.

Excited about this much-awaited 'Droid RAZR' ultra-slim phone ? Share your opinions and reactions . We'll surely get back to ya'soon..!!

Read More

Just In | Google Nexus And Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) Unveiled

Samsung unveiled its latest smartphone - 'Google Nexus' - running on the latest version of the Google Android Operating System - Android 4 or Ice Cream Sandwich - with revamped designs and enhancement galore.

Android 4 or Ice Cream Sandwich

Samsung and Google unveiled the much-awaited 'Google Nexus' smartphone, at an event organised in Hong Kong, which is long due to be launched as it was delayed to pay tribute to the Late Steve Jobs - Apple Co-founder.

The all-new Android 4 or Ice Cream Sandwich would be a platform-friendly Operating System as it would be functional on Smartphones, Tablets and everything in between.

Following is an insight of these latest launches from Google and Samsung :

Google Nexus

Google Nexus

Finally, its here! Google announced its new flagship Android device - The Samsung made 'Google Nexus' - which comes loaded with Android 4 or Ice Cream Sandwich.

Listed below are the eye-popping features of this new smartphone :

• The Google Nexus features a whooping 4.65inch HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 with a amazing contrast ratio of 100000:1
• 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM.
• A 5MP rear camera and 1.3MP front camera with video recording capability of 1080p @ 30fps.
• Internal memory options of 16 and 32GB.
• EDGE/GPRS/HSPA+ connectivity and 4G LTE compatibility.

In terms of dimensions, the phone is quite similar to its predecessor - the Samsung Nexus S - weighing at 135g and is 8.94mm thick. The back of the phone is made up of 'Hyper skin' - a soft gripping texture - which features in Samsung Galaxy S II as well. 

Google Nexus

The camera captures videos at a whooping 1080p with a 5MP rear camera and comes with a panorama mode and NO shutter lag. The NFC technology remains on-board with loads of connectivity options like Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi and HSPA+. The phone also features a proximity sensor and a Barometer.

The phone features a Android Beam feature, a technology which allowing super-quick photo,video,contact and maps sharing with just tapping 2 phones together.

The device is expected to hit the shelves in November in UK this year with a release date still unknown to us.

Android 4 or Ice Cream Sandwich

The Android 4 or Ice Cream Sandwich is now official!

Google unveiled the latest version of Android Operating System - Android 4 or Ice Cream Sandwich - at an event organised in Hong Kong. With a revamped design and a whole lot of new features embedded into this version of Android, Google surely has a winner up its sleeves as it comes loaded with some amazing features like NFC-enabled feature known as 'Android Beam', a next-gen unlocking method called 'Face Unlock' and many more.

Listed below are the eye-popping features of this new Operating System :

• The 5MP camera is really fast as it comes with a zero shutter lag and features like time lapse setting and zoom while recording.
• A browser with improved functionality decreasing the bugs it used to face along with a save-page option for offline reading. The browser allows upto 16 tabs and automatic Google Chrome Bookmark Sync.
• Face Unlock feature which allows only the authorized person to unlock the phone with the help of face scanning.

• Android Beam feature which is a NFC enabled feature allowing exchange of photo,videos,maps and contacts by simply tapping the two phones together.

• Pinch to zoom feature in Calender and drag-and-drop Folder creation method, similar to iOS.
• Integrated feature that allows user to capture the screenshot of the phone's screen by just holding the power and volume buttons,

• Shut down the apps which are not in use and are wasting data in the background to make up the processing and functionality even more smoother.

 Take a look at this Google Nexus Video!

With a whole lot of new feature embedded into this Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) along with revamped design and enhancement galore, Ice Cream Sandwich is surely a big improvement over Gingerbread and Honeycomb and would be loved deeply by the true Android fans!

Excited about the much-awaited Google Nexus And Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) ? Share your opinions and reactions . We'll surely get back to ya'soon..!!

Read More

How To | iOS 5 Upgrade Procedure : Error Free

Apple released its iOS 5 this week offering its users to upgrade to the latest version of iOS, but what came as a big disappointment was that while upgrading, the users came across Error '3200' , '3002' , '3004' and '3014' messages. The reason being - overwhelmed Apple servers and overburdened User's connections.

While the iOS 5 comes as a massive update to all the Apple users - bringing in more than 200 new feautures - resulting in web surge, what it ended up in was Error messages being reported by users while upgrading to iOS 5 with no solution available for the problem making most of the upgradation processes to fail.

But what might help you in upgrading your iDevice successfully are the following guide that just might work out for you. Take a look!

First of all you need to install the IPSW firmware for your iDevice.
IPSW firmware for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, iPad 2, iPod Touch 3G and iPod Touch 4G can be downloaded directly from the links below without using iTunes :

iPhone 3GS

iPhone 4 (CDMA)

iPhone 4 (GSM)

iPad

iPad 2 (CDMA)

iPad 2 (GSM)

iPad 2 (Wi-Fi)

iPod touch 3G

iPod touch 4G

After the IPSW firmware is downloaded, there are 2 options for you to select from :
Note : Backing up your iDevice before upgradation is highly recommended.

Option 1:

Hold the 'Alt' key (Windows) or 'Option' key (Mac) and click on 'Restore' in iTunes which asks for the location of the IPSW firmware that was downloaded earlier. Then, the update process would follow.
Note : You can download the latest version of the iTunes from here.

Option 2:

After the downloading, close iTunes and disconnect your iDevice from your PC. Then you shall copy-paste the IPSW file to the following path.

• For Windows Users

%APPDATA%Apple ComputeriTunesiP{one|ad|od} Software Updates

• For Mac Users

~/Library/iTunes/iP{one|ad|od} Software Updates

Now, connect back your iDevice and open the iTunes. The iTunes would automatically detect the IPSW file from the above location. Afterwards, hit the Update Button on the iTunes. Then, the update process would follow.

If the process makes your iDevice totally inoperative or if Error '3194' is reported, put your iDevice in DSU mode and then you might try restoring while in recovery.

If the Error reported states 'An internal error has occurred', it means that the Apple servers have been overwhelmed and the you show try the upgradation process after some time.

Good luck mates.!

Blown away with the all-new UI of iOS 5? Interested in knowing more about iOS5? Share your opinions and reactions . We'll surely get back to ya' soon..!!

Read More

Review | Smartphone War : iPhone 4S vs iPhone 4 vs iPhone 3GS vs Samsung Galaxy S 2 vs Motorola Droid Bionic vs HTC Titan [Detailed Comparison]

In a race for the best smartphone, we are going to conduct an detailed comparison of the 6 best Smartphones - iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, Samsung Galaxy S II, Motorola Droid Bionic and HTC Titan - currently available in the market and figure out the best of the best.

iPhone 4S

Just as we helped our reader to figure out the best tablet with our last post 'Review | Tablet War : Kindle Fire against Top 5 Tablets', with the launch of iPhone 4S after all the rumors of a iPhone 5 launch, the best smartphone battle has certainly heated up and now in this post we are going to figure out the best smartphone out of iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, Samsung Galaxy S II, Motorola Droid Bionic and HTC Titan.

HTC Titan

With a plethora of Smartphones to select from, to get your perfect-one it may require a long brainstorming session.So to make the going easier for you, we are going to find which smartphone should you pick and which one you should kick.

In this comparison, we are going to judge these smartphones on the following 8 criteria's:

1. Operating System
2. Processor
3. Touchscreen
4. Storage and Memory
5. Camera
6. Connectivity
7. Battery Life
8. Price

Here they follow :

1. Operating System

• iPhone 4S runs on iOS 5
• iPhone 4 runs on iOS 4
• iPhone 3GS runs on iOS 4
• Samsung Galaxy S II runs on Android 2.3.4 with TouchWiz 4.0
• Motorola Droid Bionic runs on Android 2.3.4 with custom skin
• HTC Titan runs on Windows Phone 7.5 Mango

Edge : iPhone 4S

iPhone 4S

2. Processor

• iPhone 4S uses a dual-core Apple A5 processor
• iPhone 4 uses a single-core Apple A4 processor
• iPhone 3GS uses a ARM Cortex A8-based processor
• Samsung Galaxy S II runs on 1.2GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos processor
• Motorola Droid Bionic uses a 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4430 processor
• HTC Titan runs on 1.5GHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor

Edge : iPhone 4S

3. Touchscreen

• iPhone 4S has a 3.5inch screen and a screen resolution of 960x640 pixels
• iPhone 4 has a 3.5inch screen and a screen resolution of 960x640 pixels
• iPhone 3GS has a 3.5inch screen and a screen resolution of 480x320 pixels
• Samsung Galaxy S II has a 4.3inch screen and a screen resolution of 800x480 pixels
• Motorola Droid Bionic has a 4.3inch screen and a screen resolution of 960x540 pixels
• HTC Titan has a 4.7inch screen and a screen resolution of 800x480 pixels 

Edge : Samsung Galaxy S II

Samsung Galaxy S II

4. Storage and Memory

• iPhone 4S comes with a 1GB RAM and options of 16 , 32 and 64GB storage space
• iPhone 4 comes with a 512MB RAM and 8GB of storage space
• iPhone 3GS comes with a 256MB RAM and 8GB of storage space
• Samsung Galaxy S II comes with a 1GB RAM and options of 16 and 32GB storage space
• Motorola Droid Bionic comes with a 1GB RAM and 16GB storage space
• HTC Titan comes with a 512MB RAM and 16GB storage space

Edge : iPhone 4S

5 .Camera

• iPhone 4S has a front-facing VGA camera and a rear-facing 8MP autofocus camera with LED flash along with video recording at 1080p at 30fps 
• iPhone 4 has a front-facing VGA camera and a rear-facing 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash along with video recording at 720p at 30fps 
• iPhone 3GS has a rear-facing 3MP camera with no LED flash
• Samsung Galaxy S II has a front-facing 2MP camera and a rear-facing 8MP autofocus camera with LED flash along with video recording at 1080p at 30fps 
• Motorola Droid Bionic has a front-facing VGA camera and a rear-facing 8MP autofocus camera with LED flash along with video recording at 1080p at 30fps 
• HTC Titan has a front-facing 1.3MP camera and a rear-facing 8MP autofocus camera with LED flash along with video recording at 720p at 30fps 

Edge : Samsung Galaxy S II

6. Connectivity

• iPhone 4S is a world phone which supports both CDMA and GSM
• iPhone 4 is a world phone which supports both CDMA and GSM
• iPhone 3GS supports only GSM
• Samsung Galaxy S II supports both CDMA and GSM
• Motorola Droid Bionic supports only CDMA
• HTC Titan supports only GSM

Edge : Tie between iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S II and iPhone 4

iPhone 4

7. Battery Life

• iPhone 4S has a 8-hour battery life
• iPhone 4 has a 7-hour battery life
• iPhone 3GS has a 5-hour battery life
• Samsung Galaxy S II has a 7-8.7hour battery life
• Motorola Droid Bionic has a 10.8-hour battery life
• HTC Titan has a 6.8-hour battery life

Edge : Motorola Droid Bionic

Motorola Droid Bionic

8. Price

• iPhone 4S is priced at $199/$299/$399 for 16/32/64GB memory options
• iPhone 4 is priced at $99
• iPhone 3GS is priced at $99
• Samsung Galaxy S II is priced at $199
• Motorola Droid Bionic is priced at $299
• HTC Titan is priced at £498

Edge : iPhone 4S

iPhone 4S

Judgement

With all the specs listed above, all the smartphones stand very close to each other on the 8 criteria's on which we have compared them. But what makes iPhone 4S stand out is a feature called 'Siri' that allows users to connect with the interface and get all the functions done just by speaking them out to the phone. Be it composing messages, asking questions like the weather conditions or setting reminders, everything is just that much more easy. This feature surely leaves behind all its rivals and emerges as the clear winner.!

Still confused about which one to pick and which one to kick ? Share with us . We'll surely make it easier for you..!!

Read More

Review | Tablet War : Kindle Fire vs iPad 2 vs Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs BlackBerry Playbook vs Motorola Xoom vs HP Touchpad [Detailed Comparison]

In a race for the best tablet, we are going to conduct an detailed comparison of the 6 best tablets - Kindle Fire , iPad 2 , Galaxy Tab 10.1 , BlackBerry Playbook , Motorola Xoom and HP Touchpad - currently available in the market and figure out the best of the best.

With a plethora of Tablets to select from, to get your perfect-one it may require a long brainstorming session.

Galaxy Tab 10.1

So to make the going easier for you, we are going to find which tablet should you pick and which one you should kick.

In this comparison, we are going to judge these tablets on the following 8 criteria's:

1. Operating System
2. Processor
3. Touchscreen
4. Storage and Memory
5. Camera
6. Connectivity
7. Battery Life
8. Price

Here they follow :

1. Operating System

Arguably the biggest difference among the all 6 competitors.

• Kindle Fire runs on its own special OS 'Android 2.x' rumored to be Android FroYo
• iPad 2 runs on Apple's iOS 4.3
• Blackberry Playbook runs on RIM's own Tablet OS
• HP Touchpad runs on webOS 3.0
• Galaxy Tab 10.1 & Motorola Xoom run on Android 3.0 Honeycomb

Edge : Reader's Choice

2. Processor

All the 6 units use dual-core processors. 

• Kindle Fire uses a 1GHz Texas Instruments OMAP chip
• iPad 2 runs on 1-GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed processor
• Blackberry Playbook uses a 1-GHz dual-core Texas Instruments OMAP
• HP Touchpad runs on 1.2-GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
• Galaxy Tab 10.1 runs on 1-GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor
• Motorola Xoom uses a 1-GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor

Edge : iPad 2

iPad 2

3. Touchscreen

• Kindle Fire has a 7inch screen and a screen resolution of 1024x600 pixels
• iPad 2 has a 9.7inch screen and a screen resolution of 1024x768 pixels
• Blackberry Playbook has a 7inch screen and a screen resolution of 1024x600 pixels
• HP Touchpad has a 9.7inch screen and a screen resolution of 1024x768 pixels 
• Galaxy Tab 10.1 & Motorola Xoom have a 10.1inch screen and a screen resolution of 1280x800 pixels

Edge : Blackberry Playbook

Blackberry Playbook

4. Storage and Memory

• Kindle Fire comes with a 512MB RAM and 8GB of storage space
• iPad 2 comes with a 512MB RAM and options of 16 , 32 and 64GB storage space
• Blackberry Playbook comes with a 1GB RAM and options of 16 , 32 and 64GB storage space
• HP Touchpad comes with a 1GB RAM and options of 16 and 32GB storage space
• Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes with a 1GB RAM and options of 16 and 32GB storage space
• Motorola Xoom comes with a 1GB RAM and 32GB of storage space

Edge : Tie between Blackberry Playbook & HP Touchpad

HP Touchpad

5 .Camera

• Kindle Fire doesn't have a mic or a camera
• iPad 2 has both front-facing and rear-facing camera
• Blackberry Playbook has a 3-megapixel front-facing and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera
• HP Touchpad has a 1.3-megapixel front-facing and no rear-facing camera
• Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a 2-megapixel front-facing and a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera
• Motorola Xoom has a 2-megapixel front-facing and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera

Edge : Motorola Xoom

6. Connectivity

• The Kindle Fire only connects to the web via Wi-Fi, there is no 3G, no Bluetooth and no GPS.
• iPad 2 comes with Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth support
• Blackberry Playbook comes with Wi-Fi, coming soon 4G connectivity, Bluetooth, micro USB and HDMI output support
• HP Touchpad comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and micro USB support
• Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support
• Motorola Xoom comes with Wi-Fi, 4G connectivity, Bluetooth, micro USB, micro SD and HDMI output support

Edge : Motorola Xoom

Motorola Xoom

7. Battery Life

• Kindle Fire has a 8-hour battery life
• iPad 2 has a 10-hour battery life
• Blackberry Playbook has a 7.5-8hour battery life
• HP Touchpad has a 8-hour battery life on being heavily used and 9-10 hours for regular use
• Galaxy Tab 10.1 has a 9-10hour battery life
• Motorola Xoom has a 8-8.5hour battery life

Edge : iPad 2

8. Price

• Kindle Fire is priced at £199
• iPad 2 is priced at £439
• Motorola Xoom is priced at £499

Edge : Kindle Fire

Kindle Fire

Judgement

Try it before you buy it!

At a price as low as £199, Kindle Fire is considered to be a steal by many. But at that amazing price the device doesn't offer some basic features like no 3G or Bluetooth connectivity. So, Amazon will have to upgrade it sooner or later if it dreams of competing with iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 10.1

Apart from the Kindle Fire, Motorola Xoom and Blackberry Playbook come loaded with features. But our recommendation to our readers would be to first gets a hands-on experience of the tablet and then pick the best of these best tablets up for the grabs!

Still confused about which one to pick and which one to kick ? Share with us . We'll surely make it easier for you..!!

Read More