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Google To Shut Down Orkut In September

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On July 14, 2014

In Tech Buzz

July 14, 2014

The giant social networking site Orkut, named after its creator a Google employee Orkut Büyükkökten, is officially set for its closure on September 30 this year. Orkut was Google’s first initiative to start a social networking website and was officially launched in 2004, gaining immediate popularity and users all over the world.

In the last few years however, with the upcoming of many other social platforms like Facebook, Google+, Youtube and Blogger, which were widely preferred social networking sites, it was becoming clear that Orkut was not having much of a future. Facebook with an estimated 1.28 billion users is quickly becoming the largest networking site on the net. Orkut however has chosen not to disclose its number of users but it seems Orkut is not fortunate enough to survive the enormous competition. More and more users have multiple accounts on different social networking sites and Orkut is losing popularity.

Google has now confirmed that they would focus their energy and resources on more innovative ideas and have decided to shut down Orkut. In order to help make the transition easier, Google Takeout will help the existing users to export their profile information, photos and community posts from Orkut before the site shuts down completely. The site will also stop registering any new users from July onwards and existing users will no longer be able to log in or export photos to Google+ and any APIs tools related to it after the site goes down. Google play and Apple App Store will remove the Orkut app from their stores as well.

To mark its legacy though, Google will create an archive of Orkut’s online communities. The users will have an option to opt out of it by removing their accounts from Google. Employees currently working on Orkut will most probably be shifted to projects on Google+.

Why Your Business Should Be On Instagram

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On July 9, 2014

In Internet marketing

July 9, 2014

The increasing competition and constant pressure to up the bottom line and sales are key drivers that compel any business today to have a strong online presence. While social media giants like Facebook and Twitter were ruling the roost when it came to brand promotion online, the scenario is changing currently. Both of these have certain drawbacks, which are now easily being overcome through Instagram. If you are one among those who want your business to flourish, read on to know how Instagram can help you create a strong online presence for the same.

When it comes to creating remarkable online presence for your business, visibility is the key factor. The problem with Facebook is that a customer, who has marked even a single post from your page as spam, will no longer have access to any posts from your page. Moreover, Facebook algorithms are such that not all posts from a business will appear in the newsfeed of its subscribers. But that is not the case with Instagram; all posts from your business will be visible to 100 percent of your subscribers. This means your brand is recognizable online.

Instagram offers tremendous potential for growth and expansion. This is primarily because more and more people are switching over to smartphones when it comes to internet surfing. Instagram has a huge user base for its smartphone mobile app; this is a potential opportunity that businesses can cash in on. Mobile apps are much more convenient for customers rather than using a laptop or a personal computer. As per figures, the user base of Instagram went up from 50 million user accounts in the year 2012 to 200 million accounts in 2013. The number is further expected to rise up to 400 million in 2014.

Instagram is a huge bonus for small businesses that get an opportunity to showcase what they have on offer through photographs and hash tags. You can easily reach your target market and build up customers from any part of the world.

Once clientele has been established, it becomes very easy to communicate to customers through Instagram. You can reply to their feedback and comments, and also take in suggestions for improvement. As the visibility improves, you can get more number of customers, and hence increased sales and profits.

Business is all about evolution; you have to market your product or service effectively so as to sell it. Instagram allows that by providing ample exposure and opportunities for promoting a brand.

We at Centex Technologies, provide internet marketing and branding solutions to our clients. For more information, call us at – (855) 375-9654

Skype 5.0 For iPhone

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On June 30, 2014

In Tech Buzz

June 30, 2014

The latest version of Skype (Skype 5.0) promises to live up to user expectations. With many changes being made to the user interface and a host of other features added, iPhone users can hope to have a great experience as they use the app on their smartphone.

Majority of the changes that have been incorporated in Skype 5.0 are based on feedback from customers and are related to application’s interface and navigation. In newer version of Skype, measures have been taken to enhance performance when it comes to users syncing their chats from other platforms.

While using an iPhone, there is a certain set of features in Skype that customers make use of more often. With version 5.0, care has been taken to have those features and displays at the forefront of the application. Everything else can be made use of through a ribbon navigation bar that sits at the top of the app. The additions and changes in Skype 5.0 in comparison to its previous versions is sure to benefit iOS users, and transform the way they use the app.

Skype’s product marketing manager, Eric Lin, was quoted as saying, “This app is really remastered for you and the way you use Skype. We take our users and our user feedback very seriously here, and pretty much every choice that we made when we created this application was really based on feedback. The new Skype for iPhone is rebuilt from the ground up, it’s a 100 percent rewrite, and the entire time we were writing this we had a laser focus on performance.”

Lin did admit that previous versions of Skype had a lot of performance issues when it came to iOS users. But that will change now with the new version that has come up. A user will no more have to wait for prolonged periods of time before the chats from desktop are synced on to the mobile Skype application every time it is launched. The notifications will sync at a faster rate; users can also see the read status of messages that were a part of desktop conversations.

Group chats however, could take a bit longer to sync. This is mainly because the switch from legacy systems to the new backend is still in progress. Lin explains that; “That is a backend procedure that users will see updated throughout the coming months. We moved some conversations to the new system before we moved other conversations. You alone probably have hundreds of existing conversations, and then you multiply that times our over 300 million monthly users and that’s a lot of conversations to move.”

Skype 5.0 for iPhone users promises to make text conversations, especially group chats, easier, faster, and convenient like never before.

Moto 360 SmartWatch

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On June 27, 2014

In Tech Buzz

June 27, 2014

The most anticipated product of the year by Motorola, the Moto 360 SmartWatch, was recently unveiled by the company at Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco. After the launch of Samsung’s Live Gear and LG’s G Watch, smartwatches have suddenly become the flavor of the season. While both the products are trendsetters in their own way, Moto 360 smartwatch just stands out because of its astounding features.

The traditional round display sets Moto 360 apart from other smartwatches. Success of the Moto 360 is not only attributed to the conventional look and feel but also to its amazingly light weight design which makes it a surprisingly comfortable device to wear on.
It was brilliant of Motorola to think out of the box and reinvent the traditional wrist watch of today to unveil the product of tomorrow. The round touchscreen has made an attractive use of space. From customized faces of the clock to messages, emails and other apps, this small but efficient device has a lot to offer.

The screen, though provides for a dim display when not in use, it is circumvented with the presence of an ambient light sensor that offers high performance even on a device this small. Just a little tap on the screen makes the watch come alive and you can access the device to check for important messages, emails and other important notifications. Another feather on Motorola’s cap is that the device responds to the gestures of moving your wrist and immediately displays important notifications for you without having to tap it.  This feature gives the device a premium feel.

The voice control feature of the device is flexible and acts on your verbal commands.  The device performs with such perfection that it becomes impossible to draw out any flaw in its design. Because it is android based, the smartwatch is said to be compatible with all Moto smartphones and android based phones with versions 4.3 or above.

To give it more elegant and classy look, Motorola decided to finish the watch with stainless steel. The steel glides against your skin smoothly   and the leather straps provide for a firm grip. After its initial release there would be plenty of designer straps available to give the watch more personalized look.

Moto 360 has an ambitious design and is high on style quotient. The company plans to launch various designs for the device. It will be launched later in summer first in U.S. and then globally. The pricing of the watch hasn’t been made public yet but is anticipated it will be priced on par with the features it offers. Even so, this product is expected to be a game changer in the market.

SEO Services For Healthcare & Medical Professionals

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On June 21, 2014

In SEO Marketing

June 21, 2014

SEO or search engine optimization is a technique that has found favor with all kinds of businesses to improve their online presence. Going with the same principle, SEO has helped many healthcare professionals, clinics and medical institutions across Texas to not only improve their online visibility through higher rankings on search engine listings, but also through conversion of leads into clients.

Benefit of SEO for Healthcare & Medical Professionals

  • SEO enhances the online visibility and thus increases the chances of reaching out to the right kind of patients who could then take an appointment for consultation.
  • Through the use of targeted keywords, medical professionals can remain in the eyes of their patients. Already, the industry is seeing stiff competition with so many specialized medical facilities present in the league today. In such a scenario, staying ahead of competition calls for implementation of SEO techniques.
  • SEO is not merely restricted to optimizing the home pages and getting higher rankings for a website. Medical professionals have come to realize that patients are on the lookout for practitioners that serve in their locality. For instance, a patient living in a particular geographic area of Dallas, TX would search for a doctor or clinic in his or her locality. Thus, focusing on location specific keywords will mean that people can easily find medical professionals who serve within that area. This will ultimately lead to conversion as they seek appointment for a consultation.
  • Maintaining a blog is also a good SEO practice that helps professionals to build up reputation for the kind of services they offer. Blogs should be regularly updated with relevant information so that the business shows up as active on Google listings.

Medical professionals can now approach us at Centex Technologies (855-375-9654) to get customized SEO services for their website. We work on aspects such as blogging, social media marketing, local SEO, and link generation to provide them an edge over their competitors.

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