Here I’m introducing the best tech companies which have the maximum advantages of strong benefits like enjoyable work environment, innovative training programs, happiest employees, great leadership and more.

Let’s begin with so said “less best” companies .  What an expression “less best!” Sounds funny !

So according to Glassdoor’s annual “Employees’ Choice -50 Best Places to Work,” the best tech companies are ranking:

5. Rackspace: Rackspace is the world’s leading specialist in hosting and cloud computing. In Rackspace people know how to raise a true passion in their employees’ work, by offering them special benefits. So here are the employee benefits that made Rackspace one of the best places to work.

• Choice of 4 Medical Plans – 2 with 100% company paid premium for Rackers
• Dental and Vision Plans
• Benefits coverage for domestic partners
• Life Insurance
• Short term and Long Term Disability Insurance
• 401K – with a company match
• Paid Vacation and Holidays
• Company Profit Sharing Plan
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Flexible Hours
• Rackspace University for Continuing Education and Training Classes
• Free On-site Fitness Facility
• Strengths-Based Culture and Employee Development
• Supportive Work Environment

Plus to this a pleasure of working with an exciting team, makes Rackspace really one of the best places to work. As states Rackspace’s employee Sophie, “Working with great people makes all the difference!”

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4. Apple: Apple is one of the best tech companies, where many would desire to work at. Some want this getting inspired by Apple products; others are more realistic and consider the employee benefits that Apple provides.

So, what makes Apple one of the best places to work at?

• Health and life insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts (for health care and dependent day care)
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• Long-term care insurance
• 401(k) Plan with company match
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Financial education seminars
• Tuition assistance
• Paid vacations and holidays
• Product discounts
• Personal and family counseling
• Wellness programs
• Onsite fitness center
• Commuter programs, including free, Wi-Fi-equipped shuttle to Cupertino
• Café featuring local, organic ingredients

Another exciting thing about Apple employees is their strong belief that they are changing the world.

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3. Google: I think everybody who has ever seen the creative offices of Google, dreamed to work there. I have always considered Google to be one of the best tech companies to work at. I don’t know why and how Google is in the 3^rd place this year but, maybe the next two will prove to be even more beneficial for the employees. If only there can be really something more than these benefits:

• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Flex Spending Account Plan
• EAP – Employee Assistance Program
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Business Travel Accident Insurance
• Google 401(k) Plan
• 529 College Savings Plan
• Vacation
• Holidays
• Maternity Benefits
• Parental Leave (for non-primary caregivers)
• Take-Out Benefit
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Employee Referral Program
• Emergency Back-Up Child Care
• Gift Matching Program
• Adoption Assistance
• Food
• On-site Doctor
• Shuttle Service
• Financial Planning Classes
• Other Great Benefits

Is there anything more that can require Google employees? For me Google is not just one of the best places to work at: it is the best!

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2. Mitre: Though you can consider me to be out of this world but honestly I am listening this name for the first time. Trying to find out something more about Mitre I learnt that during different “best places to work” nominations, it has always hit the first rates. It’s getting interesting to me what employee benefits it has that could beat Google and Apple. So, what makes Mitre one of the best tech companies to work at?

• Retirement Savings and Investment Program
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment and Business Travel Accident Insurance
• Medical Leave (Short-Term Disability) Program
• Long-Term Disability Program
• Paid Time Off Bank
• Holidays
• Civic Time
• Sabbatical Leave
• Tuition Reimbursement Programs
• The MITRE Institute
• Flexible Work Arrangement Program
• Adoption Assistance
• Family/Work/Life Consultation and Referral Services
• Health & Wellness Programs
• Reward and Recognition Programs
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• ID Theft Insurance
• Group Legal Plan Insurance
• Auto and Homeowner’s Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Credit Union Services

To tell the truth, I’m astonished. I didn’t think that there could be an employee benefit list that is longer than Google’s, and it is not just a long numbering, under each point there is a rich beneficial core. I believe I will remember the name of Mitre in my own list of best places to work .

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If you can find the photos of each corner of Google offices, the same is definitely not true about Mitre. The exterior designs are quite modern, but what concerns to interiors I could find no photos .

1.Facebook: At last but not at least the first place hit Facebook, the giant of social market. Looking through Facebook office designs everybody will definitely die to work there, but let’s see what secret benefits has Facebook that could beat Google and Apple and become not just one of the best places to work, but the best one.

Facebook provides a good deal of great benefits and perks to make sure that the employees’ lives are as satisfying as their work.

• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Disability Coverage
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Parental Leave and Baby Cash
• Day Care for babies
• Free food
• Paid Time Off (21 days)
• Sick Time and Holidays
• Facebook 401(k) Plan
• Internal Speakers Series
• Discounts from companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Apple & AT&T

If you are a really creative personality and think that your place is somewhere in the best tech companies, then read the benefits carefully and only then decide which one is the top for you.

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Do you agree with our statistics? If not, then how would you build your personal top 5 best tech companies list?

Though these companies are really great and offer many cool benefits, I still desire our office to grow larger and maybe one day we will appear in the list of erm…  let’s say in the top 10 best tech companies of the world. When we reach that day, I’ll think that I’ve done something really great, so leave the dreams for a while and work harder to make you own office one of the best places to work. 

I always hated TV ads but these funny video ads really made my day!

Doritos– “Pug”: Doritos ads are usually the most anticipated Super Bowl commercials. Doritos video ads usually stand out with their unrealistic features, and this one is not something different. Anyway I like them.

By the way, this is also one of the most watched video ads of 2011.

Coca-Cola—“Borders”: I love this ad not because I love coca-cola but because it is really one of the funniest Super Bowl commercials of this year. The message of the ad is that coke can unify us and bring peace. The message may sound unrealistic but I really like the kindness put in it.

Doritos—“Healing Power”: How much I do love Doritos funny video ads! Doritos not only have great taste but also can have a healing power to bring back your loved ones to life.

Pepsi MAX—“First Date”: This is really one of the killing Super Bowl commercials. It shows the inner monologues of a sex-frenzied man and a marriage-obsessed woman at their first date. The result is really something worth watching!

Bud Light—“Dog Sitter”: What would you do when you’re offered an apartment with a ton of Bud Light in the fridge, and a handful of smart dogs? Throw a party!

This is my list of top 5 funniest commercials of 2011. Have I forgotten your favorite ones? Suggest your own list of funny video ads via comments!

Many companies would like to acquire the sought-after movie rights of Steve Jobs biography, but Sony placed the winning bid.

The next question was who would become the screenplay writer?

In this case it seemed there could be no second choice—Aaron Sorkin. The talented screenwriter, who won an Oscar for the Best Adapted Screenplay for his Facebook flick “The Social Network”, confirmed that a biopic about late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs could be next.

“Sony has asked me to write the movie and it’s something I’m strongly considering,”—said Sorkin adding–”Right now I’m just in the thinking-about-it stages, it’s a really big movie and it’s going to be a great movie no matter who writes it.”

Previously Sorkin wrote such great movie screenplays, such as “Moneyball,” “The American President,” and “Charlie Wilson’s War.”

As for who might take on the role of Steve Jobs, there were two premier options: George Clooney and Noah Wyle. Noah has already played Steve Jobs back in 1999 in the movie “Pirates of Silicon Valley” and he might have become the logical choice but he didn’t.

George Clooney will play the primary role in the film of Steve Jobs biography. There is no doubt that Clooney is a great actor but the fact that he can translate Jobs’ right character makes me doubts.

Why?

• First, he has no physical resemblance of Steve Jobs.
• Second, the former sexiest man alive can hardly match the character of computer genius, especially if we read how Walter Isaacson’s describes Steve Jobs: “…splendidly mean, harsh, rude, cutting, biting and just plain nasty.”
• Third, George Clooney is 50 years old; I think 50-year-old man can hardly play 21-year-old Steve Jobs who founded Apple. This means there should be two different actors who will share the primary role. I think this is not the best decision made. I’d choose someone of middle age who could easily look younger or older due to makeup techniques.

If George Clooney is the final choice then I hope that he’ll act so well that I’ll really regret making these points.

I’m looking forward to the release of the film based on Steve Jobs biography in 2012 and I already feel myself to be a fan of it no matter who will play who.

You may wonder how! Is this really possible? I don’t like to walk with camera in my hands all day long.

Who said you should?

With Eyez 720p you can share your daily escapades in real time, across the web. Eyez 720p Eyeglasses houses a tiny camera to the left of the standard-size eyeglass lens, with a processor, Bluetooth and WiFi module set in the adjacent ear piece.

Watch the video to see how it works.

This is not the final version of Eyez 720p Eyeglasses: it is going to be thinner and with a better video quality.

Maybe Eyez 720p is not the first camera of this type, but I think this is going to be the first for public production. The price is quite affordable $199. The release date is not yet announced but I think we won’t wait too long.

Eyez 720p Eyeglasses may become a great tool for agents or journalists who need to capture everything. For others this can just bring more fun to their lives. For example sometimes I come across a really funny incident and when I try to tell that to my friends it loses all its excitement, but if I have a camera like Eyez 720p Eyeglasses I’ll be able to share my daily happiness with friends literally.

Watch the other video to see the test walk with Eyez 720p Eyeglasses and share your opinion with us. Do you find it’s cool to have such kind of gadgets or not?

The Grand Central Apple Store will offer two Genius Bars, largest in the world room designed for Personal Setup, where iPad, iPhone, iPod or Mac buyers will be able to configure their devices before going. There is also a special room for Personal Training, where beginner Mac users can learn the basics or take their skills to the next level. The 5^th New York Apple Store will provide a Personal Pickup feature, which allows iPhone users to shop for devices and accessories from wherever they are using a free Apple Store app, and then pick up their purchase when they reach the terminal.

The Grand Central Apple Store team consists of 315 passionate employees ready to serve the anticipated huge flow of customers.

As for the design, Apple just couldn’t afford its fingerprint futuristic design which is common for Apple Stores around the world, because Grand Central Terminal’s interior is a city landmark, so big changes would have required Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. This New York Apple Store combines modern furniture and exhibits, displaying those amazing design-conscious Apple devices, with Grand Central’s marble floors, high-arch ceilings, and beautiful orb-like chandeliers.

I personally don’t like the mix of traditional and modern design at Grand Central Apple Store; this looks neither like Apple, nor like Grand Central any more. But Apple has made a smart decision to give up a piece of its iconic design for the sake of anticipated huge profit. How do I know?

The company is going to pay 1.1 million annually only for the rent.

750,000 people pass through Grand Central every day!

The 5^th New York Apple Store is the biggest one in the world.

Now you know why!

As you remember the Grand Central Apple Store opens tomorrow at 10 a.m., so get yourself ready to judge this great thing yourself. But before you go, take a look at these exclusive shots of the store made just yesterday, when the store opened for press & media. You can also compare this New York Apple Store design to other Apple stores around the world through our gallery.

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The new planet called Kepler—22b is in the middle of the “habitable zone”, which is considered to be the ideal place for life, where water neither freezes nor boils.  The temperature on Kepler-22b is near 22 degrees Celsius/72 degrees Fahrenheit.

The new planet circles around a star which can be called the twin of Earth’s Sun and has almost the same distance. The planet’s year has 290-day-long, which is also close to that of Earth. The new planet is about 2.4 times radius of Earth.  With all these similarities we still don’t know what composition Kepler—22b has, whether it is rocky, gaseous or liquid.

Geoff Marcy of University of California, Berkeley, calls this discovery phenomenal: “This is a phenomenal discovery in the course of human history. This discovery shows that we Homo sapiens are straining our reach into the universe to find planets that remind us of home. We are almost there.”

The new planet was found using the Kepler telescope, which aims to find habitable planets. Previously they have also hinted at the existence of near-Earth-size planets in habitable zones but they proved to be elusive. Kepler-22b is more promising, but don’t hurry to get ready for a planet tour, it is 600 light years away from the Earth. 1 light year is the distance that light goes during a year.

Chief Kepler scientist William Borucki thinks that the new planet is somewhere between Earth and gas-and-liquid Neptune but has a lot of rocky material. So, let’s wait for more information that NASA will provide us and meanwhile consider Kepler—22b as a Christmas gift, as Borcuki says: “It’s a great gift, we consider this sort of our Christmas planet”. I’d add: “Only it came a little earlier.”

It’s true that a picture is worth 100 words and in this case it’s much easier to understand a function visualizing it in a graph than staring at a formula for hours without knowing what it’s really like. Now Google graphs give students an easy way out. You can zoom in and out of the graph exploring it in more detail.

You can also have up to 4 various single variable functions in one graph typing the functions into the search bar separating them with commas. “This feature covers an extensive range of single variable functions including trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic and their compositions, and is available in modern browsers,” says Google engineer Adi Avidor in official blog post.

Google graphs are not the only feature designed for math lovers; there’s also a calculator feature that allows users to type mathematical equations into the search bar and get the answer in a matter of a second regardless of the complexity of the equation. While schools and colleges may hate Google for this, but students enjoy it to the full!

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]]> http://www.coldscoop.com/2011/12/06/google-shows-some-love-for-math-lovers-via-google-graphs/feed/ 0 http://www.coldscoop.com/2011/12/05/new-google-search-app-for-ipad-who-is-more-disappointed/ http://www.coldscoop.com/2011/12/05/new-google-search-app-for-ipad-who-is-more-disappointed/#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:31:00 +0000 manager http://www.coldscoop.com/?p=1540 In late November Google launched its new Google search app for iPad. On the one hand the great features of new search app make Apple iPad more compatible (but think twice before believing in this, why Google would make such a big service to its competitor?), on the other hand this way Google tries to have privilege over Apple in the competitor’s own home.  In reality Google claims to come away with Apple’s default browser–Safari. I don’t know when Google will release Chrome for the iPad, but I’m sure that all these are done to make essential conditions for the successful release of Chrome for Apple iPad.

But let’s leave this apart and see what features are included in the new Google search app for iPad.

Now Google search app for iPad is

More interactive: Searching becomes faster and more interactive with Google Instant. As soon as you start searching Google displays results and you don’t even need to press the search button.

More visual: Viewing images are now more vivid. You can expand them or swipe through the carousel to see other similar images.

More sociable: You can easily recommend and share content with others on Google+.

 Easier: The Visual Search History feature Google search app for iPad allows you to swipe left and right through web pages and web sites you’ve visited.

But all these features will fade out in front of your eyes when I announce its brand new feature—voice search for iPad. You can speak your search text directly into the iPad’s microphone and it’ll bring results. It is something like iPhone’s Siri personal AI assistant, but only not that reliable. Siri supports natural language; while Google’s voice search supports only robotic commands.  Whatever, this is a great feature and needs some development.

Watch the video below to see how it works.

I still wonder why Google released voice search for iPad, while making it for android tablet would make it more compatible.

You can think whatever you want but I stick to believe that it is only Apple who knows how to market products. When Apple released iPhone 4S, there was a massive disappointment, everybody had been waiting for iPhone 5.  The device didn’t have much to set it apart from the iPhone 4 but it was sold successfully thanks to Siri: the same could be done with android tablet with Google’s voice search, but they didn’t, gaining the disappointment of those who bought android tablets.

Why?

I think Google puts more attention on the competition than on the needs of its users.

Now what do YOU think: Who is more disappointed?

But what if you could tag your friends with their nicknames, with a 10-word phrase or with just anything that comes to your mind? Thanks to a great Facebook tagging hack, discovered by a French blog and translated into English by Wise Metrics, now it is possible! Now you can poke fun of your friends tagging them with whatever words you wish! I am not quite sure whether this kind of Facebook tagging violates user privacy and dignity or not, but as long as it is available, why not play a few tricks?

Here’s how this Facebook tagging hack works:

Step 1. Paste this into your status/post @@[0:[NUMBER-ID:0:TEXT]].

Step 2. Go to your friend’s page and copy his/her ID number.

Step 3. Paste your friend’s ID number into the code as shown in the picture.

Step 4. Write whatever you want instead of TEXT.

Step 5. Publish and surprise your friends!

I personally think that this Facebook tagging hack will sooner or later be banned by Facebook, so give it a try as long as you can! As you remember from our earlier post, you can post status updates 63,206 characters long, so now you can write an entire blog post referring to your friends in your exclusive writing style!

Google plus claims to have no character limits for posts, though practically it stops working at 100,000 characters. Facebook status characters were initially limited to 160, slightly over 140-character tweets. In September 2011 Facebook status characters got a much looser limit; 5000 characters and today Facebook announces a huge sprint up to 63,206 characters.

Why exactly 63,206?

This question is what first came to my mind and I bet I’m not the only one. Facebook engineer Bob Baldwin’s comment  explains “I set the exact limit to something nerdy. Facebook … Face Boo K … hex(FACE) – K … 64206 – 1000 = 63206 ”

Is there any practical use?

Having a 63,206 limit of Facebook status characters may be referred to as an improvement for the ones who are using Facebook as a blogging platform via statuses or anything like that. But an average blogger would hardly ever write a blog post longer than 5,000 characters, let alone 63,206! However, it would be fun to try out and annoy your friends with longer-than-life statuses!

]]> http://www.coldscoop.com/2011/12/01/facebook-status-characters-are-getting-a-limit-of-only-63206/feed/ 0