Credit and Debit Cards Pros and Cons

DEBIT CARD A debit card (also known as a bank card or check card) is a plastic card that provides the cardholder electronic access to his or her bank account(s) at a financial institution. Some cards have a stored value with which a payment is made, while most relay a message to the cardholder's bank to withdraw funds from a payee's designated bank account. The card, where accepted, can be used instead ofcash when making purchases. In some cases, the primary account number is assigned exclusively for use on the Internet and there is no physical card.In many countries, the use of debit cards has become so widespread that their volume has overtaken or entirely replaced cheques and, in some instances, cash transactions. The development of debit cards, unlike credit cards and charge cards, has generally been country specific resulting in a number of different systems around the world, which were often incompatible. Since the mid 2000s, a number of initiatives have allowed debit cards iss ued in one country to be used in other countries and allowed their use for internet and phone purchases.Unlike credit and charge cards, payments using a debit card are immediately transferred from the cardholder's designated bank account, instead of them paying the money back at a later date. Debit cards usually also allow for instant withdrawal of cash, acting as the ATM card for withdrawing cash. Merchants may also offer cashback facilities to customers, where a customer can withdraw cash along with their purchase. ORIGIN The First National Bank of Seattle issued the first debit card to business executives with large savings accounts in 1978.These cards acted like a check signature or a guarantee card, where the bank promised the funds would cover the transaction without the customer needing a check to complete the transaction. The bank only issued debit cards to those customers who had a long history with the bank and were in good standing, because like a check, the funds were no t immediately removed from the account. In 1984, Landmark implemented the first nationwide debiting system, built on the credit card infrastructure and ATM networks already in place.By 1998, debit cards outnumbered check usage around the world. Its preference over checks continues to grow every year. HISTORY The history of debit cards is an interesting one. Debit cards helped to change the way that people used money and bank accounts. Debit cards are used to pay for purchases at stores and other locations around the world. A debit card works by debiting the money from your checking account. For many people debit cards have taken the place of cash and checks. However, debit cards are still a relatively new banking tool.Credit cards paved the way for debit cards. Many people used credit cards to pay for transactions. This also put in place the infrastructure that debit cards needed to be practical as a method of payment. Seattle's First National Bank offered the first debit card to bu siness executives in 1978. Initially they were like a check signature or guarantee card, with which the bank would guarantee that the fund would be paid, but you did not need a check to do the transaction. They also required a large savings account be kept at the bank to cover the funds.These cards were only issued to people who had a long and good standing with the bank, because the funds were not directly debited from the account. These types of cards generally come with the Visa or MasterCard symbol on them. In 1984 Landmark created the first nationwide debit system, using ATMs and other networks that allowed debit cards to be used nationwide. This allowed the smaller banking systems within states to connect with banks systems outside of states. As technology improved the debit cards moved to a system that was able to directly debit the money from a checking account.When this happened the debit cards became available to more and more consumers. These types of debit cards may have the Plus symbol or other similar symbols on them. However many banks will also use the Visa or MasterCard symbol for a direct debit card because they are accepted at so many different places around the country. In 1998 debit card transactions first outnumbered the use of checks around the world. This number has continued to grow over time. Debit cards are now commonly used for most transactions at stores in the United States. Debit cards are more convenient to use than a check.Debit cards speed up transactions at stores. Additionally debit cards are safer than carrying cash, because banks can stop fraudulent purchases and consumers are not held liable for purchases made when the card is stolen. Debit cards have made banking a much easier process for many people. In the future transactions will continue to move away from cash and check. Debit cards may be left behind as well as banks move to using one card that you can quickly scan at a variety of locations. This will speed up trans actions as well as virtually eliminate the need for cash in the future.Over time the history of debit cards may be one step to moving to a completely cashless system. FUNCTION Although debit cards look like credit cards, they do not function like credit cards. Debit cards connect to the available balance contained in the holder's checking account. If the funds are not available, the debit card cannot complete the transaction. Unlike a check, the money does not float until the bank completes the funds transfer. Rather, the funds transfer from the customer's account to the seller's account in real time, providing the seller with a guaranteed exchange for their goods for money.Debit cards with the logo of a major company imprinted on them, such as Visa or MasterCard, can function like a credit card where the transaction does â€Å"float† for two to three business days after the transaction, until the bank can transfer the funds TYPES Debit cards began as a convenient method to e xchange money for goods or services in the late 1970s and early 1980s, over writing checks. There are several types of debit card available. One type of debit card is a tangible card that resembles a credit card. Historicallly, banks and credit unions only have issued these cards.Retailers now issue prepaid debit cards in specific amounts, similar to gift cards, imprinted with Visa or MasterCard. These debit cards, unlike gift cards, can be used anywhere. There are also intangible debit cards that transfer money from your bank account to a seller's bank account, like an ATM card. Advantages of debit cards * A consumer who is not credit worthy and may find it difficult or impossible to obtain a credit card can more easily obtain a debit card, allowing him/her to make plastic transactions.For example, legislation often prevents minors from taking out debt, which includes the use of a credit card, but not online debit card transactions. Research has shown that consumers with lower cred it scores use debit cards more intensively than those with higher credit scores. * For most transactions, a check card can be used to avoid check writing altogether. Check cards debit funds from the user’s account on the spot, thereby finalizing the transaction at the time of purchase, and bypassing the requirement to pay a credit card bill at a later date, or to write an insecure check, containing the account holder’s personal information. Like credit cards, debit cards are accepted by merchants with less identification and scrutiny than personal checks, thereby making transactions quicker and less intrusive. Unlike personal checks, merchants generally do not believe that a payment via a debit card may be later dishonored. * Unlike a credit card, which charges higher fees and interest rates when a cash advance is obtained, a debit card may be used to obtain cash from an ATM or a PIN-based transaction at no extra charge, other than a foreign ATM fee.Disadvantages of de bit cards * Use of a debit card is not usually limited to the existing funds in the account to which it is linked, most banks allow a certain threshold over the available bank balance which can cause overdraft fees if the user's transaction does not reflect available balance. This disadvantage has lessened in the United States with the requirement that an issuer obtain opt-in permission in advance to allow an overdraft on a debit card. Lacking this opt-in, overdrafts are not permitted for electronic transactions. Many banks are now charging over-limit fees or non-sufficient funds fees based upon pre-authorizations, and even attempted but refused transactions by the merchant (some of which may be unknown until later discovery by account holder).* Many merchants mistakenly believe that amounts owed can be â€Å"taken† from a customer's account after a debit card (or number) has been presented, without agreement as to date, payee name, amount and currency, thus causing penalty f ees for overdrafts, over-the-limit, amounts not available causing further rejections or overdrafts, and rejected transactions by some banks. In some countries debit cards offer lower levels of security protection than credit cards. Theft of a user's PIN using skimming devices can be accomplished much easier with a PIN input than with a signature-based credit transaction.However, theft of users' PIN codes using skimming devices can be equally easily accomplished with a debit transaction PIN input, as with a credit transaction PIN input, and theft using a signature-based credit transaction is equally easy as theft using a signature-based debit transaction. In many places, laws protect the consumer from fraud much less than with a credit card. While the holder of a credit card is legally responsible for only a minimal amount of a fraudulent transaction made with a credit card, which is often waived by the bank, the consumer may be held liable for hundreds of dollars, or even the entire value of fraudulent debit transactions.Because debit cards allow funds to be immediately transferred from an account when making a purchase, the consumer also has a shorter time (usually just two days) to report such fraud to the bank in order to be eligible for such a waiver with a debit card and recover the lost funds, whereas with a credit card, this time may be up to 60 days, and the transactions are removed without losing any credit. A thief who obtains or clones a debit card along with its PIN may be able to clean out the consumer's bank account, and the consumer will have no recourse. CREDIT CARDSA credit card is a payment card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows the cardholder to pay for goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for them. The issuer of the card creates a revolving account and grants a line of credit to the consumer (or the user) from which the user can borrow money for payment to a merchant or as a cash advance to the user. A cre dit card is different from a charge card: a charge card requires the balance to be paid in full each month. In contrast, credit cards allow the consumers a continuing balance of debt, subject to interest being charged.A credit card also differs from a cash card, which can be used like currency by the owner of the card. A credit card differs from a charge card also in that a credit card typically involves a third-party entity that pays the seller and is reimbursed by the buyer, whereas a charge card simply defers payment by the buyer until a later date. HISTORY The concept of using a card for purchases was described in 1887 by Edward Bellamy in his utopian novel Looking Backward. Bellamy used the term credit card eleven times in this novel, although this referred to a card for spending a citizen's dividend rather than borrowing.The modern credit card was the successor of a variety of merchant credit schemes. It was first used in the 1920s, in the United States, specifically to sell f uel to a growing number ofautomobile owners. In 1938 several companies started to accept each other's cards. Western Union had begun issuing charge cards to its frequent customers in 1921. Some charge cards were printed on paper card stock, but were easily counterfeited. The Charga-Plate, developed in 1928, was an early predecessor to the credit card and used in the U. S. from the 1930s to the late 1950s.It was a 2 ½ in Ãâ€" 1 ¼ in rectangle of sheet metal related to Addressograph and military dog tag systems. It was embossed with the customer's name, city and state. It held a small paper card for a signature. In recording a purchase, the plate was laid into a recess in the imprinter, with a paper â€Å"charge slip† positioned on top of it. The record of the transaction included an impression of the embossed information, made by the imprinter pressing an inked ribbon against the charge slip. Charga-Plate was a trademark of Farrington Manufacturing Co.Charga-Plates were i ssued by large-scale merchants to their regular customers, much like department store credit cards of today. In some cases, the plates were kept in the issuing store rather than held by customers. When an authorized user made a purchase, a clerk retrieved the plate from the store's files and then processed the purchase. Charga-Plates speeded back-office bookkeeping that was done manually in paper ledgers in each store, before computers. In 1934, American Airlines and the Air Transport Association simplified the process even more with the advent of the Air Travel Card.They created a numbering scheme that identified the issuer of card as well as the customer account. This is the reason the modern UATP cards still start with the number 1. With an Air Travel Card, passengers could â€Å"buy now, and pay later† for a ticket against their credit and receive a fifteen percent discount at any of the accepting airlines. By the 1940s, all of the major domestic airlines offered Air Trav el Cards that could be used on 17 different airlines. By 1941 about half of the airlines' revenues came through the Air Travel Card agreement.The airlines had also started offering installment plans to lure new travelers into the air. In October 1948, the Air Travel Card became the first inter-nationally valid charge card within all members of the International Air Transport Association. The concept of customers paying different merchants using the same card was expanded in 1950 by Ralph Schneider and Frank McNamara, founders of Diners Club, to consolidate multiple cards. The Diners Club, which was created partially through a merger with Dine and Sign, produced the first â€Å"general purpose† charge card, and required the entire bill to be paid with each statement.That was followed by Carte Blanche and in 1958 by American Express which created a worldwide credit card network (although these were initially charge cards that acquired credit card features after BankAmericard de monstrated the feasibility of the concept). However, until 1958, no one had been able to create a working revolving credit financial instrument issued by a third-party bank that was generally accepted by a large number of merchants (as opposed to merchant-issued revolving cards accepted by only a few merchants). A dozen experiments by small American banks had been attempted (and had failed).In September 1958, Bank of America launched the BankAmericard in Fresno, California. BankAmericard became the first successful recognizably modern credit card (although it underwent a troubled gestation during which its creator resigned), and with its overseas affiliates, eventually evolved into the Visa system. In 1966, the ancestor of MasterCard was born when a group of banks established Master Charge to compete with BankAmericard; it received a significant boost when Citibank merged its proprietary Everything Card (launched in 1967) into Master Charge in 1969. Early credit cards in the U.S. , of which BankAmericard was the most prominent example, were mass produced and mass mailed unsolicited to bank customers who were thought to be good credit risks. But, â€Å"They have been mailed off to unemployables, drunks, narcotics addicts and to compulsive debtors, a process President Johnson's Special Assistant Betty Furness found very like ‘giving sugar to diabetics'. â€Å"[8] These mass mailings were known as â€Å"drops† in banking terminology, and were outlawed in 1970 due to the financial chaos they caused, but not before 100 million credit cards had been dropped into the U.S. population. After 1970, only credit card applications could be sent unsolicited in mass mailings. The fractured nature of the U. S. banking system under the Glass–Steagall Act meant that credit cards became an effective way for those who were traveling around the country to move their credit to places where they could not directly use their banking facilities. In 1966 Barclayca rd in the UK launched the first credit card outside of the U. S.There are now countless variations on the basic concept of revolving credit for individuals (as issued by banks and honored by a network of financial institutions), including organization-branded credit cards, corporate-user credit cards, store cards and so on. Although credit cards reached very high adoption levels in the US, Canada and the UK in the mid twentieth century, many cultures were more cash-oriented, or developed alternative forms of cash-less payments, such as Carte bleue or the Eurocard (Germany, France, Switzerland, and others).In these places, adoption of credit cards was initially much slower. It took until the 1990s to reach anything like the percentage market-penetration levels achieved in the US, Canada, or UK. In some countries, acceptance still remains poor as the use of a credit card system depends on the banking system being perceived as reliable. Japan remains a very cash oriented society, with credit card adoption being limited to only the largest of merchants, although an alternative system based on RFIDs inside cellphones has seen some acceptance.Because of strict regulations regarding banking system overdrafts, some countries, France in particular, were much faster to develop and adopt chip-based credit cards which are now seen as major anti-fraud credit devices. Debit cards and online banking are used more widely than credit cards in some countries. The design of the credit card itself has become a major selling point in recent years. The value of the card to the issuer is often related to the customer's usage of the card, or to the customer's financial worth.This has led to the rise of Co-Brand and Affinity cards, where the card design is related to the â€Å"affinity† (a university or professional society, for example) leading to higher card usage. In most cases a percentage of the value of the card is returned to the affinity group. Advantages of credit card s * Purchase Power and Ease of Purchase – Credit cards can make it easier to buy things. If we don't like to carry large amounts of cash with us or if a company doesn't accept cash purchases (for example most airlines, hotels, and car rental agencies), putting purchases on a credit card can make buying things easier. Protection of Purchases – Credit cards may also offer you additional protection if something we have bought is lost, damaged, or stolen.Both our credit card statement (and the credit card company) can vouch for the fact that we have made a purchase if the original receipt is lost or stolen. In addition, some credit card companies offer insurance on large purchases. * Building a Credit Line – Having a good credit history is often important, not only when applying for credit cards, but also when applying for things such as loans, rental applications, or even some jobs.Having a credit card and using it wisely (making payments on time and in full each m onth) will help us build a good credit history. * Emergencies – Credit cards can also be useful in times of emergency. While we should avoid spending outside our budget (or money we don't have! ), sometimes emergencies (such as our car breaking down or flood or fire) may lead to a large purchase (like the need for a rental car or a motel room for several nights. * Credit Card Benefits – In addition to the benefits listed above, some credit cards offer additional benefits, such as discounts from particular stores or companies, bonuses such as free airline miles or travel discounts, and special insurances (like travel or life insurance. ) While most of these benefits are meant to encourage us to charge more money on our credit card (remember, credit card companies start making their money when we can't afford to pay off our charges! ) the benefits are real and can be helpful as long as we remember your spending limits.Disadvantages of credit cards * Blowing Your Budget à ¢â‚¬â€ The biggest disadvantage of credit cards is that they encourage people to spend money that they don't have. Most credit cards do not require us to pay off our balance each month, so even if we only have $100, we may be able to spend up to $500 or $1,000 on our credit card. While this may seem like ‘free money' at the time, we will have to pay it off — and the longer we wait, the more money we will owe since credit card companies charge us interest each month on the money we have borrowed.High Interest Rates and Increased Debt — Credit card companies charge us an enormous amount of interest on each balance that we don't pay off at the end of each month. This is how they make their money and this is how most people in the United States get into debt (and even bankruptcy. ) Consider this: If we have a $100 in savings, most banks will give us at the most 2. 0 to 2. 5% interest on our money over the course of the year. This means we earn $2. 00 – $2. 50 a year on our $100 savings. Most credit cards charge us up to 10 times that amount of interest on balances.This means that if we have $100 balance that we don't pay off, we will be charged 20-25% interest on that $100. This means that we owe almost $30 interest (plus the original $100) at the end of the year. A good way to look at this is in comparison to what we would earn in interest from a bank or owe in interest to a bank loan: Savings accounts may pay us around 2% interest; if we have a loan from a bank we may pay them around 10% interest (5 times as much as our earn off our savings); if we owe money to a credit card company, we may pay them around 20% interest (10 times as much as you earn off our savings.* Credit Card Fraud – Like cash, sometimes credit cards can be stolen. They may be physically stolen (if we lose our wallet) or someone may steal your credit card number (from a receipt, over the phone, or from a Web site) and use our card to rack up debts. The good n ews is that, unlike cash, if we realize our credit card or number has been stolen and we report it to our credit card company immediately, we will not be charged for any purchases that someone else has made.Even if we don't realize our credit card number has been stolen (sometimes we might not know until we receive our monthly statement), most credit card companies don't charge us or only charge a small fee, like $25 or $50, even if the thief has charged thousands of dollars to our card. There are several things we can do to prevent credit card fraud: * If we lose our card or wallet, report it to ur credit card company immediately. * Don't loan our credit card to anyone and only give out our credit card information to trusted companies or Web sites. * Check our statement closely at the end of each month to make sure all charges are ours. we can find out more about protecting our personal information by visiting our Personal Safety course.Credit cards can make life easier and be a gr eat tool, but if they aren't used wisely they can become a huge financial burden. If we decide to use credit cards, remember these simple rules: * Keep track of all our purchases. * Don't spend outside our budget. * Pay off our balance on all of our credit cards at the end of each month. * Don't loan our credit or give out our credit card information to anyone but reliable companies. TYPES OF CREDIT CARDS Credit cards have come to the rescue of people with hot pockets.They, nowadays, put their trust in the innovation of credit cards where they need not carry large sums of money with them; instead simply carry a credit card which is linked up with their bank account enabling them to make payments without batting an eye. It is a trend, now, to make payments at a hotel, restaurant or a departmental store/ mall using a credit card. Because of the fear of one's bank account details being swiped and stolen, more and more credit cards are made secure so that even if a credit card is stolen , the money in one's bank account stays safe.Credit cards now are of various types with different fees, interest rates and rewarding programs. When applying for a credit card, it is important to learn of their diverse types to know the one best suited to their lifestyle and financial status. Different types of credit cards available by banks and other companies/organizations are briefly described below. Standard Credit Card: This is the most commonly used. One is allowed to use money up to a certain limit. The account holder has to top up the amount once the level of the balance goes down. An outstanding balance gets a penalty charge.Premium Credit Card: This has a much higher bank account and fees. Incentives are offered in this over and above that in a standard card. Credit card holders are offered travel incentives, reward points, cask back and other rewards on the use of this card. This is also called the Reward Credit Card. Some examples are: airlines frequent flier credit card , cash back credit card, automobile manufacturers' rewards credit card. Platinum and Gold, MasterCard and Visa card fall into this category. Secured Credit Card: People without credit history or with tarnished credit can avail this card.A security deposit is required amounting to the same as the credit limit. Revolving balance is required according to the ‘buying and selling' done. Limited Purpose Credit Card: There is limitation to its use and is to be used only for particular applications. This is used for establishing small credits such as gas credits and credit at departmental stores. Minimal charges are levied. Charge Credit Card: This requires the card holder to make full payment of the balance every month and therefore there is no limit to credit.Because of the spending flexibility, the card holder is expected to have a higher income level and high credit score. Penalty is incurred if full payment of the balance is not done in time. Specialty Credit Card: is used for bu siness purposes enabling businessmen to keep their businesses transactions separately in a convenient way. Charge cards and standard cards are available for this. Also, students enrolled in an accredited 4-year college/university course can avail this benefit. Prepaid Credit Card: Here, money is loaded by the card holder on to the card. It is like a debit card except that it is not tied up with a bank account.

Mothers Without Men, Donor Insemination

I think it's very wrong and exposing that the child doesn't has the opportunity at all to get the child-father relationship which Is very important In life. Caroline Webb actually makes the decision on purpose that the child will have a missing whole in the childhood and trough the raising. That is disturbing. It concludes that she values her needs and ego higher than the baby. Besides, when parents choose to leave their family, it's often not a quite easy situation concerning economics, surplus, safety and mental/social balance.Although it's common It's tough and not very healthy to the family. A single parent could easy suffer under some of the same conditions for example economical problems, while there normally only is one income. I could imagine it also would be ruff to raise a child all by yourself, without a partner to guide or help you. On the other side the parent/Caroline Webb wants the baby really bad, compared to some relationship where the baby happens to be an ;accident . † I could therefore imagine the mother would be more carrying and supportive to the baby, simply because the child is more wanted.Of course It's also Important that the potential parent has the financial and psychic qualities that require raising a child, which Caroline claims to has when her position is Hospital Chef. Caroline Webb also sticks to the fact that â€Å"there'd be no upset in the home and my child would benefit from my happiness. † She's saying that about the comparing to runaway parents. She hasn't thought the situation trough at all. She doesn't mention all the problems and questions the child will be filled up with trough solicitation, when she's minor and through the teenage. The child will soon figure out that everybody except her have two parents.That issue could fast develop to a major problem and maybe hating to Caroline from her daughter. Maybe her happiness and love can't solve all problems although she really wants it to. In the end it's all a bout ethics and morale. It's very different what individuals attitude to this problem are, depending on what kind of personality and opinions you have. Mothers Without Men, Donor Insemination By rollback Men†Amanda Riley-Jones I don't think that donor insemination should be available as soonest has the opportunity at all to get the child-father relationship which is very important in life.Caroline Webb actually makes the decision on purpose that the it's common it's tough and not very healthy to the family. A single parent could easy some relationship where the baby happens to be an â€Å"accident. † I could therefore because the child is more wanted. Of course it's also important that the potential thought the situation trough at all. She doesn't mention all the problems and through the teenage. The child will soon figure out that everybody except her have

Multimedia Design †iOS vs. Android Essay

iOS ‘i’ stands for ‘Internet’. The term â€Å"iOS† was originally known as â€Å"iPhone OS† and was introduced in 2007 along with the first iPhone hardware device Apple released. It was the term used to describe the software that would operate the iPhone and is derived from the term â€Å"OS X†, which is how Apple describes its â€Å"operating system† for its Macintosh computers. The â€Å"X† stands for 10 which is the newest version of the computer software Apple created to operate the desktop and laptop computers they design. The â€Å"iOS† platform is a mobile-device-based software system that works like a computer system, but on mobile devices like portable phones. It is designed to be smaller, faster and use less power. It also has a â€Å"touch† friendly user interface so it works better when a finger is used to interface with the system instead of a mouse or stylus that has been used in the past to interact with operating systems. The iPhone has run on iOS si nce its release in 2007. Designed for use with Apple’s multi-touch devices, iOS supports input through direct manipulation. The system responds to various user gestures, such as pinching, tapping and swiping. Other iOS features include: Integrated search support enables simultaneous search through files, media, applications and email. Gesture recognition supports, for example, shaking the device to undo the most recent action. Google Maps direction services. Push email. Safari mobile browser. Integrated camera and video. Integrated media player. Direct access to the Apple Store’s catalogue of applications, music, podcasts, television shows and movies. Compatibility with Apple’s cloud service, iCloud. History 2007: iPhone OS 1 Revealed alongside the original iPhone in January 2007, the first Apple  smartphone operating system was not given a specific name until the following March, with the launch of the first Software Development Kit beta., when it became known as iPhone OS. The first iPhone could not support 3G, the copy and paste function, email attachments or MMS – and couldn’t run third party apps. Further updates included the introduction of the iTunes Music Store, allowing users to purchase music directly onto their phones (through a Wi-Fi connection) for the first time, and the ability to create their own ringtones. 2008: iPhone OS 2 Coinciding with the launch of the iPhone 3G, the second major update to the operating system saw the launch of the App Store, leading to the introduction of third party apps and games. Full support for Microsoft Exchange and the option to wipe your phone in the event of failing to enter your passcode were other new features, the latter being added in a subsequent update. Google Street View was enabled with the 2.2 update, featuring walking, driving and public transport options. 2009: iPhone OS 3 With the third incarnation for the new 3GS handset, the cut, copy and paste function finally became commonplace, alongside the long-awaited push notifications for third party apps. Video recording, MMS (multimedia messaging service) and voice control were also added, and users were given the chance to purchase films, TV shows and audiobooks through iTunes. Spotlight search enabled more comprehensive search through email, contacts, calendar, notes and within music, and the new voice memo function facilitated the recording and storing of audio notes. Purchasing within apps was also introduced, but only within paid-for apps. The 3.2 version contained a raft of improvements designed for use with the newly released iPad. While not supporting general multitasking, it was made to accommodate the differing resolution of a larger screen than the iPhone, as well as revamping apps specifically for the new platform. 2010: iOS 4 Introduced on June 21 2010, iOS 4 was the first operating system to bear the iOS name, released on the new flagship iPhone 4. Its folder system accommodated the storing of up to 12 similar apps within one mother folder,  while multitasking allowed apps to run simultaneously, such as writing an email while listening to Spotify, and navigation apps continuing to track your location in the background. iBooks, Apple’s ebook-reading software, and its parent iBookstore was introduced, and the improved 5MP iPhone 4 camera was complemented by ‘tap to focus’ software and 5x digital zoom. The device’s new front-facing camera also facilitated video calling feature FaceTime. 2011: iOS 5 2011 saw the launch of the iPhone 4S and with it, iOS 5. The main new feature was Siri, Apple’s voice-activated virtual assistant that had previously been downloadable from the App Store as a third party app. Now integrated into the OS, Siri now communicated with other apps to make calls, check emails and transcribe text. Containing more than 200 new features, iOS 5 heralded the arrival of iOS user messaging system iMessage, Twitter integration across a range of apps and online storage facility iCloud, replacing previous system MobileMe. 2012: iOS 6 Tim Cook took to the stage at Apple’s 2012 WorldWide Developers’ Conference shocked fans by announcing that Google Maps would not feature in latest incarnation iOS 6, and would be replaced by the company’s own inbuilt Maps app. Siri also received a makeover, featuring restaurant recommendations, the ability to dictate tweets or Facebook statuses and film reviews. A year after Twitter integration into Apple’s native apps, Facebook was added to the fold, and Apple launched its answer to Google Wallet, Passbook, will collated tickets, boarding passes and coupons within the single app. 2013: iOS 7 iOS 7 marked a radical aesthetic departure for Apple, masterminded by Sir Jony Ive, and debuted on the twin release of the iPhones 5s and 5c. The new ‘flattened’ and pared-back user interface drew praise and criticism in equal measures. The single-swipe control centre feature allowed users to quickly access key settings such as WiFi, Airplane mode, Bluetooth and the newly-introduced torch without having to delve into the Settings menu. Siri was upgraded to both male and female voices, and redesigned to understand French and German. Other changes included a new camera interface with a  square photo mode, full multitasking for all apps and new wallpapers. 2014: iOS 8 Announced at the 2014 WWDC conference in June, iOS 8 will feature new frameworks HealthKit and HomeKit, integrating apps to track health data and the standardisation of controlling internet-enabled home appliances. It is expected to ship on the iPhone 6, which Apple is believed to be preparing to announce at next week’s ‘special event’ in San Francisco. Other new features include being able to sent audio and video messages by holding down a record button while inside the Messages app, new predictive typing feature QuickType and the new and improved file hosting service iCloud Drive. Features With an easy-to-use interface, amazing features and security at its core, iOS 8 is the foundation of iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It’s designed to look beautiful and work beautifully, so even the simplest tasks are more engaging. And because iOS 8 is engineered to take full advantage of the advanced technologies built into Apple hardware, your devices are always years ahead — from day one to day whenever. Elegant and intuitive interface From the moment you pick up iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, you know how to use it. That’s because iOS was designed to be easy to understand. The simple-yet-beautiful Home screen invites you to discover each of the built-in apps. So straight away, you’re browsing your favourite websites, capturing a few candids or texting your friends. And no matter what you’re doing or what app you’re using, everything feels easy, intuitive and even fun. Built-in features and apps that make your device — and you — more capable iOS and an ever-expanding collection of features and built-in apps make iPhone, iPad and iPod touch even more powerful, innovative and a joy to use. 1. Photos – Every photo you take is ready to edit and share in seconds, straight from your iOS device. And you can search for your favourite photos by time, location and album, or browse by Collections and Moments — smart groupings of your photos and videos based on time and plac e. 2. Messages – Messages lets you send any kind of message, any way you want to send it. Tap to add your voice to a conversation. Send a video of what you’re seeing the  moment you’re seeing it. And now you can manage your group conversations by naming them, adding and removing contacts, muting them or leaving them altogether. 3. Music – When it comes to your music, this is home base. Create playlists for every mood. Or let Genius do it for you. 4. Maps – Apple-designed from the ground up (and the sky down), this built-in app shows you incredible detail — even at full zoom. Maps keeps street names where they belong and keeps you heading in the right direction with spoken turn-by-turn navigation. 5. Face Time – With a tap, you can make video calls or audio-only calls from your iPhone or iPad to someone else’s. And you can do it over Wi-Fi or cellular networks. So you can be there, even when you’re not there. 6. Safari – It’s the world’s most popular mobile browser. Safari puts the focus where it should be: the web. When you open a web page, the address and navigation bars move out of the way until you need them. B ookmarks are easy to add and edit, and features like Reading List, Shared Links and iCloud Tabs let you get to the content you need when you need it. 7. AirDrop – Sharing with AirDrop is faster and more convenient than an email or a text, especially when the person you want to share with isn’t in your Contacts. Just tap to send photos, videos, contacts — and anything else from any app with a Share button — to anyone nearby who’s also running iOS 8 or OS X Yosemite. 8. Health – Now your activity tracker, heart rate monitor, and other health and fitness apps can talk to each other. Which means they’ll be able to work even harder for you. And all the information is accessible in one easy-to-read dashboard. 9. AirPlay – AirPlay lets you wirelessly stream what’s on your iOS device to your HDTV and speakers via Apple TV. Or mirror exactly what’s on your display to the big screen. Holiday photos, blockbusters, the latest games — you choose how to go large. Hardware and software made for each other. Because Apple makes both the hardware and the operating system for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, everything is designed to work together. So apps take full advantage of hardware features such as the dual-core processor, accelerated graphics, wireless antennas and more. Multitasking is a perfect example. iOS learns when you like to use your apps and updates the content in them at power-efficient times, like when your device is already in use and connected to Wi-Fi. So the content in your favourite apps stays up to  date without a major drain on your battery. With the App Store, there’s almost no limit to what your iOS device can do. iOS is the platform for well over a million mobile apps — and counting. And every app starts with the right DNA. So we’ve made iOS 8 the biggest release for developers since the introduction of the App Store. It offers new APIs to enable even more amazing features and bold new technologies for game development. And the App Store makes all of these apps easy to access, easy to search and easy to buy using the same account you use for iTunes. Just browse the App Store on your iOS device and download them with a tap. iCloud. Everything you need. Anywhere you need it. iCloud makes sure all your devices always have the latest versions of your most important things, including documents, apps, contacts, calendar events and more. iCloud Drive lets you access all your files from any device. With Family Sharing, all your photos, videos, music and iTunes purchases can be shared easily with your family across multiple Apple devices. Find My iPhone helps you locate your lost iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac. And iCloud Keychain securely remembers your user names, passwords and credit card information so you don’t have to. Easy to update. iOS updates are free. And they’re available to download wirelessly on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch the moment they’re released. Your device even alerts you when it’s time to get the latest version. So you won’t miss out on all the amazing features in new updates. Safety and security come standard. iOS provides built-in security from the moment you turn on your device. That’s because the hardware, firmware and operating system come with built-in features designed to help your device — and what you put on it — stay safe. 1. Security. Malware and viruses aren’t confined to desktops anymore. They can infect mobile devices too. Which is why Apple takes security seriously when it comes to iOS. For starters, hardware and firmware features are designed to protect against malware and viruses, while iOS features help to secure your  personal information. Touch ID lets you use your fingerprint as a passcode, preventing unauthorised access to your device. When you use a passcode, it automatically encrypts and protects your email, calendar events, contacts, reminders, notes, messages and third-party apps. 2. Privacy. iOS is designed to put your privacy first. If an app wants your location information or data from Calendar, Contacts, Reminders or Photos, it needs your permission first. And you have complete control of how Health and HealthKit use your data. Your conversations over iMessage and FaceTime are encrypted, including predictive text. So no-one but you and the person you’re talking to can see or read what’s being said. And features built into Safari give you the ability to browse privately, block cookies and prevent websites from tracking you. 3. Find My iPhone Activation Lock. Your iPhone is your iPhone, no matter where it is. The same goes for your iPad and iPod touch. Because security features in iOS make it very difficult for anyone who’s not you to use or sell your device. Turning off Find My iPhone or erasing your device requires your Apple ID and password. Find My iPhone can also continue to display a customised message, even after your device is erased. And your Apple ID and password are required before anyone can reactivate it. 4. iCloud Keychain. Most of the websites you visit nowadays require user names and passwords. Remembering them all can be tough, but you can let iCloud Keychain do it for you. It stores your website user names and passwords on the devices you’ve approved, protects them with robust 256-bit AES encryption and keeps them up to date on each device. Then it automatically fills them in whenever and wherever you need them. Password Generator can even suggest unique, hard-to-guess passwords for your online accounts. iCloud Keychain works with credit card information too, so checking out takes no time at all. Accessibility built in. iOS includes a variety of accessibility features that help people with disabilities experience more of what iPhone, iPad and iPod touch have to  offer. The built-in VoiceOver screen reader allows those who are blind or have low vision to hear a description of the item they’re touching on the screen. Made for iPhone Hearing Aids are Bluetooth devices that allow you to experience clearer phone conversations and music, and you can manage them directly from your iOS device. With Guided Access, you can restrict an iOS device to one app, and even limit the amount of time spent in an app. Which can be helpful to people with autism or other attention and sensory challenges. And Switch Control gives individuals with limited physical or motor skills complete control of their device through switch access. iOS also offers many other beneficial accessibility features, such as dynamic screen magnification, playback of closed-captioned video, mono audio, simplified screen gestures and more . iOS knows many languages. iPhone, iPad and iPod touch support keyboard and dictionary functions for multiple languages and dialects. Switch languages on the fly.  iOS lets you take your pick of over 35 system languages and easily switch between them. Because the keyboard is software-based, you can select from over 55 different layouts with support for diacritic marks on characters, and contextual character options for Japanese. VoiceOver reads screens in more than 35 languages, and Voice Control understands over 20 languages. Advantages 1. Camera – Camera Shoot in burst mode, only click on capture and then press volume button You can take Picture continuously. 2. Multitasking – The phone has multitasking features. User can running two or more Apps at a same time. 3. Airdrop – You can do sharing of document and Apps with the desktop by Wi-Fi. You can share document at a time with multiple people. 4. iBeacon – iBeacon facility is newly added in iOS7. The sharing of document and Apps by the sensor via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). 5. Automatic Update – The iOS 7 update regularly with their application. It also has manually update options. 6. High Speed – The iOS 7 has provide high speed to idevises . 7. Kids Categories – The iOS 7 has children and parents according applications. The new features has a new part of the App Store. 8. Automatic Backgrounds Refresh – In iOS 7 Background refresh regularly get refresh. And it refresh its All application. 9. Out of the way interfaces – User can make interface  with friends by different ways. 10. Delete Clutter – iOS 7 has delete Clutter and textures automatic. By this facility iOS 7 is safe with any Malware. Android Introducing Android. The world’s most powerful mobile platform. There’s no other software quite like Android. Google engineered Android, and Google’s own apps run best on it. And with millions of apps, games, songs, and videos on Google Play, Android is great for fun, and for getting things done. Android devices come in all kinds of sizes, with all sorts of features, and at all sorts of prices. Each version of Android is named after a dessert, and the most recent version of Android is Jelly Bean. With Android, you’re in control of your mobile experience. Android powers hundreds of millions of mobile devices in more than 190 countries around the world. It’s the largest installed base of any mobile platform and growing fast—every day another million users power up their Android devices for the first time and start looking for apps, games, and other digital content. Android gives you a world-class platform for creating apps and games for Android users everywhere, as well as an open marketplace for distributing to them instantly. History V1.0- Marked the first commercial release of Android. At this time it was not widely available but had many new features that were important and still used today. These included Android Market for application upates and for new Applications Web Browser for full XTML/HTML web browsing. Google Apps full set of app by Google(Mail,SMS,Maps etc.) V1.1- This was a update to 1.0 that had many bug fixes and added a few features such as a Maps update. It was only available for ther T-Mobile G1. V1.5 or Cupcake was released in April 2009. It had several new approvements. Among the new features were Widgets for embedded small apps Contacts improvements including the pictures added to ever contact Animations for smooth scrolling and screen changes Bluetooth support update for audio pairing and sharing V1.6 or Donut was released in September of 2009 and had many improvements Voice and Text Improvements Touch Screen improvements Multi select for photos Camera access improvements and faster access Search Option for faster access V2.0/2.0.1/2.1 or Eclair was released in Oct 2009 and had several improvements and looks remarkably similar to today’s Android versions. Bluetooth 2.1 support Hardware and U.I. improvements Calendar improvements for date and not settings Account Sync improvements allow user to sync cultivable account on one phone Multi Touch improvements to allow better multitouch support Screen size and contrast improvements. Include bigger screens and better contrast ratios Android 2.2/2.2.1/2.2.2/2.2.3 or Frozen Yogurt (Froyo) was released May of 2010 and improved on many features. There were many key features in this version of Android including Adobe Flash support for rich web content Speed and memory improvements Cloud messaging support USB tethering Multi Language support Bluetooth dock and car support WiFi hotspots support JIT Compilation for application speed improvements 2.3/2.3./2.3.3./2.3.4 or Gingerbread was released in December of 2010 and as of the time of this writing has become the most widely used Android version. Some of the new features included U.I. or Interface improvements gave it a more simple but quicker interface Virtual Keyboard updated and improved for  a better and faster layout. copy/paste enhancements where a user could just press and hold New Codec support for more audio/video formats Power Management enhancements gyroscope/barometers support input enhancements for game developers V 3.0/3.1/3.2 or Honeycomb was released in Feb of 2011 and was a tablet(and later Google TV) only release. Some of its features included Holographic interface that was optimized for a tablet U.I. Improved keyboard support for larger screens Multi Core processor support Hardware acceleration for faster hardware view gallery in full screen interface System bar for better multitasking that allows you to switch from one app to another. Resizable home screen widgets(3.1+) external keyboard/mouse support (3.1+) FLAC audio codec support (3.1+) Android 4.0/4.01 was first released in Oct 2011 and was a major improvment upon both 2.x and 3.x. It blended both interfaces and had full support for both phones and tablets. Some of the notable features included Folder system improvements making easier to create. Launcher improved to be customizable Tabbed Browsing improved to allow up to 16 tabs facial recognition support to locking/unlocking phone photo editor built in to Android 4.x Android Beam support to share contacts and files Chrome Bookmark sync support Wi-Fi direct support to connect with other users without access point User Interface hardware acceleration for faster access. Android 4.1 Android Jellybean saw full release in early 2012 and improved on Android 4.0 in many ways. It took the common features of Android 4.0 and made it more fluid. Some features include: Browser has improved performance, CPU and memory efficiency Full HTML 5 support to bring Android up to new web standards Calendar is improved and has features blend with one another bidirectional text means more input languages to make the platform accessible to more people around the world. dictionaries are now more accurate and more relevant A update to Android 4.1 is now available. It is still counted as Jellybean but updated to new features that include: Photo Sphere allows you to use take 360 degree pictures among other new camara features Gesture Typing let’s you type much faster but takes some getting used to but can make typing much faster. Google Now updated with new features Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie rumored to be the next version of Android. Global partnerships and large installed base Building on the contributions of the open-source Linux community and more than 300 hardware, software, and carrier partners, Android has rapidly become the fastest-growing mobile OS. Every day more than 1 million new Android devices are activated worldwide. Android’s openness has made it a favorite for consumers and developers alike, driving strong growth in app consumption. Android users download more than 1.5 billion apps and games from Google Play each month. With its partners, Android is continuously pushing the boundaries of hardware and software forward to bring new capabilities to users and developers. For developers, Android innovation lets you build powerful, differentiated applications that use the latest mobile technologies. Powerful development framework Easily optimize a single binary for phones, tablets, and other devices. Android gives you everything you need to build best-in-class app experiences. It gives you a single application model that lets you deploy your apps broadly to hundreds of millions of users across a wide range of devices—from phones to tablets and beyond. Android also gives you tools for creating apps that look great and take advantage of the hardware capabilities available on each device. It automatically adapts your UI to  look its best on each device, while giving you as much control as you want over your UI on different device types. For example, you can create a single app binary that’s optimized for both phone and tablet form factors. You declare your UI in lightweight sets of XML resources, one set for parts of the UI that are common to all form factors and other sets for optimzations specific to phones or tablets. At runtime, Android applies the correct resource sets based on its screen size, density, locale, and so on. To help you develop efficiently, the Android Developer Tools offer a full Java IDE with advanced features for developing, debugging, and packaging Android apps. Using the IDE, you can develop on any available Android device or create virtual devices that emulate any hardware configuration. Open marketplace for distributing your apps Google Play is the premier marketplace for selling and distributing Android apps. When you publish an app on Google Play, you reach the huge installed base of Android. As an open marketplace, Google Play puts you in control of how you sell your products. You can publish whenever you want, as often as you want, and to the customers you want. You can distribute broadly to all markets and devices or focus on specific segments, devices, or ranges of hardware capabilities. You can monetize in the way that works best for your business—priced or free, with in-app products or subscriptions—for highest engagement and revenues. You also have complete control of the pricing for your apps and in-app products and can set or change prices in any supported currency at any time. Beyond growing your customer base, Google Play helps you build visibility and engagement across your apps and brand. As your apps rise in popularity, Google Play gives them higher placement in weekly â€Å"top† charts and rankings, and for the best apps promotional slots in curated collections. Preinstalled on hundreds of millions of Android devices around the world, Google Play can be a growth engine for your business. Features Take Google with you. Take Google with you on your mobile device: all the Google products you know and love, designed to work best on Android phones and tablets. Search the web The fastest, easiest way to find what you need on the web and your phone or tablet. Enjoy the power of Google search wherever you are. With Google Now, get just the right information at just the right time. Browse fast on your Android phone or tablet with Chrome. Bring your personalized Chrome experience with you anywhere you go. Navigate your World Never get lost as you go to new places and old favorites. Get voice-guided turn-by-turn GPS navigation to your destination, powerful local search with full place reviews and summaries from Zagat editors, detailed maps with 3D buildings, live traffic information and more with Google Maps for Android. Connect & Share Stay connected and share epic moments as they happen. Start a group video chat on the go with up to nine people at once with Google+ Hangouts, and never lose another mobile photo with Instant Upload. Be entertained Get all your apps & entertainment in one place. Google Play brings you the world’s largest collection of eBooks, millions of songs, thousands of movies and TV shows, and a growing selection of magazines – plus over 600,000 apps and games. With Google Play, you can now read, listen and watch anywhere you want — on your tablet, phone, or on the web at play.google.com — no wires, no syncing and no storage costs. YouTube puts millions of videos at your fingertips, available on the go wherever you are. Create & Collaborate Google Drive gives you one place to create, share, collaborate and keep your stuff, accessible on all your devices. With Gmail, get smarter email wherever you are, integrated with contacts and apps on your Android phone or tablet. Your stuff, always available, no wires needed. When you sign in to your phone or tablet with Google, you can access all of your Google stuff (contacts, photos, Gmail and more) quickly and easily. You can also enjoy all of your favorite entertainment across your Android devices and even your computer — no wires, no syncing. Play everywhere you go. Google Play is the easiest way to enjoy all your favorites: more than 700,000 apps and games, millions of songs, thousands of movies and TV shows, the world’s largest collection of eBooks, and a growing selection of magazines. With Google Play, there’s no wires, no hassle, just pure entertainment. You can now read, listen and watch anywhere you want—on your tablet, phone, or in any browser at play.google.com. Powerful, simple, and beautiful Millions of people use Android because it’s so powerful yet still so easy. The home screen, apps, and widgets are simple to use right out of the box, but completely customizable. With Android, you can create a unique mobile experience that’s just right for you. Widgets – Put the important stuff right within reach and interact with your favorite apps directly from your home screen with widgets — see the latest sport scores, view your favorite photos, check the weather or peek at your inbox all without having to open different apps or leave the home screen. Notifications – An easy-to-read notification tray gives you quick access to your calls, incoming texts, and new emails in a non-intrusive way. Multi-tasking – With Android, you can quickly and seamlessly switch between apps and pick up whatever you were doing. Juggling multiple tasks at once on a mobile device has never been easier. Voice typing and actions – Control your Android device with your voice. Simply touch the microphone on the keyboard and start talking to write emails, SMS, or any other text — more than 30 languages supported. Text appears in real time, so there’s no waiting. Photos and videos – Capture special moments with great photos and videos, explore your shots and quickly share your favorites in any way that you want.

Motorcycle Clubs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Motorcycle Clubs - Essay Example Although original motorcycle clubs were formed as more of a hobby, current clubs are run like a business. The majority of motorcycle clubs have a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, sergeant-at-arms and road captain.i The club starts with a mother group and various chapters are established later. It is also run like a business in that members pay dues. Outlaw clubs, especially, are run as a business. Illegal business, but business all the same: "Federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), say that outlaw bikers, with over 300 clubs, 5,000 members, and at least 10,000 regular hangers-on, are one of the nation's largest organized criminal networks, after the Mafia and Asian gangs. They are also a business. The feds believe the Hells Angels and the other large outlaw gangs earn up to $1 billion a year worldwide from drug dealing, prostitution, gunrunning, theft, extortion, and murder."ii The person who joins a motorcycle club is looking for a variety of things. Some want more experience riding with a group and the confidence that comes from experience. Others want the camaraderie that comes with belonging to a group. Also, there is safety in numbers and a new rider may feel more secure riding with a large group. Other people join because they want to learn from others: safety tips, techniques, the best routes. Dulaney explains why he joined a motorcycle club: "For me, one of the best unexpected perks of joining a motorcycle club has been and remains the joy of riding with likeminded souls: members of a motorcycle club have at least one thing in common: their love of riding. Everything else, age, gender, race, looks, economic background, etc. disappear under the leathers. You can relax, laugh, talk or simply observe, it's up to you . . . it's your opportunity to be free and to unleash that part of yourself which has been hiding all these years . . .iii So who joins a club depends on their reasons for joining. Men are traditionally known to purchase motorcycles as part of a mid-life crisis. A club may provide a group atmosphere for regaining some of their youth. For some, the reason to join is two-fold: Motorcycle enthusiasts take great pride in their bikes. So many join for the opportunity to show off their bikes while helping a charity at the same time. Origination There are three critical eras involved in the origination of motorcycle clubs. Dulaney explains these as: the pre-formative period between 1901-1944, known as the genesis of social organization around motorcycling; the formative period between 1945-1957, where social and historical events of the post-World War II era coalesced in the formation of outlaw motorcycle clubs; and the trans-formative period from 1958 to present.iv Motorcycle clubs emerged shortly after the origin of motorcycles. The clubs formed to bring together riders for camaraderie and other events. The McCook Outlaws were one of the first long-lasting clubs. The name transformed through the years to the Chicago Outlaws and then the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Long-distance touring and racing are attributes accredited to