A Software Engineer's Diary...

In conversation with Arun Dobriyal, a Computer Science graduate from IIT, Kharagpur who was recently hired by Facebook for a whopping pay package of 1.3 Crores, much higher than the 77 lakhs being quoted in newspapers.  In clear and concise words, Arun gave us quite a few nuggets of knowledge that many students, aiming for similar achievements in life, will find really valuable. A long and hectic day of exams and interviews, concluded really well for him when he was informed that he has been selected. Words cannot do justice to his joy at that moment and thus, when asked about his reaction to the news, he says that his happiness knew no bounds. Since the previous statistics on Facebook’s recruitment were quite dreary, his expectations were quite low this year. Therefore, his pleasure in being one of the lucky four this year from his college is perhaps quite obvious. At the end of the day, this feat can be attributed to his amazing knowledge and persistence. His account of th...

Internet search giant Google is reportedly planning to unveil a new tablet from Samsung, a new phone from LG, an updated operating system and an improved Nexus 7 during its upcoming event on October 29. The firm is expected to unveil at least one new Google Nexus phone as well as an enhanced version of its existing Nexus 7 tablet that will add more memory and 3G capabilities. Perhaps the most  exciting  product, however, is a 10-inch tablet developed with Samsung codenamed 'Manta', the Telegraph reports. According to a report by The Next Web, sources said that running an updated version of Google's Android, the new tablet will offer a 2560x1600 pixel (16:10) resolution. The device, expected to be called Nexus 10, will be among the first to offer Android 4.2, which will have incremental improvements over the current Android 4.1, the report said. The event's tagline is 'The playground is open', leading many to suspect it will feature a range of devi...

Internet search giant   Google is known for its largesse when it comes to employee measures, and the recent death benefits policy may reinforce the belief. But while the company does not have "infinite money" to pump into benefits, at times core values take precedence over everything else, says Laszlo Bock, senior vice president, people operations and global HR head. Excerpts from an exclusive interview with Anumeha Chaturvedi. How has hiring at Google changed over time? Earlier, we used to ask everybody for academic results. We now do it only for new graduates. We have narrowed down selection criteria to four categories: first, the focus on general cognitive ability —an assessment of how bright candidates are, whether they are capable of learning. Second, leadership traits. Cultural fit or "googliness" comes third. Are candidates like Google - are they comfortable with ambiguity, non-hierarchical and conscientious; do they take responsibility for what is around...

Social networking site  Facebook is offering mobile talk time worth Rs 50 to new 'selective' users coming through referrals in India, a senior company official said.  Kevin D'Souza, Country Growth Manager, Facebook, said the initiative has been taken on a pilot basis and the amount of recharge varies from user to user and place to place.  To a query on whether this is for users who are coming through referrals, he said: "Yes. It is for users coming through referrals."  "We keep on trying new things. Because we do not know what will work. This is one of the tests. Just to get a feel of it, this particular test is being done in India," D'Souza said in a press conference.  "It is currently evolving with multiple pricing strategies. Different telecom carriers have different Facebook plans," he added, without elaborating further.  According to Facebook's mobile version talk time promotion page, after registration a user has to provide hi...

As they continue to innovate on the operating system platform with Windows 8, they also enhanced the toolset available in Visual Studio to increase your productivity in testing your Windows 8 apps. Ensuring a top notch quality of your app in this new modern OS environment through thoughtful design and testing will help increase the success of your app. In a previous blog post on  Testing Metro style apps in Windows 8 , we highlighted some of the key areas you need to take into account for building a high quality Windows 8 app. In this post, we explore a few capabilities in Visual Studio 2012 that will make the testing and verification of your app easier. How does my app look on Windows 8 devices? While the success of any app hinges on the value it offers to its customers, an app that follows  Windows 8 design guideline  to provide a polished look and feel will delight the end users. To reduce your reliance on physical devices to verify the app’s user experience, Vi...

Indian Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said the new version of the low-cost Aakash tablet PC is expected to be available to students of India on November 11.  "Hopefully on November 11, you will see the President talking to 20,000 students across the nation (who) will have their hands on Aakash," Sibal told reporters here at the Economic Editors' Conference.  He added that Aakash, an instrument of empowerment, will feature 1 Ghz processor, four-hour battery time, capacitive screen andAndroid 4.0 operating system under the new version.  Sibal said going forward, the price of the device is expected to come down to "$ 35, which will be around Rs 1,500" with setting up of manufacturing activities in India.  "At the moment, we are actually formulating a Cabinet note for the manufacturing of five million Aakash tablets without any financial burden on the Ministry of Finance," Sibal said.  The tablet 'Aakash' was launched in October last yea...