Demand for online workers increases !!!

While onsite employment has been stagnant, demand for online workers increases...

Elance, an online firm that helps businesses hire and manage online instead of onsite, says that 2010 broke records for online work adoption. This was due mainly to the explosion of the smartphone market.


According to ComScore, over 45.5 million people in the U.S. owned a smartphone in 2010, 
and it’s the fastest growing segment of the mobile phone market. Elance says that this jump translated into a 98% growth in the number of jobs posted on its site by businesses 
seeking mobile developers this year alone and it’s expected to continue to accelerate into 2011.
Here are some other skill areas that saw a sharp increase in online workers:

• SEM (search engine marketing) was up 53% in job postings-SEM is internet marketing that promotes websites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages through the use of SEO, paid placement , contextual advertising, and paid inclusion.

• iPhone development-35% increase.

• Google App Engine (a platform for developing and hosting web applications in Google-managed data centers) was up 32%.

• Job postings for HTML5 programmers and developers was up 31%.

ViewSonic G Tablet

The ViewSonic G Tablet is a relatively affordable ($400) Android 2.2 tablet sporting a 
whopping 10-inch capacitive touch screen.

In order to stretch the Android interface to fill the 1024x600 resolution screen, ViewSonic skinned the OS to appear like a dashboard, with apps running across the bottom.

The bottom of the ViewSonic G Tablet includes a docking port for optional HDMI and audio adapters. The left side of the ViewSonic G Tablet offers a power button, a covered microSD and USB host port, a mini USB sync port, speaker (1 of 2) headphone jack and power adapter socket.

The ViewSonic G Tablet's 10.1 inch screen (left) is a slightly different aspect ratio than the iPad (right) and towers over the Samsung Galaxy Tab (top).

The ViewSonic G Tablet comes with a USB sync cable and power adapter. The power adapter is a necessary evil, since the tablet will not recharge over USB.

In order to better facilitate thumb typing on its widescreen display, the ViewSonic G Tablet smartly splits the 

QWERTY keyboard into two sections. It takes some adjusting, but it's better than many touch screen Android keyboards we've tested.

2010 Camera of the Year: Sony A55

Sony, confronted with a vexing glitch of DSLR video, dipped into a bag of old and new tricks to come up with a remarkably simple solution. Along the way, it invented essentially a new type of camera, one for which we don’t quite have a name yet. What we can call it is the Alpha 55, and the Camera of the Year for 2010.

Product specifications

Camera Category: Interchangeable-lens Compact 

Sensor Size: APS-H                                            Sensor Type: CMOS 

Megapixels: 16.2                                               Fastest Shutter Speed: 1/4000 second 

Slowest Shutter Speed: 30 seconds                     Bulb Mode: Yes 

Live View: Yes                                                   Image Processor: BIONZ 

Viewfinder Coverage: 100%                                AF Points: 15 

Display Type: LCD                                             Display Size: 3.0 inches 

Display Resolution: 921600 pixels                       Articulating Display: Yes 

Lowest ISO Setting: 100 ISO                              Highest ISO Setting: 1600 ISO 

Burst Rate (JPG): 6.00fps                                  Self-Cleaning Sensor: Yes 

In-Body Image Stablization: Yes                         Pop-Up Flash: Yes 

Storage Media Type: Secure Digital (SD)            Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC)

Secure Digital Expanded Capacity (SDXC)           Video Capture: Yes 

Maximum Video Resolution: 1080p                    AF in Video Mode: Yes 

HDMI Port: Yes                                                Wireless Flash Trigger: No 

Remote Capture: No                                         Height: 3.6 inches 

Depth: 3.3 inches                                             Width: 4.9 inches 

Weight: 15 ounces                                           Price: $750.00 

Touch Screen: No                                             Model Number:  

The Runners-Up:

Canon T2i

The bang-for-the-buck champ of DSLRs turns the “entry level” tag on its head, notably in image quality: The EOS Rebel T2i achieved an Excellent rating in our tests under the latest, stricter-than-ever criteria. It’s all in there, including 1080p video at 30 fps, but this fabulous little rig, unlike the Alpha 55, breaks no new technological ground. $900, street, with kit lens shown.



Nikon D3s

ISO 102,400. 9-fps bursts with metering and focusing on every frame. Autofocus in dim light that’s as fast as some systems in bright conditions. Weapons-grade construction and weathersealing. How could we not nominate it? But as fab as the D3s is, we decided it was more an evolutionary step up from Nikon’s previous speed demon, the D3, than a major breakthrough. $5,200, street, body only.



Panasonic G2

Panasonic continues to lead the charge in the category it invented, the interchangeable-lens compact (ILC). The Lumix G2 took the honors in 2010’s three-way ILC shootout on the strength of great imaging and a pleasant video experience. Still, the Alpha 55 manages to do everything at least a little better. $650, street, with kit lens shown.