50,000 Free Credits Contest!

Hello everyone!

What a hectic few days this has been, from fixing bugs to answering queries, our first few days live at www.OrionExchange.com have been absolutely wonderful!

So we've decided to reward our members even more by running a great little contest.

Valid from 30th September 2012 until 10th October 2012 (23.59pm).

OrionExchange.com is offering 50,000 free Credits to a random member. 

There's a ticket system that works as follows:

- Being a member of www.OrionExchange.com = 1 Ticket
- Having our SDK installed and earning at least 1 Credit = 3 Additional Tickets
- Purchasing Credits = 3 Additional Tickets

You can have 7 Tickets maximum for the contest, and we will put your e-mail into a randomiser X amount of times, depending on your Ticket count.

Good luck everyone!

Philip Cook
OrionExchange.com

Orion Exchange Advertising List

At OrionExchange.com we offer complimentary advertising for our users, here's the FREE and CREDIT EXCHANGE lists for our full advertising services.

FREE!

- Small Application icon & link spot on either the homepage OR member area. This is only available when there is space. If all Ad spots are taken up, we will randomly switch the icons weekly with Applications we feel deserve to be advertised.

- A free mention (and ongoing mentions) on our Twitter and Facebook OrionExchange.com pages with your Application link, name and small description.

- For users that have the SDK installed and have started earning Credits OR have purchased Credits, we will submit your Applications to Press Release websites and Application review websites (at least 5 total).

- Random mentions in our Weekly Newsletter, Forums and anything else we see fit for ALL Applications.

Credit Exchange:

- iOS Application Review and Rating (Soon we'll offer this service for Android Applications too) - 1,700 Credits

- Text link (iOS and Android) in our Weekly Newsletter - 2,500 Credits

- Text link (iOS and Android) AND your Application image in our Weekly Newsletter - 4,500 Credits

- We'll exclusively e-mail your Application to 20,000 iOS and Android developers/users and provide a report - 5,500 Credits

- We'll create a YouTube video review of your iOS Mobile Application and post it to our YouTube channel - 7,000 Credits

If you have any queries or would like to request more advertising services, just email us and we'll see what we can do!

CEO
OrionExchange.com
Support@OrionExchange.com

Two Approaches to Investing in Stocks - OrionExchange

The NYSE (New York Stock Exchange).

The stock market is one of the fastest growing investment options for everyday middle class investors and – although it is nothing new – the increased ease with which stocks can be traded (even from a handheld device) has made it a more attractive option for investors from all walks of life. On that note, there are two distinct approaches taken by most investors when it comes to investing in the stock market. Naturally, both aim to turn a profit but the way in which they hope to accomplish this differs somewhat between them.

1)    Stock Price - This is what most people are familiar with; investing in a company's stock in the hope/expectation that its share price will rise. This might be due to the company being undervalued or it might be a prediction based on market factors (such as the purchase of Apple stock right before the release of a new and highly anticipated product).

2)    Dividends - Most companies pay out dividends to stockholders on a regular basis. These are payments taken from the companies profits and paid out to shareholders in direct proportion to the number of shares they own. Depending on the volume of shares an investor owns and the company in question, these dividends can represent a significant regular income and make the stock highly attractive for long-term holding.

Naturally, a combination of these two in possible and – indeed – a stock that consistently turns enough of a profit to pay healthy dividends on a regular basis is likely to see its price rise. As for deciding on which stocks to buy, inexperienced investors are best off talking to investment advisors about their options. These can typically be found at any bank or brokerage firm and can offer valuable insight into the opportunities on the market at a given time – as well as the risks to stay away from.

Thank you for reading.

CEO

OrionExchange.com

Support@OrionExchange.com

Why it might be a good time to start a Business

In these days of job scarcity, more and more people are realizing that one of the best alternatives to unsuccessful efforts at finding work is to stop looking for jobs that aren't there and consider creating one. Lots of education advocates will tell people to go back to school to get more qualifications – and this is a good idea for some people (especially if you didn't finish college) – but the fact is that even graduates with masters degrees are having trouble finding work these days. This is because the economy is in recession and jobs across all sectors and demographics (except for a few niches) are extremely scarce. A better educated workforce won't fix the economy – but newly created jobs will.

Starting a new business isn't nearly as difficult as most people think. The hardest part – other than coming up with a great idea – is finding enough funding. For this, the options are limitless. Personal savings, loans from friends or family, bank loans, etc., are just some of the many options available to those seeking to raise capital for a new idea. It's important to accurately estimate the amount of money required to get the business off the ground and – ideally – it makes sense to put aside enough money to keep the business going for a year (giving it time to become profitable).

Interesting Desk Workspace

Two approaches you could take to find the right idea are (i) Try to think about something a lot of people near you want/need (unless you plan on doing it online in which case geographic distance is irrelevant) – then come up with an economical way to fill that need. (ii) Find something you're naturally good at or that you have a natural interest in and find a way to make it profitable. Either way, there's never been a better time to come up with a great idea and find financial independence!

CEO

OrionExchange.com

Skype: OrionExchange

How to outsource an iOS or Android App for under $2,000

Thanks to the internet, we are able to quickly and easily outsource large projects to other countries. Having an Application created for iOS or Android (design, code etc.) is extremely easy and can be very cost effective.

Companies in the UK or US might be charging $30,000 to create an Application that you could outsource for $1,500.

But do you have to sacrifice quality? Most likely, yes, slightly. But I'll talk about that a little later.

My top 3 Outsourcing websites:

1.) Freelancer - The worlds largest Outsourcing marketplace, naturally you will find tens of thousands of developers who will respond to your project advertisements within minutes, to give you a wide choice of development companies. (We recommend)

2.) oDesk - Packed full of skilful freelancers, the worlds largest online workplace, with the largest contractor annual turnover.

3.) Elance - Easy to use, simple to find freelancers that are keen to work at very reasonable prices.

Not your typical freelancer.

Now back onto the matter of quality. Firstly I must say, if you have the budget, go with a more renowned firm, even if it is on a Freelance website. Always ask to see portfolios, and never pay the full fee upfront. This allows more design revisions etc, until your developer or development agency gives you what you would like. By doing this, you can get a very high quality piece of work, but even this is limited by the skill of the developer.

Most likely you'll be looking for developers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc. Rates will be far lower here, of course. However, communication can often be a problem, and remember, the cheaper you go, often the less skilled the developer. Also keep in mind time differences, this has really been an issue for me in the past.

So the verdict? Yes, you can get an Application made for less than $2,000 (even games, but with limited features), but we always recommend paying more for that extra bit of quality that is probably going to result in more purchases or downloads of your Application, a worthwhile investment, i'd say.

CEO
OrionExchange
www.OrionExchange.com

LIVE: iPhone 5 revealed...our verdict?

Finally, it is here! After a long, long period of anticipation, we have been blessed with the iPhone 5. What do we think? (Updating LIVE as we go along).

As suspected from the concepts, it's a thinner version of the iPhone 4(S), and looks longer. Apple say:

"It's 18 per cent thinner and 20 per cent lighter. It weights 112 grams, has a 4 inch screen and (as expected) a 1136 x 640 resolution."

What does the longer screen mean for old Applications? Apple say they will update iLife and iWork for the iPhone 5, however old Applications will have upper and lower black borders, unless also updated.

Here's Tim Cook talking about the new Apple Store, Barcelona. Made out of Limestone.

Journalists everywhere note that things are moving unusually quickly, could this mean another product reveal? Anyway, back to the iPhone 5, onto the software:

"The iPhone 5 will use the A6 processor, which is twice as fast at crunching numbers and graphics." Apple display a racing demo from EA games, it looks good. Nothing that will blow away Samsung's S3 though.

Incremental (very slight) battery life upgrades to the iPhone 5 from the iPhone 4S. Not too special.

The new Camera is 25 per cent smaller and has new features including a new low light mode and built-in image signal processor using the A6. Also, there's a nifty Panoramic mode to get some visually spectacular photographs.

720p video recording from the front camera. 1080p HD from the rear. 

As expected, Apple have removed the old dock connector, the new one is called 'Lightning' and it's 80 per cent smaller. Do not fear, Apple have created an adapter for the old dock connectors.

iPhone 5 will come in two colour options, black and white (you guessed it!). Perhaps our expectations were far too high, but so far it seems very wishy-washy with no outstanding software or hardware. We're updating this as information comes in, so prices and release dates coming soon.

EE has been in touch regarding their 4G service (for UK readers), they say the mobile data connection will be 5 times faster. Impressive.

Okay, Pricing will be the same as the 4S at launch, the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB will be priced at $199, $299 and $399 respectively. 

Pre-orders from September 14th, with a September 19th delivery date in the US, and September 21st delivery date in Britain. 

It looks like it's out with the old, Apple are dropping production of the iPhone 3GS. Expected news really. 

Here's a full list of hardware specs so far:

• 7.6mm thick

• 18 percent thinner

• 112 grams

• 20 percent lighter

• 1,136-by-640

• 16:9 aspect ratio

• 44 percent more color saturation

• HSPA+, DC-HSDPA

• LTE (Sprint, Verizon, AT&T for LTE. In Canada, Rogers, Telus, and Bell)

• Wi-Fi (2.4ghz and 5ghz on 802.11n)

• A6 chip (compared to the A5— it is two times faster but 22 percent smaller)

• Battery: 225 hours of standby, 8 hours of LTE, 10 hours of Wi-Fi, 8 hours of 3G, and 10 hours of video.

• iSight: 8-megapixel, backside flash, hybrid IR filter, five-element lens, sapphire lens,  f/2.4 aperture, next-generation ISP, spatial noise reduction, smart filter, better low-light performance, and 40 percent faster on photo capture.

• FaceTime HD: 1080p video, improved video stability, face detection, FaceTime over cellular, the ability to snap photos while shooting video, etc.

• Audio system: improved speaker design—20 percent smaller speaker and wideband audio

• Connector: “Lightning” (so…Apple will have Thunderbolt and Lightning), all-digital, 8-signal design, adaptive interface, improved durability and reversable.

• iOS 6: Passbook, GPS, Maps…( iPhone 4S, 4, 3GS, new iPad, iPad 2… upgrade for free to iOS 6).

CEO

OrionExchange

www.OrionExchange.com

Free Mobile Application Advertising Platform - Thousands of free users for your iOS and Android Applications!

Inside the Foxconn factory, China

Original Article: DailyMail - Foxconn

Intensive training programmes, humiliating punishments, restricting bars on windows and cramped dormitories.

As the article states, one journalist has penetrated the Foxconn factory to uncover insiders information, however they have not revealed their identity.

This is the journalist's diary:

'I have contacted the person in charge of the Human Resource who’s handling the recruitment and I was told that I can work in Foxonn as long as I’m healthy and own a citizenship identity card.

'When I reached the entrance of Foxconn factory, I was approached by a so-called Foxconn security guard who asked for 100-200 yuan (USD$15-28) to provide me a faster way to start working in Foxconn, but I ignored him.

I was asked to fill in a form to test my current state of mentality. There are about 30 mentality questions for me to answer “Yes” or “No” of how do I feel for the past 30 days.

'For example one of the questions they asked: “Have you got into a state of mental trance recently ?” Finally after answering all the questions, other workers and I took a bus ride to the Taiyuan Foxconn factory.'

He continues: 'The first night sleeping at Foxconn dormitory is a nightmare.' 

'The whole dormitory smells like garbage when I walked in.' 

'It’s a mixed of overnight garbage smell plus dirty sweat and foam smell.' 

'Outside every room was fully piled up with uncleared trash.' 

'When I opened my wardrobe, lots of cockroaches crawl out from inside and the bedsheets that are being distributed to every new workers are full of dirts and ashes.'

'When someone has asked about the suicide issues, the management staff didn’t avoid the topic but not willing to discuss too much on it.' 

'During the suicide topic discussion, someone has voiced out that the bad living environment will sure lead to more suicides.'

'Also I have noticed that all the windows in the dormitory has been framed behind bars.'

'After the training session we are being arranged to start work very swiftly but it’s already night. We are only allowed to rest during the day time.' 

'After all the intensive trainings and briefings, I had a fever and terrible headache before I can even start work.'

'I requested to visit the hospital in the factory, but there’s only one doctor on shift handling 4-5 patients at the same time.'

'When I asked one of the nurse about how can I claim the medical checkup fees, the nurse rudely reply me: "Go and ask your boss!"'

'We have reached the entrance of the production floor with a warning sign that says: “TOP SECURITY AREA”. 

'We are told that if anyone enter or exit the metal detector door and found carrying any metallic stuff on your body such as belt buckle, ear rings, cameras, handset, mp3 players, the alarm will sound and you will be fired on the spot.'

'One of my room mates told me that his friend has been fired because he carried an USB charging cable.'

'When I walked into the production floor after passing through the metal detector door, I heard loud sounds of machinery engines and a very dense of plastic smell.'

'Our supervisor warned us: “Once you sit down, you only do what you are told”.'

'The supervisor finally present us the back of the iPhone 5 and shows it to all of us and said: “This is the new unleashed iPhone 5 back plate, you should be honored having the chance to produce it”.'

'Our line is being assigned to use masking tapes and plastic stoppers to cover up the earphone jack and the connector ports of the back plate in order to prevent the paint from being sprayed onto it on the next process.'

'Our supervisor asked us to put on our mask and gloves and see how the seniors work on it. At 11 p.m, we went for a supper and after midnight, we started work again.'

'I’m being assigned to mark placement points on the iPhone 5 back-plate using an oil-based paint pen.'

'I’m being scolded many times for spilling too much oil on the markings.'

'My roommate has being assigned to paste the masking tapes of not more than 5mm wide on the right spots that I have marked.

'And he has being scolded many times for pasting them too slow.'

'Our supervisor said that these works were actually being assigned to females workers with nimbler fingers, but due to too many workers have resigned lately they have no choice but to assign these jobs to male workers.'

'An iPhone 5 back-plate run through in front of me almost every 3 seconds.'

'I have to pick up the back-plate and mark 4 position points using the oil-based paint pen and put it back on the running belt swiftly within 3 seconds with no errors.'

'After such repeated action for several hours, I have terrible neck-ache and muscle pain on my arm. A new worker who sat opposite of me gone exhausted and laid down for a short while.'

'The supervisor noticed him and punished him by asking him to stand at one corner for 10 minutes like the old school days.'

'We worked non-stop from midnight to the next morning 6 a.m but were still asked to keep on working as the production line is based on running belt and no one is allowed to stop. I’m so starving and fully exhausted.'

'By my own calculations, I have to mark five iPhone plates every minute, at least. For every 10 hours, I have to accomplish 3,000 iPhone 5 back plates.'

'There are total four production lines in charge of this process, 12 workers in every line.'

'Each line can produce 36,000 iPhone 5 back plates in half a day, this is scary … I finally stopped working at 7 a.m. We were asked to gather again after work. The supervisor shout out loud in front of us: “Who wants to rest early at 5 a.m !? We are all here to earn money ! Let’s work harder !” I was thinking who on earth wants to work two extra hours overtime for only mere 27 yuan (USD$4)!?'

'On the next following day, we were all being treated the same way by our supervisors and all of us were very pissed. Every time we picked up the iPhone 5 components, we put it back on the running belt real hard and shout “f***” just to release our stress.'

'One of the seniors advised us to stop work on time at 5 a.m even if the supervisor ask you to over time, as this is not against the regulations. Among our batch of 36 new workers, only two workers were lucky enough to arrange work under the quality control inspection department, where they get to rest 10 minutes for every 2 hours work, unlike the rest of us who have to work non-stop for 7 straight hours.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2202170/Who-wants-rest-5am-Lets-work-harder-As-iPhone-5-launches-inside-shocking-conditions-Foxconn-factory.html#ixzz26H6Pil5D

Evidently things behind the curtain are not as glamorous as we are led to believe, seeing a beautifully crafted iPhone 5. However, the graft is blood, sweat and in some cases, death. 

CEO

OrionExchange

www.OrionExchange.com

iPhone 5 concepts and What to expect

We're under an hour away from the release speech of the iPhone 5, what an incredible moment for developers and consumers! Lets look back over some of the iPhone 5 predictions and concepts.

Remember this video?

Personally, I thought the projector keyboard was a brilliant addition, but there's no way we'll be seeing that, right?

Sleek, thin and just plain flimsy? Maybe one day though.

Interesting concept, but not viable. Any powerful light source, including the Sun, would be an absolute pain in the neck.

Having your iPhone twisted sideways constantly isn't the most appropriate of designs. 

iPhone 5 cross breeds with Magic Mouse. We think it looks modern, ergonomically friendly and plausible. 

This is what we've been led to believe the iPhone 5 will look like. Similar to the iPhone 4 with what seem like minor updates. Larger screen, contrasted rear colour with upper and lower glossy bands, but in essence, a very similar piece of kit. So hardware will probably be the biggest news during this event.

The only way to find out is to stay tuned.

Enjoy!

CEO

OrionExchange

www.OrionExchange.com