Google+ for Android update ditches messenger, makes it easier to switch between accounts

Google+ for Android has just gotten a pretty nice upgrade in the Google Play Store. First thing’s first — Messenger has finally been laid to rest. For good. It’s Hangouts now, and as Googles Vc Gundotra put it it’s “sticking around.”

Another big change in today’s update is the ability to switch between different accounts much easier. No longer will you have to sign out then sign back in. Instead, it’ll be similar to switching between accounts in Gmail, where you select the account in the sliding drawer or the drop down menu and get switched instantly. Pages you manage will also be in this menu.

To round things out, Google Apps for Business features are fully supported, you can access your Google Drive photos and videos from within Google+, and you are given more fine controls for location sharing (you can set it to pinpoint or city level, and you can change these settings for each individual circle).

Google says the app is rolling out in the Google Play Store over the next couple of days, so don’t have a fit if you can’t access the upgrade right away. When it is available for you, you can find your download over at the Google Play Store.

BlackBerry 9720 OS 7 smartphone with touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard unveiled

BlackBerry has lifted the curtains off its next device, the BlackBerry 9720, which runs the legacy OS 7.1 instead of the revamped BlackBerry 10 platform.

The BlackBerry 9720 boasts aesthetics similar to the company's Curve series. It features a full physical QWERTY keyboard and a 2.8-inch touchscreen display with a 360x480 pixels resolution, boasting an image density of 214PPI. The device runs BlackBerry 7 OS (version 7.1).

It is powered by an 806MHz Tavor MG1 processor and has 512MB of RAM. It sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with 4X digital zoom and image stabilisation, but lacks a front-facing camera. It also includes a 1,450mAh removable battery that delivers up to 7 hours of talk time and 432 hours of standby time. The device supports microSD cards of up to 32GB capacity, while the internal storage offered by the device is a meagre 512MB. The BlackBerry 9720 has dedicated BBM and BBM Voice shortcut keys, placed on the sides of the device. It also features FM Radio functionality.

Commenting on the launch of the device, Carlo Chiarello, Executive Vice President for Products at BlackBerry, said, "The BlackBerry 9720 smartphone gives you all the essentials of the BlackBerry smartphone experience to support a communications centric lifestyle. It has the best keyboard and functionality for BBM, as well as an updated BlackBerry 7 OS that adds many enhancements. It's perfect for customers upgrading from a feature phone or entry-level Android or Windows Phone device, as well as existing BlackBerry smartphone customers, that want a richer experience and jump up in style and performance."

The all new BlackBerry 9720 will be available in selected markets like Asia, EMEA and Latin America in the coming weeks. However, the pricing of the device has not been revealed yet.

How to calculate Fitrah and Distribute

    ALVIDA MAHE RAMADAAN ALVIDA

    The obligatory amount of Fitrah is one Sä’ which is 4 Mudd; 1 Mudd  is equal to about three- quarters of a kilogram.  So one Sä’is equal to 3 kilograms (about 6.6 pounds).

Payment of Fitrah becomes Wajib (obligatory) after sunset on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr on a person who is:

·         Baligh (attained puberty),

·         Aqil (sane),

·         Is not needy, not poor,

·         not unconscious

for himself and all his dependants wherever and whoever they are irrespective of age & belief. For those who pray Salatul Eid, it is Ehtiyat Wajib to give the Fitrah before the Eid prayers and for those not praying Salatul Eid the time extends up to beforeDhuhr. 

NOTE 1:         If a person spends money on someone which is sufficient for his maintenance that is not enough to consider him as one of   his dependants. Dependants are required to be under his care for their  livelihood.

NOTE 2:         If a person is a dependant of two people, his Fitrah is obligatory on both by being divided between them.

NOTE 3:         If the Fitrah of a person is obligatory on another person, it is not obligatory on him to give his Fitrah himself.

NOTE 4:         If it is obligatory on a person to pay the Fitrah of another person, his  obligation will not end if the latter himself pays his own Fitrah

For the purpose of Fitrah, dependants include guests who are present at the host’s house at the time of sunset on the eve ofEid-ul-Fitrah.  However, if a guest comes   without the consent of the host, his Fitrah becomes Wajib upon the host on the basis ofEhtiyat Wajib (obligatory precaution).  This ruling also applies to a person who is forcibly made to maintain another person.  But if he invites a person for Iftar on the night of Eid,  he is not one of his dependants and his Fitrah is not obligatory on the person who invited     him. 

(Ehtiyat Mustahab to pay for uninvited guest or one forcibly maintained.)

On the basis of obligatory precaution (Ehtiyat Wajib), one should not give Fitrah from that food which is not staple in his place (town or city), even if it be wheat, barley, dates or raisins.  In other words, the article of Fitrah should be the common food of the people of the town normally eaten by them, even if it is not the only thing that they eat.  This is regardless of whether it is from the four categories (wheat, barley, dates and raisins) or from other than them such as rice and maize.

(Staple food has not been made a condition).

NOTE:  It is sufficient if payment is made in cash instead of food.

DISBURSEMENT OF FITRAH

Fitrah is not given to a needy person who, according to the Shari’a is a Faqeer, that is, a person who is not able to meet his living expenses for himself and for his dependants for one whole year, nor does he possess the means to earn a livelihood for himself and his dependants. 

NOTE 1:  It is Ehtiyat Wajib that Fitrah is given to a Faqeer who is a Shia Ithna Asheri.

(Ehtiyat Mustahab to give to a Shia Ithna-Asheri Faqeer.)

NOTE 2:         The Faqeer to whom Fitrah is given need not necessarily be Adil, but it is Ehtiyat Wajib that Fitrah should not be given to a person who drinks  liquor, or one who does not perform his daily Salaat or one who commits   sins openly or one who will use the Fitrah in a sinful way.

 NOTE 3:         The essential factor is the value at the time of the payment, not at the time   of the obligation, and the country in which Fitrah is paid, not the country of  the person on whom the obligation is due.                     

A non-Seyyid cannot give Fitrah to a Seyyid even if he maintains a Seyyid and pays his Fitrah. 

It is recommended to give preference to one’s relatives when giving Fitrah, then to the neighbors and then Ahlul Ilm (people of learning).

It is necessary to have the intention (niyyah) of giving Fitrah to fulfill God’s obligation and  for His pleasure only.

 If one does not give out or set aside the Fitrah within the due time, he should give the Fitrah later, on the basis of precaution, without making the Niyyah of Ada or Qadha but only the Niyyah of Qurbatan Ilallah.