Monday 30 June 2014

Google Cardboard – Low cost Virtual Reality Headset



Google Cardboard
Google Cardboard 1
Google Cardboard is the company’s method in turning the Android smartphone into a low cost virtual reality headset, a do it yourself (DIY) virtual reality kit made of cardboard which was announced at the I/O developer conference recently.

It is a gadget made from material which is worth about $30 which houses a modern Android smartphone enabling it to create a basic virtual reality headset. With similar capabilities to the $US350 Facebook owned Oculus Rift, this invention is amazing, which is like having a computer before you andis offered at a fraction of the cost of a traditional VR headset excluding the cost of an existing smartphone.

The project commenced around six months back after David Coz, the project’s founder, showed it to Google Research scientist Christian Plagemann in Mountain View and it became his 20 percent project, with the company deciding to proceed with the project on a larger scale.

Developer Kit Available for Cardboard

When asked why cardboard was used, Coz had stated saying that working with it was an easy way to hack together prototype. Moreover, he also wanted the viewer to look really simple since all the processing was handled by the phone.

 In addition, he also noted that it would enable anybody to just take up scissors and staplers and modify it. Google has made the developer toolkit available for Cardboard and the hardware is not just simple but an open source and probably we will see some few Cardboard based apps and viewers from other manufacturers in the days to come.

Google, it turned out, is using cheap corrugated paper giving virtual reality, a neat and the most accessible tool in converting nonbelievers. Though it not a Oculus Rift headset, Google’s Cardboard invention has a big role to play in virtual reality by putting it in the hand of users for $25 and a Smartphone.

Run elementary VR Experience 

The virtual reality would be changing everything like film, communication, gaming, travel, education even to the extent of what we understand with regards to sensory experience. Cardboard which is meant to be an excellent low cost toolkit easy to build, to run elementary VR experience, was announced as part of Google’s annual product giveaway at 1/O recently. It is a cardboard housing created for a smartphone running Google’s Android mobile OS.

Users get a $10 kit around $7 off the shelf magnets, $3 of Velcro along with a rubber band and an easily programmable Near Field Communication sticker tag for launching the companion mobile app automatically for $1.50. The Cardboard app which plays on the phone screen, in the cardboard casing, enables the user to navigate through landscape or city street in Google Earth as well as watch You Tube videos in a virtual theatre.

Cardboard indicates that Google has being doing what it does best, providing users with the tools to obtain the experience which huge companies would not consider nor have the time for it. By creating Cardboard, Google has set the ball rolling to a device which can convince the world that VR is awesome about to take the plunge and is more than just gaming.

Some Interesting Versions of the Popular Angry Birds Game



Angry Birds Game
Angry Birds which is the popular free game on smartphone was originally developed in Finland for iOS on Apple’s smartphones.

Within a year of its launch, the fame of the game crossed over twelve million across the world which led to it being designed for smartphone operating on other platform like Windows Phone, Symbian and Android operating system.

Angry Birds has been praised for its combination of comical style, addictive gameplay and low price. The popularity of this game is due to the fact that those who do not even own smartphones can also play this game on personal computers as well as video game consoles.

With downloads of 2 billion, across all platforms including regular as well as special edition, the franchise has become the highest downloaded game of all time.Its popularity resulted in the release of a series of Angry Birds game though at first it was released as a single game.

Some accepted games in the series are the well-known classic Angry Bird which is the first of the series. Here the player is supposed to make use of a slingshot to protect the birds in the field from the swine in the same field and as the game progresses; the player encounters various types of birds with different capabilities.

Angry Bird with Holiday Themes

Angry Bird Season comes with holiday themes such as Christmas, Valentines, Halloween and much more. For those fascinated with the universe, will be thrilled to try out the Angry Bird Space game wherein the game needs to be played in different planets.

 Each of these planets has their own gravitation field which affects the birds’ trail. Kart racing fans can enjoy trying their skills with the Angry Birds Go! Game, Birds and pigs that have unique power race downhill. To win strategies for the game, one need to analyse all the possibilities carefully and very often the ideal route is the shortest route in Angry Birds.

When one takes a turn, ensure to stay close to the curve and always drive around the inner area of the track. This would prove to be helpful while racing against time or trying to move ahead of the opponent.

Exceptions may include when the player may have to pick up a gem beyond the track or if racing far ahead of the opponent. The gem should not be used if the player has no possibilities of winning a specific challenge or probably try a few more time or could decide to pause the game and try some time later.

Angry Bird in Various Colour/Capabilities 

Angry Birds come in various colours with each of them having their own capabilities and the player should comprehend what each bird is capable of before the slingshot is used at random.

Moreover the player should also keep track of the golden egg which not only gives additional rounds to play but bonus points as well.

Online tutorials are made available with illustrations to the player to enable them to know the concept of the game and enjoy a fantastic gaming experience with Angry Birds.

Sunday 29 June 2014

Sony Xperia Z2 - A Smartphone from Sony

Sony Xperia Z2
Sony has distinctively established their self in the designing of waterproof models with the Sony Xperia Z series.

Within this series Sony Xperia Z2 is another addition comes with waterproofing capability and facility to record video in 4K resolution. Sony Xperia Z2 comes with fast processor, with more sharpness on screen, high resolution camera.

The 5.1 inches screen comes with 1920x1080 pixels and it provides full high definition very sharp picture quality. The brightness is 455 cd x /m2. More over the screen has more lateral viewing angle. The display quality increased more from its predecessors.

Since Sony removed additional screen protector the colors displayed are better. The 20.7 mega pixel camera is sufficient for taking photos for taking photos in rapid movements.

The timeshift video and Burst records helps the Smartphone to record slow motion videos and can shoots up to 60 frames per second in Full HD.

The SteadyShot feature offers more quality and the software based image stabilization removes the imperfection in the video quality while doing hand held videos.

Sony Xperia Z2 on boards a Snapdragon 801 which is one of the fastest processor with 2.3 GHz clock with 3 GB RAM. The less battery life is a big issue with the most of the Smartphone, but battery of Sony Xperia Z2 can last longer for atleast 13 hours with apps navigation and internet usage.

The Z2 comes with simple menus and easy operation and certain apps will start automatically when charging cable is connected. Z2 is equipped with NFC Smart Tags to do certain tasks automatically like navigation apps.

Sony Xperia Z2 housed with LTE, NFC, and Bluetooth 4.0, super fast Wi-ac (2.4 and five gigahertz) HDMI, FM radio as well as the operating system "Android 4.4.2 KitKat" and all other features of a regular Android smart phone. Sony Xperia Z2 is sealed against water and dust of standard IP57.

Skype 2.19 integrates Cortana on Windows Phone 8.1



Skype
Microsoft has offered an update for Skype on their mobile OS recently, the updates brings total support to Cortana, the voice wizard of windows Phone 8.1.

This update was released by Microsoft for the Skype application for windows phone 8.1 the main feature got the advantage from the update is the voice assistant Cortana.

This update helps the user to use Skype by simple voice control without opening it. Since Skype 2.19 came with Cortana integration, you can just make a voice or video call with voice command.

With just a swipe you can see all your latest notification on your Windows Phone device. This obviously works on the latest version of the OS, and is now limited to United States only soon you may expect the update for your own region.

But No launch date outside United States have not yet been provided by Microsoft. Within the update we wish to especially mention about the support for 51 languages and the arrival of Skype notifications in Action Center for Windows Phone 8.1.

In case of any typo error on a message already sent, now it will also be possible to correct that typo error with a simple touch.

Saturday 28 June 2014

Apple drops Aperture and iPhoto

Aperture and iPhoto
Apple has just announced that it was abandoning the development of Aperture the photo management software. It is software for photographers and iPhoto which can be used by the general public.

Many people were waiting for Aperture X for many years. Rumors are that the Cupertino Company is working on a new version of its software for photographers. It was also believed that it would occur shortly after the release of the Mac Pro.

 However, the professional application of Apple - unlike Final Cut Pro X - has never been revised to exploit the potential of new workstations from Apple. With the latest version - 3.5.1, Aperture is still available on the Mac App Store at a price of € 69.99.

 Instead, Apple will offer a brand new software that will be available next year, suitable application for iOS 8 (which it will download in the fall). It will be obviously optimized for OS X and in the meantime, of course still possible to use Aperture and / or iPhoto on your Mac.

 Aperture had attracted many professionals at a time; many of them had ended up opting out for competitor software, including Lightroom. The main complaint about Aperture is that the pace of updates too slow.

Along with this announcement, Apple has reassured its professional customers that Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro will continue to evolve. Its main advantage is that is its integration with iCloud. This application will see all photos stored in the cloud.

It incorporates the concepts of iPhoto while drawing operation photos for iOS. This application will require OS X Yosemite to work. Craig Federighi showed that the application would have a good number of tools to rework its images in real time. Photos will probably have no trouble to go further iPhoto.

LG G3, The Hottest Smartphone!



LG G3
The LG G3 is going to be one of the hottest new arrivals of this year. From the beginning of July this year comes LG's flagship model LG G3 to the market. LG G3 comes with super sharp display with metal like plastic housing with the screen size of 5.5 inches (the predecessor G is of 5.2 inches); with this screen size it is actually a Phablet.

With this model LG G3 the Koreans have given a Phablet with extremely sharp display, easy navigation and with beautiful design. The screen frame of LG G3 is narrow and the cabinet edges are beautifully carved round and it aptly fit will in the hand. The LG G3 display is of monstrous 1440x2560 pixels with the vast pixel density of 538 ppi. Currently no other Smartphone is available with this much sharpness. The contrast ratio is 139:1.

The LG G3 is brighter with 503 candelas per square meter and hence it could display more natural colors beautifully. The LG G3 visually makes a very impressive shape. The build in quality is great, the Quad-HD display extremely sharp.

Because of the more pixels the graphics processor may consume more energy but LG promised that the power consumption will be in check hence the LG G3 battery power may last longer for at least 10 hours. With Snapdragon chip 801 (Quad Core 2.46 GHz), Android 4.4.2 and Adreno 330 graphics the G3 works very quickly.

 The operation with the controls are quite simple and easy to operate, most of the people will like the menu more particularly. The tool bar of the LG G3 can be hidden automatically using the setting so that we can get the entire screen space for operation. The user can arouse the phone by simply top knocking; this is similar to that of the G2 version.

The user could predefine the knocking patterns for various operations like locking, unlocking etc. The user can adjust the size of the key board and the space bar to suit their fingers. For certain apps such as Youtube, the browser can be used with a split-screen mode and you can the smart phone similar to a pc for some applications and the small window can be minimized.

In The LG G3, the digital assistant "Smart Buyer" is the brilliant innovation. It observes the cell phone usage in the background and logs every now and then and advises in case of imminent downpour or to reminiscent of missed calls. The LG G3 is not using a normal MHL adapter for HDMI connection; instead it uses the rarer SlimPort.

It is equipped with WLAN ac, Cat4 LTE, HSPA +, NFC and an infrared transmitter. The LG G3’s main camera offers a 13 megapixel and can take a photo with dual flash light and with optical image stabilizer. The laser autofocus does good job.

Snapshots are noticeably faster than any other Android Phones. The optical image stabilizer prevents blurring photos despite long exposures. The photos impress with high sharpness and vibrant colors. No wonder the LG G3 successer of LG G2 is really great Smartphone. LG offers G3 in two different memory variants. There is a version with 16 GB of internal memory with 2 GB of RAM, which currently goes for around 540 Euros over the counter and the version with 32 GB of memory and 3 GB of RAM on offer, which will cost 599 Euros according to the manufacturer.

Friday 27 June 2014

Apple Working On Its Own Smart Home Hardware HomeKit


HomeKit
Latest rumor internet is that Apple is working on its own hardware for the smart home and for that purpose a new team was founded. With this expedition into the smart home market, the product range in the Apple stores could significantly increase in the future. The fact that Apple is working for a novel approach for a new networked home is already known. And it is planning to launch its own HomeKit platform in this year worldwide developer’s conference. For this purpose Apple is planning to produce its own hardware for the Smart home project. For this purpose Apple has selected a internal team to working on the appropriate gadgets for the HomeKit project solely. Once the project is launched the existing Apple gadgets like iPhone iPad etc will complemented perfectly. Apple is still in the development phase of this project but the exploration phase with respect to the products to be added to the project is already completed but what is the Smart home hardware to be added is not disclosed anywhere. Apple will not be a direct competitor of Nest which was recently bought by Google. Since Apple diversified its home appliances selection like home control, home entertainment, Nest will not be affected. Nest only focus on intelligent smoke detectors and thermostats. For entertainment gadgets the recent acquisition of Beats Electronics will help Apple tremendously. In case of HomeKit apple takes the first step in the new business with the software that already available. It is similar to that of iPod release in the year 2001 several months before the iTunes software foundation for MP3 Player.

Apple slashes price of iPod

iPod
Apple offers a cheap iPod Touch with 16GB memory with a 5 megapixel main camera. Though the main model price is not unchanged with 200 Euros but the other models with higher memory are cheaper.

In addition to the hardware addition to the favorable 16GB, they have released other models with 32GB and 64 GB with reduction in price. Thus Apple tries to control the market with the best iPod touch in the market.

The iPod touch with 16 GB of memory has only one camera in the front which is quiet helpful for the video chat which could be used with the FaceTime. But in the higher models a camera on the back is available for photos and videos.

This comfort is lacked in the smaller model. The previous version of the iPod model without the camera was taken away from the online stores.

The 5 mega pixel camera can also record video in full HD resolution. Though the hardware change has taken place there is no change in price and it is fixed in the previous rate only.

But at the same time Apple has reduce the prices of the iPod touch models with higher memory more particularly for 32 and 64 GB.

The 32 GB models costs 250 Euros and it was sold at the price of 300 Euros and the 64 GB iPod’s price is reduced to 300 Euros from 400 Euros.

Both models come with two cameras with hardware update and both of them will be available in the market soon.

Thursday 26 June 2014

Temple Run Fiction Series with Indiana Jones Style

Temple Run Fiction Series
The Developer, Imangi Studios has entered into an agreement with Egmont Publishing for the release of Temple Run fiction series and activity book for children and the runner game for iOS and Android come with Indiana Jones style with it which could translate quite well with novelization.

This is the latest version on how mobile developers can reach other media as well as mechanising sections in order to generate added revenue. Angry Birds developer Rovio has books, toys and many more things in its game franchise and has also been working on a feature film to be released in 2016.

While Imangi had previously released a board game similar to Temple Run, Angry Birds as well as Temple Run are examples of hit mobile games which no longer compete with top games on iOS and Android.

Though Clash of Clans and Candy Crush Saga generate millions of dollars from the purchases of in-app, Temple Run does not seem to be in the top hundred for downloads on iPhone.

On the contrary, Angry Birds and Temple Run have moved to capitalize on their brand favour and while Temple Run is not popular as it used to be earlier on Android and iPhone, the game has recently crossed a One Billion Downloads worldwide.

An Exhilarating Game - Cool/Fast Paced/Exciting

With this, many will recognize its logo when they see it on a retail shelf. The experience of playing the Temple Run is an exhilarating one, with formats and contents that are cool, fast paced as well as exciting as the game.

Sarah Bates, Egmont publishing director for licensed character books, stated saying that their `publishing offers a fantastic opportunity for fans to delve deeper into the world and characters of Temple Run’. Run for Your Life’s first two entries of the fiction series will debut in August.

The Run for Your Life, books come with `choose your own adventures’ that makes some sense for this property which format mimics to the gameplay by swiping right or left options of path in Temple Run proper.

The game is quite addictive where the player runs through an endless course of bricks and bridges, moving to the left or right by swiping the fingers and when faced with a wall one can swipe down to slide between the gaps.

When a large gap is envisaged in the bricks, one can swipe up to jump over it and the entire swiping and running takes place while other animals and monkeys keep chasing the player.

Activity Book in Print and Download - August

The U.K. and U.S would be getting a Temple Run activity book, both in print as well as an interactive download the same month.

Towards November, Egmont will do the follow up with two more entries in fiction series. Bates had commented saying that `they are thrilled that Temple Run would feature in the new `Download’ activity book range, having an already amazing response for their `Run for Your Life’, fiction series which is appropriate for children from seven years onward and that they could not think any further of a better format for the Temple Run game than putting the choices in the hands of the reader.

Wednesday 25 June 2014

Tips for Charging Android Battery Quickly

Charging Android Battery
Consumers are looking forward to good battery life by purchasing new smartphones but battery technology continues to progress more slowly than mobile technology, Companies that are manufacturing new and more efficient batteries are finding it difficult to keep up with the higher resolution displays and other smartphone makers with power hungry technology expanding into iPhone, Android phones and other handsets.

This has forced vendors in creating extreme power saving modes which cuts off major part of the device’s functions to extend battery life when the charge tends to get very low. Though it may take some time to see much progress with regards to smartphone battery life, in the meanwhile, there are some useful ways wherein one can improve the performance of the existing batteries.

For instance when one has returned home after a tiring day at work and is about to go out again and the phone is in need of charging but no time to do the same. These useful tips will enable the user in charging the Android battery to hundred percent.

Enable Airplane Mode

Turning the phone off or enabling it in airplane mode is an effective and easy way in reducing charging time. The phone tends to burn a lot of battery when connected to Wi-Fi or mobile network and disabling the connection can reduce tremendously the battery life.

Slow Charging on Electrical Outlets

Phones tend to charge slowly on electrical outlets or ports, the main cause being the USB. The USB 2.0 ports output 0.5 amps of energy while USB 3.0 ports output 0.9 amp of power and when charged through a traditional electrical outlet one can receive from 1 to 2 amps of energy.

More amps sent to the phone’s battery can speed up the charging and 1 to 2 amps of power may not seem much though 2 amps of power is four times more from what is received from USB 2.0 which is almost 4 times faster charging time.

Avoid Third Party Chargers

Refraining from using third party chargers or even unsupported charges is another useful way since most of these third party chargers are not efficient and may be inadequately designed or made of low quality which may pose as a risk to the user. For precaution sake, charger received with the Android should be utilised.

Tablet Chargers much faster than Smartphone Chargers

Most of the users are unaware that the smartphone charges much faster when it is connected to a tablet charger rather than a smartphone charger. This is because the different chargers draw different amperages and a tablet requires more energy hence it draws more amperage.

Users could try charging their Android with a tablet charger and note the difference in charging time. USB ports are not necessarily locked at specific amperage and just as a Mac increases its amperage to iDevices so also PC increases its amperage to Android devices.

Online downloading of USB boosting software can be done to boost output to a specific USB port wherein the software tells the computer’s motherboard to boost the power to certain USB port. With the useful tips mentioned above, the user can charge the phone to hundred percent in the shortest span of time.

Tuesday 24 June 2014

How to Avoid Virus and Malware on Android


Android
Common sense is needed in keeping infected apps off the Android device which like any computer system, tends to get affected with malware and virus and Android too can get affected with it. Android has checks and balances which help to keep one safe most of which can be done with ease following the basic steps needed:

If you Don’t know what it is, Don’t Install it 

The first important step is if you don’t know about the app, do not install it. It is advisable to refrain from blindly installing Android application file which one may receive in email or linked to spam mail or even in various forums in the internet. Knowledge of the app is very essential before installation of the same.

Only install from Google Play or Reputed App Stores 

Caution should be exercised while installing app where most of them come in duplication which could be prone to viruses and malware. Apps should be installed from reputed app stores which can be done with safety and comfort. Random download from unreliable stores should be avoided which could save the device from virus and malware.

Uncheck `Install from Unknown Sources’

Android devices by default have access to Google Play ships with a lock which keeps application other than Google store from getting installed. This is one of the safest feature and with this locking system, the user gets a warning whenever an application makes an attempt in the installation from other app stores. Should the user have the inclination of installing an app, disabling the lock can be done by ticking of the `Unknown source’ in the security setting.

Read the Permission 

At the time of installing any app on the Android phone, either from Google Play or any other app stores, the app will declare permission to access to download on the phone and keyboard app need to record the keystrokes. Reputed app developers tend to lit the reasons in their listings of app though users also need to be somewhat vigilant

Most Trusted App Markets –Google Play/Amazon AppStore 

Malware and viruses on Android devices is something which the user should be aware of since they can send unwanted spam to anyone in your contacts in worst situations even rack up charged under the users’ accounts, though this can be easily avoided by making use of the tips mentioned above. Users should also be cautious while Sideloading apps especially of third party app stores.

 Downloading App files from locations besides Google Play Store and then manually installing them is known as Sideloading and is an essential step in accessing to apps which are not available. The recent hit game `Flappy Bird’, which is no longer avails in the Play Store can be manually sideloaded on the smartphones though at the time of installing the game from unknown sources, the user may tend to run the risk of infecting the phone with virus.

One should also a third party app store which promises free games along with other apps which normally come with a price. The most trusted app markets are Google Play and the Amazon AppStore. Installing anti-virus apps could also be helpful as an additional precaution which will occasional scan the device for malicious files, monitor the memory usage and provide alerts on any vulnerability in the system.

Monday 23 June 2014

The rise of E-commerce in Nigeria

iBook
Without a doubt Nigeria is one of the fastest growing economies on the African continent. Its largest city, Lagos, is rapidly becoming an important economic hub for this developing country and E-commerce and trade sites are playing a big role in this meteoric rise. One day Nigeria will have the largest GDP in Africa and the development of an “Amazon Africa” will surely become an inherent cog in the future economic machine.

The internet is now the fastest and easiest mechanism for profitable trade. People in Nigeria commonly use e-commerce sites to buy and sell second hand products online through free-classifieds sites like this one. On these African online websites you can notice how much costs are cheaper than Occidental markets. For example you can find an Apple iBook Laptop for $90 while on EBay the same computer costs more than $100. This proves that the growing market is evolving into an opportunity for investors. It will also help startup companies survive by being able to purchase cheaper goods.

One of the biggest challenges that E-commerce trade websites face is the actual delivery of goods throughout the continent. Since many of the countries in Africa do not yet have the modern infrastructure to support the efficient shipments of goods, it is pushing investors to look towards other means of delivery systems such as drones to get the purchased goods to the consumers. This will truly make or break some of the new sites emerging in Nigeria and other African countries. The terrain and climate plays a big role in reaching communities detached from major cities such as Lagos. Therefore whichever company finds a way to effectively reach the entire internet consumer community indiscriminately, will take advantage of this rapidly growing market. This type of vehicle for transportation will even help in cities as well. Lagos, for example, does not have the infrastructure to support its 20 million large population that is growing exponentially by the year. It is a nightmare to navigate for drivers and delivery trucks alike, so the race is on for E-commerce sites to find a solution.

Sunday 22 June 2014

Google commits $50M to encouraging girls to code


Google code
Google’s $50 M for Made with Code Initiative

With all intent and purpose to bring along more women in the technology industry, Google has planned to fund in $50 million into it’s`Made with Code’, initiative and would want more women in technology, encouraging them to learn how to code, in an effort to give equal status to them.

Recently the company launched the Made with Code initiative with celebrities like the former first daughter Chelsea Clinton and the actress and comedienne Mindy Kaling. The event was emceed by Kaling who informed that she had a whole lot of ideas for apps but had no knowledge on how to make them work, which is the plight of several other women all over where most of them have no idea on how to build them up.

According to the Labour Department, only around 20% of software developers are women in the US with Google recently admitting that only 17% of its tech workers are women.

Made to Code Website Designed to Motivate Girls

This gender issue is a big problem for Google as well as several other technical companies, who may be in need of qualified engineers to enhance growth and innovation in their industry and Google who is keen on increasing these numbers in women is making headways in bringing about this change.

 Recently the company started the Made with Code website designed to motivate young girls in middle and high school to learn how to code and the company also announced about funding the project along with key partners like Girl Scouts of the USA and Girls Inc., for $50 million for the next three years.

Kaling who admits being famous stated that she had never written code and like many other women, she too was a outsider in the all-boys world and yet managed to find success. She further went on to relate that girls needed to be encouraged to become the next generation of coders because they needed to play bigger role in the tech-driven society.

Learn to Code Software

The concept of Google’s `Made with Code’, initiative is created to motivate them in getting them into role models to follow along with ideas on how computer coding can fit into their activities as well as interest which they love.

The website launched at the event also features many female engineers, entrepreneurs as well as artist, most of those who had used their knowledge of computer coding in order to pursue their careers in fashion, animation, cancer research, music, dance and much more. Besides this it also makes available Google’s free Blockly learn-to-code software which teaches in one lesson to design a bracelet which is then 3D printed by Shapeways.

The software also teaches how to create animated GIFs or even build beats for music track. Megan Smith, Google X Vice President informed that learning to code is like learning to read and the best way to learn is to be exposed to it. She also stated that encouragement at home and school is critical to inspiring girls to even try coding and further added that parents need not be techies to encourage a love of technology.

Friday 20 June 2014

Radio Apps That Will Enchant the Audiophile within You part. 2


XIIALive Internet Radio
XIIALive Internet Radio 

The Android platformoffers the user a highly overwhelming music experienceswhere there is so much to explore that which will take a lifetime to hear every song that has been featured on each of these apps. The Visual Blasters LLC, makers of XIIALive have come up with strong user friendly interactive and intuitive app for music, for all music lovers and with a simple interface which is not too fancy but a face kind of graphics, this type of app is much simpler and easy to comprehend. Some of the main features of the XIIALive app which appear on the home screen are: Genres, Search, Top Hits, Favourites, History, Settings, Directions and Player. Though the settings seem simple, the interface gives the user to a large extent; a feel of a Radio Jockey with the designing on the app created with this intention. On entering the main screen, the listening page is divided into three sections, the topmost being the swipe section. If the user is on thePlayer section, they can horizontally swipe the screen and to reach another section, can click on it to enter it.

Main Player Screen – Indication of Station/Frequency

Beneath it is the main player of the screen with the indication of the station and the frequency that is playing. Besides this one also gets the bandwidth along with the speed at which the data is received together with the name of the artist enabling the user to keep track of what is being played for future listening options. The choice to tag, share and even broadcast the song directly through the app is also available so that others can also get to know what you are listening through the app. With the help of the option tab, user can look for multiple other settings. An added feature to this is that the user can control the volume from the main screen below which is the Stop and Pause button as well as the next and backward option of the songs to be played. Below this is the streaming option together with the bar which shows what part of the song is being played. Users can also have the list of top hits from that charts created at the back end by DJs across the app in order to get the best musical experience.

Powered by Shout Cast with Various Radio Stations

Moreover, the XIIALive app’s white colour interface can be inverted and changed to black since the app supports two opposite in colour themes for extreme set of users and in terms of the themes for the app besides these two, there is nothing much in it. The equalizer enables them to search around with the sound in order to get some good listening experience according to their choice. Powered by Shout Cast, the XIIALive app has around 50,000 radio stations and if one does not find a song, Shout Cast directs the user to other areas to locate the song one is searching for. Besides this, the app also helps to fall asleep with the timer and the stations to select from, to put you to sleep, providing a descending sound alarm. This app can be downloaded on Android device for free from Google Play Store.

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Radio Apps That Will Enchant the Audiophile within You part. 1

Radio.io
Radio.io - Feature Packed App

The app, Rad.io that has been designed by Radio.de, is a feature packed app which is more like an all in one app for radio stations all over the world. What makes this app so special in particular from all the radio apps on the Android space is that, it amalgamates somewhat from every other elite radio app present in the market. Though in comparison to other radio apps on Google Play Store, the fact of the feature is that it helps to make this app worth mentioning with regards to radio app, since Android and Rad.io seems to be a well-structured app which will ensure that the user has all the radio needs all on a single platformand if one has observed other apps in the radio genre across the Play Store, one will see an easy simulation of everything in one place.

Black and Green Interface – Variety of Options

The Rad.io app in its black and green interface provides everything to listen to with genres which ranges from Jazz, Pop, Rock, Ballad, Digital etc.; with a variety of options to choose from. The list being endless, the user may add any of the stations of their choice in the favourites bar where these features divide the tab into three categories which are the favourites that are marked by the user. Besides this it also has favourite tab which has been marked by the team at the back end in order that you get the best choice along with recommendations from the editorial team. In case one has forgotten a song one wanted to listen to, the history can trace back and provide the information on all details needed. List of radio frequencies are also made available in the list view with the thumbnails of the radio station. From the side bar of the volume knobs on the phone, a volume control that can be alternatively accessed has been added which is located in the middle of the screen

Provides Popular Widget Compatibility

The Rad.io app also enables the user with the local radio station in a given area in order to get the best music in a given locality. Moreover it also provides popular widget compatibility which most users prefer to have since it is easy to use, making it a less tedious task with the app while searching for good music. The Rad.io also offers similar stations to select from recommending stations depending on the genre as well as the kind of artist music which plays on the phone. It has all the features combined into one screen which includes the heard last, editorial recommendations, individual favourites, and stations from current region along with the top hundred. Users can also instantly navigate to what had been heard last, hop to individual favourites or even skip to editorial recommendations and can select station from the current region and top 100 lists. To top it, users could also add in the sleep time and have a 4.3 star rated radio app for Android platform. The Rad.io can also be used as an alarm feature to wake you on some good new music giving a good start to the day with music ringing in your ears.

Top 5 Free Best Android Video Player Applications

MX Player App
Nowadays, the smartphones are used to make calls, send media messages and also they are used as a media player for the most of the teenagers in this globe.

You can use your mobile for watching high graphics videos, and the main thing is that, you can use various applications for watching the videos in the smartphones. One of my readers has asked me a question that which application is suitable for watching the high graphics videos in the mobile phone.

Basically there are loads of applications are available in the market for watching the high graphics videos. In this post, I have shared some of the apps that are also used as the audio player in the android devices. The top 5 android video player apps are given below and you can use these applications for both mobile phones and tabs.

MX Player App

MX player Application is a free video app. It is the best one among the others avails in the market. This player is the first one that supports the multi core decoding of the android. Most of the people use this app only.

Features 

• It has the simple user interface and it is easy to use.
• It Supports Multi-Core Decoding
• It Supports Hardware Acceleration.
• There is a screen locking option in order to avoid kid using other settings of your phone. It supports all video formats.
• It has the very feature called, Auto Resume Option.

VPlayer App

The people who all are watching YouTube videos more, VPlayer are the best player. It has the wonderful graphical user interface which is simple too. It is available only for trail about 7 days. After that you have to buy the unlocked version.

Features

• It uses Less Battery to play videos.
• From the VPlayer, it can able to play videos of the YouTube.
• Facebook videos can be played using VPlayer.
• It supports Hardware Acceleration.
• It will play HD Videos

MoboPlayer

It is the video player which plays almost 90% of the video formats.

Features

• It supports HD videos.
• It supports multi-subtitles and multi-audio streams.
• In this player videos can be streamed the protocols of HTTP, RTSP.
• Simple and Great User Interface.

Easy Video Player

The people who want privacy in their videos can use this Easy video player. This is the one and only player has privacy control settings. So it is differs from other players.

Features 

• It has privacy control on your videos.
• It supports all video formats.
• It enables the Wi-Fi transfer.
• It offers advanced video sorting.

BSPlayer

In order to use the simple player with good features, use BSPlayer.

Features 

• Kid Lock( screen lock) is there
• All video formats can be played.
• It is available in both free and paid options.
• Files directly from uncompressed RAR files can be played.

Monday 16 June 2014

The Dentists Will Soon Cure Teeth With A Self-Regenerating Laser


dentistry
Researchers have made a stunning discovery. Pointing a laser on a damaged tooth, they were able to initiate a self-healing phenomenon that restores all its health. This is an innovation that could revolutionize the dentistry.

This will reduce the costs and inconvenience of conventional treatment. The healing technique by laser has been tested on rats so far, but it is totally usable in humans. This could include replacing root canals, currently expensive and painful.

Experts, some of whom were part of the team of Dental Research of the U.S. government found that intense light beam from a laser causes a chemical reaction that woke stem cells of the tooth. Healing takes about 12 weeks. Praveen Arany, a researcher at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research of Maryland, hopes to begin testing on individuals very soon.

If they are successful, it could mean the end of dentures, which are not as good for health as natural teeth. However, prostheses remain necessary in some cases. Dr Dusko Ilic, Senior Lecturer in Stem Cell Science, King's College London, said the technique was cheap and the tests were planned on humans in the near future.

Professor Chris Mason, an expert in regenerative medicine at University College London said that the approach is very direct and although it seems high-tech laser treatment is not expensive, on the contrary. It predicts that this phenomenon will be very popular with patients and providers due to low cost and rapid response.

We were very impressed by this scientific breakthrough. We look forward to new solutions are emerging to treat our teeth cheaply. Hopefully, however there is no side effect in the use of such an apparatus.

Firefox 31 Beta with More Tools for Developers


Firefox 31 Beta
Firefox 30 final version has just now released and Mozilla shifted attention to Firefox 31, which replaces its predecessor in the distribution channel beta browser. Firefox 31 focuses in particular on tools for developers. Users will also be entitled to some new things.

A search field will be added to the new tab page, and Firefox will open directly pdf, ogg and more. On Windows if no default application takes over, The Next Web notes from the release notes for Firefox 31. In the blog dedicated to news for developers, however there are many more improvements.

Two new debugging tools are introduced, for example one can dedicate the add-ons and other elements to canvas. The Debugger add-on will add a "Debug" button at any add-on that does not require a restart to install it says Mozilla. Must obviously be the module author to gain access to it. A video was posted on Vimeo to explain the operation.

The Debugger Canvas "allows developers to register and in their image scroller code image" from a 2D or 3D animation they created. The editor, seen in the video, resembles the classic debugging tools of Firefox.

 In Mobile applications, we note in particular the arrival of Firefox Hub API, an environment that allows developers to add their content directly on the home page of Firefox for Android, as well as performance improvements and stability APK Factory.


 Finally, little more dedicated to web design can seems, but can provide a productivity gain interesting every day. In the color picker, a pipette will now allow you to copy the color code of any pixel on the screen. The feature that already existed in the form of add-ons but now take in.

Microsoft Runs out of IPv4 Addresses

Microsoft

Due to the shortage of IPv4 addresses in the United States, Microsoft had to assign customers to Azure VM to U.S. IP from other regions, which may create problems for location services running on these virtual servers.

 The shortage of IPv4 addresses is not new and it is long standing issue. Nevertheless, the effects of the depletion of the stock of addresses have been delayed. They are nevertheless increasingly visible as have seen users of cloud service Microsoft Azure.

Some customers have deployed Azure platform virtual machines in the United States have noted, by opening a Web page in a browser, they were redirected, for example, to the Brazilian version of Yahoo. The reason is simple, says Microsoft on their blog, that all blocks of IPv4 addresses in the United States have been assigned.

Azure, the publisher had to obtain IPv4 addresses of other regions, including Southern America. As a result, Web services hosted on Azure can be detected as not being located in the United States, even if virtual machines are, they are hosted in a datacenter located in U.S..

 For Microsoft and other cloud players, this will be repeated more often. LACNIC, the body responsible for the management of IP addresses for the Latin America and Caribbean region, said this week no longer have IPv4 address blocks available.

Friday 13 June 2014

Beats to extend its line of Audio Devices

Beats
Beat Electronics has plans to extend its line of audio devices in order to stay tuned with new owner of Apple‘s frequent product updates and Powerbeats 2 Wireless which is the company’s first set of wireless earphones which has been designed, keeping athletes in mind, providing the Beats audio quality which most of the fans are looking forward to.

As conveyed to TechNewsWorld by Ben Arnold, consumer technology industry analyst at NPD, he states that the `Beats’, brand and the endorsement of LeBron James seems to be the biggest strengths of this product.

The Miami Heat basketball player had been engaged in developing the Powerbeats 2 wireless earphones due to his frequent breaking of ear buds which took place during workouts. He further states that he had seen some companies especially at CES putting fitness sensors into ear buds and he thinks that this sets the stage for some new innovation with regards to this issue.

Earphones Hooks – Designed for Comfort and Fitness

The earphones’ hooks seems to be designed for improvement, for fitness and comfort and the device includes IPX4 water and sweat resistance for durability accompanied with a remote which has a slip free grip while making hands free calls, or changing volume or even changing tracks. Moreover for storage, it comes with a hard shell case.

The earphones will come at a price of US$199.95 and will be available in shades of white, black and red by this month. Powerbeats 2 Wireless can be connected to Bluetooth enabled device placed up to 30 feet distance and has a rechargeable battery capable of running for six hours playback. Besides this, user can have a quick charge option enabling them with an extra hour of constant playback within just fifteen minutes of charging.

Long Battery Life – Additional Feature

John Feland, CEO and founder of Argus Insights had informed TechNewsWorld that Beats was always keen on listening experience and the earlier generation of Bluetooth technology seems to be coming in the way in delivery a Beats sound wireless.

He further added that their early Bluetooth Studio headsets had been received well and in their analysis of early Beats Wireless, consumers found that in addition to the traditional love of the Beats sound, the long battery life was another useful feature.

Though this is the first time that Beats released the wireless earphones, it did have some experience in the development of Bluetooth devices since it had launched it wireless mode of headphone in the year 2012 as well as a studio version the next year and the wireless headphone demand reached $1 billion that year accounting to fifty seven percent of US premium sales, with an increase of twenty one percent from the previous year.

Beats – Favoured Brand for Young Generation 

As informed to TechNewsWorld by J. Gerry Purdy, chief mobile analyst at Compass Intelligence, presently Beats is the favoured brand in audio handsets wherein emphasize is in the range of music spectrum that is a favourite among the young generation especially athletes.

 This wireless product eliminates wired connection which could pose a problem during workouts and hence there is a great demand for this new entry. It is not known if Apple would be planning to bundle Beats earphone along with the release of next iPhone and iPad models or plans to use the Beats technology to enhance the EarPods which was used since the release of the iPhone 5.

Thursday 12 June 2014

How To Fix Low Memory On Android


Low Memory
Low Memory – Avoid Task Killers 

Low system memory – RAM and low internal memory – storage, are the two issues which need to be checked while running an Android device to avoid any interruption in its function.

 Most of the Android devices have 1 GB of RAM or 512 MB and if one is running some intensive app or a number of apps, the RAM may tend to struggle under the pressure and one of the foremost rule of RAM Club is not to use task killers which tend to stop processes long enough for a cool bar graph or pie chart to indicate an impressive decrease in the usage of the RAM.

These processes then tend to start up only after a few moments and put you back from where you started. The most essential step to be taken in order to keep a tab on how much RAM the apps uses is toeliminate the trouble issuing ones which may not be of much importance to the user.

Play Store have a good number of apps and one can find one with the resource management and functionality of one’s choice. Since Android has a built in RAM monitor in Developer Option under the Process Stats, users can see the run time as well as the RAM usage.

Variety of Start -Up Task

If the Developer Option has been enabled, users could go to Settings>About Phone and tap on Build Number till Developer option appears.

One can also use a variety of start-up task managers such as Advance Task Manager in order to limit which apps and process can run on start-up.

Large number of pictures or videos, too many games and plenty of music could impose on the internal storage which one may not be aware of.

Based on the version of Android as well as the manufacturer, it is important to comprehend how Android divides internal storage so that one has the understanding of how much space is available.

Micro SD Card/Link2SD

A Smartphone with a 32 GB of storage onlyhas access to around three quarters of it and at times much less and the best thing to do when one gets a warning of low internal storage is to delete some of the unrequired contents by clearing off the temporary and cached data which would be of great advantage.
Shifting the music and photos to the cloud or using a music streaming service instead of the local storage could be helpful.

The other alternative is to slip in a micro SD card in the phone slot and then move the contents over to the external SD card.

This can be done in Settings>Apps> look for `move to SD card’ in each app where music, pictures and other files can be moved though system files and apps cannot be moved.

Besides this, an app like Link2SD also is helpful in moving everything to the SD card though these apps may need to have root access, where root privilege provides more freedom to move apps at will; delete bloatware preloaded on the device and much more.

Google demotes Chrome Feature


Google Chrome
Original Chip Plan Now Hides full Addresses

Recently, Chrome team member, Peter Kasting has demoted one aspect of the address hiding feature to a third level priority from a top priority level and those wanting their browser showing websites’ full addresses, should be glad that Google has put in work on its former chip, on the back burner. Google has now taken a step back from its original chip plan which would now hide the full addresses that people visit with its Chrome browser. In his explanation on Google’s issue tracking site, Kasting states that `the origin chip work is back burned’.

To the left of Chrome’s address bar is the region of the origin chipwhich shows only the domain of a web addresses and instead of a full web address it now shows a shorter form of a web address where longer address could be more useful but it could also be more crowded with obscure coding. It is unknown why Google has done this but a lot of the origin chip work has already been done with some other aspects of the origin chip work remaining active in the Chrome issue tracker. No comments have been received from Google with regards to this issue.

Navigation to Web – Changed 

Google had been conducting test on the feature of a fraction of Chrome beta user to get people’s response, some of which were negative since the full web address portrays useful information. Navigation to the web has now changed and full addresses are no longer essential as they were earlier.

 To navigate to a particular site, the option of the search engine was used to get where one wanted to go and the share buttons in smartphone app can take the place of a copy and paste operation when one wants to tell a friend regarding a particular web site.

However it is hard to change user interfaces where millions of user have now become accustomed to it and Chrome’s growth on the usage of the net has made it harder for Google to introduce significant changes like the omnibox or the origin chip which merged the browser’s search box and the address boxes when Chrome had been debuted in 2008.

Minimalist Presentation – More Inviting to Search

Kasting has also shared some reasons why the origin chip would be a good idea in his earlier comments on Google+. According to him the minimalist presentation would be making it more inviting to search, and could make it easier to refine searches by adding or removing search terms and improve security by showing users what site they are really on and not just what a carefully crafted address would misleadingly suggest.

Web addresses also called URLs – uniform resource locators, are fundamental parts of the World Wide Web that Time Berners Lee had created around twenty five years ahead and the origin chip does not remove the full URL but is something that people are looking for. With the origin chip feature implemented, user could click on the chip and see or copy the full address. Beside this, the Ctrl/Cmd-L keyboard shortcut also shows – select the full address, as it shows today with the origin chip.

Saturday 7 June 2014

How to Make Free Calls (online) From PC to Mobile

iCall
In internet there are some online services for making calls to mobile. If you call your buddies at free of cost, you will be very happy. Right? Then this article is right for you all. You can make calls now at free of cost from computer to mobile.

Using Google voice

Google offers the service called Google voice which is used to make calls from computer to mobile or mobile to computer. Unfortunately you can make call for US and Canada. If you want to make call elsewhere you will be charged. Call rates will be applicable based on the country. It also maintains the contact. Once you register in google voice, it will provide the google voice number. It never changes.

Using Yahoo Messenger

Yahoo messenger allows you to make calls from PC to mobile. We can use it in India also. It is not like the google voice. Download and install the yahoo messenger on the mobile. You can log in the yahoo messenger only with the yahoo mail id password. If you don’t have yahoo id, just sign up an account.

Then select Yahoo Call and then click call a Phone number from my PC option, as shown in the capture. And now you have to dialthe toll free number 18003733411 and wait until your call is getting connected.You have to follow the instructions and click the free call option end.The process is done. Now you can dial the number that you want to call. Enjoy the free calls.

Using Icall

Icall is as same as the google voice. Though it provides the calling service only for US and Canada, it is the one of the best method to do free calls. This app will be applicable only for Mac, IPhone, Linux and Windows. You can make a call as many times you want. But every fifth minute, the call will get disconnected.

UsingSite2Sms

This site is different from all the sites that we discussed. In Site2Sms you can make calls for India alone. You are allowed to do 15 calls only. For every 2 minutes the call will be disconnected and that you can talk up to 30 minutes only.

Using VoipBuster

VoipBuster offers a free service for making calls. It has also some restrictions that are given below.
• You can make call for only particular countries.

• Each day you can talk through VoipBuster about 60 minutes only.