Archive
How To Safely Clean Your Tablet Or Smartphone’s Touchscreen
Cleaning a smartphone touchscreen is simple. You don’t need a special cleaning kit or cleaning solution to safely clean your tablet or smartphone’s touchscreen – you can do it with materials you probably have on hand. However, you do need to know what to avoid – many common types of cloths and cleaning solutions can damage a touchscreen.
Once you understand what to do and what not to do, you can safely clean a smartphone or tablet’s touchscreen in just a few seconds, removing the build-up of oil, dust, and other grime that can accumulate on these devices as we rub our fingers over them all day.
What Not To Do
Before we go over a quick and easy method to safely clean your device’s touchscreen, let’s cover some things you should never do to clean a smartphone touchscreen:
- NEVER use harsh chemicals, including Windex, anything with ammonia, or alcohol-based cleaners. If a liquid is necessary, you should only use a small amount of water on the cloth. You can also purchase special cleaning solutions, such as iKlenz, which is recommended by Apple, but these solutions are not necessary.
- NEVER use abrasive cloths, paper towels, or tissue paper, which can scratch the touchscreen. The scratches will be small and build up over time, damaging and dulling the screen. Instead, use microfiber cloths, which are specially designed to clean sensitive surfaces.
- NEVER use a large amount of water. If water is necessary to clean the screen, you should make your microfiber cloth slightly damp instead of putting the water directly on your screen. If any water at all is necessary, it’s also a good idea to power off your device ahead of time.
- NEVER press too hard while cleaning the screen. This can damage your device.
This process will be different if you have a screen protector on your screen. The method below is for cleaning glass screens – if your screen is covered in a plastic screen protector, you have more leeway and can use other types of cleaning solutions.
Get a Microfiber Cloth
To clean a touchscreen, all you really need is a microfiber cloth. For dirtier screens, you may also need a small amount of plain water (soap is not necessary).
The term “microfiber cloth” may sound a bit fancy, but they’re extremely common and cheap. If you have a pair of eyeglasses, they probably came with a microfiber cloth for cleaning the glasses. This cloth can safely clean sensitive glass surfaces without scratching them, whether it’s a pair of glasses or a glass touchscreen. You may also have received a microfiber cloth with another device. (In a pinch, you can use cotton, such as a cotton cloth or the corner of a cotton t-shirt, but this won’t work nearly as well.)
Why a microfiber cloth? They contain very small fibers which won’t scratch your touch screen. They also attract dust and oils, pulling them off your device’s screen instead of rubbing them around the screen. A few quick wipes with a microfiber cloth is generally all you need.
How To Clean a Touch Screen
Now that you have the appropriate cloth to clean your screen, the process is very simple:
- Turn off the device. This step is actually optional, but if you’ll be using any water, this is a good idea. At the very least, turning off the device’s screen allows you to see the dirt more easily.
- Wipe horizontally or vertically across the touchscreen in one repeating direction with the microfiber cloth. For example, start at the left side of the screen and wipe straight across to the right side of the screen. Next, move the cloth a bit lower and repeat this process to clean the entire screen. Some people recommend rubbing in small circles, which can help remove more stubborn grime, but this can also rub the dirt into your screen, damaging it. The wiping-across motion sweeps grime off the screen, and is the safest way to clean the screen.
- If necessary, use a small amount of water (don’t add soap or anything else to the water) to make a corner of the cloth slightly damp. Use the damp part of the cloth to clean the screen in the same way. (Rubbing in a small circle may be necessary if grime refuses to come off.)
- Wipe the screen with the dry part of the microfiber cloth — in the same way you cleaned the touchscreen above — to dry it off a bit. Leave the rest of the water on the screen to air-dry; don’t try too hard to dry it with the cloth.
This is the most complicated way to explain the process. In most cases, simply turning the device’s screen off and giving it a few wipes across with a microfiber cloth will be enough to remove any dust and oil in just a few seconds.
To clean the microfiber cloth itself and prevent build-up of dirt, soak the cloth in warm, soapy water, rinse well, and let it dry. Don’t use any harsh chemicals to clean the cloth, either. These can damage the cloth.
Other Tips
You can buy cleaning kits and expensive cleaning solutions like iKlenz and Monster CleanTouch, but a simple microfiber cloth and some water will work just as well in most situations.
Remember to wash your hands regularly to keep your device’s screen clean – less oil on your hands means less smudges and dirt on your touchscreen.
Dual-SIM Android smartphones for every budget
Owning a smartphone today is no longer a luxury as companies like Spice, Micromax, etc. brought the Android OS down to affordable levels. One feature that many people still look for in a phone is Dual-SIM capability since this allows them to use more than one number without needing to carry around two phones. Dual-SIM started off as a highlight for the cheap ‘Chinese’ feature phones but since it gathered mass appeal, OEMs have started incorporating it in smartphones as well. Here’s a look at some of the good Dual-SIM Android handsets in the market, that are worth a look.
Karbonn A7 – Rs. 7,400
As a brand, Karbonn doesn’t really inspire confidence in many but the A7 is actually a surprisingly good phone for the price. The build and finish of the handset does not feel cheap in any way and you actually won’t hesitate to show it off. The phone comes with Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread so it’s pretty smooth. The display quality is lacking a bit but it fares very well in the rest of the areas. This is a Dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) handset with 3G support. Karbonn does make up for the lack of performance with really good battery life.
Good value for money
- 3.5-inch LCD display with a 320 x 480 pixel resolution
- 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi (Hot spot), DLNA
- Bluetooth with A2DP, USB 2.0
- GPS with A-GPS support
- 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash
- Stereo FM Radio
- 512MB memory, expandable via microSD
Micromax Superfone Canvas A100 – Rs. 10,000
This is Micromax’s latest offering in its Android portfolio and it’s already flying off the shelves by the dozen. Why the craze? Well, how about the fact that for just Rs. 10,000, you get an Android 4.0 device with a massive 5-inch screen! Measuring about 11.9mm in depth, it’s pretty slim and at 168g, quite light as well. The phone is still powered by a single-core CPU, as asking for a dual-core would have been a bit much, at least as of today. The phone also packs in a 5MP rear facing camera and a front facing VGA camera. The A100 is powered by a 1GHz CPU so that should keep the OS chugging along nicely. While it looks great on paper, our fear is that the low resolution screen might be a bit of a deal breaker but we’ll know soon enough once we put it through its paces in our labs. If you can find it in stores, it’s definitely worth checking out.
- 5-inch LCD display with a 480 x 854 pixel resolution
- 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi (Hot spot), DLNA
- Bluetooth with A2DP, USB 2.0
- GPS with A-GPS support
- 5 megapixel with LED flash, 0.3 megapixel front camera
- Stereo FM Radio
- 2GB memory, expandable via microSD, 512MB RAM
Spice Mi-350n – Rs. 7,800
The Mi-350n has been with us for more than six months now and continues to offer good value for money under the 10K price bracket. This Dual-SIM handset is built well and looks pretty presentable as well. With a decently large screen size to boot, watching videos and surfing the Internet is not a bad experience. Micromax also bundles along a wide selection of apps for productivity and play. It also manages to deliver a very good battery life thanks to the chunky battery.
3.5-inch LCD display with a 320 x 480 pixel resolution
- 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi (Hot spot), DLNA
- Bluetooth with A2DP, USB 2.1
- GPS with A-GPS support
- 3.2 megapixel auto-focus rear camera, 0.3 megapixel front camera
- Stereo FM Radio
- 170MB memory, expandable via microSD
Motorola Defy Mini – Rs. 11,300
The Motorola Defy Mini, as the name suggests, is the smaller sibling of the Defy XT535. With a slight cosmetic tweak to differentiate the phones, they are pretty much similar feature-wise except for a few areas that Motorola has had to cut down in order to sell it for less. The IP67 certified phone has a smaller 3.2-inch screen, lesser RAM, a slightly slower CPU and a lower 3.2MP camera. As far as rugged Dual-SIM phones go, this is probably the cheapest one you’ll find in the market. The Defy Mini is still powered by Gingerbread and measures just 12.6mm in depth and weighs 107g only, making it easy to carry around.
- 3.2-inch LCD display with a 320 x 480 pixel resolution
- 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi (Hot spot), DLNA
- Bluetooth with A2DP, USB 2.0
- GPS with A-GPS support
- 3 megapixel with LED flash, 0.3 megapixel front camera
- Stereo FM Radio
- Memory expandable via microSD, 512MB RAM
Spice Stellar Mi-425 – Rs. 9,500
The Spice Mi-425 is another very good option in the Dual-SIM Android camp. This 4-inch smartphone runs Gingerbread but Spice says, it is upgradable to ICS; however, when that will actually happen is anyone’s guess. The phone features a pretty decent design and build which feels like it can take a beating in the long run. With a Qualcomm SoC onboard, the phone manages to chug along nicely without any major hiccups. Spice bundles along plenty of apps as well, like NQ Mobile Security, etc. The 5MP shooter is capable of recording videos at 720p and the image quality of the stills is pretty decent as well. All in all, it’s a good phone that’s worth a look.
- 4-inch LCD display with a 480 x 800 pixel resolution
- 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi (Hot spot), DLNA
- Bluetooth with A2DP, USB 2.1
- GPS with A-GPS support
- 5 megapixel auto-focus sensor with LED flash, 1.3 megapixel front camera
- Stereo FM Radio
- 140MB memory, expandable via microSD
HTC Desire V – Rs. 20,100
If you’re looking for a relatively high-end Dual-SIM Android, then the HTC Desire V is probably your best bet. Along with Android 4.0 with Sense, the phone packs in a powerful 1GHz CPU along with a comfortable 4-inch display. It’s a lot slimmer than most of the phones in the list, measuring just 9.3mm in depth and light too, at 114g. You do get a 5MP auto-focus camera with LED flash but no front facing camera. The Desire V handles media well with out-of-the-box support for AVI video files as well as Beats Audio enhancement for sound.
- 4-inch LCD display with a 480 x 800 pixel resolution
- 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi (Hot spot), DLNA
- Bluetooth with A2DP, USB 2.0
- GPS with A-GPS support
- 8 megapixel BSI Sensor (Rear) with LED flash, 1.3 megapixel front camera
- Stereo FM Radio
- 4GB memory, expandable via microSD
7 Popular cloud services to choose from
One of the best ways to take backups and store data is online storage, popularly known as cloud storage that apart from storing extremely large files also lets you share and access them anytime, anywhere from any computer or mobile device. You don’t need to lug along your laptop, portable hard drive or flash drive. Several industry giants have built cloud platforms for customers and some have also made them available across other platforms. We aren’t really spoilt for choice when it comes to cloud storage yet, but there are more than a handful that you can choose from. Here are seven popular ones to choose from depending on how much space you need and the amount of money you are willing to shell out.
Dropbox
Going by popularity, Dropbox surely tops the charts. This application is available for your Windows desktop, Mac and all leading mobile platforms. All you need to do is create a single account and you can access that account from all your devices. This means even if you back up a file on your PC, it will automatically sync that file to your Dropbox account, which you can then access from your smartphone, tablet or any other computer. Dropbox accounts for mobile and desktop are free with up to 18GB of free space (2 GB+ 500MB per referral). Your Dropbox account will show the space usage just under your email ID on the upper right side. For more space you will have to pay and upgrade to Dropbox Pro offering 100GB, 200GB, and 500GB account space, starting at approximately Rs. 510/month ($9.99/month). If you have a group of people planning to share a workspace then there is a Dropbox team plan as well.
Available for Android, Blackberry, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux
Box in the cloud
Box
Upon signing in, you get 5GB of online space to store your data and just like your desktop, you can create folders to save all your data. Just dump your huge presentations and files here, and you can even quickly share them with your friends. All this can be done even on the go, as Box is also available on leading mobile platforms. One will just need to download the app from their phone app store. You can use Box beyond your personal requirements, as they have Business and Enterprise tariff plans which give you unlimited storage space and additional collaborative features along with admin and security controls. Business users can opt for 1000GB online space which can be used by 5 to 500 users for approximately Rs. 775 ($15/month).
Available for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Windows, Mac
Skydrive
SkyDrive is Microsoft’s homebrewed cloud service which isn’t limited to Windows users. Create your Skydrive account and access files from your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet, without the need for any syncing. Basically, as soon as you install SkyDrive, you will notice a SkyDrive folder that can be loaded with all your photos, movies, documents and everything that matters to you onto the 7GB of free space it provides. Even if you forget to put something in your SkyDrive folder, as long as your PC that has the file is on and running SkyDrive, it lets you access any file you need. Also, make sure you leave the box that will allow you to “Fetch your files from anywhere” checked during setup. It offers the most free space of all the storage services and you can add up to 100GB by paying a price of Rs. 2,585.
Available for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Desktop, Mac, (can be used for other phones via mobile browser)
Pie in the sky
SugarSync
This cloud service brings sweetness to your personal storage with its ability to sync multiple devices, and take secure, continuous and automatic file backups. You can access and edit these files anytime using the SugarSync web app or mobile app. SugarSync continuously syncs and backs up files from your computer, and you don’t need to manually sync them with other devices. You can even edit files on your computer while it is offline and SugarSync will automatically sync the changes the next time you go online. This competitor to Dropbox gives you 5GB of space. You will have to shell out some dough for more space and you could get up to 250GB which will cost about Rs. 1292 ($24.99).
Available for Android, Blackberry, iOS, Symbian, Windows Mobile, Desktop, Mac
Google Drive
Google’s cloud offering is a great tool while using Google products like Gmail. Moreover, it lets you create and edit new documents, spreadsheets and presentations instantly and also share them with others. A group of people can work together at the same time on the same doc, and see changes as they appear. Google Drive doesn’t store data in the form of folders but the search giant has infused it with a solid search option to find data from those long lists and also arrange them the way you want. Again, Google hasn’t restricted its cloud storage to its own platform and extends it to popular mobile platforms along with PC and Mac. Google Drive offers 5GB free space for data and 1GB for Picasa, but you can spend some money and upgrade to 25GB, 199GB or even up to 1TB. Upgrading to 100GB will cost around Rs. 3,102 ($60).
Available for Android, iOS, Windows, Mac
Google drives in its cloud storage
iDrive
The next in our list is iDrive, a cloud service to back up data and access it from multiple PCs and mobile devices. Create your iDrive Login and use it on all the other devices to access data. iDrive automatically recognizes the modified parts of file(s) / folder(s) and backs them up in real-time. It retains and allows you to restore the last 30 versions of all files backed up to your account. It also adds in the new iDrive Sync option, which offers Visual Sharing with Facebook integration and a simple drag and drop option to share files. Like most of the cloud storage options available today, iDrive gives you 5GB of storage space and to add more space you will have to opt for the paid Pro version. For 150GB, users will have to shell out approximately Rs. 2585.
Available for Android, iOS, Windows, Mac
Syncplicity
Syncplicity is another cool option whether you are looking for a personal or work-related cloud storage. As you sign up, you get 2GB of storage space and you can sync up to two devices, which can obviously be upgraded with the paid version starting at Rs. 775/month. Although Syncplicity doesn’t offer as much free space as other storage solutions, it appears to be more beneficial as a business or enterprise product with its superior security, admin control and enterprise features required in a working environment. It allows admins to control which devices can access cloud storage inside or outside the company and data retention policies can help admins find and remove documents that violate company policies. It also allows accessing data on mobile devices, and editing it using third party apps. Users can access news feeds, which display an activity stream of files and folders to notify users instantly of changes in folders and files made by other users.
Available for Android, iOS, Windows, Mac
Although security is still a hiccup in cloud storage, it is still growing in popularity as a convenient and easy-to-use storage solution. Do let us know which is your cloud of choice and what you think about these cloud storage options.
The latest 3G plans in India,Must know about that
10 must-have Android apps for any Computer Engineer
The Google Play is loaded with apps to assist professionals. If you are a computer engineer or networking professional, your Android phone can serve as a tool for administering computers, remote access and more.
Google’s mobile app market has been growing by the day. It is inundated with apps for just about everything – be it health, music, movies and or something silly and worthwhile. The Google Play is also loaded with apps to assist professionals. If you are a computer engineer or networking professional, your Android phone can serve as a tool for administering computers, remote access and more. Some of these apps could come handy if you are usually travelling around the clients site for troubleshooting or to set up a new networking environment. We have jotted down 10 such must-have, free Android apps for any computer engineer or networking professional.
Wifi Analyzer – Free
This is a must-have app in your Wi-Fi tool kit. This app lists and analyses the Wi-Fi networks available around you. It informs the user about the network channels being used and recommends which one is less crowded and apt to use at that point of time. What we liked is the way this app shows graphical analysis of the Wi-Fi networks in the vicinity for a clear understanding; you can pick the option depending upon the signal strength. The app also lists out the signal strength, the SSID and BSSID addresses along with the entire list of securities involved. You can also check the signal strength on an individual Wi-Fi network using the built-in dBM meter.
List and analyse Wi-Fi networks
Fing – Free
Those looking for an easy and simple way to list out all the PCs or devices connected to their Local Area Network can install the Fing Network app. It is quite similar to the Angry IP Scanner for Windows. Basically, the app scans your entire network and lists out every machine connected to it. It vertically stacks all the IP addresses along with machine names, IP addresses and MAC addresses. As you see in the screenshot, it lists out name of the device or network card, IPO address, Mac address and icons. Tapping any device on the list will further provide additional details such as NetBIOS name, domain name, services and few more more. Additionally, you can ping as well as trace route of a device.
To list the PCs on the network
Wi-Fi HotSpot / Wi-Fi Tether – Free
This is a cool, handy app to convert your Android device into a full blown portable Wi-Fi hotspot. It allows you to share your Android phone’s Internet connection with other wireless-enabled devices such as mobiles, notebooks, PSPs and more. It is also beneficial for creating a wireless network whilst outdoors to share data, transfer files or stream media to other devices.
To create a Wi-Fi network
Ping & DNS – Free
This app combines a slew of features that are essential for network diagnosis. It can ping a server, lookup DNS (with geographical lookup of IP addresses), trace routes (also with IP address geo lookup), inspect HTTP response headers, query WHOIS records and scan for open ports. It remembers recently used servers/IP addresses for auto-completion. Several other options such as using an alternative name server, Ping TTL, Broadcast Ping, HTTPS, HTTP port number, selection of DNS record types to query and more are available through a long-click on the “Go” button. Moreover, this free app is ad-free and a must-have for networking professionals.
To check connectivity of an Internet connection
X-plore Manager – Free
This app is beneficial for cross-transfering files between two PCs, different servers, online servers, local networks and even different subnets. X-plore Manager is a dual-pane file managing app that offers tree view, Root, FTP, SMB, Sqlite, Picasa, Zip, Rar explorer and more. Its main operation is managing files and folders – viewing, copying, moving, deleting, compressing to Zip, extracting, renaming, sharing and more. With dual-pane explorer, it is capable of showing two folders at same time; common operation such as copying files are done from one pane to another. The folder hierarchy is displayed in a tree view. It allows cloud storage access to Google Drive, Dropbox, SugarSync, Box.net and SkyDriv.
This app can make a PPPOE (Point To Point Protocol over Ethernet) connection via Wi-Fi, which means dialing through ADSL Modem with user name and password provided by some Internet ISPs. Basically, the app allows your Android device to connect to Internet directly via PPPOE dialing through Wi-Fi, without the need for another Wi-Fi router. A great app for testing Internet connectivity problems on the client’s site.
To login into a PPPOE broadband for testing
VNC Viewer – Free
The VNC Viewer is a quite simple and convenient app for controlling a PC on the network. The app lets users see and control their computer’s desktop from their phone. It is an Open Source (GPL) remote desktop program and connects to most VNC servers like incl TightVNC, RealVNC on Win and Linux, x11vnc, and Apple Remote Desktop on OS/X. The current updated version allows to preserve sent text from session to session, import/export settings to a file on SD card and adds button in zoom control to bring up keyboard. This app is beneficial especially on tablets when you need to access a far away PC or server in a local LAN or WAN environment.
Controlling a pc on the network
TeamViewer – Free
TeamViewer is the most popular remote access application. The TeamViewer Android app is a mobile and flexible way for those who want to remotely access computers (Windows, Mac and Linux) from their phone via Internet. So you can edit documents or use particular software on your desktop even while you are on-the-move. It can control remote computers using the multi-touch gestures like left click, right click, drag & drop, scroll wheel and zoom. It gives complete keyboard control, including special keys such as Ctrl, Alt, Windows, and meets the highest security standards of 256 Bit AES Session Encoding, 1024 Bit RSA Key Exchange. It is capable of effortlessly accessing computers behind firewalls and proxy servers too. A very beneficial app for remote assistance to clients when you cannot visit the client’s site, if you are out of town or want to give remote assistance urgently
Controlling a PC on the Internet
Wire Reference – Free
This app is extremely handy for rookies in the networking field and also those engineers who don’t really make networking cables on a daily basis. The app serves as a guide for these users to make network patch cables like TIA/EIA-568-A Cat5A, TIA/EIA-568-B Cat5B, RJ11, RJ14, Crossover 10Base-T, Crossover Gigabit T568A, Crossover Gigabit T568B and Power over Ethernet. The app shows diagrams displaying the cable coding and also includes descriptions, overview and pinouts.
Good for rookies in the networking field
Tiny Flashlight + LED – Free
This app is beneficial for illuminating area inside the PC cabinet or network cabin. It not only supports the widest range of devices with camera flashlight (led flash), but also serves as the brightest flashlight / torch because of the camera flashlight, emitting intense light in the dark. With different widgets and diverse screen lights, it comes with the best flashlight support.
Illuminating area inside the PC cabinet or network cabin
While these are a bunch of great apps shortlisted by us, there are quite a few more apps on the Play Store that can come in handy for you as a networking professional or computer engineer. Do let us know what you think about them. You can list down some of the apps that you have used and how they benefitted you. This list will be great for those who don’t know about the existence of these apps.
Must-have apps for your Android phone
There are thousands of apps to choose from, but there are a few that every smartphone user must install, and we’ve put together this list for you Android users…
Buy a brand new smartphone these days and the first thing you’ll want to do is figure out which cool apps to install on it. Of course, there are thousands of apps to choose from, but there are a few that every smartphone user must install, and we’ve put together this list for you Android users.
Any.do – To-do list (Google Play link)
AN Android phone can do much more than just play Angry Birds; it can even help simplify your life. There are several tasks in a day and it’s hard to keep track of them. Not if you install this slick little app called Any.do. It’s got one of the most intuitive interfaces on any Android app and it’s also got some great features. It lets you quickly add tasks you want to do and sort them by a rough timeline. It even allows you to sync them with the online service for free and includes Google Tasks support. There’s a widget and there’s even support for voice entry.
Aldiko – eBook reader (Google Play link)
As larger and higher resolution screen smartphones became common, they have also become more and more like e-book readers. They offer users the ability to fit large amounts of text in a single screen, without having to scroll too often. If you use a phone that has a decent-sized screen, then apps such as Aldiko are a must. Aldiko supports a variety of formats that include the popular EPUB and PDF formats. Users can easily bookmark pages and change the brightness of the screen on demand. Customisation for the amount of text in each screen is also possible by changing font size, page margins as well as text spacing. It’s a must-have app if you’re on the move constantly but want to catch up on your reading wherever you are.
AndChat – IRC client (Google Play link)
If you’re a gamer or a developer or just an old-time IRC user, you’ll want to stay connected with your friends on your favourite IRC channels. There is no shortage of IRC clients, but you’ll find AndChat to be just right for your needs. The app weighs a little more than 400KB and is totally free. Users can add multiple servers and quickly switch between channels on a single server by swiping their fingers across the screen.
Google Chrome – Web browser (Google Play link)
If you’re buying a new phone these days, chances are you’ll get an ICS-based phone. The default browser on ICS is decent, but you’ll probably find yourself at home if you download Google’s own Chrome browser for the Android platform. Benefits of using Chrome, of course, include the ability to sync with your Google account and carry your bookmarks and settings with you wherever you go. If you don’t like Chrome and don’t want to use the default Android browser, you should probably give Firefox for Android a shot. Things have gotten way better than they were when it was first launched as an early development build.
Google Drive – Productivity and cloud storage (Google Play link)
Google Drive, or Google Docs as it was previously known as, is more than just a productivity app. Once known as the best web-based office suite, the service has transformed into an online storage solution, just like Dropbox. Apart from 5GB storage, you can also collaborate when you work so you can have several users working on a single document or spreadsheet. All of the services work closely together so if you want to make a list of things to buy or just write an article, this is the app to do it in.
Imo.im – All-in-one messenger (Google Play link)
Android devices come with Google Talk preinstalled on them. But many of us use other services as well and you’ll most likely find those messenger clients on your device too. It’s a pain, however, to switch between each one of these messenger clients. An app called imo messenger lets you add several instant messenger clients and chat with all of them using a single app. There’s support for MSN, Skype, Yahoo, Google Talk, Steam, ICQ and Facebook, besides some others.
Flipboard – News reading app (Google Play link)
Flipboard is like your personalised newspaper on your Android phone. Forget reading your daily newspaper before leaving for work or college. You can read all of it and much fresher news in a very well-formatted manner using Flipboard. Flipboard lets you choose your interests and sites that you frequently visit. It then downloads all the text from it and formats it like a newspaper so you get all the juicy information minus ads, comments and all the unnecessary bits. It even syncs your Twitter and Facebook accounts in the same manner, so the interaction is very fluid and as user-friendly as possible. Another slightly less popular option is Zite, which does roughly the same thing.
K9-Mail – E-mail client (Google Play link)
The default GMail app on Android is more than sufficient for basic purposes. The moment you want to start doing more advanced things and handling bulk e-mails, a slightly more specialised e-mail app such as K9-Mail comes into the picture. The app lets you handle multiple accounts and offers a wide variety of customisations. The simplest of these includes the presentation of e-mail and how often e-mails are downloaded. You can even make sure you aren’t disturbed beyond work hours by setting silent hours where you won’t be notified of new mails. If you’re an e-mail warrior, then this should be your weapon of choice.
MX Player – Video player (Google Play link)
Media players change all the time and there’s always a new favourite media player app for Android. Right now, the most popular one has to be the MX Player. It’s free and only has a small ad that shows up occasionally if you use the free version. One of the great features of the app is that it hides the touch buttons found on most Android 4.0 and above devices when the movie starts playing, so you get a lot of screen space. Once you have your movie playing, you can quickly change brightness and volume levels by swiping your finger vertically on either side of the screen. Skipping to different points in the video can be done by moving your finger from one side to another. Oh, and MX Player handles pretty much every format you throw at it.
Twicca – Twitter client (Google Play link)
Twitter is a big thing and almost everyone who’s always connected to the Internet on their phone will try and experiment with Twitter at some point in time. Twitter’s official client is simple but not necessarily fast. Twicca, a free Twitter client, offers a whole lot more, looks better and offers a long list of customisations. You can set colours for your favourite accounts you follow. You can even get in-client image previews without having to open a separate browser window. If you’re on Twitter, do follow us. Our handle is @tech2eets.
Google Reader – RSS feed reader (Google Play link)
If you visit more than 10 sites each day and don’t want to check on each one to find the latest stories, it’s a good idea to use Google Reader. It’s a free RSS feed reader by Google that checks all those sites for you and shows you only the list of new stories. You can read a brief of the news story in the client and access the complete version by opening the link in a browser.
Skype – Audio-video calling (Google Play link)
If you have an affordable 3G connection or Wi-Fi connectivity, it’s a cheap way to make phone calls. Using this app, you can make calls to another phone, tablet or PC connected to the web for free. Keep in mind though, the app is a little heavy, so older phones may not be able to handle it too well. You’ll also need a front-facing camera if you want to make video calls.
WhatsApp – Texting app (Google Play link)
SMSes are expensive and cumbersome. This SMS replacement app needs no introduction. It allows users to send text messages to one another over the Internet for free. The app picks up all the contacts from your phone and checks to see if they’re registered on the WhatsApp service. You can even send attachments – images, videos and audio files – for free. There’s even a group chat option that allows up to 30 people to chat at the same time.
And that’s our list of recommended apps that every Android user must install on his or her new phone. If you think we missed out on apps or if you have any tips for us, post them in the comments section here. We also have a forum thread where community members post their favourite Android apps.
Which Tablet is Better:iPad mini vs Nexus 7 vs Galaxy Tab 2 (310)
After all the speculation, rumours and discussions on why Steve Jobs never supported the idea of a 7-inch iPad, the iPad mini has finally made it to markets.
After all the speculation, rumours and discussions on why Steve Jobs never supported the idea of a 7-inch iPad, the iPad mini has finally made it to the markets. Although a tad bigger with a 7.9-inch display, it still comes in the 7-inch class of tablets. Apple’s new entrant has broadened and strengthened the 7-inch tablet market and comes across as a good contender to the Google Nexus 7, which is the most popular Android tablet and Samsung’s Tab 2 (310). Let’s take a closer look at each one of them to see which one is worth your money. In the infographic below, we have compared all the key specifications of the iPad mini, Nexus 7 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (310), and arrived at a final verdict.
The iPad mini and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 come forth as options worth considering, but for the Indian market, the price (current estimated prices are twice of that in the U.S.) will play a vital role. Moreover, the Nexus 7 and the iPad mini are yet to officially reach the Indian stores. Which one of these tablets would you pick and why?
10 Ultra luxury gadgets
Featured here are a few ultra luxe tech gadgets that you can own if you have the kind of money to burn. And we mean some serious money.
Diamond encrusted headphones, iPad with dinosaur bone, titanium phone, a laptop sleeve with fur from Siberian sable, gaming console crafted in gold and a gemstone encrusted TV. No, this isn’t a list of gadgets owned by Lady Gaga, but rather just a few of the ultra luxe tech gadgets that you can own, if you have that kind of money to burn. And we mean some serious money. The kind that will allow you to buy a laptop sleeve that is more expensive than the laptop itself, or for that matter, the car you own. We have featured here some products that are eye-candy (or an eye-sore), perform well and, of course, will cost you more than an arm and a leg. And if you fancy any of the products mentioned below, then with Christmas just around the corner, you may want to try your luck with Santa.
iPad 2 Gold History Edition
Tech meets history and luxury
Stuart Hughes is known for transforming pieces of pure tech into shimmering, luxurious gadgets decked in precious stones, but it has set a bar of exclusivity with the History Edition of idevices. The iPad 2 Gold History Edition comes embedded with diamonds, gems, gold, dino bones and more. The 24K gold Apple logo embedded on the rear side of the iPad 2 has 12.5 carats of flawless diamonds, 53 of them encrusted to form the signatory Apple. It’s the front side of the iPad 2 that shows true exclusivity and uniqueness as it is built of the oldest existing rock, Ammolite. The Gold History Edition will dig a really deep hole in your pockets with a price tag that reads £5,000,000 (approx Rs. 39,29,36,449).
Diamond encrusted headphones
Lil Wayne too owns one of them…
If you love bling, then these diamond encrusted Beats By Dre headphones will help you make a flashy statement. These diamond encrusted headphones became the talk of the town when they made their appearance at the Super Bowl 2012 as Sky Blu from LMFAO wore them during his performance with Madonna at halftime. The headphones were created using 114 carats of Graff diamonds and reportedly cost a whopping $1 million dollars. Later, American rapper Lil Wayne was also spotted wearing them at an event. A mind boggling sum, it should be enough to buy you a villa, a car and even save some money for the rainy day. Or would you rather buy the headphones that are bound to turn every head in town?
Vertu Constellation smartphone
Vertu at what it does best
Vertu is known for its flamboyant phone designs and the Vertu Constellation smartphone takes it a step further. The phone looks stunning with a red gold exterior, and there’s even a layer of sapphire crystal to protect the 3.5-inch high-definition screen. It is a complete touchscreen with a Swype keyboard and 8 megapixel camera. It comes with a high-end 24/7 Concierge Live application that helps get secure exclusive access to clubs, arrange travel trips, order expensive wine and also get in touch with a security specialist. The only hiccup is that the phone runs on the Symbian OS. You can pick the device in vivid colours like raspberry and tangerine, to name a few. If you have $38,800 (approximately Rs.7,60,834) to burn, then this piece of tech luxury is a must-have.
Diamond laptop sleeve
It can’t get more luxe than this
How much will you be willing to spend on a laptop sleeve? Naturally, not more than the cost of the laptop itself, right? But if you were to buy this laptop sleeve from Dutch company Cover Bee, then it will set you back by an astonishing $11,000,000. We dread to do the maths, but that will be approximately Rs. 6,061,66,420. That’s right; enough money to buy that sea-facing house. What’s so special about the laptop sleeve? Well, it is made of no less than 8,800 diamonds. And to protect your laptop from scratches (made by these diamonds), the opening of this sleeve is covered with the fur of the rare black sable from Siberia. If you want one of these, then you will have to contact the company directly, as it’s made to order.
D&W Aural Pleasure
Sound of pure gold
For the audiophiles out there with loads of cash to spare, the D&W Aural Pleasure speakers from Hart Audio are just ideal. You can pick a set in bronze, silver or 18K Gold. Inspired by the bell of the Big Ben tower, each of these hand finished cabinets weigh 50 kg and feature bespoke, height adjustable chrome stands. They provide a sensitivity range of 97db 1w@1mtr, impedance of 5 Ohms and a frequency range of 47Hz-37Khz. While those cast in bronze will set you back by £40,000 (Rs. 34,97,689), the silver ones will cost you £200,000 (Rs. 1,74,93,265) and the gold edition will cost you a whopping £3,000,000 (Rs. 26,24,26,670). While there are 99 pieces in bronze, there are about five available in silver and just one in gold.
Magic Mushrooms flash drive
Magical mushrooms store 32GB of data
A flash drive couldn’t be more attractive. This elegant and intricately designed luxury flash drive is a part of Swiss jeweller La Maison Shawish’s line-up of USB-flash drives, Magic Mushrooms. As you see, the the drive is shaped in the form of a mushroom that is encrusted with precious stones. The spacious 32GB flash drive is available at a price ranging from $16,500 to $36,900 (Rs. 9,09,798 to 20,34,639), depending upon the number and type of precious stones it is embedded with. You will find a full range of mushrooms, decked in various stones like rubies, emeralds, diamonds and sapphires.
Gaming console crafted in gold
Gaming in style
All you gamers out there, you can now bling it up thanks to Stuart Hughes. Game in style on the Sony PlayStation 3 Supreme and the Nintendo Wii Supreme crafted in gold. Both these gaming concoles are crafted using solid 22ct gold and not to mention months of workmanship. The PS3 features 1.6 kg of gold and over fifty 0.50 ct flawless diamonds surrounding the disc loading entrance. On the other hand, the Nintendo Wii Supreme is cast with over 2.5 kg of gold with over seventy 0.25 ct flawless diamonds adorning the buttons in the front. Both of these consoles are truly limited edition, with only three pieces of each to be made. While the PS3 will set you back by £199,995 (Rs. 1,74,89,001), the Nintendo Wii will cost you £299,995 (Rs. 2,62,33,951).
Titanium phone
Beyond the bling
If you don’t care much for the diamonds, but would rather rely on solidity of titanium, then the Regal Titanium Phone Gresso is just tailor made for you. This classy phone with an understated elegance is capable of withstanding abuse of the worst kind. It wouldn’t cause so much as a dent on its solid case, which is crafted as a one-piece detail made of titanium. The front and back panels feature tempered mineral glass that gives it a rich glass finish. It runs on Symbian S40, features a 2MP camera, 30MB of internal storage that can be expanded via microSD and offers Bluetooth connectivity. Available in limited quantities, you can lay your hands on one by coughing up around $4,500 (Rs. 2,48,287).
PrestigeHD Supreme Rose TV
Blinged entertainment
The next in our list is the stunning, sparkling 55-inch HDTV dubbed PrestigeHD Supreme Rose. This television set has its base and outer frame crafted out of a 28 kg of solid 18K rose gold. The outer frame flaunts 72 brilliant round cut 1ct IF flawless diamonds along with a mix of sunstone and amethyst. The inner frame has hand-sewn alligator skin. It’s going to be a limited edition TV, with only three units to be sold. Each TV comes with a hefty price tag, which is a whopping $2.27 million. If 28 kg is too heavy, then the other option is the PrestigeHD Supreme that is made of 19 kg of gold and features 48 diamonds; it carries a price tag of $1.5 million.
Hard disk drive made of sapphire
One for the geeks
Worried about losing your data? Well, if you have enough of dough, then you can buy yourself a hard disk that will keep your data safe for several thousand years! Developed by a team of scientists from French nuclear waste management agency ANDRA, the drive is made using industrial-quality sapphire, while the data is engraved using platinum. Designed to survive one million years, it’s bound to keep your data safe. Made out of two thin disks of sapphire, each single disk can store about 40,000 pages. With the prototype disk costing around $30,000 (Rs. 16,54,949), it’s certainly enough to burn a hole in your pocket.
While these ultra luxe gadgets will cost you much more than an arm and a leg, they are still a delight to look at. Which one of these luxury gadgets would you love to own?
Get gadgeted this Diwali for Rs 20,000
The season of light is almost upon us, and it’s time to clean out those cheque books and polish up the old credit cards. It’s a time for deals and spending your hard earned and saved cash, and we’ve got some great ideas for you.
The season of light is almost upon us, and it’s time to clean out those cheque books and polish up the old credit cards. It’s a time for deals and spending your hard earned and saved cash, and we’ve got some great ideas for you. In this years Diwali Get Gadgeted segment, we’re starting you off on a budget of Rs. 20,000. We’ve listed some cool products that you’ll be able to fit into this budget to ensure all your gadget hunger is satisfied. Let’s take a closer look:
Targus APB25US – Rs. 2,200
If you’re buying a brand new phone, it’s very likely to be an Android. And we all know battery life can be a problem. The last thing you want this holidays is to have your phone battery die out on you just when you need it the most. Enter Targus’ APB25US Backup Battery for smartphones. It’s got a 2,000mAh capacity, much more than most phones these days, so you can expect an additional day or more of battery life with your phone. The device is easy to carry around and has LEDs to notify you of the current charge; it charges really quickly as well.
Always stay charged
SanDisk 8GB microSDHC card – Rs. 290
The next item in our list to get-gadgeted is an 8GB microSDHC card from SanDisk. Take out your mobile device and go on a clicking-spree this Diwali to capture all those fond memories, as the card lets you store roughly 5200 images (5MP camera resolution). Priced at approximately Rs. 300, the expandable memory will let music fiends save up to 2000 MP3 songs. This Class 4 card is compliant with Hi-speed USB 2.0 specifications. SanDisk backs it with a five year warranty. The 8GB microSDHC card is also available online through tech shopping sites like Flipkart, eBay and Tradus.
Enough space for all your media requirements
Karbonn A9 – Rs. 8,100
If you’re looking for a mobile phone under 10K, the Karbonn A9 offers good bang-for-buck without compromising on features. This beats the HTC Explorer at this price by offering a larger screen, dual-SIM functionality, front facing camera and a faster 1GHz CPU. The A9 is quite aesthetically appealing as well and runs Gingerbread. You also get expandable memory, Wi-Fi and a rear-facing 5MP camera. Unlike most phones in this price range, the Karbonn A9 also crams in many sensors including an ambient light sensor, something that many of the smartphones in this range often miss. For a street price of roughly Rs. 8,000, it makes a very good buy, giving you great features for the price.
Slick and slim with great features
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH6 – Rs. 7,265
You can’t get a better digital camera than the FH6 if you don’t have a budget of more than Rs 8,000. Available in five colours (including blue, pink and yellow), this 14.1 MP digicam combines style with an excellent feature set. At 119 grams, it’s the lightest and the most compact in the segment, which makes for an excellent travel companion. The FH6 defeats its competitors on two big counts. Its 24 mm lens, which is the widest in its class, allows shooting large groups of people and vast landscapes with great ease. Secondly, the large F2.5 aperture (again the best in class) is great for shooting in low light. Other features such as 5x optical zoom and 720p video recording are pretty standard. Although greater zoom ratio and full HD video recording would have sweetened the deal, you can rest assured that you’ll get great-looking photos and videos with this tiny yet powerful shooter.
Incredible for the price!
Techies, do keep in mind that these products are available online as well as off the shelves. The price could vary depending on where you choose to shop from, as online deals will be quite different from those in the shops. So look carefully for the best possible deal you can get and have a very Happy Diwali.
Do let us know what devices you’d opt for as alternatives to these options. We’d love to know how you’d get Gadgeted in a budget of Rs. 20,000, and stay tuned to this space as we bring you bigger budgets and more goodies you could fit into them.
Get app-ed without coding
Having an app has become the coolest thing. And thanks to the many online tools, creating an app has literally become a child’s play.
In today’s tech-savvy world, you will find apps for anything and everything under the sun. Apps have pretty much covered a lot of ground, including entertainment, information, social networking, gaming, location, businesses, utility etc. and on browing app stores, you will come across apps that belong to individuals who are not necessarily celebrities. You will come across apps for local groups too. Having an app has become the coolest thing. And thanks to the many online tools, creating an app has literally become a child’s play. How is that possible? Well, because these tools do not require you to have any knowledge of coding. You simply have to provide the content, select the theme, the colour scheme and the other nitty-gritty, and let the app simulator take care of the rest. And within a matter of few hours, you have an app for yourself. Even publishing the app on the app store is well taken care of. And the icing on the cake is that most of these tools let you create apps for free!
AppMakr is one of the most popular sites for creating app online
AppMakr is one of the most popular sites for creating apps online. Over ten thousand apps have been successfully created using this platform. Creating an app using this tool is quite a breeze and requires no coding skills; it lets you create app for iOS, Android and Windows platform. With a free account you can create a basic classic-styled app and if you wish for more features and customisation options, then you will have to pay a small fee for the premium features. AppMakr will guide you through the step-by-step process of creating an app; the result of every step that you select will be reflected in the simulator on the right side of the screen. This will enable you to view the app as it progresses through the several stages of development. You can add images, text, video, audio, HTML etc. Once you are done creating your app, AppMakr also helps you with publishing the app on the store. Furthermore, you can test the app and even update it using AppMakr after it is published. While developing an app using the AppMakr platform is free, you will have to make do with the ads. If you do not wish to include ads, then you will have to opt for the paid service. With the paid service, you can also monetise your apps; you can add your own channel or select from the list of available channels. AppMakr is perfect for creating RSS feed-based apps for your website, blog etc.
You require zero coding skills to develop an app using this platform
They claim that creating an app is as easy as peeling a banana and true to their word, the process of creating an app on InfiniteMonkeys is quite easy. To begin with, you have to sign into the app building platform called ‘The Machine’. You can do so using your Google, Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo credentials; this is done for an easy and safe sign-up process. Your activities here will not be published on your social networking sites. Again, you do not require knowledge of coding; it uses the drag and drop approach, using which you can add the desired features into your app. For instance, if you are creating an app for your restaurant, then you can choose to add a menu card as well as a link to the reviews and images. You can begin with setting the title, the image and the colour scheme. The next step involves selecting the icons you want to add to the app. Next, add the information to be displayed on the app store and then proceed with publishing it on the platform of your choice. By default, the app will have ads, and if you wish to change this, then you will have to opt for the paid service. The paid service also has additional benefits like monetisation by adding your own ads or selling it as a paid app. With the paid service, you also have the option of one-click hassle-free publishing.
If you want to develop a gaming app, then GameSalad is the ideal platform
If you are looking to create games, then look no further, as GameSalad is by far the best online tool to create gaming apps. You can create gaming apps for iOS, Android Windows and HTML 5. You can get started by clicking on the Creator tab and downloading the GameSalad Creator tool depending on the platform you want to develop the game for. The next step is to provide the name, description and instructions, after which you can move to the actual game development. From the Scenes tab, you will have to add scenes or the different levels your game will have, like the introductory screen, menu and the various levels. Next up is the Actors tab, which allows you to add the various elements like the characters, control, action, background etc. to your game. Each of these can be individually customised. Once you are done, you can test your game on devices of your choice to fix any issues that you may encounter. After you are satisfied with the game, you can then go ahead and publish it on the GameSalad platform as well as the OS you wish to. Any further updates that you make to the game will be easily carried out. The best part is that you can achieve all this without coding knowledge. However, it is not as straightforward as it sounds, and it’s better if you start with going through the tutorials. With the free account, you will be able to create your game, test and publish it on the iOS platform, but to publish it on the Android platform, you will have to get the pro account.
BuzzTouch requires at least some familarisation with coding
If you have some coding knowledge and want to develop an app for iOS or Android, then check BuzzTouch, which is a free online tool. However, lack of coding knowledge shouldn’t pose much problem, as it has a feature called ‘buzztouch U’ that is a guide to learning app development using the platform. Once you go through the guide, you will be able to comfortably develop apps. BuzzTouch not only allows you to create an app from scratch, but also allows you to have complete control over your code as well as the ownership of the app. Here, you can create apps with the help of the plugins available for various purposes. These plugins are developed by members of the BuzzTouch community. While some of them are free, there are some plugins that you will have to pay for. Unlike AppMakr, BuzzTouch will not publish the app for you. Once when you are done with creating the app, you can download the source code and compile it using Xcode (iOS) or Eclipse (Android) SDK to publish it. After the app has been published, it’s possible to control and make changes to it using the BuzzTouch control panel. The site also provides a good support system to those developing apps using its platform. You can benefit from the how-to features as well as be a part of the forum to seek guidance from community members.
You can add content from site as well as Facebook page
Another online tool for app development, which is similar to AppMakr,, is Conduit. You can create apps for iOS, Android and the Windows platform. You need not have coding knowledge to develop an app on Conduit. Getting started is quite easy, if you have a webpage of your business, then you can type in the URL and it will pull the content from there. It can also import content from your Facebook page. Conduit will create a framework with your content; you can then navigate through the various steps to customise the content and even the style and feel of the app. You can remove or add content and select the colour scheme, the layout, the icons, etc. The changes that you make will be reflected in real-time on the cross platform app simulator on the right side of the screen. Click on the icon above to see how the app will look on the various platforms. You can also opt to add the ads for monetisation. Conduit also provides a way to test your app on a mobile device; you just have to download its mobile testing app ‘Conduit Re Vu’ and then download your app using the code. If you are satisfied with the app you have created, then you can begin with the process of publishing it on the respective app store; Conduit will guide you through the entire process. While developing an app is free, the free basic account has limitations. For instance, the number of app users with the free account is limited to twenty-five per month. On the other hand, with the Gold and Platinum accounts, it is up to 5000 users and unlimited users respectively. Also, with the paid service, you won’t have to bother with the hassles of publishing the app on the store, as the Conduit team will do it for you.
Though you need to learn coding language, the apps can be deployed across platforms
With RunRev’s LiveCode platform, you can create interactive apps, games, and even ebooks and comics. You can develop apps for popular platforms such as iOS and Android. Developing apps using LiveCode is quite easy, as it employs a visual approach where you can simply drag and drop the various elements of your app. However, it employs a programming language, which it claims is more intuitive, easy to learn and understand. You will have to learn this language to develop on the platform; you can make use of the tutorials to familarise yourself with the same. But the advantage here is that the same code can be deployed across platforms. It has recently started providing monetisation options through ads and other means.
Create apps depending on the category
With ShoutEm you can create apps for iOS and Android platforms. You can create apps depending on the categories like website based, location based, event based, radio apps, community based, or create your own custom module. When you start creating the app, you can import the content from various sources or add content as you go. At every level, you can add or remove content and create custom icons, colour scheme etc. ShoutEm offers a wide range of customisation options, both in terms of media integration as well as themes and styles. This results in beautiful looking apps in few easy steps. As with most other online platforms, even here you have the app simulator that reflects the additions or changes you make to the app. You even have the option to test your app before publishing it. The process of publishing is handled by ShoutEm. Once your app is published, you can publish updates using this platform. However, unlike other platforms, this is not free. The basic subscription starts from $19 onwards. There is a free trial option you can opt for and try before going in for the paid service. You can even integrate ads into your app to monetise it. You also have the benefit of having analytics to provide you with an idea about how the app is performing.
You can create apps for the iOS, Android, Windows and HTML 5 platform
AppsBar is another hugely popular app development tool that allows you to create apps for the iOS, Android, Windows and HTML 5 platform. You can sign up for a free account or sign-in with your Facebook, Google+ or Twitter account. You can create apps in a couple of easy steps. Before starting, you can browse through the type of apps to know how to build an efficient app. Once you are ready to create your app, you need to select the kind of app that you wish to create from the available categories such as business, entertainment, events, social etc. Then you need to drag and drop it to the app simulator on the right hand side of the screen. Next, provide the app name, select the main image, the theme etc. Then create the pages that you wish using videos, images, text etc. For this, you simply need to select the icon and add the content. The final step is to publish, which will be taken care of by AppsBar. Your app will be first tested by an AppsBar developer who will check it for functionality and ensure that it meets the requirement of the app platform. If any changes are required, then the same will be incorporated. Once your app is accepted, then it will be published on their platform Appcatch, after which you can publish it on the platform of your choice. What’s more, it’s all absolutely free!
Quick Tech 