Napster-Sparkus

Top selfie Apps

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 Nov 2016 17:37:00 +0000

Android 7.0 Nougat Update: OS beta for Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge Plus, Galaxy Note 5 before new year

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 11:54:00 +0000

However, the South Korean tech giant has not yet committed to an exact release date of the update. This leads speculators to believe that Samsung may be behind the Nougat update again.

Like My Facebook Page - Mirza Kashif Beg

Samsung was behind compare to other companies in the roll-out of the Marshmallow update even to its flagship devices. The tech giant took months after others did the roll-out of Marshmallow. This time, it looks like that things will not be different.

LG, Sony, Motorola, HTC and OnePlus have all committed to a Nougat roll-out before the year ends.

But with the way things are going on with Samsung, it seems that Android 7.0 Nougat update for Samsung Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and Galaxy Note 5 will roll out in 2017, at the earliest.

This also means that Nougat update for Samsung J7 and Galaxy Tab S2 will be pushed out, too.

The benchmarked results from GFXBench and Geekbench for Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge only prove that Samsung is indeed already working on the Nougat update.

Benchmarked data only means that the tech giant is already testing the smartphones' power and capabilities under the new Android OS. However, it can still take the company months before the actual rollout of the new Android OS.

Fortunately, there is a way for Samsung users to experience Android 7.0 Nougat update for Samsung Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and Galaxy Note 5 earlier.

Samsung confirms that a Nougat Beta version is due for release before the actual and official Nougat update. The Nougat Beta version is speculated to arrive before 2016 ends.

In order to enjoy the thrilling new features of Android 7.0 Nougat update for Samsung Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and Galaxy Note 5, users will have to stay tune for the release of the Beta version first.

Like My Facebook Page - Mirza Kashif Beg

Microsoft announces Windows 10 release date, free upgrade

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 13:26:00 +0000

Myerson said Windows 10 would be released globally sometime "this summer". That is the first time Microsoft has put a time frame on the release, although it has been expected in autumn, based on Microsoft's release history.

Microsoft Corp is making its biggest push into the heavily pirated Chinese consumer computing market this summer by offering free upgrades to Windows 10 to all Windows users, regardless of whether they are running genuine copies of the software.

The move is an unprecedented attempt by Microsoft to get legitimate versions of its software onto machines of the hundreds of millions of Windows users in China. Recent studies show that three-quarters of all PC software is not properly licensed there.

Terry Myerson, who runs Microsoft's operating systems unit, announced the plan at the WinHEC technology conference in Shenzhen, China.

"We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10," he said in a telephone interview with Reuters. The plan is to "re-engage" with the hundreds of millions of users of Windows in China, he said, without elaboration.

Myerson said Windows 10 would be released globally sometime "this summer". That is the first time Microsoft has put a time frame on the release, although it has been expected in autumn, based on Microsoft's release history.

Microsoft said in January it would offer free upgrades to Windows 10 for users of Windows 7 or later in an attempt to hold onto users and make up for lost revenue by selling services such as Office over the internet.

Microsoft is working with Lenovo Group Ltd, the world's biggest PC maker, to help roll out Windows 10 in China to current Windows users, Myerson said.

It also is offering Windows 10 through security company Qihoo 360 Technology Co and Tencent Holdings Ltd , China's biggest social networking company, which will build a Windows 10 app that will work on smartphones and PCs for its popular QQ gaming and messaging service. QQ has more than 800 million users.

Lenovo said in a statement that it will make phones running Windows software, available through China Mobile, sometime later this year.

Microsoft also said it is working with Chinese handset maker Xiaomi Technology Co Ltd -- which generally uses a form of Google Inc's Android on its devices -- to offer some customers a test version of Windows 10 on their smartphones."

Android 5.0.2 Lollipop Problems Frustrating Nexus Users

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 12:57:00 +0000

Google rolled out its Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update to fix Nexus Lollipop problems. And while it did fix some of the bigger issues, Android 5.0.2 Lollipop problems continue to frustrate Nexus users.
At the tail end of last year, Google finally rolled out its Android L update, an update now known as Android 5.0 Lollipop. Android 5.0 Lollipop delivered some massive changes to the Android operating system including the company’s new Material Design. It’s arguably the biggest Android update Google’s ever released and owners of Google’s Nexus smartphones and tablets eagerly downloaded the software when it arrived.
In addition to new features, Android 5.0 Lollipop brought a number of problems to Nexus users. Owners of devices like the Nexus 5, Nexus 7, and Nexus 4 complained about a series of bugs and problems right off the bat and those problems continue to this day despite Google’s best efforts to enhance the operating system.

Android lollipop5.0.2

Since Android 5.0’s arrival back in November, Google’s rolled out two new Lollipop updates. An Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update that arrived for Nexus smartphone and tablet users and an Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update that rolled out to select Nexus tablets including the Nexus 7 2013, Nexus 7 2012 and the Nexus 10.
While our experiences on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop have been good for the most part, we’ve started to see a pickup in complaints about Google’s brand new firmware. Google’s Nexus forums and popular social media sites are filled with complaints about Android 5.0.2 Lollipop problems ranging from poor performance to issues with battery life and so on.
Nexus 7 users in particular continue to outline many of the issues plaguing their device and we’ve seen a number of issues pop up over the last week or so. Many complaints come from Nexus 7 2012 users who claim that Android 5.0.2 Lollipop wrecked their device. Some users even claim that the update has lead to a near unusable experience on the tablet.

Google’s Nexus Help Forums outline some of these Android 5.0.2 problems in more detail. Nexus users are complaining about an issue that keeps the device stuck in portrait mode. This is a problem that we’ve heard about numerous times in the past and it’s one that appears to still be afflicting some owners of Nexus tablets.
Nexus 7 users are complaining about slow performance and abnormal lag, one user says that Android 5.0.2 destroyed the Nexus 7 2012, and another Nexus 7 user claims that Android 5.0.2 bricked the tablet. The complaints don’t stop there. There are complaints about core Google apps running poorly after the move to Android 5.0.2. Issues with ghosting and other problems with the screen. Various issues with Wi-Fi and problems with key apps like Kindle. The list goes on.

Nexus 7

Unfortunately, it’s not clear when Google will fix lingering Android 5.0 Lollipop issues. Rumors have pointed to the arrival of Android 5.1 sometime in the early part of the year though that rumor popped up several weeks ago and we’ve seen nothing emerge since then. It’s clear that Google has another update of some kind in the pipeline though it’s not clear if that update is Android 5.0.3 Lollipop, Android 5.1 or something else entirely.
For now, Nexus users must depend on third-party fixes, and each other, to solve these Android 5.0.2 Lollipop problems. Gotta Be Mobile recently put together a list of fixes for common Android 5.0.2 Lollipop problems though it’s clear that those fixes do not encompass all of the issues plaguing Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 users on Google’s latest update.
There are several threads on Google’s Nexus Help forum that propose a number of potential fixes for some of these problems but some Nexus users say that even these solutions haven’t worked.

Google Now 4.1 teardown reveals upcoming features like voice commands, read-aloud notifications

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 06:12:00 +0000

Google Now 4.1

The Google Search 4.1 update added some cool new features to Google Now, but there’s a lot more lurking underneath the hood.

Android Police into the APK, finding evidence that Google has even bigger ambitions for its digital assistant. While there is no guarantee that any of the discoveries will make it into a future update, it provides a hint at how Google wants to bring even more of its machine learning prowess into Android.

Why this matters: Google Now is one of Android’s best features because it more deeply ties you to Google services, turning your phone into a more useful tool. It’s Android’s main trump card over iOS, putting key information right on your home screen, instead of keeping it locked away inside separate applications.

A smarter Google Now

One interesting find is something called Project Hera. The best we know about it so far is that it’s part of Google’s continuing effort to more deeply tie together the web, Android, and Search. Think of it as the next step in Material Design, which has been used to bring a unified look across all of Google’s products (think how Inbox looks the same on mobile or the web). If Google can more deeply tie your search data, messages, and other info to interact between the web and Android it makes the latter just that more powerful.

The code hints at more direct social network sharing capabilities. The icons are similar to those used on Google Glass, so all those news alerts, TV suggestions, and other cards that pop up could one day be quickly shared to your favorite network.

The lock screen also gets attention, with some kind of interaction for headsets, devices like Glass, or just more voice commands. You can already use the “Okay Google” command without unlocking the phone, but Google clearly has plans for building in more capabilities here. The code indicates that similar to how the Moto X reads aloud information, your phone may be able to read to you key notifications.

One feature that’s already in place is the way the Google Now Launcher will now hang around in the foreground when you’re interacting with certain apps. This could vary, of course, depending on your specific device's user interface. But it’s a better visual cue for what task you were working on.

Another item I’m rooting for is the capability to copy text over from your browser to your phone. Pushbullet recently added a feature like this, but it would be great to have it as a native Android feature. The code Android Police found offers some good evidence, so let’s hope it shows up eventually.

No matter which of these pan out, you’re likely to see a lot more Google Now interaction in the future of Android. We’ll keep an eye out for such features should they ever materialize.

References

Napster-Sparkus. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2015, from http://websecurites.blogspot.com/

Play Edition smartphones disappear from Play Store.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 13:01:00 +0000

Htc One M8

Play Edition smartphones disappear from Play Store.

The chatter online is all about how the last Google Play Edition smartphone has been pulled out of Google Play store.

An Android Police report now highlights how Google Play Edition devices started dropping from the shelf last year and now eventually the last one, namely the HTC One M8 GPE, is also no longer available on the Play Store. The page now says, “Its no longer available for sale.”

“It was a little concerning when the Galaxy S5 GPE never materialised, then the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, GS4, G Pad 8.3, and others were pulled from the store. Meanwhile, no other devices arrived to take their place,” the report points out.

This also means, those looking for a new device running stock Android, will have to rely on the Nexus lineup.

The Google Play Edition (GPE) of the One M8 is priced at $699 that translates to roughly a little over Rs 43,000. It is still unclear whether Google plans to stock in another batch of GPE devices, or it was the last edition to hit the Play Store.

With One M8, HTC got rid of polycarbonate or plastic for the sides as the chassis was almost completely metal. The phone came with the latest version of Sense featuring enhanced BlinkFeed experience. It was believed to be selling faster than its predecessor and touted to have the potential to help the company claw back market share in developed markets such as the US.

......References........Napster-Sparkus. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2015, from http://websecurites.blogspot.in/

12 Things DuckDuckGo Can Do That Google Can't

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 05:38:00 +0000

Duck Duck Go Logo

Search engines have evolved to make it easier to find the information you need without having to go through different websites. Google has the Knowledge Graph feature that shows a neat box with useful information above (or beside) search results. It can do cool things such as calculations, show flight information and even currency conversion.

Although these features are incredibly useful, Google Knowledge Graph has its shortcomings. The biggest problem is that results are not uniform. When we were digging through Knowledge Graph features to find cool things you didn't know you could do with Google, we noticed that the results were not always the same. When one person searched for Apple stocks, Google showed him regular search results, but when a colleague searched for the same term, he was shown current stock information along with a nice price versus time graph.

These limitations made us look for alternatives and we found one that impressed us with its utility - DuckDuckGo. We've previously mentioned DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focussed search engine, in an article on how to stop Google from tracking you. DuckDuckGo is a search engine that shows the same results for a search term to all its users. This is unlike Google, which filters search results based on the sites you have been visiting. It is also now possible to set DuckDuckGo as a default search engine in iOS 8 as well as OS X so you can get the instant search results just by typing your query into the Safari browser. Of course you can also use DuckDuckGo in Chrome or Firefox by visiting DuckDuckGo.com and clicking the Use in Chrome or Use in Firefox button.

Because it doesn't try to personalise results, DuckDuckGo's instant answers work for everyone and it has a great community of developers and users that are constantly adding new sources for answers. After using DuckDuckGo as our primary search engine for quite some time, we found that its instant answers are often as good as or better than Google's Knowledge Graph. Here are 12 amazing things DuckDuckGo can do that Google can't.

Check out the video Below

1. Social media bio

DuckDuckGo lets you see the social media profiles of people without leaving the search engine. So, search for @Ndtvgadgets and you can see full the profile information on the same page. The same thing works for Google+ and Gravatar as well. To look up a Twitter bio, you need to search for the handle. For Google+, type G+ and then the name of the user. For Gravatar, just type Gravatar, and then the username you want to look up.

Another cool feature that is related is letting you search inside other sites. With Google, you can use the site: modifier to search for results within a particular site, but then you still have to open the link to see the results. With DuckDuckGo, you can use the site's own search functions.

For example, if you want to search for someone's details on LinkedIn, you don't need to open the site. Just type "!linkedin" followed by the person's name, and you will see the LinkedIn search results page. You can do this with a large number of websites; !g lets you search with Google, !a is Amazon, !r is Reddit, just to name a few. You can see the full list by just typing ! in the DuckDuckGo search bar....

2. App store search, alternatives to apps

Search for any popular app on DuckDuckGo and you will find that it shows a carousel full of apps with similar names. Just search for NDTV Gadgets app to see what we mean. Clicking on any one of the cards on the carousel will show you the price of the app, a description and links to the store. We found that this feature doesn't work with very obscure apps, but it can find most of the well-known ones.

Another useful feature shows alternatives to apps in a neat carousel. Tired of MS Office? Just search for "Alternative to Word" and see the results for yourself. It also works for Web services, so you can even search for "Alternative to DuckDuckGo", if you like.

3. Shorten and expand links

Want to find out which websites are at the end of shortened links such as http://bit.ly/1tYrmaB ? Open DuckDuckGo and search "expand http://bit.ly/1tYrmaB". Also, if you want to shorten long URLs, enter "shorten http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/android-browser-security-hole-affects-millions-of-users-says-expert-592578" to get a URL shortened using is.gd.

4. Generate passwords

Can't think of a strong password? Just head to DuckDuckGo and search for "Password 20". You'll see a strong 20-character password. You can replace the number to change the number of characters in the password. If you find those random passwords hard to remember, you can make DuckDuckGo generate XKCD-style passwords. These passwords comprise four common words put together, which are easy to remember and hard to crack, and were first suggested in the popular Web comic XKCD. For these passwords, search "Random passphrase".

5. Quick stopwatch

Both Google and DuckDuckGo let you create a quick timer (search for "timer") but DuckDuckGo also has a stopwatch. Simply search for "stopwatch" to use it.

6. Change case and check number of characters

Want to change a sentence to Title Case, lowercase or UPPERCASE? Just add one of those three terms before your sentence and key it in on DuckDuckGo. For example, "Uppercase ndtv gadgets" leads to "NDTV GADGETS".

Another interesting feature is the number of characters. You can quickly check how many characters are in your search query by adding "chars" before or after the query. Try searching for "chars I really like this article" without the quotes and see the results.

7. Checks whether websites are down

If you can't open a website, you might want to check if it is not opening anywhere or just on your computer. You can use websites such as isup.me to check this or you can simply search DuckDuckGo with the keywords like, "Is gadgets.ndtv.com down for me".

8. Does mime rhyme with time

You read that right. DuckDuckGo also has an instant answer that finds rhyming words. Search "rhymes with ndtv" or any other word you can think of. You'll see an instant answer with rhyming words, from RhymeBrain.

9. Calendar

Google and DuckDuckGo can show you the current date and time. But DuckDuckGo goes one step further by supporting calendar as an instant answer. Search "calendar" to see one, with the current date highlighted. It can also show you the calendar for any month and year. Try searching for "calendar january 1899".

10. Loan calculator

Another useful DuckDuckGo instant answer is a loan calculator. It's useful if you want to see how much your monthly installments will be and how much interest you'll be paying in total. The search query for this is a little hard to remember, like the terms and conditions for most loan agreements. It is "loan AMOUNT at INTEREST with PERCENT down for DURATION". All the uppercase words are what you need to key in - total amount, interest rate, down payment percentage and the duration of the loan. We tried "loan Rs 50,00,000 at 4.5% with 25% down for 15 years" to get the answer in the picture below.

11. Cool features for developers

There are several instant answers that will be useful to software developers, but might be less important for the general public. Here's a quick list of what DuckDuckGo can do:

12. Add instant answers to other search engines

If you like all these instant answers but don't want to leave your favourite search engine, just download the DuckDuckGo extension on Chrome, Safari or Firefox. Now whenever you search, you'll see DuckDuckGo's instant answers above search results in any search engine.

Bonus

There are several other instant answers on DuckDuckGo that are quite cool, but not very useful. That's why these are included as a bonus in this article. Here's a quick list of some of the best we could find.

These were the best instant answers we could find on DuckDuckGo and none of those are available on Google. Which is your favourite DuckDuckGo instant answer? Which one of these did you find useful? Let us know via the comments....

Credit- Ndtvgadgets for making this article....

Top 5 Sexy Gadget Categories From CES 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 Jan 2015 07:28:00 +0000

Improvements and New Launches

I missed it by almost 15,000km. The who’s who of consumer electronics were all gathered at one of the largest consumer electronics show at Las Vegas to kick-start the year, the International CES 2015 spread over four days ending 9th January. I was here patiently stalking the web for key highlights of the International CES 2015. Amidst the thousands of exhibitors present, there were a few noteworthy products that stood out from the Smarthome, automobile, virtual reality simulator, drone and 3D printing categories.

Here are some key highlights of CES 2015:

Home Of The Future

Ever had the sick feeling in your gut when you are out that you may not have switched off your oven?

Accessories ranging from door sensors, keychains that are able to track the location of your pet to smart plugs that will ensure the fear of your oven not being turned off, is now a thing of the past. In this year’s CES, many new innovations and gadgets can be seen on the Smarthome front. Brands like iHome, SmartThings and WEMO showcased their Smarthome accessories at CES 2015. Programmed appliances will have its status reflected on your Smartphone, giving you live updates and control of electrical appliances in your home.

Most Smarthome appliances in the market are compatible with either Android of Apple OS. Smarthome gadgets will start playing a larger role in our daily lives in the near future, paving the way for Internet of Things (IoT).

Who Needs A License?

Definitely not I; not when innovative cars which look and perform like a car out of the movie ‘Tron’. Head turning automotive power houses, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have brought creativity and innovation to this year’s show.

Image courtesy of Sujin Jetkasettakorn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

BMW showcased its i3 model equipped with experimental AutoAssist technology that is emission free and packs a nifty active collision avoidance system. The vehicle is now able to sense obstacles in its path and pull the brakes to avoid an accident; even when pressure is firmly placed on the accelerator. In addition, it also has a valet feature. The vehicle is able to find a parking space, park itself and return to its owner; all with the touch of an application on a Smartphone or Smartwatch.

As fancy and in-to-the-future BMW’s AutoAssist technology and valet feature sounds, the automotive innovation that stole the show this year with an impressively sleek concept car is Mercedes-Benz. A much talked about innovation that made many green with envy. The all new F 015 concept car is like no other. It packs a full LED display dashboard, computerized side doors, green engine, 360 degree swivel front seats that allow front passengers to sit facing the back passengers and all without compromising on safety, comfort and luxury. Did I mention that it drives itself as well? The only negative attribute about the F 015 is that it would sadly not be on the market any time soon.

Move Over Controllers

Virtual reality simulators are taking over. Like something out of a Sci-Fi movie, two newly launched VR simulators are bringing video games to a whole new level. Firstly the Oculus Rift Crescent Bay. This is an impressive upgrade from its predecessor the Oculus DK2, weighing much less and has a sharper display which allows the virtual world to look more realistic. Accompanying its launch, Oculus has said that it will be periodically release VR simulator compatible games for sale in the coming months.

Secondly, Razer’s OSVR (Open Source Virtual Reality). With open-source it actively encourages developers to modify OSVR’s hard and software to their specifications. You are able to 3D print certain customizable components and purchase some others to fully build your own customized OSVR. This is Razer’s attempt to bridge VR simulators closer to existing technology and while doing so encourage more VR game development.

Picture Perfect

Drones no longer just for the military to carry out surveillance or air strikes, DJI’s Inspire 1 and ZANO bring new life to the drone market. DJI’s Inspire 1 is so stable in flight that it is capable of filming movie quality scenes while in flight. With its 12.4 Megapixel, UHD 4K and full remote control video camera capability, it is no wonder why the Inspire 1 is the next go-to drone for picture perfect aerial filming.

Secondly the ZANO. What will strike you first would be the size of the ZANO. Rewind just two years ago, drones were large and cumbersome. Here we have the ZANO which is roughly the size of your palm, equipped with a 5 Megapixel HD video camera, easily controlled using your Smartphone and comes with motion sensor control. With its recommended retail price starting at only USD$258 ( £169.95), the ZANO is the perfect entry level drone gadget that even comes in a few different colours.

If You Fancy It, Bring It Home!

Why print an image of a teddy bear on paper when you can print an actual 3D one? Compact in size and with a smaller price tag, printers for the home are now moving from the normal 2D to 3D.

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Introducing the Nobel 1.0 by XYZ Printing. This is the first SLA 3D printer of its kind that can be purchased for the home at approximately USD$1500. It has a smaller price tag compared to other 3D printers in its class, weighing approximately 9.6kg, able to print directly from a thumb drive and consumes minimal energy. XYZ Printing has already produced other notable 3D printers like the Da Vinci 1.0 and 2.0 Duo, with the intention of making 3D printers more accessible and affordable to the masses.

There is no doubt that even though lesser new innovations were seen at CES 2015 as compared to previous years, there are a number of gadgets that have been given new features. With every passing year, innovations showcased at large scale consumer electronic shows like CES 2015 promise more convenience for our daily lives. With the countdown set at 351 days before the next CES, will the gadgets showcased at CES 2015 take the competitive consumer electronic market by storm? Maybe like the Mercedes-Benz F 015, now wouldn’t that be nice.

Downloading Facebook Videos In Few Simple Steps Without Any Software

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 09:04:00 +0000

While watching videos on Facebook Sometime you like certain video and want to download it on your computer but you are taken a step back because you don't know how to do that. There are tools and software available to download videos from youtube and other major video sites but downloading videos from facebook is something you are not familiar with. Believe me downloading facebook videos is very very easy and the best thing about it is that it does not require any software. In this tutorial i will teach you to download videos from facebook in few simple steps. So lets get started.

How To Download Facebook Videos ?

1. First open the facebook video you want to download.

2. Then copy the url as shown below.

3. Now go to savefrom website by Clicking Here

4. Paste the url copied in step 2 in input area as shown below and click on download.

5. After clicking on download, available video format for the video will appear on right side just below the download button. Click on video format you like to download.

6. Download will start the moment you click on video format. Enjoy!!

Top 5 Awesome Facebook Tricks And Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 08:33:00 +0000

Top 5 facebook tips n tricks

A lot of people use Facebook every day. We communicate, share, add photos and update the status. But still, there are a lot of things in Facebook that still remain unknown for many users. You won’t find these things in official pages or the Facebook guides. But these tricks can make a lot of interesting things with your Facebook page. If you’re interested, it’s high time to get started!

Hiding Your Last Name

When you registrate for Facebook, you are required to fill in your full name. Using this this trick, you’ll be able to hide the last one.

Open Mozilla firefox browser, the others, won’t do,
Click Options -> Advanced -> Network -> Settings -> Connection Settings -> Manual Proxy Configuration
Enter 103.10.62.30, port 8080 in the HTTP Proxy Field
Go to your profile Account settings -> Change Language to Bahasa Indonesia simply delete your last name.

Making your profile image non-clickable.

Not everyone wants the strangers to click their photos. But standard Facebook privacy settings don’t leave us any choice. Now, you can change them in 3 simple steps:

Go to your Albums, then click on Profile Pictures
Choose your profile picture
Restrict your privacy settings to Only Me.

Updating Facebook status using email

If you cannot access Facebook for some reasons, there’s still way to update your status there.

Go to your account settings and click on Mobile tab from left sidebar
You will find a unique email address that can be used for updating the status.
Send the mail to that address, typing the status you want to appear in you page in the Subject field.

Accessing the Facebook chat on your Windows desktop.

Go to https://www.facebook.com/about/messenger and install the Facebook chat for Windows.
Now, you can enjoy chatting direct from the desktop as well as check all the notification and your friends’ activities.

Sending friend requests when blocked

Facebook may block you, if you send a lot of requests to unknown people. Then, you won’t be able to send requests even to those you personally know. But luckily there’s a trick to let you to send requests even if you are block.

Click on https://www.facebook.com/?sk=ff and you’ll be able to add friends using email services
Login with any email service and then add all required contacts to Facebook.
You can create a notepad file with comma separated email contacts for adding several friends. Only save it as name.vcf
Now, upload that file using the previous window. Friend requests will be sent automatically to Facebook users who have these email addresses.

Top 7 Game Controller Apps For iPhone Promising Great Gaming Action

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Dec 2014 07:47:00 +0000

Game enthusiast loves the myriad of game apps available by a few iPhone App Development Company. Every game lover will certainly love to play till the time their phone battery doesn't die. However, most of the gamers feel frustrated when their hands or fingers cramping keep spoiling their game view. Well, that's a common problem that game players usually encounter with virtual controls on touchscreen handsets.

Fortunately, now you can have access to some great gadgets that will help turn your iPhone devices into game controllers.

1. GameDock

If you miss gaming with your friend, then GameDock is the perfect gadget that puts you into a classic console. This will definitely remind you of the time when you used to game with a friend. GameDock is a multiplayer gaming platform that turns your iPhone into a 2 player game console. The best part is that it allows you to enjoy high-definition gaming action with your friends worldwide in real time. However, it's available for a cost amounting to $89.

2. JOYSTICK-IT Arcade Stick

If you don't like playing a game without your joystick, then you can bank upon JOYSTICK-IT Arcade Stick which has been introduced by reputed iPhone Development Company. This ThinkGeek gadget allows you to add a real physical joystick to your iPhone device. With just a simple push you'll be able to stick the game controller to your iPhone's screen (you no longer need any wires or batteries). It's easy to remove or can also be re-adjusted without harming your screen. JOYSTICK-IT is lightweight and enables accurate movement and enhanced playability.

3. Razor JungleCat

If you urge to elevate your gaming experience by jumping faster, driving with better precision, and so on, then you should better opt for the Razer Junglecat mobile game controller for your iPhone. It features ABXY action buttons, a D-pad and most importantly the bumpers on this gamepad on this sliding case will let you enjoy some hard-hitting game action on-the-go. The gamepad easily slides under the phone, and turn your phone into a pocket-size device. However, the solid encasing of Razor JungleCat acts as your iPhone device's protective covering.

4. Impulse

iMpulse is a tiny iPhone game controller, with the size as that of a keychain. In fact, it's actually a keychain. Impulse provides game players the wherewithal to bind and find their keys! Put simply, as gamers you'll have to chain your keys to the Impulse controller and then locate the keys. But, in case you can’t find them, just press the ‘Locate’ button in your iPhone app and retrieve the keys. It's available for $40.

5. Joypad

Joypad turns your iPhone into a functional game controller. This game console acts as a dashboard that allows you to play all types of Joypad enabled games using your iPhone as the game controller. However, apart from installing this app you should also install "Joypad Game Controller" on your iPhone. Both the applications will sync up, and you'll see a controller on your phone screen, using which you'll be able to navigate the dashboard.

6. ICADE

If you're serious about mobile gaming then you should opt for ICADE. This excellent handheld game controller for iPhone comes with a classic controller configuration, making it easy for players to play modern and retro games as well in a more precise manner. It boasts a four-way directional pad, action buttons, and 4 shoulder buttons. It can even get connected to Bluetooth.

7. Moga Ace Power

This is one of the first iOS 7 game controller that was launched in the market last year. Moga Ace Power helps to add a comprehensive set of D-pad, buttons, triggers and more to a split-apart case that slides over an iPhone 5/5S. Though, the plastic construction of the controller sometimes feels low in quality, but its built-in battery pack and a handy button layout makes Ace Power a strong choice for iPhone gamers. It's available for $99.99.

Final Thought

If you often get furious pressing hard on the button to play your game, then it's time you should switch to iPhone game controllers. With the game controlling gadgets for iPhone you can enjoy complete gaming action. Now you don't have to worry about cramps or your fingers getting numb! With the aforementioned list of top 7 game controllers just continue to game until your phone's battery run out.

Top 10 keyboard shortcuts everyone should know

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 04:49:00 +0000

Using keyboard shortcuts can greatly increase your productivity, reduce repetitive strain, and help keep you focused. For example, highlighting text with the keyboard and pressing Ctrl + C is much faster than taking your hand from the keyboard, highlighting the text using the mouse, clicking copy from the file menu, and then putting your hand back in place on the keyboard. Below are our top 10 keyboard shortcuts we recommend everyone memorize and use.

Keyboard image

Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert

Both Ctrl + C and Ctrl + Insert will copy the highlighted text or selected item. If you want to cut instead of copy press Ctrl + X.

Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert

Both the Ctrl + V and Shift + Insert will paste the text or object that's in the clipboard.

Ctrl + Z and Ctrl + Y

Undo any change. For example, if you cut text, pressing this will undo it. This can also often be pressed multiple times to undo multiple changes. Pressing Ctrl + Y would redo the undo.

Ctrl + F

Pressing Ctrl + F opens the Find in any program. This includes your Internet browser to find text on the current page.

Alt + Tab or Ctrl + Tab

Quickly switch between open programs moving forward.

Tip: Press Ctrl + Tab to switch between tabs in a program.

Tip: Adding the Shift key to Alt + Tab or Ctrl + Tab will move backwards. For example, if you are pressing Alt + Tab and pass the program you want to switch to, press Alt + Shift + Tab to move backwards to that program.

Tip: Windows Vista and 7 users can also press the Windows Key + Tab to switch through open programs in a full screenshot of the Window.

Ctrl + Back space and Ctrl + Left or Right arrow

Pressing Ctrl + Backspace will delete a full word at a time instead of a single character.

Holding down the Ctrl key while pressing the left or right arrow will move the cursor one word at a time instead of one character at a time. If you wanted to highlight one word at a time, you can hold down Ctrl + Shift and then press the left or right arrow key to move one word at a time in that direction while highlighting each word.

Ctrl + S

While working on a document or other file in almost every program, pressing Ctrl + S saves that file. This shortcut key should be used frequently anytime you're working on anything important.

Ctrl + Home or Ctrl + End

Ctrl + Home will move the cursor to the beginning of the document and Ctrl + End will move the cursor to the end of a document. These shortcuts work with most documents, as well as web pages.

Ctrl + P

Open a print preview of the current page or document being viewed. For example, press Ctrl + P now to view a print preview of this page.

Page Up, Space bar, and Page Down

Pressing either the page up or page down key will move that page one page at a time in that direction. When browsing the Internet, pressing the space bar also moves the page down one page at a time.

Tip: If you are using the space bar to go down one page at a time, press the Shift key and space bar to go up one page at a time.

Other Recommended Shortcuts

We also recommend the following keyboard shortcuts, as they can be very useful:

Ctrl + O

Allows you to select and open a file within the current software program. This works in most programs, including Internet browsers.

F2

After highlighting or selecting a file, pressing F2 changes the file name to be editable, allowing you to rename the file.

Top Flagship Phones 2015: Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, iPhone 7, Xperia Z4, OnePlus Two, LG G4 Coming Next Year

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 05:08:00 +0000

Samsung, Apple, Sony, LG, OnePlus To Revolutionize Smartphones With New Flagships in 2015: Roundup

People looking for smartphone upgrades will have a wide choice in the coming year. All major smartphone manufacturers have plans of launching new flagships next year.

Samsung galaxy s6 Edge

Samsung, Apple, Sony, LG, OnePlus To Revolutionize Smartphones With New Flagships in 2015: Roundup Samsung

Everyone from Apple to Samsung,LG and OnePlus will showcase their next-generation ip phones throughout next year. Here's a quick look at what to expect from these major releases along with their fairly accurate release dates.

Samsung

Samsung had a major setback with its ailing sales of Galaxy S5. In order to turn things around, the Korean tech giant launched Galaxy Note 4, Note Edge and Galaxy Alpha but Apple took all the limelight with its record-breaking iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus sales. The world's largest smartphone vendor is not willing to give up its spot so easily, so Samsung will make sure its Galaxy S6 makes a good impression in the market.

So far, the specs details on the upcoming flagship are pretty thin but reports indicate the Galaxy S6 to feature a 5-inch or 5.5-inch Quad HD display, 16 or 20MP rear camera with 5MP front-facing camera and 64-bit Exynos 7420 or Snapdragon 810 processor variants. Samsung is internally calling its flagship "Project Zero," which is being built up from scratch.

In a recent report from Napster-Sparkus, sources claimed that Samsung will launch its flagship alongside Galaxy Note Edge-like Galaxy S6 Edge with a curved edge. Both new phones are expected to take on the market in a special launch event around April 11.

Apple

Apple i phone 7

If Apple's success with the iPhone 6 release was any indication, the Cupertino tech giant will step up its game in the next flagship next year. Though customers will have to wait till the year's end to hear some official news on the rumoured iPhone 7, there will be traditional leaks and speculations that can give a rough idea about the next iPhone.

Reports have already lined up some specs of the iPhone 6 successor, which suggest an improved camera to produce DSLR-quality photos, sapphire glass protection, A8 chip and boosted memory up to 256GB.

There is no word on the product's release but it won't be surprising to see the Cupertino tech giant choose the same month of the year when it releases all its new iPhones, in September.

Sony

Sony Xperia Z4 leaked

Sony has two major releases lined up for 2015. First off, the company will continue its Xperia line of smartphones with the Xperia Z4. Sony is expected to upgrade the smartphone's specs than its outlook design. The Z4 is expected to come with a 5.4-inch or 5.5-inch Quad HD display, updated camera with 20.7 megapixels, Optical Image Stabilization and a powerful Snapdragon 805 processor.

The smartphone's outlook will continue its metal frame design with protective glass on both sides and waterproof rating. Reports also suggest that Sony will adapt the traditional pair release by launching Z4 Compact alongside Z4.

Based on Sony's bi-annual flagship launch pattern, the Xperia Z4 could arrive as early as March during the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona.

LG G4 upcoming in 2015

LG led the smartphone industry with the first Quad HD display in the LG G3 smartphone. The company took a huge bet on its phone's exquisite design by placing the volume rocker and unlock button on the back. With the next anticipated release from LG being the G4, the company will once again take charge in leading the industry with challenging specs. Reports suggest the company will use either 5.7-inch or 6-inch bezel-free UHD or 2K display. Overall the phone's performance will be boosted in the G4 compared to its predecessor.

Following the company's previous releases, LG fans can expect the G4 to arrive anytime until summer 2015.

OnePlus

One plus Two phone image

This new Chinese upstart firm has gained immense popularity in a short time. The company's flagship killer OnePlus One phone is already a success and OnePlus is looking to continue the popularity with successive OnePlus Two. The information emerged after OnePlus staff in a Reddit AMA session in September said the new flagship will arrive in the second or third quarter of 2015, somewhere between April and September.

The details on the smartphone's specs are scanty as the OnePlus team gave a vague reply for seeking the OnePlus Two's size.

Others

Others phones will also come in 2015

Besides these expected phones, several other entries are coming in 2015. The most-talked about Google Project Ara is due in early 2015. Microsoft is also readying its next Lumia device, McLaren, as a high-end Windows Phone flagship with great PureView camera. HTC M9 is also one of the major attention-seeker next year, which is expected to make its debut in March.

Twitter to bring Instagram-like filters to your photos

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 04:12:00 +0000

Micro-blogging site Twitter has now given its users more control of their photos. The Twitter app for iOS and Android devices has replaced its photo filter grid with an easy-to-use Instagram-style row of adjustable filters.

Double tapping the filters shows an intensity slider that shows thumbnails of how photos will look like, TechCrunch reported. The new filter system will roll out to all iOS and Android users.

The option is exactly like Instagram’s filter selector. The intensity of the filters can be adjusted with a slider that is revealed by a double tap. The option is the latest similarity between between Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook recently launched hashtags and trending topics and Twitter has launched a News Feed-like option.

Twitter brings like filters to your photos

Google releases list of 68 best Android apps of 2014; 61 free, 7 paid

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 04:06:00 +0000

With the year-end approaching, Google has published a list of the best Android apps of 2014 available on the Play Store. The list includes total of 68 apps - with 61 of them free and 7 paid. Popular apps including Swiftkey Keyboard, IFTTT, Groupon, CNN, Bitmoji, and Google Fit feature in the list.

Tsu Review – How to Earn Money

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 07:22:00 +0000

Tsu is New Social Network to Earn Money, Social Networking platforms are playing vital role for the growth of internet. As we use Facebook, Twitter, G+ and even a mobile apps like Whatsapp and Line just because to communicate with our family friends etc and to make new friends online. As the Facebook is a popular social network and have millions of daily users who share posts, and do liking, shares etc.

Think About Earning Money from Social Networking Sites ?

Facebook is fastest way to spread any news , no doubt we learn something new and even and message around the world. But question is what is the benefit of doing all this posts, likes, shares. A normal user spend 3-4 hours daily to use Facebook and other also. But if you think about earning money from every posts, likes, shares and comments ? But now its time to step forward towards something new which help to make money from all these activities.

Tsu is New Social Networking Site where you Earn Money

How to earn money on tsu

How To Join Tsu Social Network ?

Tsu is newly start social media website but growing faster. Tsu become most popular in USA, Canada and many other countries. Now Tsu starts its faster growing in India. Tsu gain higher Alexa Ranking within a single month. Tsu starts Oct month 2014 and ranking of Tsu is totally amazing.

To Join Tsu Social Network, you need any referrer as you know without any refer link you not able to sign up. So if you want to sign up follow my refer link :-

How to Earn Money on Tsu ?

Tsu is new social networking site where you earn/make money for doing same activities as we done on Facebook but the main difference is we earn revenue from it. Means for every followers and friends, shares, likes, comments, we earn money on tsu.You just have to refer others friends to join Tsu and make and follow friends and keep sharing posts, do liking and shares.
After creating new account on Tsu, complete your account details like profile picture, cover and other basic information.
Open Profile > Edit profile and all option will available in left sidebar and you can checkout your earning from bank option.
Go to Settings > Invitation option from right sidebar.
Copy your refer URL and share it any other social networking sites where you want to get more friendsa and followers.
More friends and follower join Tsu with your refer link this will help earn more revenue.

How Much User will Earn ?

Tsu is 90% revenue sharing network means all earning generate from your activities 10% will tsu take for its maintenance and other costs to run company. In other words you are not even earn a single penny from Facebook, twitter for daily activities according to data we help Facebook to earn $1-$2 on avg of daily usages. But we didn’t get anything. Tsu will provide all the earning they earn from there advertisers on bases of every user activities.
Think there are four users A,B,C,D.
User A invites B, who invites User C, who invites User D.
User D share a post which leads Tsu to earn $100.

How to earn money with tsu

Likes, Comments, Shares, Friends, Followers, Refers = Earnings

Tips To Earn From Tsu Effectively

Add and follow friends on Tsu definitely they will also follow back to you this way is most effective to reach more audience.
Refer more and more friends under your tree this will help you to earn from you referrer activities i.e. share posts, likes, comments etc and also explain them to how to refer others means.
Share your refer link on Facebook, Twitter and other Social Network. Even send mobiles messages and also send sms to our friends on whatsapp etc apps to aware peoples to join Tsu. Because if they will earn you will also earn from it.
Create a post on Tsu and share it on Facebook or others to get more views.

How Tsu Send Payment ?

Just go the bank option and there is option to enter the amount for which you want to get check. Payment are made via check so enter you accurate details like Address, city, country and other options to receive your check.

Why are you Waiting ?

If you have not sign up then what are you waiting for its really just create your account try it. Without invitation new account will not be created. So just click on below :-

Conclusion

According to me “Tsu is best way to earn money” but its depends only on your efforts. As we are using other social networks without any benefit, we have nothing to lose because we are not investing anything just give it a try with a hope.

If you face any probelm regarding Tsu, feel free to discuss in below comments,

First impressions: Asus PadFone mini

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 09:59:00 +0000

Having used the Asus PadFone mini for a few days, we bring our two cents on what it offers to the average user…

Asus's PadFone devices are as unconventional as a gadget gets in the smartphone business. It is basically a small smartphone that can be placed in a tablet dock, which then relays whatever is running on the smartphone's screen on the larger screen of the tablet. It is aimed at those who want a big-screen device to read ebooks, surf the web and watch videos but don't want to carry it around all the time.

The Taiwanese company is set to launch a new iteration of the PadFone in India at the price of Rs 15,999. Having used the device, named PadFone mini, for a few days, we bring our two cents on what it offers to the average user...

Design

The Asus PadFone is composed of two separate pieces — a smartphone unit and a tablet dock. The smartphone is as conventional as they come; in fact, it is almost the same as ZenFone 4 in terms of features and design. What's different is that it has a docking point at the bottom, so that data can be relayed from the smartphone to the tablet part.

The smartphone is pretty compact to hold and has the same metallic strip with concentric semicircles at the bottom that we have seen in the ZenFone range. The Home, Back and Task Switcher keys are below the screen and not backlit; the loudspeaker is positioned next to the rear camera. The metallic power and volume keys look good and feel nice to the touch. The plastic back is not slippery, so you won't find yourself dropping it too often.

The tablet dock, officially called the PadFone Station, is a 7-inch slate that is devoid of basic features like front and rear cameras, loudspeaker, earphone jack etc. For all these, PadFone mini relies on the smartphone. What the PadFone Station does have is a battery pack, microUSB port, power and volume keys and the usual host of sensors.

Asus has cut some corners in designing the tablet, dumping the metal in favour of plastic. Gone too are the soft keys that the smartphone has; instead, you get on-screen keys. Similarly, the power and volume buttons are made of plastic and there is not even a hint of metal on the dock, except the small strip on the back that says Asus and PadFone Station. Wielding the PadFone mini in one hand is a little cumbersome due to the bulge on the back.

The differences in the design languages of the smartphone and tablet portions make it seem as if Asus has just strapped together two separate devices instead of making a product that is more cohesive.

Hardware and software

The PadFone mini smartphone unit has a 4-inch 480x800p IPS screen, dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2560 processor with 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage (with additional microSD support). It has battery of 1,700mAh capacity; 8MP and 1.9MP rear and front cameras; and dual sim support. The tablet part only has a 2,100mAh battery and 7-inch HD (800x1280p) IPS display.

On the software side, PadFone mini runs on Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) operating system with Asus's Zen UI on top. We have previously used this custom software on Asus ZenFone 5 and quite liked the features it offers.

Using the PadFone mini

PadFone mini is pretty simple to use — just place the smartphone unit in the dock and the tablet portion will detect it in a couple of seconds. But be sure to place it securely as we did not push the smartphone in the dock firmly and did not realize the mistake due to the rather tight fit. If you want to take out the smartphone, you need to give a firm tug.

The device lets you know when the smartphone has been docked/removed via a vibration on both units; there is a small notification light in the power button of the tablet blinks for a few seconds to let the user know when the smartphone has been docked.

Once the smartphone is docked, the tablet will be able to open most of the apps that you downloaded on the phone. However, there are a few apps that will not be opened, such as Hangouts and Skype as these require a front camera, which is missing in the tablet portion.
The downloaded apps that you open on the tablet need to be put into a list, called Dynamic View, in order to be opened on both smartphone and tablet. We were able to run all common Android apps in smartphone as well as tablet modes. As it supports voice calls, you will be able to talk on the tablet.

PadFone mini gives you the liberty to keep separate layouts for both tablet and smartphone. For example, you can keep the video player app on the home screen in tablet mode, while the smartphone unit can have Skype on its home screen.

In terms of performance, Asus PadFone mini is not the best device around. It is fast enough, but not the fastest, when it comes to opening and switching between apps as well as running games. Due to just 1GB RAM, a couple of heavy games even crashed while we were using the tablet, which is now seen in only a few other phones in this price range.

The smartphone unit's display is bright, has good viewing angles and decent colour saturation. The tablet's screen is similar on most counts, but the colours lack the desired punch. You can notice a little pixilation if you stare hard enough, otherwise the screen masks over the pixels despite less than desired resolution.

One thing that we are extremely disappointed with is the battery life. Though we have not had enough time to spend with PadFone mini, whatever we have seen in terms of battery capacity has let us down. The smartphone lasts only a little more than half a day with moderate usage; when used in conjunction, the tablet and smartphone still last less than a standard work day.

The camera of PadFone mini is decent, but the lack of rear flash makes it another letdown. The photos appear pretty nice, but zooming in shows that it fails to capture sufficient details; noise is noticeable in the dark areas. The PixelMaster camera technologies have been woven into the PadFone mini, so you get these photography modes:

Verdict
Asus isn't targeting the mainstream buyer with PadFone mini; instead, it is looking at the niche consumer who wants the convenience of two devices rolled into one. We have our reservations about PadFone mini, such as the rather low screen resolution, poor battery life and chunky build. Plus the overall performance is good enough, but you can get much better performance if you add a couple thousand rupees more.

Then there's a rather big problem for Asus: its own ZenFone 6 (which has much better features and a 6-inch screen) costs nearly the same as PadFone mini, and we wholeheartedly would recommend the former.

Nevertheless, if you are serious about buying a device that can be used as a smartphone as a voice calling tablet, then PadFone mini is a safe (and the only) bet.

Free Ride? In Europe, Google Will Remain Firefox Search Default Despite No Deal

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 09:20:00 +0000

While Google lost the deal to be Firefox's worldwide search provider, it will continue as the default choice in many countries despite no formal deal.

How much does it cost to be Mozilla’s Firefox search provider in Europe? Perhaps nothing — because Google will continue to be the provider there despite not having any formal deal with Mozilla, come this December.

Yesterday, it was big news that Mozilla announced new deals making Yahoo the default search provider for Firefox in the US, Yandex for Russia and Baidu for China. Previously, Google had been the provider in all these countries.

While no terms were disclosed, the Google deal has earned hundreds of millions of dollars for Mozilla over the years. It’s expected that Yahoo will be paying the same.

But Mozilla’s blog post about the news made no mention of the situation in Europe, nor South America, Africa, much of Asia and the rest of the world.

In an interview with Search Engine Land, Mozilla CEO Chris Beard confirmed that Google would continue to be the search default in Europe. That made it seem likely that Mozilla had signed a new deal for Google in that area but just didn’t want to be public about it.

It turns out there’s no deal with Google at all. In an email today, a Mozilla spokesperson got in touch to clarify there is none. From the statement I was sent:

In most European countries, Firefox users will not see a change. In the US, Yahoo will become the default search, Baidu in China and Yandex in Russia. We’re proud to offer more choices than any other browser and as always, all Firefox users are free to change the search provider to fit their choice.
Our current financial relationship with Google around search will expire following the end of the current agreement (see December 2011 announcement here).

The first part of that says nothing that wasn’t in the blog post. It’s the second part that’s key, that Mozilla is stressing there is no deal that will happen with Google after the current one expires next month.

We know Google will continue to be the default in Europe. We also know now there is no deal making that happen. That suggests Google’s going to get a free ride in that area and any other country not covered by the announcements. Not bad for Google!

Then again, we also don’t know the share of searches that happen from Firefox in Europe (I asked Mozilla for this yesterday; I still haven’t gotten a response). It potentially is only a tiny amount.

But still — it’s odd that Mozilla wouldn’t have done a deal with Yahoo that covered Europe and other parts of the world. Not going with Bing makes sense — Microsoft makes a rival browser to Firefox.

It might be that Firefox is simply going to continue to use Google’s results but keep a much smaller slice of the search revenue, something similar to what happens in the AdSense For Search program. Still, this seems unlikely. That program is designed for small-scale sites. If Firefox wants to collect revenue from Google search, I’d expect it would need a formal deal in place.

The Guardian points out that the last time contract renewals happened, in Europe, Firefox shifted to Bing briefly. I didn’t recall this happening — I also see that it happened a few weeks before the contract expired. It sounds like it might have been an attempt to put pressure on Google for a better deal.

If that’s the plan this time, I’d say any negotiation tactic has gone out the window when Mozilla is saying that Google gets Europe and other places around the world without needed a deal at all.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 09:10:00 +0000

Google’s Android One initiative seems to have hit a roadblock with offline stores refusing to sell and promote these devices as the search giant and its device manufacturing partners chose to take the online sales route initially.

The U.S.-based company is now holding discussions with retailers to end the impasse.

Talking to The Hindu, Tarvinder Singh, Vice President of All India Mobile Retailers’ Association, which has over 35,000 retailers across India as its members, explained that since Android One devices were put on sale exclusively online for sometime, the retailers decided to boycott the device. “When they did not see much demand for the product online, they come to us. And due to their policy and behaviour we decided that we will not promote these handsets,” he said.

In September, Google had launched Android One initiative, under which it partnered three handset makers — Micromax, Karbonn and Spice — to bring out handsets priced at Rs.6,399. This was aimed at making affordable smartphones available to a larger number of people.

Even bigger brands such as UniverCell decided against promoting Android One devices.

Satish Babu, Founder and CEO of UniverCell, reasoned, “Manufacturers such as Karbonn, Spice and Micromax managed to grow their businesses because of the support from physical retailers. So, when they went online first with Android One products, it angered them.”

While most retailers have refused to even keep stocks of the products, some retailers after discussions with Google have begun to keep stocks but do not actively promote these products.

“Most of the retailers now don’t want to sell the products. There is some demand for Android One devices but they are open to buying other devices as well. So we are able to convert the demand for these devices into sales for us. We have decided not to promote Android One devices,” a mobile retailer, who did not want to be named, said.

While he did not name brands, he said, a brand went offline 3-4 days after online sales, and is getting partial support from retailers. The case is the same with almost all retailers. Mr. Babu added that many retailers, UniverCell included, bought stocks to see the response. “The response for the product is not bad. But still we are not encouraging it much.”

Asked if Google is holding discussions with retailers to push offline sales of handsets, Google spokesperson replied in the affirmative

The spokesperson added, “We’ve been very happy with the success of Android One in the last two months… We are working closely with our hardware and retail partners to make the initial phones available everywhere across India.”

The company is also expanding its manufacturing partners to bring more Android One devices to the market.

Meanwhile, Karbonn and Spice said they were seeing pick up in demand for these products and getting more traction through offline than online. Comments from Micromax were not received.

Pardeep Jain, Managing Director of Karbonn, said, “The demand for Android One devices is picking up. We are selling close to 3,000 units a day and about 2,500 of these are sold offline.”

Likewise, Prashant Bindal, CEO, Spice Mobility Ltd., said, “We are happy with the response the Android One has received in the market. In two months since the launch of the product, we have sold out our stock of around one lakh units of Spice Dream Uno Android One. We have already placed our next order and expect to reach a sales figure of additional 1.50 lakh units in the next few weeks.”

According to company, about 75 per cent of the sales is being generated through the offline route.

Google is likely to hold another meeting next week with retailers association on the issue.

OnePlus One to be available exclusively on Amazon: Here’s how to get an invite

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 09:03:00 +0000

After the initial teaser, Amazon India has finally listed the OnePlus One on its store. Exclusively available via Amazon, it still follows the invite-only procedure to get the phone. While the OnePlus One is still to officially launch in India, there are strong indications that the price will be under Rs 25,000.

If the chatter on the web is to be believed then, the device will be available from December 2.

Here’s how you get the invite:

1. For an invite, users will have to subscribe to the OnePlus One newsletter, and then enter contests and events hosted by the company for India or by Amazon.in.

2. Once you receive the invite, click the unique link and register with your OnePlus One account. Here you will see the invite. One has to simply click on ‘Buy’ to purchase the device on Amazon.in.

3. On the site, choose the One in Sandstone Black and enter your invite code on the product page and proceed to checkout.

From the time the invite is generated, users will have only 48 hours to buy the device. If the time frame for the invite expires, then you will have to follow the same procedure and try again.

We had a chance to review the OnePlus One and we were left impressed by what it had to offer. It’s a large 5.5-inch phone, with a great 1080×1920 pixel resolution display. The display comes with Gorilla Glass 3 protection and the same adaptive backlight technology that’s seen in some Sharp displays. In addition, the phone is one of the few to have 3GB of RAM and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC with a quad-core processor clocked at 2.5GHz with Adreno 330 GPU.

There’s a a 13-megapixel rear IMX214 sensor with a six-lens array and f/2.0 aperture that boasts quick shutter speed of only 0.3-seconds. It also comes with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Software wise, the One features a customised version of CyanogenMod ROM called CM 11S. The software is based on Android 4.4 KitKat.

There’s no microSD card slot in the phone, and the phone only comes in 16 or 64 GB on-board storage. Connectivity includes: 4G LTE (region dependent), Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC functionality. The battery is rated at 3,100mAh and is non-removable.

Apple briefly crosses $700 billion market cap following strong US GDP report

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 08:51:00 +0000

Apple logo is seen in this file photo

Apple’s stocks rose 0.7 percent to $119.44 on Tuesday, which pushed the tech giant’s market cap above $700 billion for the first time, the largest on Wall Street. Apple closed down 0.9 percent at $117.60, ranking as the largest points weight on the S&P 500. The second-largest publicly-traded U.S. company, Exxon, has a market cap just above $400 billion.

The U.S. economy rose more than expected last quarter but soft readings on consumer confidence and house prices kept major indexes in a tight range near the unchanged level.

Third-quarter economic growth came in much stronger than expected but other data showing consumer confidence sliding to a five-month low and a further moderation in house price gains put a lid on the market’s initial advance.

The moves were not showing much conviction and volume was expected to be low as the Thanksgiving holiday approached. US markets will be closed on Thursday, while Friday will be a half-day session on Wall Street.

“I do expect lower volumes and the market moving sideways,” said James Liu, global market strategist for J.P. Morgan Funds.

He said a major market catalyst will be the Federal Reserve meeting in mid-December. The Fed could effectively commit to a more prompt interest rate rise if it adjusts the language in its policy statement.

With inputs from Reuters

Google develops no-shake spoon to help Parkinson’s patients eat without spilling

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 08:46:00 +0000

Google is throwing its money, brain power and technology at the humble spoon.

Of course these spoons (don’t call them spoogles) are a bit more than your basic utensil: Using hundreds of algorithms, they allow people with essential tremors and Parkinson’s Disease to eat without spilling.

The technology senses how a hand is shaking and makes instant adjustments to stay balanced. In clinical trials, the Liftware spoons reduced shaking of the spoon bowl by an average of 76 percent.

“We want to help people in their daily lives today and hopefully increase understanding of disease in the long run,” said Google spokesperson Katelin Jabbari.

Other adaptive devices have been developed to help people with tremors — rocker knives, weighted utensils, pen grips. But until now, experts say, technology has not been used in this way.

“It’s totally novel,” said UC San Francisco Medical Center neurologist Dr. Jill Ostrem who specializes in movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease and essential tremors.

She helped advise the inventors, and says the device has been a remarkable asset for some of her patients.

“I have some patients who couldn’t eat independently, they had to be fed, and now they can eat on their own,” she said. “It doesn’t cure the disease, they still have tremor, but it’s a very positive change.”

Google got into the no-shake utensil business in September, acquiring a small, National of Institutes of Health-funded startup called Lift Labs for an undisclosed sum.

More than 10 million people worldwide, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin’s mother, have essential tremors or Parkinson’s disease. Brin has said he also has a mutation associated with higher rates of the Parkinson’s and has donated more than $50 million to research for a cure, although Jabbari said the Lift Labs acquisition was not related.

Lift Lab founder Anupam Pathak said moving from a small, four-person startup in San Francisco to the vast Google campus in Mountain View has freed him up to be more creative as he explores how to apply the technology even more broadly.

His team works at the search giant’s division called Google(x) Life Sciences, which is also developing a smart contact lens that measures glucose levels in tears for diabetics and is researching how nanoparticles in blood might help detect diseases.

Joining Google has been motivating, said Pathak, but his focus remains on people who are now able to eat independently with his device. “If you build something with your hands and it has that sort of an impact, it’s the greatest feeling ever,” he said. “As an engineer who likes to build things, that’s the most validating thing that can happen.”

Pathak said they also hope to add sensors to the spoons to help medical researchers and providers better understand, measure and alleviate tremors.

Shirin Vala, 65,, has had an essential tremor for about a decade. She was at her monthly Essential Tremor group at a San Ramon medical clinic earlier this year when researchers developing the device introduced the idea and asked if anyone was interested in helping them.

As it was refined, she tried it out and gave them feedback. And when they hit the market at $295 apiece, she bought one.

Without the spoon, Vala said eating was really a challenge because her hands trembled so hard food fell off the utensils before she could eat it.

“I was shaking and I had a hard time to keep the food on a spoon, especially soup or something like an olive or tomatoes or something. It is very embarrassing. It’s very frustrating,” she said.

The spoon definitely improved her situation. “I was surprised that I held the food in there so much better. It makes eating much easier, especially if I’m out at a restaurant,” she said.

Microsoft will pay $140 million fine for tax evasion to China

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 08:38:00 +0000

China has levied about $140 million in back taxes from Microsoft in the first major case concerning cross-border tax evasion in the country, as regulators ramp up pressure on U.S. corporations doing business there.

According to an article published by China’s Xinhua official news agency on Sunday, an unnamed U.S. multinational must pay the Chinese government 840 million yuan ($137 million) in back taxes and interest, as well as more than 100 million yuan in additional taxes a year in the future.

The Redmond, Washington-based company did not confirm the report, but also did not deny that it was the company involved

“In 2012 the tax authorities of China and the United States agreed to a bilateral advanced pricing agreement with regards to Microsoft’s operations in China,” said a Microsoft spokesman in an emailed statement. “China receives tax revenue from Microsoft consistent with the terms of the agreed advanced pricing agreement.”

An advanced pricing agreement sets the tax treatment of transfer pricing, or methods of booking prices and sales between subsidiaries, which Microsoft uses across the globe.

According to its fiscal 2014 annual report, Microsoft’s overall effective tax rate was 21 percent – well below the standard U.S. corporate rate of 35 percent – primarily because it channels earnings through “foreign regional operations centers” in Ireland, Singapore, and Puerto Rico.

According to Xinhua, “M” reported losses for six years in China of more than 2 billion yuan while peers enjoyed profits and so the tax authorities concluded its behavior was unreasonable. It said the U.S. company admitted to tax evasion and its mainland subsidiary had agreed to pay the central government.

The tax payment is only the latest headache for Microsoft in China, where it is already under investigation by anti-trust regulators.

Apple iPhone 6 review: One of the best smartphones available right now

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 10:28:00 +0000

Price

₹53500..

With the iPhone 6, Apple has finally addressed the need for a larger screen on its smartphones. To many, this may look as if Apple is playing catch up with Android – it’s difficult not to, considering the stark similarities in the latest iPhone and Android (*cough* *cough* Samsung) devices both in terms of hardware design and software. Irrespective of what critics think, Apple continues to enjoy a huge fan following and its latest iPhones have only added to those numbers.

The iPhone 6 is the smaller of the two models launched this year, which sports a 4.7-inch display. The iPhone 6 Plus, sports a larger 5.5-inch display for those who need that extra real estate for getting work done. Apart from the larger screen, the iPhone 6 is quite similar to its elder sibling including the design and features.

The 4.7-inch Apple iPhone 6 comes with nifty improvements with a price to match, but is it the right smartphone for you? Read our detailed review to find out.

Design and build: 8/10

One of the biggest changes Apple has given to the latest iPhone is perhaps the design overhaul, which now makes room for a larger screen and marks its move from the straight-edged design. The iPhone 6 is great to look at given the sleek, fully-metal body design and edge-to-edge glass. At first glance, it could easily pass of as one of Android’s many candy-bar shaped devices from Samsung or HTC.

The iPhone 6 features an edge-to-edge glass design with 4.7-inch display

The 4.7-inch screen is easy to get used to and, thanks to the edge-to-edge glass design, the iPhone 6 manages to fit a larger display without increasing the width of the overall phone by too many inches. The phone still manages to fit inside pockets, though they don’t fit as snugly in the hands as the dinkier iPhones. We like the slim bezels on both sides.

We are not sticklers for diminutive screen sizes; in fact, it’s refreshing to see the iPhone finally come with a larger screen, as typing, reading and web browsing is a lot easier now. The screen size should be adequate for most people, but if you are used to a large “phablet”, the iPhone 6 Plus might be a better option.

The all-metal design looks fabulous, though you may miss the the more solid iPhone 5s’ look and feel

It’s really thin at just 6.9 mm and feels great to use – if a little slippery because of the curved edges. As with most super-thin phones, the camera of the iPhone 6 protrudes out slightly and there’s a ring to protect it. This means the phone does not sit evenly on its back. While the phone is still all metal, the iPhone 6’s body feels flimsier in comparison with the iPhone 5s. This could be a result of Apple trying to reduce the weight of the device.

The button to lock the display has now been moved from the top to the right edge of the phone, so that your fingers don’t have to reach out too far. The volume buttons are recessed and the ringer switch is now smaller to make the phone look as skinny as possible. It’s also lighter now, which you may or may not like.

Unlike other flagships, such as Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z3, the Apple iPhone 6 does not come with rugged features such as water-proofing and dust-proofing.

Features: 7/10

The Apple iPhone 6 houses the Apple A8 system-on-chip which is backed with 1GB of RAM. The Apple A8 SoC is based on the 20nm manufacturing process and houses a dual core Cyclone ARMv8 processor with support for 64-bit OS. It has Imagination’s PowerVR GX6450 GPU. The 16GB version comes with around 11.5GB of free space for saving apps, music, photos and other downloads.

The 8MP iSight camera comes with a dual LED flash and improved optics for better low-light photography and action photography. Also, you can now capture photos and videos simultaneously. Note that with iOS 8, you can integrate additional photo-editing apps to the default Photos app. Learn about more iOS 8 features here.

The iPhone 6 comes with improved camera features

The camera now has a slow-motion mode, which lets you capture videos at either 120 frames per second or 240 frames per second. In addition, iOS 8 adds the time-lapse feature that lets you get creative with your videos. And then there’s the usual panorama mode and the ability to focus specific areas by touching the screen.

All connections are placed at the bottom, as with all iPhones

Like the iPhone 5s, the fingerprint scanner works well and is useful for quickly unlocking the screen and authorising payments on the App Store. The latest iPhone comes with Apple Pay for cashless payments, though the service is not available in India yet.

Software: 9/10

As with most Apple devices, the iPhone 6 is extremely easy to use, even if you are a first-time iOS user. The iPhone 6 comes with iOS 8, which you can update to iOS 8.1. While some users have reported issues with the new update, we had no trouble with the device we tested. iOS 8 lets you add widgets on the notification screen, install third-party keyboards and with features called Handoff and Continuity, you can take off from where you left on another Apple device. This means, if you started a game on the phone, you can finish it on an iPad, or if you are working on a document on a Mac or iPad, you can carry on with the same on your phone. This worked well when we tried it, though you will need to have a common iCloud account set up on all the devices to make use of this feature.

The iPhone 6 comes with iOS 8, which you can update to iOS 8.1

With Reachability features, you can bring down the screen by double-tapping the home button. This helps if you are not used to a large-screen phone, so you don’t have to stretch your fingers too far when using apps.

Performance: 9/10

The device runs smoothly and can even take on heavy app use and graphic-heavy games. However, the phone tends to get noticeably warm on intensive use. This could affect the battery life during the course of time, unless Apple rectifies this in its future iOS updates.

The iPhone 6 maxed out in the 3D Mark benchmark test, while the AnTuTu benchmark test showed that it is faster than the iPad Air and considerably faster than the iPhone 5s, though you can’t really tell the difference in regular use case scenarios.

In terms of processing speed, the iPhone 6 is quite a stunner

Call quality is excellent whether you are receiving or making calls.

If you are already an iOS user, there’s little you’ll need to adapt to in terms of getting media on to your device. With the iOS 8 update, you can now delete songs and create playlists directly from the app, without having to connect it to your computer. You can transfer songs and movies by installing the iTunes app on your Mac or PC. Once connected over Wi-Fi or via the microUSB slot, you can quickly sync apps, transfer music and videos or create backups on iCloud. You can also download movies, songs and music albums from Apple’s comprehensive iTunes Store after creating an iTunes account.

You get the same set of Apple’s signature Earpods that are designed to fit perfectly in your ears. Sound quality is very good compared with most earphones that are supplied with mobile phones. You can always switch to your own good pair of headphones with the 3.5mm headphone jack. There’s no FM radio and iTunes radio is not available in India.

The iPhone packs all the necessary accessories – a USB charger, headphones and a quick start guide

The iPhone 6 supports all modern frequencies and connectivity options including 4G LTE. There’s support for NFC, but only for making purchases via Apple Pay.

Display: 9/10

The iPhone 6’s Retina HD display produces crisp images and text

Apple has spruced up the resolution in the iPhone 6 going from 1136×640 on the iPhone 5s to 1334×750 on the iPhone 6, but the pixel density is the same at 326ppi as the screen is now larger. It looks fantastic nevertheless and images and text look very sharp. Apple has included some not-so-obvious changes to the display – it’s now less reflective under bright light, has a shatter-proof glass and an oleophobic coating to minimise fingerprints.

Camera: 9/10

The iPhone 6’s 8MP iSight camera comes with some nice improvements from its predecessor. While the resolution is similar to the iPhone 5s, you get a major boost in the autofocus department. The iPhone 6 supports phase detect pixels which help in faster AF acquisition. You can now adjust the exposure while shooting, focus faster for capturing fast-moving objects and take better low-light photos. You can also lock the auto focus and auto exposure of a specific area by holding your finger on the screen for a moment. This is very helpful in instances when taking a picture in bright light where you need to mange shadows.

New camera features (left to right): simultaneous photo and video capture, advanced photo editing and auto exposure and focus lock

The iPhone 6’s camera is among the best we’ve seen on a smartphone. Not only is it really fast at capturing photos, but it’s also accurate with colours and come out crisp and detailed, especially in bright outdoors.

Outdoor shots in bright light

It’s great for taking low-light shots, too. Noise levels are well controlled even in shots taken in the dark, and the camera focusses quickly and accurately enough most of the time. This makes it great for capturing blur-free, fleeting moments.

Indoor low-light shot with flash

Using flash at night time does not give a very pleasing output

Indoor shots come out well

Despite the tricky lighting, the iPhone 6 managed to show details in the shadow region. Also the noise is well controlled

The fine yellow pollen details in the macro shot are well captured

While the main camera has been updated, there’s no big improvement in the front camera. Self-shots taken from the 1.2MP front camera appear quite pixillated and colours look slightly smeared. However, compared with the 5s, it does tend to do a better job at taking selfies in dim light. In addition you get more control over selfies, as you can now adjust the exposure, time your clicks or take multiple self-shots by holding down on the shutter button.

Battery life: 7/10

There iPhone 6 packs a 1,810mAh battery, which may seem paltry compared with other phones in its league. However, its battery life is above average, if not the best in its class.

In our tests, the iPhone 6 managed 14 hours of calls on the 3G network with the auto-brightness set on and location access switched off. When left on standby, it managed nearly six days without charging with mobile data and location access switched on.

On average use,which consisted of about an hour of calls, moderate web browsing and app use (WhatsApp, Facebook, Messages and Music), the phone lasted for a full day and a few more hours before we had to plug it back to the mains. While these are not outstanding results, it should be able to get you through at least 12 hours of heavy smartphone use.

Location access for apps eats up your battery faster when switched on.We recommend turning it off when you don’t need it. Alternatively, you can switch off location access for specific apps from the settings app.

Verdict and Price

The iPhone 6 starts at Rs 53,500, which is around the same price at which the iPhone 5s was launched last year. Considering the limited storage and the fact that you can’t expand the memory with a memory card, the price may be a deal breaker for many.

Apart from that, the iPhone 6 surpasses most areas, which makes it one of the best smartphones you can buy right now. It has a brilliant display, one of the best cameras you’ll find on a smartphone, excellent call sound quality and it’s super-fast to use. It’s definitely the best iPhone you can buy, but if you don’t mind the massive screen, you may like the iPhone 6 Plus more.

On the downside, the iPhone 6 lacks in features compared with rivals. For example, it’s not waterproof, you can’t expand the storage and you can’t use NFC for transferring data. Also, despite the improvements in iOS 8, it’s sill not as flexible as Android. If these are things that matter to you, consider other alternatives such as the Galaxy S5 or the LG G3.

If you are already an iPhone user and are unhappy with the screen size, the iPhone 6 is worth the upgrade. But iPhone 5s users, in particular, won’t find much of a conceivable difference in terms of the overall performance.

10 tricks in Apple’s iOS 8 that you probably didn’t know

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 10:23:00 +0000

If you’ve recently upgraded to iOS 8, you’ll find no major changes in the look and feel in the latest version of Apple’s mobile OS. The interface is exactly the same as iOS 7, while some new apps have always existed on iOS devices. Why then are so many people swearing by the new update? The truth is, many features have been added in the most unassuming fashion that take some rummaging to find. Save yourself the time and effort as we reveal some of the coolest features you may not have noticed yet.

1. Add shortcuts on your notification screen

With support for a variety of widgets, you can gain quick access to often-used functions just by pulling down the notification screen. Widget apps such as Launcher, Quick-Tap and Wedge give you on-tap access to your favorite contacts, music and apps. Once you’ve selected which shortcuts you need from the app, Select Edit on the Notification Center and simply click on the green “+” button next to the widget’s name.

2. Say “Hey Siri” to use it handsfree

To open Apple’s voice-assistant Siri without using your hands, just say “Hey Siri”. However, this works only if your phone is plugged to a power source. So if you’ll be using it while driving, you’ll have to first plug your iOS 8 device to the car battery. To enable this feature go to Settings | General | Siri and toggle Allow “Hey Siri”.

3. Snap a photo to add a credit card

To make online purchases faster, click a photo of your credit card to save the card details on your iOS 8 device. To do this, go to Safari settings, select Passwords & Autofill and click on Saved Credit Cards. The Use Camera option lets to snap a picture of your card, which then automatically scans the card to pull out all your card details. If you’re shopping on a website, it’ll give you the option to scan a card by taking its photo. It detects the card number, expiry date and name, though you’ll still have to enter in the CCV number.

4. Add third-party editing tools to the built-in camera

Though iOS 8 comes with new editing features, some may still find them to be inadequate. With support for third-party apps, not only do you have features from different photography apps in one place, but you can also make changes as soon as you click a photo. Once you’ve chosen from iOS 8 supported photo-editing apps, you’ll see a tiny option on the top left of the screen after you take photo. Click on it to see all the apps in one place and edit photos from right inside the Photos app.

5. Raise to listen to voice iMessages

We know that Apple has added voice to iMessages for sending voice clips to a fellow Apple user. To listen to them, you can just lift your iPhone or iPad to your ear. To enable this feature, select Raise to Listen from Messages, under Settings.

6. Request desktop version of a website

Some mobile-optimised websites can can have several features missing from the desktop version. While some websites give you the option to switch to the desktop version, there are many that don’t. The Safari browser in iOS 8 lets you see the the desktop version using a simple trick. On the address bar, select the URL and scroll downwards to see the Request Desktop Site option.

7. Mark all messages and emails as read

Often, there are emails and messages that you don’t intend to read, but are afraid of losing something important by deleting them. If seeing a too many unread emails or messages on your phone puts you off, a better option is to mark them as “read”. To make this easier, you can “mass read” all messages and emails by selecting Edit on the top right and selecting Read All at the bottom-left of the screen.

8. Find which apps have been hogging your battery the most

Now you can see how much power each installed app consumes. Not just that, iOS 8 will also show you the reason why an app consumed a certain amount of battery. For example, apps running in the background say “Background activity”.

9. Recover deleted apps

To recover photos or videos that have been accidentally deleted, there’s a new folder called Recently Deleted. This includes recently deleted apps which you can recover if you need to. Older photos and videos get deleted automatically from the folder.

10. Invert colours to read in the dark