Right Now In Tech

Office for iPad spied in the wild, Microsoft denies such an app

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 12:08:00 +0000

Microsoft has released an iPad version of its note-taking app, OneNote and there have been rumors that the company has been working on an iPad version of its entire Office suite that is set to release this year.

Some recent reports say that an iPad version of Microsoft Office was actually spotted somewhere.
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Why Siri may not come to the iPad

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:26:00 +0000

Credit: OSX Daily

Apple has kept the voice-controlled interactive personal assistant iOS feature, Siri, an iPhone 4S-only exclusive. Obviously they want people to see it as a unique selling point for the relatively minor upgrade for the iPhone product line.

Many may predict that Apple will launch the next generation iPad (which is expected soon) touting Siri. But I have a reason why they may choose not to do so.
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Mac OS 10.8 Mountain Lion revealed

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 05:08:00 +0000

It's not been a long time since the current version of Apple's Mac OS, called Lion was released. Apple has already revealed its next version, 10.8 Mountain Lion, which is due to be released this summer.

Here's an overview of the major new features that will be included with this update.
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Configure your home computer to stream music and movies to your Xbox 360

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:20:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Walter Carlyle.

If you have a wireless network in your home, and a wireless computer, you can stream videos and music to your Xbox 360. This will allow you to see your videos on the larger screen on your TV or take advantage of your speakers or surround sound when listening to audio.The good part about this is that it doesn't have to break the bank. Any inexpensive desktop with a wireless card, or any one of the many cheap laptops on the market will do just fine.
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Google Chrome for Android beta released

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:45:00 +0000

Google has released a beta version of their multi-platform web browser, Chrome for Android devices. Chrome for Android is available exclusively for devices running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) since the underlying technology depends on some of the more advanced Android features.

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Watch YouTube videos not available on mobile devices on iPad

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:08:00 +0000

I seem to have discovered a weirdly open loophole on YouTube that allows me to watch videos that are "not available on mobile devices" on my iPad.
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Let me begin with a story. So YouTube seems to have updated their tablet-optimized website that I used to be redirected to when I went to the YouTube homepage through Safari on my iPad. The reason I used the webapp is that the YouTube app that comes with iOS does not have a quality-selection feature and I don't have a connection fast enough that will allow me to view videos at the highest-available quality. On the YouTube website, you could turn "HQ" off...
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5 underused but very useful Microsoft Word features

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:26:00 +0000

The Microsoft Office suite is a set of some extremely versatile programs. People all over the world use these office apps. But many people barely touch the surface of the multitude of features that Office apps come with.

In this post, I list and explain some features of Microsoft Word that are extremely useful but many people don't know about.
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Microsoft brings OneNote to Android

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:19:00 +0000

Microsoft has released a new Android version of its now-cross-platform note-taking program. OneNote is normally part of the Microsoft Office suite for Windows. Microsoft has made apps over time for Windows Phone, iPhone and recently for iPad.

Get rid of an annoying horizontal line in Word

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:42:00 +0000

Did you just type three hyphens to draw a horizontal line in Word and cannot get rid of it? Here's how to delete it.
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Bye-bye Windows Start button?

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:59:00 +0000

The Start button (which later became an orb) has been an icon for Windows since its early days. It has always been present on the Taskbar ever since Windows 95. But in the latest build of the Windows 8 Developer Preview, Microsoft has removed the button altogether.
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5 less-known iPad keyboard tips for efficiency

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:16:00 +0000

Many people might know that one can split the keyboard on an iPad (running iOS 5 or higher) by placing two fingers anywhere on it and dragging them apart or that you can long press many alphabet keys to enter accented versions of those letters. But there are several almost hidden features in the iPad's keyboard that many people don't know about. Here are a few I'd like to share with iPad newbies and power-users alike.

No matter which one you are, you will most likely learn a thing or two more from this article.

Tablets: The ultimate travel tool

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:17:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Joe Pawlikowski, editor of BBGeeks.com

Mobile technology has made easy many previously complex and cumbersome tasks. Communications, for example, have become infinitely easier with the use of mobile phones in general, and smartphones specifically. The list goes on and on. We could spend all day discussing the many ways that mobile technology has made our lives easier, but there's one area in which it has made a profound impact. The internet might have revolutionized travel, but mobile technology takes it to another level. Tablets in particular have become the perfect travel tool. In fact, a tablet can take you from the early stages of planning travel to the airport, to the hotel, and to all the attractions (and meetings) you'll encounter. Tablets really are the ultimate travel tools.
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GIVEAWAY: Smash Cops for iPad, iPhone or iPod touch

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:02:00 +0000

Okay everyone, first ever giveaway on RNIT!

I have one promo code for this week's iTunes "Game of the Week" (in the US), Smash Cops to give away to a lucky winner. Rules are simple and everyone can participate (even non-US people).

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Grooveshark launches HTML5 interface for mobile users

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Apple and Google removed Grooveshark iOS and Android apps from their respective app stores because it "violated their terms" and all. Shrugging off those bans, the almost-legal online radio website has launched a new "soopersecret" beta for an online mobile interface written in HTML5.Continue Reading...

iBooks 2 is set to "reinvent textbooks"

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:29:00 +0000

Apple has released the version 2.0 of its e-books platform, iBooks. The app update is now available, and US customers can now get interactive textbooks for their iPad.
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iPad 3 has reportedly gone into production, has better screen and LTE

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 09:57:00 +0000

The next generation iPad is expected to be released sometime in March for it to stay consistent with Apple's upgrade cycle. Recent reports have said that mass production has already started and that the next iPad will have some major changes.

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OnLive to bring Windows 7 to iPad for free

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 03:05:00 +0000

Video game streaming company OnLive is bringing Windows 7 to iPad. I have no idea how they have managed to do this, but in a couple of days (in the US only; later to other countries), OnLive, are releasing a free app that will let you use a virtual Windows 7 on your tablet directly over the Internet.
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Google Translate gets iPad optimized version

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Google has finally made an iPad optimized version of their Translate app for iOS. It is not very different from the iPhone version.
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CES 2012 predictions

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:40:00 +0000

2012 is here and the Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas is right around the corner. Big companies from around the world come to the expo to show off their new consumer electronics for the new year.

As the Internet talks about it, here are my predictions for the best stuff that we'll see there.
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Corning debuting Gorilla Glass 2 at CES 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:24:00 +0000

2012 is here! And the bustle about the annual Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas is sparking and catching on.

Corning, manufacturer of the super-thin, super-strong and scratch-resistant proprietary Gorilla Glass screens has announced that they will be introducing the next iteration of the Gorilla Glass, which they refer to as Gorilla Glass 2.
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5 ways to load up your iPhone or iPad with good free apps

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:13:00 +0000

Finding good free apps on Apple's iTunes Store is difficult. Because Apple imposes a $99/year price for an Apple developer account that can publish apps on the store, developers try to recoup this cost by making their apps paid. Hence, even though the App Store has substantially higher quality apps than Google's Android Marketplace, it is a sea of apps that cost $0.99, $1.99, $2.99 and so on. If you're tired with these numbers and looking for good free apps and games, use the following tricks to score some.

This article does not condone piracy. It is just a list of tips and tricks that allow you to legitimately get some apps for free from Apple's App Store.

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Skitch for iPad lets you annotate anything beautifully

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 04:45:00 +0000

Skitch, a popular annotation app for Android and Mac has come to the iPad. It is free and one of the most useful apps in my honest opinion.
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Facebook Timeline now available worldwide

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:19:00 +0000

Facebook is introducing the new Timeline layout for profiles. Yep, another update for profile pages. But wait: Timeline is seriously the coolest thing Facebook has done in a while. And now it is available for everyone, even though you may think it isn't.
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iOS 5.1 will come with more backgrounds

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:03:00 +0000

iPad version of one of the new wallpapers

iOS 5.1 beta 2 is already out and available for developers and it also sports a few new wallpapers for your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad Home and Lock screens.
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The next problem with smartphones: Energy efficiency

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:16:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Joe Pawlikowski, editor of BBGeeks.com

In the past few years we've seen smartphones make big leaps. Formerly a business tool, it now seems that everyone has one. That is in large part because smartphones perform more functions than they did a few years ago. With two huge players, iPhone and Android, trying to out-duel one another, and with another major player, BlackBerry, trying to get back into the game, we could see smartphones do even more in the next few years. There's just one obstacle in the way.

We can actually turn to a story about the former smartphone king, the BlackBerry, and the iPhone for a clear picture of this. When Apple announced its first smartphone in January, 2007, Research In Motion was incredulous. They had been in the smartphone game for nearly a decade by that point, and they thought they knew what worked and what didn't. What didn't work, they thought, was high-powered device that consumed a lot of battery life. The iPhone, with its fully capacitive touchscreen and state of the art processor, would eat a battery in a matter of hours, thought RIM.

Of course, that turned out to be a false assumption. BlackBerry users might have gotten a bit more length out of their batteries, but iPhone users got the superior functionality. Even after Apple proved that a smartphone could have a fast processor and a vibrant screen without killing too much battery, the BlackBerry continued to pump out more of the same. Only recently has Research In Motion improved the BlackBerry hardware. Unsurprisingly, users have no problem getting a full day's use out of their devices before requiring a recharge.

Apple made strides in energy efficiency, and Android continued trend. Today we have devices far more powerful than the original iPhone that still get a full day's use from a single battery charge. Yet it seems we're reaching the limits of the current energy efficiency standards. Both Android and Apple have created smartphones with dual-core processors, and quad-core processors aren't that far off. Those processors, combined with battery draining 4G data signals, will create an unprecedented level of strain on batteries. We're going to need another breakthrough.

Simply making batteries larger is not a viable long-term solution. It might work for the here and now, when consumers absolutely need more battery life. But there's a reason why extended life batteries are not popular. They take thin, sleek smartphones and turn them into brick-like objects. They're harder to tote around, especially in pockets, which defeats the purpose of having a smartphone. What we need is a breakthrough in battery standards. Yet it's one issue that we don't hear much of from the mainstream press.

The upshot is that cell phone manufacturers surely know this. They test their devices rigorously, and battery life is a big test. As they continue transforming cell phones into mini computers, they'll see battery life slipping. It is in their best interest, then, to start investing in new energy efficiency standards. Whether this is new battery technology to replace lithium-ion, or having the smartphone handle power in a completely different way, remains to be seen. But it is definitely a development on the horizon. Without it, maintaining the pace of smartphone progress will be difficult, if not impossible.

About the Author
Joe Pawlikowski is the editor of BBGeeks, a site that helps BlackBerry users get the most out of their devices.