By Naren Ubi

This will be the year of HTML5-based WordPress themes. Everyone wants to see their websites designed for the desktop, adapt to the numerous screen sizes of the zillions of mobiles and tablets.

Responsive from BizzThemes is an excellent WordPress theme. BizzThemes are known for their rich typography, and the responsive layout makes it richer to be seen on mobile devices with varying screen sizes/resolutions.

Feature snapshots:

1. Customizable slider
2. SEO options
3. Valid HTML5 – responsive design
4. Custom templates
5. Translation ready
6. Design control
7. Shortcodes

DEMO | more info

Originally from Responsive – Typographically rich, HTML5 WordPress theme on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by Valaney Martin

You want to make a cool video game, not just to impress your friends, but to actually make a profit. Does the average indie game developer have a chance in this economy?

Well, yes, but making money from your game and getting it noticed both require special attention. We’ll cover both in this article, so keep reading to learn the basics.

Making a Profit:

Virtual currency

Many popular games today include micro transactions, which encourage the player to convert real money into game currency, as seen on Zynga’s FarmVille flash game and Viacom’s virtual pet community Neopets.

Ideally, the game is still fun for users who don’t buy anything, and the additional items don’t unbalance or “break” the game. Thus, the items are often just for show, such as a new outfit or wig for a character.

As an indie developer, you can let a bigger company handle your virtual currency transactions by allowing them to take a small commission. For example, using Mochi Media’s Mochi Coin system not only makes it easier to run these micro transactions, but can get your game more widely distributed, too.

Freemium

If you plan to sell your game, you may be able to boost sales by designing a free trial to go with it.

Subscriptions

Common with massively multiplayer online role-playing games, subscriptions usually start with a free trial or low starting fee, then charge monthly payments for continued access to the game. It is expected that the game will be updated with new content on a regular basis.

According to multimedia consultant Samuel Asher Rivello, the number of gaming subscribers online is expected to reach 44.5 million at the end of 2014.

Sponsorship

If a company sponsors your video game, they will pay you to brand it with their advertising, logos, and messages. Your game will include a link to their website, too.

Licensing

When a company licenses your game, it becomes their property, and sometimes even exclusive content. The game is offered on their website, helping them bring in more traffic.

Getting Your Game Noticed:

Make a website or blog

Having a website for your game will make you more credible and help gamers and the media learn more about it. Plus, it can make press releases, especially those distributed online, get more attention as readers click on the link to your website.

Write a press release

Your game should be announced by a custom press release, which is pretty much a news article focused on an event or product. If writing isn’t your strong suit, you’ll be glad to know you can find freelance writers working at low rates on websites like Elance.com and oDesk.com. Both of these websites accept credit card payments, too.

When signing up for a credit card, think over the benefits of a business credit card. For example, some business credit cards come with airline rewards points, a big help for flying to all those video game expos. Some come without pre-set spending limits, giving you flexibility to handle a change of pace if sales of your game go up and down at first.

Once you have a press release, follow these tips, as suggested by App Hub:

• Use Blogpulse ,Technorati, Bing News, or IceRocket to find online publications that review games like yours
• Find a journalist who has reviewed games like yours and try to contact them directly
• Write a short message that introduces your game and you to the journalist while also offering to send screenshots
• If you don’t hear back from them, wait at least a week, then send a short follow-up message
• Post your press release on Games Press, N4G, and other press release distribution sites
• If your game is reviewed, send a thank-you note to the reviewer and keep in touch with them, whether you liked the review or not

Design interesting tile or box art

This may be a reviewer or gamer’s first impression of your game, so make sure it looks professional. The description should also be catchy and free of errors.

Create a short trailer

Professional-looking trailers under two minutes will help draw attention to your game. Again, if you’re not sure what you’re doing, you can always hire a freelancer.

Valaney Martin helps developers and entrepreneurs compare small business credit cards at CreditDonkey to help provide startup financing for their endeavors.  Remember, while following these guidelines doesn’t guarantee you will get your game noticed and get paid from it, making smart marketing moves sure doesn’t hurt.

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Originally from How to get your game noticed and get paid from it on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by Sara Parker

Demand for Android is increasing at an incredible rate in the recent time. Android being the most popular mobile operating system, more and more people are opting for android smartphone all over the world. With advancement of time we are switching over to smartphones which come with its part of advantages and disadvantages, the most prominent of such disadvantages is low battery life. With Android phone it is quite common that you will be facing with the problem of low battery life.

In fact as an Android user when you charge your device fully in the morning and to your utter surprise find out that hardly 20%-15% of the battery is there it becomes a matter of annoyance indeed. Sometimes, when you need it most you may see that it is of no use due to low battery. In such a situation it is quite obvious that you are in search of some effective ways that will help you to increase the battery life of your Android phone.

And that is why a few tips are here for you that can be beneficial in increasing the battery life of your Android device:

• For better performance reduce the brightness of screen: Since it is screen brightness which consumes quite a lot of battery life, leading to low battery life of your Android phone it is better to set “Automatic Brightness” to lower level of brightness so that less battery life is consumed
• Use power saving mode: In terms of enhancing battery life using power saving mode is always a recommended option. For using this mode you only need to go to settings, then display option, choose power saving mode and check it
• Reduce screen timeout time: A good way of saving battery life is reducing timeout time of screen. While it is set to 15 seconds, to save battery power you can reduce it to 5 seconds. To do this go to settings, choose display and choose screen timeout
• Avoid Live Wallpapers: Live wallpaper may be one of the lucrative features of Android phones but keep it in mind that its high graphics consumes high battery power. Instead of live wallpaper you can use normal wallpaper and save a lot of battery
• Go for full charging of battery at suitable temperature: To keep the efficiency of the battery high, charge the battery fully at least once a month and do it without any pause. Choose proper temperature for charging which is 0-45 degree. Protect you mobile from too high or too low temperature and direct sun as well
• Regarding connectivity: Android offers several connectivity options including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Data Network, GPRS and GPS and this is the reason why battery life gets exhausted. Therefore, it is wise to toggle off such options when you are not using them. At the same time in Data Network selecting 2G instead of 3G is better and keep it switched off when it is not needed. Though Wi-Fi is convenient it requires more power than 3G network. By enabling it only when you need it you can save a lot of power
• Disable background Apps: Since Apps in background consume a lot of battery be sure of switching off all applications in the background
• Stop Auto System Update: Most of the Android devices come with Auto Update. Since Auto Update requires a lot of power it is advisable to disable the update or increase the time interval of update to save battery power
• Avoid or make less use of Facebook and Twitter: Stop surfing Facebook or Twitter on Android phone as it saves a lot of power. If you cannot stop it totally, do it as less as you can
• Keep the phone free: Take off the cover of your cell phone when you put your Android phone on charge. With cover more heat will be generated which is harmful for the device

Following these tips you can surely find a remarkable increase in the battery life of your device.

Author: Sara Parker is a mobile phone enthusiast and an expert in internet. She has an in depth knowledge about the latest features and updates in this field. She provides informative articles and blogs to her readers about Android phones and also unlimited broadband services.

Originally from Generic tips to increase Android battery life on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Thanks to Arjun Kukadia for getting this kernel, and testing it out!

Looks like it goes well with EA v7.2 ROM, with very high fluidity even at 600 MHz. Take a backup with ROM Manager, install this via recovery and have fun!

Download this kernel – Kernel_2.6.35.13-EA_30-12-2011.zip

Updated kernel (untested) – Kernel_2.6.35.14_23012012.zip

[image]

Originally from Stable kernel for your Motorola XT502 (Commtiva Z71 clones) on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by Sara Parker

Online video is a big part of the social media stream, and a big part of web design now that people have realised that (on the web at least) a moving picture is worth thousands of words. To a site user, a video can be a product walk through, an expert’s guide to playing a hole on a golf course – anything, in other words, that is best expressed visually.

To a web bot, though, an online video is less obvious. So we end up with a situation where in terms of old school SEO, a thousand words are worth more than a moving picture; but in terms of sensible web design (i.e. building sites that impart the most satisfactory information in the shortest and most accurate fashion) the opposite is true.

How do you proceed?

1: Increase Your Blended Search Impact

A blended search result is what you get on Google when you type out a search query and see links to video files and images as well as to “traditional” URLs. In order to maximise your potential to appear in the blended search results you will need to create a sitemap in which video files are marked up semantically. The sitemap sends search engines to your video content when appropriate search queries are filed.

2: Make Your Videos Stand Out From the Crowd

It’s the old battle cry again – Content, Content, Content! Here’s a rule for you: you should never have anything on any of your web pages that does not excite the interest and passion of your visitor. If you are not telling them something useful or delighting them in some way, what are you doing?

3: Spare a Thought for the Robots

Search engine web bots have a hard time “reading” pictures. It’s something to do with not having eyes. If you don’t add a textual transcription and fill your video’s page with links and relevant comments, then a web bot will have no idea what it is looking at. Remember that the URL can be optimised to give a strong weighting to your video in search results – as can the page’s meta tags and descriptions.

4: Don’t be Afraid to Go Around the Houses

Make a post relevant to your video and embed the video in the post. That way, web users searching for keywords relevant to the video get routed to it “round the houses” – finding the post and then watching the video. Effectively your video file augments the page in the eyes of both web bot and human user – making it an automatically attractive selection for a high search engine page ranking.

5: Analyse, Analyse and then Analyse Some More

Anyone who has been reading this blog for a while now knows all about analysis. As far as I’m concerned, analysing the social media graph of people visiting your page and viewing your video post is one of the major reasons for having the post up there in the first place. Use biographical and demographic information from the social web to target future content creation so your pages become even more relevant to your audience.

6: Make Your Viewer do the Work For You

Video viewers will send your file onto other users if they like it enough. That means putting up buttons that make bookmarking, sharing and “liking” your video as easy as possible. It also means paying attention to the “content, content, content” maxim I am always pushing. A great video gets shared – and that means creating great videos in the first place.

7: Employ the Professionals

You are probably not an online video director by trade – so why try to make one without help? The snappier and more sophisticated your video is, the better it plays and the more chance there is of having it shared.

8: Make Content Relevant to Audience

There are two basic types of video content: informational and entertaining. Which type is right for you? An extreme sports brand, for example, might like to upload videos of people falling off bikes because their audience will enjoy them. While a road racing bike brand will want to have videos showing their bikes being well ridden.

About the Author:

Sara Parker is a Freelance and Staff writer who writes informative & creative articles on SEO and Technology for various search engine optimisation company. Her expertise is in writing articles related to internet providers, SEO, Social media, optimisation services etc.

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Originally from Top 8 ways to use online video to benefit your SEO on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by Christoph

The Internet is already seemingly endless, and it continues to expand every day. Using it as a resource for finding reliable data has become increasingly more difficult. Consumers are constantly facing the problem of not being able to find an accurate source of information, with this struggle in mind how can consumers use the Internet to reliably compare products?  FindTheBest provides the answer to that question. By creating an unbiased, data-driven comparison engine FindTheBest has built a resource that consumers can use to compare a constantly expanding list of products. FindTheBest is a quickly growing site, now providing over 760 comparisons and having up to 5,000,000 unique visitors per month. A trustworthy source of consumer information on the Internet has always seemed impossible, until now.

When trying to decide which IPod Dock to buy people tend to rely on websites that only include companies who pay to be featured. FindTheBest has created this unbiased list of the top iPod Docks of 2012:

Deciding which iPod Dock to buy can be stressful due to the seemingly endless technical features that each different dock offers. Through FindTheBest’s comparisons users can look closely at the specific features of each product to see which one is most suitable for them. Using FindTheBest’s filters users have the ability to narrow down search to only those options that fit what exactly what they are looking for. Through this process FindTheBest helps to match people to their perfect product.

FindTheBest provides unbiased data compiled by real people, not machines. Using our service users can compare smartphones, tablets, and even digital cameras.

FindTheBest, a powerful tool for making quick and informed decisions.  Follow us on Facebook & Twitter 

Originally from Organizing the Internet on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by Kathleen Hubert

(The future of Apple, that is the question!)

The excellence of the standards set forth in the iPhone 4S has opened Pandora’s box with questions that have begun to plague the minds of people about the continuation of Apple’s dominance in the area of mobile communication and digital technology. The majority of questions, for example, which are asked about the iPhone 4S are not about its excellence, progressiveness or the style. No, these are not the questions that slumber in the minds of the people. Although the iPhone 4S has been on the market for a short period of time, people realize it is already history. It is old news that no longer excite the curiosity of the present generations. The questions are now directed towards the future. They buzz through people’s minds like bumble bees seeking pollen. If someone were asked what question they would like to ask Apple, it would probably be something like, whether or not Apple can maintain its dominance on the market the next five to ten years and if so, with what?

With the release of the iPhone 4S, a significant event took place that catapulted it into the history books. Sure Siri, the iCard and iMessage are excellent features, however, the iPhone 4S, more than any other generation of the iPhone, is connected with the death of its founder. It has projected the Apple family into an immense challenge to stay ahead, and Apple’s competitors are anxious to see what will happen next. It is all about a vision defined in a legacy left behind. Can a team continue to be a collective of “Queen bees” that not only implement know-how and expertise through innovation, but also create new technologies that will impregnate and dominate the world? Will Apple concern themselves with camouflaging old technology and calling it new as with the new backlight on some mobiles, which speak of their product’s led TV reviews? Or will they continue to lead the market and develop devices that will project us far into the future?

These are all philosophical questions that cannot be answered at the moment. If the answers were known, no one would be left to speculate about the future of Apple and what happens next. What we do know, is that if Apple wants to maintain its dominance, it will have to be creative. It is not enough to rename old technology and call it new. Anyone can do that. Besides, renaming something old into something new only causes confusion among consumers. LCD and LED TV reviews are similar in explanation but used for different devices. Apple has proven over the years that they do not divert to this kind of distortion.

The challenge lies in creating what others thought impossible. That is how it all started with the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. While others were busy doing what everybody else did, Apple stepped outside of the box and did something that others thought could not be done and that is what Apple is all about.

So, What happens next?

Again, that is a good question that no one but the people at Apple can answer at the moment, and they are not talking. The iPad 3 will be presented but the specifications have not been made known yet. The iPhone 5 will follow. However, rest assured that in whichever direction they move, it will be like the move of the “Queen Bumblebee.” It will be a step that points toward the future.

Kathleen Hubert is a blogger who writes on a variety of different sites. Check out more of her work at LED TV reviews.

Originally from After iPhone 4S, What Is Next For Apple? on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by John Smith

Futuristic innovations are the most fascinating technology in the world right now. The twenty-first century, once a time of the future, is now a time of the present. The Y2K scare is behind us, and the Y3K scare may be ahead of us. For all of the challenges the future will bring, humans embrace it because of futuristic technology.

As in anything, the present must be assessed before coming to inferential conclusions about the future. The following police scanner mobile applications should help gauge the current state of crime-fighting technology:

• Scanner Radio Pro
• Storm Chase Buddy
• Scanner Buddy
• Police Scanner 2
• 5-0 Radio Police Scanner Lite

The Scanner Radio Pro, developed by Gordon Edwards, is an updated version of the old Scanner Radio. For one, it no longer forces the application user to sit through advertisements and provides alerts when a certain channel has an increase in the number of listeners. Usually, when the listener number increases, it means that some exciting action is happening that commands listener attention—perhaps a crime, an arrest, police call for backup, etc.

The Storm Chase Buddy is designed to be of aid in storm emergencies. The Storm Chase Buddy application comes with Google Maps and radar images and alerts for bad weather–hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, and earthquakes. The storm application tunes in to the National Weather Service (NWS) and Marine Observation channels. Currently, Storm Chase Buddy only operates in the southern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, and Tennessee, as well as the northern states of Virginia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and Oklahoma.

The Scanner Buddy is a device that tracks both American and international major cities. All of its channels come from radioreference.com and provide many agencies you can tune in to for daily arrests, investigations, and police work. There is an update to this application, Scanner Buddy Pro, but the newer version costs $2.50. There is another difference between the two versions in addition to cost: you can record more time on your SD card with the newer version than with the old. There are quite a few channels you can surf and it is easy to operate. You also have the option of using the global positioning button on the display screen to find local crimes—such as your local fire department, police department, and other law enforcement.

5-0 Radio Police Scanner Lite, developed by Dr. James Leung, is another great police scanner android app. The original 5-0 Radio Police Scanner (the one presented here) is a free application, but the new 5-0 Radio Pro requires a price—though it provides 33,000 additional feeds as a luring incentive. The police scanner has the following features:

• You can play other applications while listening to the police scanner app.
• If your connection dies, the scanner will reconnect you to the feed.
• Allows you to send feeds to your desktop and/or laptop
• Comes with a built-in web browser and Internet capability so you can browse the web and listen to the police feed simultaneously
• Web browser that blocks the majority of the Internet pop-up ads
• Has both train and military feeds you can enjoy
• EMS, military, fire, and police codes to help beginners interpret law enforcement communication
• New up-to-date feeds added with each passing hour

The current state of police scanner application technology has been assessed. The next question to ask is, “Where is police scanner technology going?” Whatever becomes of it in the future, it will at least provide the hoi polloi with resources to stay on top of the latest crime happenings, both locally and globally. In a sense, the future is not afar off—it is now.

The Article is contributed by John Smith; His passion for technology gives him immense knowledge about new type of technology coming up every now and then, Visit his site Aanbesteding politievoertuigen and politie aanbesteding for more Information.

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Originally from Android Police Scanner Applications -The Futuristic Technology on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by Michael

Apple Inc, the manufacturer of the iPhone, has without doubt come a long way in creating great apps for all occasions. The software that is in place in this device ensures that diverse functions are achieved and they mostly include GPS navigation, a wide range of games, security, advertising, social networking, etc. The iPhone is a phone that is composed of 4 generations, with each having additional features that are technologically advanced than its predecessor. Social networking has become more like a necessity than a luxury at the present moment which is why most people usually prefer to be connected even while driving. The iPhone app that has been designed to enable social networking in cars could not have come at any better time on this regard. Now, with the launch of Plateside you have the opportunity to get connected with your friends while updating your status or even sharing great photos on Facebook, Twitter, etc when driving.

The iPhone App is quite futuristic owing to the reason that it offers drivers with a wide range of functions for social networking in cars. First and foremost, this is an app that has been uniquely designed and integrated with the computers found in most vehicles on the road to give you the best networking experience ever. You will have the opportunity of communicating with other car fanatics as soon as events unfold while on the road. For instance, you can immediately let your friends know about a sleek car that you have spotted on the road, and even provide photo evidence for them, immediately rather than having to wait until you get home to do so. Conversely, you can also let them know of the bad behaviors that are ongoing on the roads executed by selfish drivers who normally ignore traffic rules. Another great aspect of this app is that it is incorporated with a brilliant road rage aspect and this means that you can finally get the chance of being king, or queen for that matter, since you will have added advantage over others on the road.

Motor heads normally require the assistance of auto-fixation so that they may be able to drive in a stress free manner. This is a functionality of the this Apparatus that ensures any mechanical problems are identified as soon as they occur so that you can take the necessary measures in preventing worsening of the situation. When using this app, you will also be able to collect info from other drivers just by putting in their license plate numbers. This comes in handy especially when you have spotted a classy car or even a gorgeous driver and want to communicate with them. All that you will be required to do in such an instance is to enter the license plate info on the iPhone App which will act as the address and you can then send the message that you want to put across thereafter. However, the other car owner will be unable to receive the message unless they also have the app installed. Al in all, caution must be exercised since using a phone while driving usually distracts you.

Author: The post is contributed by Michael. Michael is assertive, self-confident individual who wants to obtain everything in this world. Visit his site for bijtelling berekenen and lease auto.

Originally from Plateside: New iPhone social networking app for your car on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

The following solution is for those having a working internet connection; but, popping up YouTube gives you this mean error message: ‘There was a problem connecting to the network – try again’.

Problem OS: Some flavors of Froyo and Gingerbread (including the latest ICS look and feel ROM)

This is a simple case of a bad network entry in the phone’s hosts file.

Solution:

1. Use Root Explorer and navigate to /system/etc
2. Make a backup of the hosts file
3. Open the hosts file using a text editor (from phone or computer) and delete ALL entries for #youtube
4. Save the file and move it back to the path mentioned in point 1
5. Permissions for this file: rw-r–r–

Now open the YouTube app. It should work!

Originally from The YouTube network problem on Android [solution] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Special thanks to Kiran Malbul for the tip and lovely screenshots!

UPDATE below… [07 January 2012]

With the increase in craving for ICS (Android Ice Cream Sandwich) ROM for the Commtiva Z71 clones, here comes a CM7-based ROM with some of the features of ICS. Let the pictures do the talking. At the end of the ‘picture-watch’ you will see the download link…

You have been warned: I have not tested this ROM, neither do I understand fully the Google translated Chinese forum page. Use at your own risk. As always, take a backup using ROM Manager.

UPDATE: Well, I was curious; tried this ROM yesterday:

• It has the same sub-par performance as this CM7 version
• Pathetic battery life
• Freezes on overclocking
• G-sensor becomes slow, then laggy then stuck – aweful when switching between landscape and portrait modes
• Unclean notifications pull down panel – the word notifications cannot be fit in a single line!?

If you still want to have it for regular use (overclocked, with excellent battery life), I suggest flashing this kernel after installing the Ligux ROM.

Download | more info…

Originally from ICS look and feel ROM from LiGux, for Motorola XT502 (Commtiva Z71) on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Finding a decent fitting skin case/pouch for my Motorola XT502 has been a pretty bad experience. So, you finally find the right fit, only to see NOKIA or SAMSUNG in gaudy letters at the back of the pouch.

The good news is, I have found THE skin case for my Motorola XT502! Thanks to Agnaye for enabling this! Pics below…

The case fits snugly, with excellent grip and most importantly, no cheap squeaks when you hold the phone against your ears. Worth the money!

Colors: Dark blue, light blue, yellow, black, dark red and pink.

Check it out on eBay!

Originally from Motorola XT502 skin case – finally! on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Just some cosmetic change for your lock screen. Download and try it!

Important note: Backup the framework-res.apk under /system/framework – use root explorer!

Installation: Quite straight forward – Reboot into recovery and install from SD card or using ClockworkMod to install directly and reboot.

Have fun!

[source]

Originally from ICS-style ring lock for CM7-based Android phones on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Barista iPhone application is considered as one of the hottest iPhone Touch app in culinary circles. This little app has carried accolades in almost every major paper and online publication. Apple promoted it with full-page spreads in The Wall Street Journal and Time magazine as they knew it was sure to take off, in which it did.

Coffee drinkers everywhere are excited about their own special app from the App Store that has been listed as a Staff favorite since 2009. Many types of coffee drinks are included with a focus on hot, or iced, lattes and mochas. Whatever drink is the customer’s choice , the Barista will have step-by-step instructions on how to prep your coffee beans, the temperatures needed, how to texture your drinks milk, and how to do the fancy latté art. A special feature is how to tamp and grind your specialty beans and how to extract shots.

There are customized videos with step-by-step instructions for home coffee chefs to view how to prepare the drink, before brewing. “Coffee Talk” the hot app feature is an espresso glossary that involves the special terms and equipment associated with the industry. It helps the newest of coffee aficionados in understanding the coffee lingo. The glossary also gives an insight to the specialized gear needed for every popular hot caffeinated beverage. Entertaining at parties and get-together has never been easier. This iPhone application helps you to maintain record of gifts, rewards etc also you can check out new coffee items available at various outlets. Nonetheless, you can also find the Starbucks outlets within your vicinity.

The information is presented in a crisp clean fashion, making it easy to read and simple to understand. This app is the one for any coffee drinker who wants the comfort and ease of their own little cafe shop in the comfort of their home.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a novice to coffee-making with your first espresso machine, or one of the well know baristas at the local coffee shop; the Barista app will help anyone achieve coffee greatness. Available for less than the price of a takeaway, the money that will be saved with this little application is worth every penny.

The Barista was first introduced for the iPhone 4 back in April of 2009, it’s now on version 1.7; which features a new retina display. The Apple Store has also made it available for the iPod Touch, so great coffee is only a few keystrokes away. Twice known as Apple’s “App of the Week,” it’s been a top seller in New Zealand, and continuing to rise in popularity. Coffee lovers will toast to that!

Author

The post is authored by Davis Miller. Davis is fitness and tech expert. His hobbies include blogging and reading. Visit his site for kofiemachine kiezen and Koffie op het werk.

Originally from Barista iPhone application for coffee lovers on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

The easiest way to flash a new recovery image on your Android phone is via ROM Manager. Well, what if the ROM Manager fails to install the recovery image? Worst is, in some cases, even after getting the ‘successfully flashed recovery image’ you will not see the installed one after booting into recovery mode.

In such cases, most of the googled webpages will ask you to install ADB, Android SDK, and so on. When you start installing Android SDK, it will ask you to install Java JRE and so on and so forth. At the end of this futile exercise, you would have gone nowhere.

So, just do the following:

1. Go to ROM Manager Recoveries, and download the recovery image corresponding to your device
2. Put that recovery image in the SD card – not in any folder
3. Open the Terminal application on your phone – install if you don’t have one
4. Open Terminal app and type the following code

su

flash_image recovery /sdcard/recovery_image_name

Example: If you recovery image name is recovery-clockwork-2.5.1.3-z71.img, then the code mentioned above will look like this

flash_image recovery /sdcard/recovery-clockwork-2.5.1.3-z71.img

Note: There is a blank space between flash_image recovery and /sdcard/

Hope this is useful. If so, please share this post…

[thanks]

Originally from Flash recovery image using terminal [how to, Android] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Most iPhone users are still stuck with the default ‘drops on glass pane’ kinda background. I tried the one below that I got from Zedge, on my brother’s iPhone – it’s fabulous!

Download and try it now.

Originally from One good, high-res iPhone wallpaper you will love! on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

A few high-resolution wallpapers for your Androids and iPhones. Suits both HVGA and WVGA formats. Might look too big on VGA displays.

Hues of nature:

Have fun!

Please take a moment to share…

Originally from New, high-res Android and iPhone wallpapers on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

If you’ve ever had trouble with obtaining a proper lock on your PND, you’ll be glad to know that some clever scientists have come up with some new technology that will largely eradicate such problems, making connecting on your free laptop easier than ever before. The program, which has been developed by Lockheed Martin, is expected to cost some £4 billion and will finally reach prototype stage by the year 2014.

The prototype, known as the Block III or the GPS III Non-Flight Satellite Test Bed, will be launched over the coming years in some 32 versions by the Air Force. The results of such a launch will be beneficial in a variety of ways. Firstly, accuracy, power and reliability of connections will be significantly improved and free laptop users will find it much easier to ‘tune in’. Secondly, the possibilities for potential ‘highjackers’ or ‘hackers’ to jam connections will be significantly reduced. And finally, while with current technology getting a proper lock can be achieved within a range of ten feet, the new technology will ensure the distance is reduced to three. This kind of accuracy, formerly only available to the military, will now extend to the general population.

The Program

Having been recently delivered to the company’s facilities in Denver, Colorado, the GPS III Pathfinder will now be completed and will then undergo a process of integration where numerous tests will be carried out. The facilities in Denver have been specifically redesigned for this particular project in an attempt to both optimise capabilities of satellite production and reduce costs.

The ultimate aim of the program is to replace out-of-date GPS satellites in a cost-effective way. The benefits of such replacement should effectively meet the demands of military, commercial and civilian users on a global scale. In addition to improved accuracy and ‘blocking’ powers, a civil signal is being introduced. This has been specifically designed to be fully integrated into existing international satellite-based global navigation systems.

The Technology

The prototype GNST is a working version of the GPS III satellite and has been designed to iron out any developmental issues with regards to the integration of the actual space vehicle. This approach, of using a prototype first, will not only include a significant reduction in costs, but will also reduce any risk factors and the predictability of production. This will ultimately maximise the likelihood of a successful outcome for the mission.

Since the prototype has been successfully installed in Lockheed Martin’s Denver facilities, it can now be incorporated into the existing core structure complete with the navigation and antenna elements before test activities can be given the go ahead. At this point, the GNST will be reinstalled at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station where official path-finding activities will be launched.

The Facilities

The facilities for the program have been adapted from those that the company formerly used for the assembly of the Atlas rocket. They include some 40,000 square feet of assembly and testing areas that include thermal-vacuum and anechoic test chambers and a clean room high bay. The high bay has been developed to maximize efficiency through reducing both the distance between operations and space-vehicle lifts.

This all means that by 2014, all users will begin to reap the benefits of a program that has been carefully designed and moderated to achieve maximum results at a relatively low cost. The good news is that, thus far, the program is running according to schedule and has suffered no blips in its development. The official launch is therefore still on for the year 2014, an event which will, in the current technological climate, make all of our lives just that little bit easier.

Author:
Sara Parker is a Freelance and Staff writer who writes informative & creative articles on Television and Technology. Her expertises are in writing articles related to Satellite TV providers, Satellite TV deals, Satellite Connections, etc.

Originally from In 2014 next-generation GPS technology inches closer to space on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by Peter Smith

Automaker Skoda has jumped on the newest technology debuted at the 2011 International Motor Show in Frankfurt this week. It enabled the Skoda vehicle to be controlled from a simple application with an iPhone.

This is not a totally new idea. The first car to display this was the Volkswagen Sharan. It is such a novelty using an iPhone app. The Skoda cars and SUV’s were filmed using the remote to start, then back up in reverse using the application to turn its wheel, and perpendicular park between two cars with about 2 lengths between them. This is a feat that’s hard enough while driving the actual car and sends the younger generation of first time owners into a tizzy. Implanted sensors located by the steering wheel have been used in different models by a Beta program called Park4U. This program still needs a driver to control the acceleration and brakes as they weren’t able to be added to the software program platform. The new iPad app does away with that need and your Skoda car can be entirely parked from about 100 feet by remote means; even the trickier parallel and perpendicular parking.

The Park4U is trying to catch up with what Skoda owners have now with the iPhone application. It has since added a remote control of the brake and macerator but its takes a lot of manipulation. The biggest advantage would be parking in narrow spaces. You wouldn’t have to worry about room to open a door on the driver’s side or for those that are wheelchair bound. It would help in cases where more space is needed for unloading or storing a wheelchair which has more relevant needs than one paring space can provide comfortably. The current version functions in a 22 inch headway of space. A goal by the company is 16” by 2012.

In the same vein, a popular video on YouTube has Skoda owners using their IPods for a whole new reason. Using the Apple application named SIRI, a connection is made through a Viper remote start system’s technology to trigger the ignition of the vehicle by a simple voice command. Voice commands and to pop the trunk are also recognized by the SIRI application. The video was uploaded in November of 2011 by a minister named Brandon Fiquette to remotely control your vehicle. The application gives voice indication and confirmation when the connection is made with an average time of one minute. The concept is in the development stages for commercial distribution, but control of your car through an iPhone for personal use can be had with the Viper SmartStart installation module using a proxy plug-in.
The Skoda cars, Estate, and SUV’s such as the Yeti have a wonderful feature of rear parking sensors and cameras that can be customized to you and your family’s personal needs. Soon in the horizon these and more special features will be controlled by your iPhone’s Applications to remotely park your Skoda vehicle and perform a variety of functions with the touch of a button and no driver needed.

Author

The article is contributed by Peter Smith. Peter is newbie technical writer who loves to create small write-ups, novels and short stories. Visit his site to know more about zuinige auto and lease auto.

Originally from iPhone parks Skoda owners’ cars on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by Calvin Scott

The shipping industry is intertwined into the economy so tightly that nearly every facet of the industry has a customized tool available to support the process in some way or another.  There is an application for the facet represented by the individual consumer who ordered a package from eBay.  There is an application for the facet represented by the online retailer that orders their products from an American wholesale distributor.  There is an application for the wholesale distributor that has requested inventory shipped via container ships from across the world.  There is even an application for the person that mans the navigational system of the container ship traveling on the ocean.  The top ten shipping related applications for the Android Market, from individual customer to ship navigator, are featured and explained.

Package Tracker Pro by Minstech is an All-in-One package tracking solution.  The #4 Best Selling Paid Application of 2010 held this position for 5 straight months.  It is no wonder since it is such a handy tool for helping businesses and individuals track shipments through various carriers.  The developers of Package Tracker Pro provide an excellent level of support, ensuring the servers are always up and running for their customers.  For $1.99, Package Tracker Pro has several features that accompany its ability to track packages and parcels through a variety of carriers.  These features include notification ringtones and lights, managing packages, syncing between PC and phone wirelessly, delivery route displays, grouping packages by carrier and other view customizations, as well as App2SD support.

Shipping Rates Pro by Aaron Parker only costs $1.99 and for this wonderfully cheap price, there are many benefits of using this application.  This application provides the benefits of tracking shipments, of course.  What sets this application apart from the rest is that it allows its clients to calculate shipping times and cost of shipment through its interface.  Shipping Rates Pro connects to the three main shipping companies, UPS, FedEx, and USPS.  The application submits package specifications to all three companies and returns estimated shipping costs and time for each company.  For $1.99, the shipping estimate can even be purchased through this amazing application.  Shipping Rates Pro combines all the need information with the ability to ship the package right from the palm of your hand.

Cargo Decoder by Strategies in Software is a must have for the safety conscious.  This handy tool is a digitized searchable reference of the 2008 version of the Emergency Response Guide.  Need to know what potential hazards wait in the truck next to you?  Curious if the liquid on that train is flammable?  As long as you have the four digit number from the DOT placard, Cargo Decoder  can identify what the substance is.  This application has seriously powerful search capabilities for a free application.  It even comes standard with Voice Search.  Cargo Decoder has a market rating of 4.7.  The program requires no bandwidth to search the database, so if the phone is out of network range it is still functional.  The developer of this application created it to aid first responders and emergency aid until HazMat controllers arrive.

Ship Finder by pinkfroot limited is the original and most highly rated ship tracking application in the market.  This application has been featured in maritime and sailing publications and websites for its ability to track a ship in near-real time using “virtual radar” AIS maps.  Ship Finder has an interface that is amazingly easy to use and search abilities that are capable of retrieving a ship’s information simply from a search of its name.  The information about a ship such as its port of registration, destination, ETA, and other technical information can be displayed as well.  Other features included in the remarkable application are its abilities to mark a ship’s route and display live moving ships.  For $3.99, Ship Finder is a bargain and can aid anyone in tracking real time vessel information around the world.

My DAT® Trucker Services by TransCore is a free application that is designed for the drivers that transport cargo across the country and further.  This application provides a network of resources for the truck driver that is constantly on the job.  With an Android version 2.1 or higher, this incredible application has a searchable database of truck stops, rest stops, diesel gas prices, Walmarts, scales and DAT loads.  My DAT® Trucker Services displays the results in terms of distance, diesel price and parking spaces.  It can also display truck stop amenities such as showers, fuel lanes, services bays, Wi-Fi, laundry services and truck washes.  My DAT® Trucker Services provides the cargo transporter a way to locate all of the necessities while on the road.

Marine Ship Book by Michael Tsoi is a unique phone application that models a phonebook, but this is not a normal phonebook.  This phonebook is designed to contain telephone numbers that belong to marine vessels.  The phonebook design maintains the proper structure of the phone number necessary to contact the marine vessel.  Marine Ship Book also allows the user to create a ship particular list that is fully exportable for use on other devices.  The application also provides the ability for an offline version of the particular list to be created as well, which is stored on the phone’s memory but also on the SD Card as well.  Marine Ship Book is a unique application that is a necessity for mariners all over.

Author:

The guest post is contributed by Calvin Scott. Calvin loves to absorb everything related to tech and education. Not only does he have great technology knowledge but varied experience too. Visit his site for zeecontainer kopen and container verkoop.

Originally from Top six shipping applications for Android on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by Alia Haley

An image editor often needs to sharpen images in order to reduce the blur, noise and film grain or other unwanted objects in an image. The blur can also be reduced to give strength to an image by sharpening it. Downsampling is one of the simplest procedures for reducing noise. But most of the times some special tools need to be applied and include the following.

The Reduce Noise Filter

It is a good filter tool for the common noise problems, but most of the other third-party plug-in performs better than this tool. The disadvantage with Reduce Noise Filter is that it renders image in a condition where sharpening gets impossible later on.

Advanced Mode Options for reducing noise

Smart Sharpen is useful in film scans, and with its advanced mode option one can control the noise of each selected channels, for example in film scans blue channel has more noise than red and green and selecting the basic button in advanced mode for blue channel applies the effect to all blue film scans while playing them without effecting other things. Advanced mode is useful for color noise reduction, sharpening of details, and the option to remove JPEG Artifact. However all raw images from Camera Raw or Lightroom should be processed for color noise reduction in the processing pipeline. Repeating color noise reduction causes blurring of an image and leads to loss of color in boundaries of that image.

Setting Presets

One can easily save the settings of the Reduce Noise filter in the form of presets with names which can be frequently applied in image noise reduction as per requirements.

Strength vs Preserve Details

During normal noise reduction procedures the edge details in an image are generally lost. So it’s suggested to create a pixel layer of the detail and change its opacity after which one can work on noise reduction without affecting the edge details. The edge mask for noise reduction is not inverted as in edge sharpening technique, so the edges show as black and hence are protected from the noise reduction.

The Surface Blur Filter

This filter is used to remove noise instantaneously. The filter works on a radius setting. It is very strong and can quickly turn photographic images into a mess. It needs some fine art skills along with tools like surface mask and opacity after which it can reduce even the most stubborn noise. It’s been found that at 50% opacity and the gentle use of surface blur lessens the strength of the naturally present noise.

Noise Reduction with Despeckle

It is applied to an image copy generally which has a mild-to-moderate luminance noise. The despeckle should be applied differentially to the three different color channels (red, green and blue) with red having least noise and the blue channel with the highest noise. Despeckle is a menu command (Filter > Noise > Despeckle). Overdoing despeckle produces color shifts problem, but it is a very easy tool for sharpening the distorted images.

Third-Party Solutions

In very high or low noise situations, many third-parties plug-in are very useful and better than Photoshop plug-ins. Imagenomic’s Noiseware, Visual Infinity’s Grain Surgery, ABSoft’s Neat Image, PictureCode’s Noise Ninja, are very powerful and provide industrial-strength noise reduction.

One important thing to know is that noise can only be reduced but not eliminated otherwise it will destroy the actual image details. Noise reduction should never be done before sharpening unless it is a raw image. Sharpening before reducing the noise worsens and increases the noise. Noise reduction should be performed on layers to protect edges; fine tuning the layer opacity is a skill that needs some practice. One should never overdo the noise reduction. Only disadvantage of using layers is that the files become very large and complex. For that you have to name them in a way that you know it will make sense to you for a long time.

About the author: Alia Haley is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology and luxury. Beside this she is fond of gadgets. Recently an article on Reflecting Telescope attracted her attention. These days she is busy in writing an article on Nokia Lumia 800.

Originally from Sharpening tools: learning to sharpen in Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by Ruben Corbo

In a tracking survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, American activity on the net has consistently proven to be primarily for information searching and email in the years between 2002 and 2011. While email tends to be the most popular activity for internet users in the US, an astonishingly close second, search activities, has tied in the ninety second percentile. The most recent of the search surveys conducted was between April 26th and May 22nd of this year.

Less popular, but not at all unmentionable, are the practice of news seeking and the increasingly popular social networking activities. At seventy-six and seventy-one percent, respectively, these activities seem to be on the rise recently. Most notable, and valuable to internet service providers, is the rise of social networking out of nowhere in 2005, and its steady increase in popularity due to the mix of professional and personal information that can be transferred through this particular and unique online resource.

While Pew has cited information from the research project throughout the entire study period, most recent activity for email research has not been recorded since November of 2010.

In the survey of email users, the study cites an astounding sixty-one percent of users checking email inboxes at least once a day. Fifty nine percent of internet users search for at least one term every day. Search and email are considered a habit by Pew, who states that in 2002 only forty-nine percent of users were emailing daily, while search engine use has jumped from twenty-nine percent in 2002.

In a comprehensive data base of results of the poll show that ninety-two percent of all adults on the internet have used search engines at some point in time. Compare to this statistic the fifty-nine percent who use this service on a typical day. Sixty one percent of daily users are men, primarily Caucasian, between the ages of eighteen and twenty-nine. The chart also shows that common users, around seventy-five percent of them, are college educated.

Higher income brackets seem to correspond with daily internet search use, as seventy-eight percent of Americans whose household income is over 75,000 dollars use searches daily while thirty-eight percent of the bracket at 30,000 dollars or less use the average internet service providers to search every day.

Comparisons between ethnicities show that there is a marginally small difference in the usage between Caucasians, African-Americans, and Hispanics, at sixty, fifty-seven, and forty-eight percent, respectively. Relatively speaking, the differences are mostly miniscule, where Hispanics, elderly, and those in a 30,000 dollar or less income bracket are the most unusual from a statistical standpoint.

For the most part, about eighty percent of Americans have used the internet to search, check email, or see the news within the last eight to ten years. Most Americans use the internet as a resource for information on a daily basis. This poll is based on adult volunteers between the ages of eighteen and seventy-five years old. The final results and more information can be found in the report filed by The Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project tracking team.

Since 2002 the findings of this particular survey have been a steady increase in internet use for the average American. Charts and text indicate a continuous rise in use of the internet for everyday life, and especially in search engine use, email, and recently in social networking. This means these activities are quickly growing to be everyday resources for information and connection in the American life, and we can expect that they will continue to grow as trends increase.

This is a guest article by Ruben Corbo, a writer for the website Broadband Expert where you can find internet service providers in your area and compare prices on different deals for your mobile broadband needs.

[image source]

Originally from Popular uses of the Internet in recent years on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

This is the latest version of the most stable CM7.1-based ROM – EAv7 series. Most of the features mentioned in the previous post remain unaltered.

Some minor changes:

• New flash and boot animation – liking it!
• Minor tweaks to improve overall performance and stability
• Slightly better (fluid) ADW launcher

DOWNLOAD EAv7.2 | more info…

Originally from EAv7.2 – CM7.1 ROM for Motorola XT502 on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Here’s the most recent version of the CM7.1 based Gingerbread ROM for Motorola XT502 and Commtiva Z71 devices. Just a few days ago, the 2.6.32.9-EA#37 kernel was released – finding it pretty good with its smartass version 2 CPU governor. I believe this CM7.1 EAv7 ROM should provide you a slightly better 3D experience.

Performance improvements:

• Updated kernel
• Updated applications
• Improved Wi-Fi
• Adreno 200 drivers to improve 3D performance by 50%
• GPS fix
• System-wide performance tweaks

Go ahead and give it a try. I’m sure you will love this for the battery life and ROM stability.

DOWNLOAD (updated download link to EAv7.1 version)| more info…

[image source]

Originally from CyanogenMod 7.1 EAv7 – Gingerbread ROM for Motorola XT502 on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

If you’re having one of the latest versions of the CyanogenMod 7.1 series of Gingerbread ROMs, this kernel is a must have!

Features:

Frequency scaling: 98 122 245 320 480 537 576 604 614 633 652 672 691 710 729 748 768 787 806 (all in MHz)
Default min-max frequency: 122~604 (all in MHz)

CPU governors:

Smartass version 2 (love this!), Smartass (hate this!), Ondemand (default) and Performance

I/O scheduler:

noop, bfq (default), vr and simple. I use no-frills CPU control, clocked at 122-672 MHz, governed by Smartass version 2, and bfq as the I/O scheduler.

Result: Fluid performance!

DOWNLOAD | more info…

Originally from 2.6.32.9-EA#37 – Gingerbread kernel for Motorola XT502 on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

I am planning to migrate to one of the many HTML5-based WordPress themes. However, I wouldn’t want to leave this lovely theme by Bizzartic. If ain’t broken, why fix it?

Nevertheless, I would like your help in assessing how this blog behaves on your computer, tablet, phone, etc.. Please answer the poll below.

Thanks a ton!

Originally from How fast does this blog load… on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by Sara Parker

Free broadcast TV is bad news for satellite TV providers in my area – or so I’d think, right? I mean, if I can buy a digibox or freeview box and get what I want when I want without having to pay then why would I bother having satellite or cable?

Let’s start by telling you how to get free broadcast TV in your area – as if you didn’t know already. You have two options – watch shows after they have been broadcast, on the internet. This requires that you know what sites to go to get your shows – simple, the ones run by the TV stations. Simply keep a list of your favourite TV stations in your favourites bar and watch your top shows when they become available for free.

Note, though, that you are still paying your internet connection costs, so it isn’t free at all. You just think it is because you aren’t directly paying a TV subscription package.

The other method, which lets you get current programming and quite a few stations (around 30, in my area) without paying a monthly subscription, is the freeview box. The freeview box gives you normal (i.e. the old terrestrial) channels plus selected highlights. In my case, I get a few offerings from satellite TV providers in my area plus the old five.

Again, though – I have to pay a TV licence, so it isn’t free at all. Ultimately, all that’s happening is that I am getting a remarkably small slice of the programming I could be getting, still paying a TV licence and hardly ever watching anything because all the interesting stuff is owned by subscription packages. It’s the old story I’m afraid – anything that’s free, unless it’s air (and even that is polluted half the time) is generally rubbish.

That said, freeview is ideal for people like me, who don’t have a great deal of money and would like to watch TV every now and then. Though to be honest I prefer the model whereby I just wait until stuff I really want is available online, and then watch on my PC.

Satellite TV providers in my area offer a number of different packages that include internet use (some offer home phone as well). I’m thinking of investigating further and taking one up – then I’ll have a much wider selection of channels to watch on my TV, and I’ll even be able to watch my streamed online media content on the HDTV too. At the moment, it’s just sitting there with a freebox under it, waiting for something remotely interesting to come on – so I might as well look into multi play packages from satellite providers to see how much they cost.

See, when you switch your internet to a satellite TV provider you often find that it works out pretty cost-effective to get yourself TV packages as well. It’s in the company’s interest to entice you into consuming all of your entertainment and communications needs from the same place, after all. So when you get fed up of the poor coverage and tiny amount of channels you get on your own freeview, have a look around.

Author Bio: 

Sara Parker is a Freelance and Staff writer who writes informative & creative articles on Television and Technology. Her expertise is in writing articles related to Satellite TV providers, Satellite TV deals, Satellite Connections, etc.

[image source]

Originally from How to get free broadcast TV at home and save a bundle on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

If you have tried the SuperOSR v2.0.1 on your Motorola XT502/Commtiva Z71 device, it’s time to upgrade to the latest version.

According to the changelog:

• WiFi and WiFi-tethering problems have been fixed
• New CPU governor called InteractiveOSR
• Minor improvements/OS tweaks
• Updated Google apps
• New lock screen
• Newer graphics

DOWNLOAD | more info…

Given the pretty long time taken by the Superteam in fixing bugs, I don’t think I will be trying this version anytime soon. Having said that, the superteam have been giving us one of the best Gingerbread ROMs for Motorola XT502/Commtiva Z71 devices. It may be worth a try. Anyone?

Originally from SuperOSR v2.2.0 – Gingerbread ROM for Motorola XT502 on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by Calvin Scott

The most important thing is getting content to a customer, whether it is via paid subscription, or free content backed with advertising revenues. Viewers of today tend to lack patience when it comes to streaming their favorite content, and they will not tolerate unreliable streaming that pauses constantly due to lack of bandwidth or CDN. This is regardless of the customer paying for the content or not (although the users paying for a subscription can tend to be touchier if they aren’t receiving quality they feel they’re paying for). If customers are eating up bandwidth, then it’s important to make sure there is plenty for wide distribution of content.

Bandwidth Issues

4800 kbps for HD streaming is a good bandwidth for reliable access for users. However, most programs are maxed out at the 700 kbps level. This can be a problem for those users who can stream at a much higher level (and today, so many of them can and do). The higher the bandwidth, the smoother the play. Using too little will, of course, create skips, stops, and crashes for the end-user – and they will respond by not watching, and going somewhere else. Loss of viewers means loss of ad revenue. To keep viewers interested and coming back for more, don’t be cheap – invest in higher capabilities and compensate with ad revenues or small increases in subscription prices (no more than fifty cents per customer to avoid appearing greedy – today’s political climate will not accommodate larger price hikes).

CDN Can Reduce Bandwidth Costs

By increasing locations and nodes of CDNs, one can reduce bandwidth costs by providing content on demand for the end-user. Choosing cost-effective co-locations, outright purchasing, and other methods can compensate for decreased bandwidth when user demands get high. Saving bandwidth and server resources with usage of CDNs can help save money as well.

A Third Choice – Move Away from Live Streaming to On-Demand

For those experiencing budgetary constraints and still wanting to get content to consumers, there is another option. Switching over to on-demand style content and offering the viewer the opportunity to watch at his or her convenience can be appealing for many. Additionally, using progressive download instead of streaming can be useful for this type of programming. Certainly by using progressive downloading, the user won’t get a smooth playback on the first run, but, if the user waits long enough, the play through will be very smooth and will not cause frustration on the part of the end-user.

Overall, it’s about delivery of quality to the end users. After all, one can boast having over 500 channels to choose from, but, if the channels don’t show up or keep pausing while the user is trying to watch, they won’t stick around to find out what other great content is offered on the site.

Author Bio: - The article is shared by Calvin Scott. Calvin is a hands’ on tech veteran. His love for experimenting new stuff is what keeps him driving to explore and learn. Visit his site for kpn adsl and draadloos internet

[image source]

Originally from Bandwidth and CDN for Internet TV on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

While we’re waiting for the first flavors of Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), the Gingerbread varieties for Commtiva Z71 devices seem to be on the increase. And, they are good too! I’m not missing the Phantom series, anymore.

My favorite ROMs in the past few weeks (not in any order): EAv6 | CyanogenMod 7.1 stable | MYGingerB | and now.. CyanogenMod 7.1 aPT v1.

Likes:

• Nice boot animation, and quick boot (a CM7.1 characteristic)
• Nice range of CPU overclocking options
• Default governor: ONDEMAND and default clock frequency: 604 MHz – you’ll like it!
• Default home launcher is Gingerbread – as lovely as the one in MYGingerB
• Good WiFi – well, could be better
• Default Ubuntu-based kernel – you’ll love the battery stats
• Automatic screen brightness is much better – can see the difference if you select the window interval to 10 seconds
• Quadscore, @672 MHz ONDEMAND – 1111
• Quadscore, @672 MHz ONDEMAND + SD Booster – 1203
• Flash Player 10.2!
• Slick lock screen buttons – not a big fan of the transparent ones

Dislikes:

• Gapps not included by default
• Others – two download files available. Google translate doesn’t help here much with the Portuguese translation.

So, to avoid any confusion, I’m just listing the download link to the file that I flashed on my Motorola XT502.

DOWNLOAD | more info…

Please share if you liked this post…

Originally from CyanogenMod 7.1 aPT v1 for Motorola XT502 – REVIEW on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

The enormous amount of interest generated by this MYGingerB ROM pushed me to install and test this ROM on my Motorola XT502. Though this ROM is based on the latest CyanogenMod 7.1, I thought it’s best to do a full wipe and then install this to avoid the usual annoying problems like FCs and reboots.

The latest changelog says that the ROM now comes with SuperAOSP 8.6 AW as the default kernel. However, I flashed it with an Ubuntu-based kernel (EAv6) as I’m really pleased with its battery drain stats.

Likes:

• Fluid performance – didn’t notice any lag
• Default Gingerbread launcher – fast and lovely!
• Better memory management – features RAM optimizer from juwe11
• Great battery life (with the Ubuntu kernel)
• Nice splash-screen animation – won’t hurt your eyes
• No illegal reboots
• Camera is slightly, but noticeably faster than stock CM7.1
• Quad score @600 MHz on-demand – 898
• Quad score @672 MHz on-demand – 1004

Issues:

• Wi-Fi performance was not as expected – was expecting it to be better than the stock CyanogenMod version. May be it’s just my phone!
• Volume rocker wake is missing (I use it a lot) – because it’s primarily designed for Spice MI 300?
• Signal fluctuations when on 3G – over optimized for Malaysian networks?

So, it’s time to install this ROM on your phone…

DOWNLOAD | more info…

 Please share if you find this info useful…

Originally from MYGingerB ROM on Motorola XT502 – REVIEW on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

I was pointed to this custom ROM project, MYGingerB for Spice MI 300 (and of course, Commtiva Z71 devices), by one of the visitors (thanks TahawK). By looking at the specs and changelog, this ROM looks promising. I will try this over the weekend; meanwhile, broadcasting the news so that you guys can flash this on your phones.

This ROM is based on CyanogenMod 7.1, so you can expect a tweaked version of the Android 2.3.7 build.

Some of they key features that you will like:

• Optimized Nexus live wallpaper
• Nexus series look and feel – pure Google?
• ADW launcher replaced with stock Gingerbread launcher – thanks a ton for this!
• Optimized auto-brightness – got to try for sure!
• Support for other kernels like Edgar’s Ubuntu, SuperOSR and SuperAOSP

DOWNLOAD | more info…

[image source]

Originally from MYGingerB ROM for Spice MI 300 [and Commtiva Z71 devices] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

About a week ago, the CyanogenMod 7.1 stable, based on Android 2.3.7, was released for dozens of devices.

I have been running the stable version on my Motorola XT502 for the past days, and I’m quite pleased with the performance.

Likes:

• Faster and fluid performance
• Better Wi-Fi connectivity – actually, a lot faster than any previous version that I’d tried
• Slightly better battery stats
• Quad score – 887

Dislikes:

• Unable to overclock – phone freezes!
• The default ‘smartass’ governor sucks – leads to the screen off music stutter issue

The inability to overclock can be solved by flashing an Ubuntu-based kernel; the same one that’s beneath the EAv6 ROM, giving excellent battery stats. The kernel gives much better performance, with a quad score of 1084 at 672 MHz.

Download the kernel. Flash it via recovery mode, overclock and have fun!

Originally from CyanogenMod 7.1 [stable] with Ubuntu kernel for Motorola XT502 – Review on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

With Google’s launch of their Google+ social network, they have struggled to make a serious argument as to why users should switch over from Facebook. The site is gaining a great deal of traffic and new users every day, but still fails in comparison to Facebook’s popularity for sharing information with close friends. Because of the lack of clutter, Google+ can be seen as the more professional out of the two websites. Google+ allows for extremely articulate posts which can include several types of media.

While many professionals, writers, and artists are still catching on to Google+, the company is also banking on the entertainment market in the form of social games. Facebook has earned over $1 billion over the past year based on their games, and Google+ is looking to break into some of the market share. While Facebook is a pioneer in the social gaming industry, Google+ has taken their mistakes and built their own infrastructure around them.

Better Organization

The most frustrating thing about playing games on Facebook is the lack of organization. There are people from over 190 different countries developing games for Facebook trying to compete with each other. If you do not turn your notifications off, the applications will send you invites from everyone asking you to join in on their game in a way to compete for more players. Google+ eliminates this problem by having a separate tabs for conversations and game notifications.

Google will likely look to its Android operating system in order to integrate games onto powerful mobile gaming devices like the Galaxy S2 cell phone. With this seamless integration into a customized device, finding and playing games with the Google+ app will streamline your experience.

The Less is More Concept

A lot of the games that get onto Facebook are programmed by developers just looking to make a buck. There is no filter when it comes to what gets released on the Facebook game network. Google+ Games launched in August with only sixteen different titles such as Cityville, Zynga Poker, Angry Birds, and Bejeweled. What Google+ lacks in quantity, they make up for in quality. Having only a handful of developers and fewer games makes the experience less confusing for users.

Cheaper Online Currency Exchanges

One of the biggest moneymakers for online game developers is the sale of items in the game. In order to advance to new levels, beat other players, and get high-scores, users must shell over some money for upgrades. The games may initially be free, but if you get wrapped up into them, you’re going to spend some money.

While Google+ is still trying to break into the market, they are offering cheaper commissions from developers in order to attract titles. According to ZDNet, Google+ is charging a 5% commission while Facebook charges 30%. For gamers, this means cheaper upgrades and more fun.

While the sole purpose of Google+ is yet to be determined by users, the Gaming feature of the network seems to be a torch leading the way for the rest of the site. The social gaming market is still an untapped landscape and it will be fun to see who ultimately comes out on top.

Originally from Social Gaming on Google+ on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by Jared Scott

Have you ever downloaded from Usenet?

You might not know that the modern Usenet is stronger than ever. Usenet has come a long way since its early days.  It’s been around since 1979. But today users are able to experience Usenet in a whole new way.  What used to be confusing and complicated is now as easy as point and click.

There are three reasons to choose Usenet over other download technologies.

Speed

Premium Usenet providers offer an unrivaled download speed that others can’t.

The best offer Uncapped Speeds when you download.   Meaning you can download content as fast as your internet connection will allow.

Usenet posts are stored on a network of premium grade servers.  When you download from Usenet, you are accessing content directly from these servers.

You do not have to share a connection with other users or upload anything.  This also helps to increase the speed as your Internet connection is not being clogged up with a simultaneous upload.

This speed is a big reason people choose Usenet.  Once you’ve downloaded at 80 Mbps, there is no going back.

Selection

Usenet offers a massive amount of information.  There is tons of open source software available.  And users have uploaded all different types of audio, video and image files.

No matter what you are into, you’ll find it on Usenet.

While Usenet servers used to delete posts on a regular basis, this is almost unheard of with the best providers today.

Usenet now stores more than 800 Terabytes of information with more than 9TB added every day.

And the amount of information available on Usenet continues to grow.

Security

As many can tell you, downloading from the internet can be risky. You should only do so from trusted sources that protect you and your privacy.

Many Usenet providers offer you a 256 bit SSL encrypted connection with their servers. This connection acts like a secure tunnel between your computer and the server.

It protects your information and keeps prying eyes out.

And 256 bit encryption is the same level of security that your bank uses online.  This encryption acts like a protective armor that keeps your information safe and private.

There are many options for downloading online.  While most people tend to think of Usenet as an old technology, the fact is many choose it for the speed, selection, and security it offers.

Author Bio:

Jared Scott is the Manager of Public Outreach for Binverse.com.  He spends his days educating the Web on the benefits of the modern Usenet.

[image source]

Originally from Do you download with Usenet? on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

So, the most (or long?) awaited stable version from CyanogenMod, based on Android 2.3.7 is out now. Released just a few hours ago!

It’s quite astonishing to see the CyanogenMod community supporting 24 more devices via this release. And, I’m happy to see the Motorola Cliq/Dext get the stable one with this lovely kernel.

So, what does the changelog look like? It’s actually massive. For readability, you can find the key features over here. As usual, a few more nightlies will follow this stable release and you can track all the changes (for each of the supported devices) over here.

Now, it’s time to start the long wait for CyanogenMod 9 (CM9) – Android Ice Cream Sandwich!

Originally from CyanogenMod 7.1 – RELEASED! on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

When you take a look at the screenshots below, you will know why I like the CM7 EAv6 Gingerbread (2.3.7) ROM. The kernel in EAv6 makes a lot of difference in battery drain. Of course, I followed the wipe battery stats procedure to get the most juice…in 2 days!

For testing purposes, I limited the Wi-Fi activity on the phone. Used it only for updating apps and for occasional YouTube videos. When not on Wi-Fi, ’twas on an always-on unlimited EDGE connection.

After 15 hours…

After 21 hours…

After 1 day, 13 hours…

And, 2 days, 2 hours 8 minutes – still had 15% left!

I think, after the Froyo Phantom series, this is one good Gingerbread ROM.

Please share if you liked the post…

Originally from CM7 EAv6 ROM for Motorola XT502 – battery drain stats [screenshots] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Today, I installed the CM7 EAv6 Gingerbread ROM. It’s been quite a while since I found a stable ROM after getting bored with the SuperAOSP 8.6 AW. This one is nice,… so far!

Likes:

• Better kernel than the one that comes in CM7 nightlies
• Makes a positive difference when overclocked – tried values between 672 MHz and 768 MHz (tip: I use No-frills CPU to overclock. The post will tell you why)
• Noticeably faster and fluid
• I was using the cm_z71_full-216.zip nightly build and the Wi-Fi was really good. With EAv6, I don’t see much difference. However, if you’re coming from an older build (like 2.3.3 or 2.3.5) you will see a great difference in Wi-Fi connectivity/performance
• Answering calls a lot better than CM7 nightlies
• Battery life – 100 times better than CM7 nightly builds. Will update after 48 hours of usage

Dislikes:

• None at the moment – will update in 24 hours if anything turns up bad

DOWNLOAD | more info…

Installation tip: If you’re already on one of the CM7 nightlies, all you need to do is apply the zip via ROM Manager/recovery menu. If you’re coming from Froyo, then install this ROM via SUTLR and then apply the zip.

Please share if you liked the post…

Originally from CM7 EAv6 – Android 2.3.7 ROM for Motorola XT502 [Review] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

If you’re using the CM7 nightly for your Motorola Cliq/Dext, you should check the improvised kernel from Nelson Giordano. Firstly, this kernel features a new governor, Smartass V2, which does an excellent job in balancing system performance and battery consumption. I was never a fan of the original Smartass governor that lead to really annoying problems like the music stutter.

Smartass V2 stands out. Two full days with heavy talking, Wi-Fi and EDGE usage! I have been using this since 2nd October – no force closures, no freezes, no reboots. Never come across such a lovely kernel! Wish Nelson had produced such efficient kernels for Commtiva Z71 devices too.

DOWNLOAD, flash using ClockworkMod recovery and enjoy!

Originally from The best kernel for Cliq/Dext – performance and battery life! on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

If you’ve been considering signing up for a mobile broadband tariff, you may have come across deals that claim to be ‘free laptop contracts’. But what’s the truth behind this impossibly generous claim?

Of course, just like there’s no such thing as a free lunch, there’s no such thing as a free laptop. However, that doesn’t mean you should overlook these offers – they can still be a real steal. If you’re looking for a new laptop or netbook deal, this may well be for you.

So what is a free laptop deal?

While you won’t be getting a free laptop, what you will be getting is a shiny new laptop upfront. Instead you’ll be paying for the cost of the laptop in monthly instalments as part of your contract, which will usually be a two-year deal.

This is great for two reasons. One, you get the laptop up front and two; it essentially works as a hire purchase scheme without having to pay any interest. So, if you’re in the market for a new laptop or netbook anyway, this can be a great way to get one – especially for youngsters, or students.

Will I get good value?

Again, there’s good news – in almost every case, you will get great value from a free laptop deal. Because the contracts tend to be two-years, you’ll be rewarded for this loyalty to the mobile broadband provider by getting good prices, data allowances and extras.

Keep an eye out for special offers too. If you shop around, as well as getting the laptop up front, you may find anything from free months off your deal, high street vouchers or other gadgets thrown in for free.

Downsides to free laptop deals

While all this sounds great, there are some possible downsides, which mainly revolve around the length of the contract. By signing yourself up for a two-year deal, or maybe more, there are certain consequences to this.

First, you are committing to this mobile broadband carrier for a long time. If you move to a new area where this company has no coverage, for example, you’ll be out of luck. Or if another carrier suddenly gets ahead (say with 4G), you won’t have the opportunity to move over to this service.

Secondly, if you’re the kind of person who likes the latest gadgets, or for whichever they don’t have a long shelf life for you, remember you will be paying for this item for the next two years!

Things to remember

Be careful of the other parts of the deal, such as download limit. It’s important you don’t let that nice new laptop blind you to the fact you’re getting way more data than you need – that’s just throwing good money after bag, so be careful you’re getting use from what you’re paying for. And be sure your mobile broadband supplier has good coverage in the areas you’ll be using it most.

Finally, when the deal ends, be sure to contact your mobile broadband supplier and move onto a different monthly tariff (if you want to stay with them, of course). You’ve been paying quite a bit extra each month for the laptop, so you should see a very big discount in your monthly price.

About the author: Chris Marling writes on behalf of Broadband Genie, the independent comparison website for mobile broadband, mobile wifi and free laptop deals

Originally from Guide to free laptop contracts with mobile broadband on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Guest post by Kathleen Hubert

The still stagnant economy has many consumers facing another Christmas season on a tight budget. But being low on cash doesn’t mean you have to be low on technology. Here are 10 great gadgets that are affordable enough to give out this holiday season.

10. Amazon Kindle – $114 $79 onwards

Although there are many options now on the market when it comes to e-readers, the Amazon Kindle sells the best out of all of them for a reason. Combine the amazing E-ink technology with a brand new $114 $79 price point and you get a device that’s a wonderfully affordable gift for any big reader, especially those on the go.

9. Garmin Nüvi 1300 Portable GPS Navigator – $100

A GPS system is a must have for any vehicle’s these days. At only $100, this Garmin gives you a wide-screen, millions of interest points in 48 states, and even bus and subway maps to navigate a city’s Metro system. It is a great gift for any traveler.

8. Sony Walkman S-544 8 GB Video MP3 Player – $100

The S-544 comes with 8gb, a nice screen for watching videos, and a very sleek and stylish design. It comes with all of the functionality of a iPod nano at a third of the price, making it a great affordable gift.

7. Canon PowerShot A495 10.0 MP Digital Camera – $70

The Canon PowerShot A495 is perfect for every family’s budding photographer. It has a great 3.3 optical zoom and takes 10 MP quality pictures which you can view on the 2.5 inch LCD screen. It is arguably the best affordable camera on the market today.

6. LG BD630 Blu-ray Player – $88

There was a time where a $400 Blu-ray player would be the most affordable, and an $88 one would be a dream. But that time is no more as prices for these players continue to drop. The LG BD630 offers standard Blu-ray playback along with Wi-Fi connectivity. Any person with a HDTV should have one of these as the quality is amazing and more affordable than ever.

5. Logitech Harmony 650 Remote – $55

If you know anyone who loves their home entertainment system, this would be the gift to get the, The Logitech Harmony universal remote can be programmed to control up to 5 devices using a color LCD screen and PC programming. At only $55, it is perfect for any home theater user.

4. Flip Mino HD Camcorder – $75

It is time to help a loved one upgrade to the HD video era. With the Flip MinoHD, recording HD videos and sharing them is as easy a s few button presses. The quality is fantastic, and for the price of $75 it makes a great gift for anyone.

3. Motorola S305 BT Headset – $30

This is not your standard business man phone headset. The S305 acts as MP3 headphones, offering stereo sound along with a bluetooth mic and on-ear buttons for easy control of your phone conversations and music. Best of all, this headset only costs $30.

2. Philips Norelco 7310XL Men’s Shaver – $40

There are still men out there who haven’t experienced the convenience and ease of a good electric razor because of cost. Philips has taken cost out of the equation with the Norelco 7310XL. It only costs $40 and gives a shave that would make any man who cares about his face happy.

1. Black & Decker DCM18S Coffeemaker – $15

The most affordable gift on the list, the B & D Brew ‘n Go is a godsend for any coffee lover on the go. It brews single servings straight into a travel mug in mere minutes. This is a great and economic gift to round out the list.

As this list shows, there are some great gadgets out there that you can buy as gifts and not worry about breaking the bank like those that are seen in TV. Finding them just requires some research and shopping savvy. Happy gifting!

Kathleen Hubert is a blogger who writes on a variety of different sites. Check out more of her work at LED TV.

Item prices are indicative, and derived from Amazon | Ebay | Nextag | Walmart

[Image source]

Originally from Top 10 Most Affordable Gadgets for Christmas [2011] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Don’t jump the gun and conclude that this is an MIUI ROM. This ROM is based on CM7 (CyanogenMod 7,
Android 2.3.5), and has got the cool looks of MIUI. Just the looks…

Devices supported: Commtiva Z71 devices, Orange Boston, Motorola XT3/XT5/XT502, Nexian Journey, etc

By looking at the features from over here, this Backinblack ROM from ACDC looks promising!

Feature excerpts:

1. MIUI look – I’ve always liked the slick factor
2. Working Wi-Fi tether
3. Bundled with add-on apps like SDspeedincrease, adfree, advanced task killer, etc

DOWNLOAD | more info…

Try this ROM on your phone and share your thoughts. Since this is based out of the usual CM7, I wouldn’t expect any drastic changes. However, if there are tweaks here and there that add more fluidity, this can stay on your phone for a couple of more months.

Originally from BACKINBLACK MIUI-look ROM for Motorola XT502 [Z71 devices] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

This is a glimpse of an HP TouchPad running (well, almost!) CyanogenMod 7 (CM7).

The WebOS itself is a highly capable multi-tasking OS, but the CM7 porting only proves that the developers are super-enthusiastic about seeing the HP TouchPad running Android 2.3+ OS.

[via: Ultralinx]

Originally from Now, CyanogenMod 7 on HP TouchPad [VIDEO] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Windows Phone 7.5, codenamed Mango, might be released today. This update promises around 500 feature improvements, and of course, believed to improve the smartphone sales for Nokia in the US and worldwide markets. Personally, I’m a big fan of Nokia’s low-budget devices; but definitely not their smartphones.

You can read interesting news on this Windows Phone 7 update and Nokia’s market share over here.

[image source]

Originally from Will Windows Phone 7 Mango really increase Nokia’s smartphone market share? on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

If you’re searching for some great mobile internet dongles, be sure to compare and contrast different dongles before you buy. Any value-conscious consumer should consider reviews, pricing, and network coverage in their area. Fortunately, this guide does most of the work for the prospective buyer.

Ready Broadband Nationwide

In fifth place comes the Ready Broadband Nationwide dongle. This dongle runs on the sprint network and has excellent coverage wherever the Sprint network is available. Users enjoy contract-free usage. The simple, easy to use “pay as you go” setup allows you to purchase internet usage by the amount of data needed. If you run out, simply purchase more online. For added convenience, the dongle comes with everything you need to get started. Software is included on a CD that comes in the box, and updates can be downloaded from the website.

Option ICON 322

The Option ICON 322 Unlocked comes in at fourth place. This respectable modem features a reversible plastic shield that can be turned one way to protect the USB connector when the card is not in use, or turned the opposite direction to be stowed out of the way during usage. A convenient feature of this product is that it does not require its own data plan. Simply plug the SIM card from any GSM phone with a data plan into the slot, and use the internet.

4595 3G

Next up is the 4595 3G mobile internet dongle. Like the ICON, this card is unlocked. It can be used with most cell phone service providers worldwide. This card also requires a SIM card to work properly. It features embedded installation software, so it requires no CD or download in order to interface with your computer. Simply plug it into the USB port and install the software directly from the device. Easy to set up, versatile and economical to use, this modem is an excellent choice for the cellular internet customer.

Sierra Unlocked Wireless USB305

The runner up is the excellent Sierra Unlocked Wireless USB305. It features wide spread compatibility with computer operating systems. It can successfully interface with computers running Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and MAC OS v10.4 or later operating systems. It is tough and durable, featuring a protective cover similar to that of the Option ICON. Speeds go up to 7.2 Mbps on 3G networks. The Sierra is also extremely light weight, tipping the scales at only 1.6 ounces. A quick start guide allows easy and informed set up. A MicroSD slot allow data backup on the fly.

Sierra Wireless 598u

Sierra takes not only the runner up spot, but also first place with its Sierra Wireless 598u mobile internet dongles. Like its counterpart, this card features a MicroSD slot, allowing easy access data storage of up to 32 GB. It features quick upload and download, allowing a 1 megabyte email attachment to be downloaded in only about eight seconds. IT is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, and XP, as well as Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher and Linux. This device operates on the Sprint network.

This is a guest article by Ruben Corbo, a writer for the website Broadband Expert where you can find internet service providers in your area and compare prices on different deals for your wireless internet necessities with a mobile internet dongle or a SIM only card.

[image from Jace]

Originally from 5 Great Mobile Internet Dongles on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Right Hemisphere is a visual enterprise solutions company that makes 3-D diagrams for processes and products – targeting the manufacturing companies.

SAP Business Suite ERP applications will leverage Right Hemisphere’s visualization technology to enhance visual navigation and reviewing of products, assets and related information in a single unified environment.

More info on this here

Originally from Right Hemisphere to be acquired by SAP on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

So, I have tested the SuperOSR v2.0.1 ROM on my Motorola XT502.

Note: Though this ROM is for Orange Boston/Commtiva Z71 devices, some subtle differences in the device hardware will give different results. The following is just my observation on how my phone behaved with this ROM.

Observations: What’s nice?

1. Noticeably Smooth and fluid – much better than the vanilla CM7 ROMs
2. Excellent battery life - as good as the Phantom and Firetrap family of ROMs
3. No annoying ‘SD card unexpectedly removed’ error message
4. 100% working USB tethering – brilliant!
5. Quadrant score, without overclocking: 1094!
6. Quadrant score, overclocked to 768 MHz with No-frills CPU Control: 1204!

Observations: What’s NOT nice?

1. Not so good automatic brightness – was better in SuperAOSP 8.6 AW
2. Lots of random reboots – became unusable…
3. Not so good-looking gif animations, menu icons/formats
4. Notification bar reminds me of my old Moto Rokr E6 – out of fashion!

As I said before, this shouldn’t stop you from installing this nice ROM on your device! Try it out and share your thoughts!

[image source]

Originally from SuperOSR v2.0.1 on my Motorola XT502 – REVIEW on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

The Superteam has just released their version of the Android 2.3.5 ROM, codenamed SuperOSR v2.0.0 [updated to v2.0.1, see below], for Motorola XT502 (and other Boston clones/Commtiva Z71 devices). I don’t have any screenshots at the moment; believe it should be similar to the SuperAOSP 8.6 AW or the base CyanogenMod nightly version.

 Changelog v2.0.1 (translated from Spanish to English):

• Fixed – shoot with flash (no longer part of the screen)
• Fixed – ROM settings and LED flash notification LED
• Fixes to install on the SD
• Enhanced consumer-2G with live data, which soared. Now eates very little as long as you use 2G
• Optimized memory usage

Changelog v2.0.0 (translated from Spanish to English):

• Fixed the camera FCs
• Now zoom pictures will really zoom and save the picture in the correct size
• Enhanced Wi-Fi, is now 100% functional on more networks with WPA, WEP, etc..
• Added support for WiFi tethering Barnacle, with whom will have no problem sharing internet with the screen off
• Improved stability and fluidity
• Improved USB transfer
• Any changes to the rom both aesthetic and functional SuperTeam

I will be trying this ROM sometime next week as I’m testing a series of ROMs on my other phone (Cliq/Dext).

DOWNLOAD | more info…

If you happen to try this SuperOSR v2.0.0 v2.0.1 on your mobile, please share your thoughts here.

Happy modding!

Originally from SuperOSR v2.0.0 – Gingerbread ROM for Motorola XT502 [Commtiva Z71] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

With about 1 million downloads a day, BrotherSoft serves over 250,000 freeware and shareware applications covering Windows, Mobile, Mac, games and so on. So, how best to mine this site? The following video would help…

Please share if you found this useful…

Originally from How to use BrotherSoft for your software/app needs on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Had a look at the tech specs of the Motorola Fire (XT311/XT316) before it was launched in India. I was under the impression that this would be priced in the Rs 11,000 – Rs 13,000 range. Boy, have these pricing specialists at Motorola suddenly become market sensitive.

This little (and good-looking) device has better specifications than the Backflip, yet at almost half the price? At Flipkart, Motorola Fire is available for Rs. 8,999. Can see a lot of interests expressed for this phone along with a couple of good reviews. I would have grabbed this myself, but for one key spec that made me rethink. The screen is a QVGA 240px x 320px with 120 dpi (never liked Motorola Charm/Flipout for this reason). Well, that ain’t bad at that price point…but bad enough for a device that is powered by a lovely Qualcomm MSM7227-1 600 MHz processor. This would have definitely beat my Motorola XT502, but for the display resolution.

Take a look at the device at one of the mobile stores, and check if the display is crisp enough for text and general browsing. If yes, this is definitely worth the money!

Please share if you liked the post…

[image source]

Originally from Motorola Fire – well-balanced Android 2.3 phone on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

How many Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) ROMs did I try on my Motorola Cliq/Dext? Frankly, I lost count of ‘em. I tried almost every ROM mentioned @Simply Android. Yes, tried almost every ROM, except the actual nightly from CyanogenMod (CM7). Reason: because of my previous experience with unaltered CyanogenMod Gingerbread ROMs on my other phone, Motorola XT502. My bad, I was under the impression that all CM7 ROMs are buggy, and that the bugs are really not taken care of. Well, it depends on the maintainer and how involved he is in testing and releasing the builds.

Nelson Giordano, the Morrison (code name for Cliq/Dext) maintainer makes the difference here. Every nightly, right from build cm_morrison_full-58 until the most recent one cm_morrison_full-83 is flawless.

• Not a single illegal reboot – uncharacteristic of CM7!
• Nothing less than 46 hours worth battery juice – you can get even more when you wipe battery stats!
• Very very smooth transitions and menu scrolling – tell me any other ROM that accomplishes this on a Cliq/Dext
• Excellent overclock support in the kernel – I’m running at 729 MHz with No-frills CPU Control
• Just can’t believe that the automatic brightness control is perfect – it’s still a problem with the latest nightly on my Motorola XT502

It’s very hard to find fault with these builds. I’m sure Nelson is working on a still more tweaked kernel with much better overclocking and battery capabilities. My Cliq/Dext wouldn’t have been so lovable and functional without the effort of CM7 + Nelson + the other developers!

It took me almost 45 days to write this review; ‘was testing every available Gingerbread ROM before becoming loyal to the aforementioned CM7 nightlies.

Simply Android and modmymobile.com provide us with a bunch of other ROMs built on CM7 and also a couple of pure AOSP ones. I would say, you can avoid them for now!

Please share your views if you think the others are better…

Originally from The best Gingerbread ROM for Motorola Cliq/Dext on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

SetCPU and CPU Tuner are well-known apps in the market, and almost every rooted/kernel modded phone has one or the other. Nelson Giordano recommended to me, this ultra-simple and functional CPU controller – No-frills CPU Control.

If you’re one who doesn’t give a damn about the different profiles and priorities involved with SetCPU or CPU Tuner, then this app is for you. Just install, select the max and min clock frequencies, the governor and set the I/O scheduler to deadline.

Another best feature is that there is little chance of a boot-loop when you select ‘apply on boot’. Got a ‘safety valve’ that detects illegal shutdowns and reboots and prevents the app from applying the overclocked (and defective) frequency value. I haven’t got a chance to test this feature as the frequency (768 MHz on my Motorola XT502) seems very stable when set on boot.

Note: On certain phones, if you try searching for No-frills CPU, the market doesn’t show any results. Try searching for ‘dream cpu‘ and you will end up getting No-frills CPU as the first link.

DOWNLOAD and more info…

Please share if you liked this post…

Originally from No-frills CPU Control – install and forget [Android APP] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

There are quite a few bubble level (spirit level) apps for Android out there in the market. Nothing comes close to the smoothness and functionality of this newest app – Power Bubble. The developers – Boy-Coy team, believes that

 Android community deserves best. We are committed to creation of highest quality mobile apps man can imagine!

Good for us!

Key features you’ll like:

• Nice smooth graphics – now, why am I thinking of the iPhone?
• Excellent colors – eye candy
• Nice beep when it locks at 0 degrees
• Supports both portrait and landscape modes – you can have fun leveling things
• Orientation locking – cool feature; check this out!
• Free, and you can turn off the advertisements – thanks guys!

Download and more info… | Discussion forum

Image source

Please share if you liked this post…

Originally from The best and smoothest spirit level [Android App] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Today, I got pingback from a blog – Hopping Around. The author of this blog had used a picture from my blog post ‘Fort Collins to Horsetooth Reservoir – Colorado’. Brought back nostalgic memories of my stay at Fort Collins; though brief, fell in love with that small town.

Well, one day I may drive down this road to the Horsetooth Reservoir…once again, with an ice cold Budweiser!

Thanks to the author of Hopping Around, who used this pic and cared to link back to the original!

Originally from The Fort Collins nostalgia… on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

If you’re a WordPress developer or publisher looking for the best HTML5 framework, you should check out PressWork. I’m sure you would have come across a lot of other frameworks; some of them so very cluttered and cumbersome, but still had to shell out at least $99 for a publisher license. On the other hand, with tons of fine tuning and customizations, the PressWork framework is absolutely FREE!

Features

• Valid HTML5 and CSS3
• Uncluttered layout – professional and clean
• 20 pre-installed Google fonts – you can add more..
• Customization on the fly (front-end editor) – the best part of this framework!
• Quite good SEO scores right from the start
• Most importantly, very good support forums!

DOWNLOAD | more info… | DEMO

Please share if you found this useful…

Originally from PressWork – the best HTML5 framework for WordPress! on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

I have tried quite a few themes before, but eventually returned to the default one. Reason: lack of refinement, bad colors, FCs, ugly icons and a lot more. A day ago, I stumbled upon this rich MIUI-like theme from ZduneX25 (XDA member) – check out the screen shots. One word: brilliant!

Installation is quite simple; it’s an apk file. By the way, I’m using the latest CyanogenMod nightly with this FIX.

DOWNLOAD [has install instructions] | more info…

Please share if you found this useful…

Originally from Found the best MIUI theme for CM7 builds [Android] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

The new version, 2.3.5, of Gingerbread feels surprisingly smooth, fluid and fast. I’m sure, just like me, you would have tried the various nightlies – especially the ones from cm_z71_full-146.zip through the latest cm_z71_full-157.zip. Well again, just like me, you would have been frustrated to see nagging issues like:

• Wrong screen orientation – flips upside-down in landscape mode
• Unreliable WiFi – connects, but has trouble or freezes when the phone wakes up from standby
• Unable to overclock – @768 MHz and governor set at ‘on-demand’, the phone would freeze instantly!
• Other generic performance issues, including battery life

Of the above, the screen orientation bug is the most frustrating. Often times, after installing one of the aforementioned nightlies, I switched to the good old Phantom ROM just to check if the problem persists – finally, ruled out the possibility of my device/accelerometer being problematic. The CM7 nightlies are the culprit! Solution: Note: this may or may not work, but worth the try if you are hell-bent on enjoying the latest and greatest Gingerbread version…

1. Download the latest CM7 version (I tried with cm_z71_full-157.zip) – check for the latest. I’m quite sure the device maintainer would not have fixed the issue in the latest release!
2. Download the SuperAOSP 8.6 AW kernel – for better battery life and kernel overclocking stability
3. Of course, the SuperAOSP 8.6 kernel is a little buggy too; so download the Kernel FIX
4. Put ‘em all on the root of your SD card
5. Reboot into recovery mode
6. Wipe data, cache and Dalvik cache
7. Locate and install the cm_z71_full-157.zip nightly
8. Reboot phone
9. Check if the orientation is fine
10. If orientation is NOT fine – repeat steps 7 through 9 (no need to wipe again!)
11. If orientation is fine – proceed to step 12
12. Locate and install the SuperAOSP 8.6 AW kernel
13. Reboot and check the orientation
14. If fine, reboot in recovery and install the kernel FIX
15. If orientation is still problematic, start over from step 6

Don’t get intrigued from the number of steps mentioned above. Just follow them, or your own logic of installing the nightly repeatedly unless the orientation issue is solved. When all is well with orientation, go to the performance settings, and change CPU governor to ‘on-demand’ and speed to 768 MHz. Let me know if this fixes your screen orientation owes. Else, feel free to propose a new solution! Please share if you found this useful…

Originally from [Plausible] Solution to the CM7 nightlies’ screen orientation issue [upside-down landscape] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Trust me, this is the best! Have tested it repeatedly, and yet get the best performance on my Motorola XT502 and Motorola Cliq/Dext (MB200) phones.

What’s it? It’s a script from Juwe11 (XDA-developers member) that optimizes the memory based on the actual requirement; launching an app, multitasking or running background services. Now, I really don’t require a separate task manager app to free up memory!

Requirement: You must be ROOTED. Have a kernel that supports init.d (example, this and this ROM).

How to install?

1. Download the zip file (link updated – 19 September 2011, it’s now an APP on the Android Market!)
2. Extract the script file and copy it to the root of your SD card
3. Use root explorer to move the file to /system/etc/init.d folder
4. Set the file permissions to 777 (rwxrwxrwx)
5. Reboot

If you have System Panel Lite, check the memory usage. Mine went from 43 M available to 75 M available on my Motorola XT502, and from 65 M available to 99 M on the Motorola Cliq/Dext. Not just that, I’m noticing an increase in overall performance!

Freeing up too much memory is not the goal here – if so, it will only slow down the phone. This script here provides the best balance!

Try it, you won’t regret!

NOTE: If you get ‘read only’ error while trying to paste inside init.d, make sure you’re mounted as R/W and not R/O (look at the top right corner of the root explorer screen).

Look here here for other installation options.

Please share if you found this useful.

Originally from Finally, found the best RAM optimizer for Android [REVIEW] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

It’d be some time before Google rolls out this new market update to all devices. Got to know from Android Community that the latest version has been released (rolling out in phases, already?) yesterday. If you’re curious, you can download the latest version 3.0.27 from HERE.

Enjoy!

UPDATED:

For custom ROMs (like Phantom), the installation may not be straight forward. Use the following procedure, it might help:

1. Download and copy the apk to your phone’s SD card
2. Use Root Explorer and navigate to /system/app folder
3. There should be a Vending.apk. Rename it to RENAMED_Vending.apk, and move it OUT of that app folder (may be to another folder in your SD card)
4. Rename the downloaded apk to Vending.apk, and move it to the /system/app folder
5. Click on Vending.apk, and install

Originally from Download and install the new Android Market v3.0.27 on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Stumbled upon this nice app that displays upcoming calendar notifications on the lock screen face. Though still in beta, it runs pretty good on my Motorola XT502.

Give it a try. From you Android phone - INSTALL

Useful for people who run into a lot of meetings. I hate meetings!

Pic source: Android Market

Originally from Lockscreen Calendar – Android App on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

A few high-resolution wallpapers for your Android phone/tablet. The pictures below are 540 pixels wide, but you have to right-click, open in new tab and then save the resulting high-res version. These 540px pics are just to conserve bandwidth so that the page loads faster…

Average image size = 1.4 MB.

Another set over here. Will upload more. Bookmark!

Originally from New Android Wallpapers [HVGA, WVGA] – high resolution on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

So, I was looking for ways to speed up the ADW/LauncherPro Home Screen refresh (or redraw) – especially, when I move from an app to the default home screen. Generally, after playing Angry Birds, returning to the default home screen page is quite annoying – could see the wallpaper in full glory, and all these icons, widgets and toolbars appear one after the other. Absolutely annoying!

Like any other Android nerd, with the quest of finding a solution, I Googled. And, I stumbled upon this brilliant piece of code (via Android Nexus); typed the below in a terminal emulator:

$ su

# echo ro.HOME_APP_ADJ=1 >> /data/local.prop

Note: Your phone should be rooted.

This worked very well for LauncherPro. Me being inquisitive, switched to Slide Screen Home, and it worked really well for this one too (logically, looking at the command, it should work for any other home screen app). So, I am retaining Slide Screen as the default Home. Fast, slick and efficient!

Try it out and let me know if this worked for the Slide Screen on your phone.

Originally from Speed up Slide Screen Home [Android Home app] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Writing the review for this ROM was the easiest! You will soon know why.

The base is CyanogenMod 7 (CM7) Nightly, with a few tweaks that include the most famous SuperAosp 8.6 AW kernel from CML and some modded scripts that should have supposedly made the user experience better. Supposedly!

Some notes – will not rate them as good or bad; you decide.

1. Base is the lovable CM7 – nothing changes much
2. Reboots – at least 6 times a day!
3. FCs (force closures) – click on Facebook, Gmail, settings, anything, you name it!
4. Freezes – any random application (like Facebook, Feedly running at the same time)
5. Overclocking – I set it at 730 MHz. No change in performance
6. Quadrant score – 1031 without overclock, 938 with overclock (strange!)

So, what do you think? Are you still gonna try this awesome ROM? Here you go DOWNLOAD | more info…

…..else try this stable, reliable Gingerbread ROM.

While I was writing this review, was preparing the phone for another Android 2.3 build. Will soon let you know how that ROM performs!

Let me know your thoughts on this ROM, if you try it out.

Originally from GaleFrog – Android 2.3 ROM for Motorola XT502 (Commtiva Z71 devices) [REVIEW] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

About a month ago, I tested and reviewed the SuperAosp 8.0 RC2 for Motorola XT502 (Commtiva Z71 devices). I was pleasantly surprised by the stability and quality of the ROM, still in RC stages. It actually made a lot of users (like me) dejected with CM7 to switch to that version.

Just a day ago, I laid my hands on this brand new SuperAosp 8.6 AW ROM. Have been using it for the past 28 hours. It’s super cool!

Observations:

1. Absolutely no reboots or system freezes
2. Excellent battery life - as good as the Phantom and Firetrap family of ROMs
3. No annoying ‘SD card unexpectedly removed’ error message
4. Fast and fluid user experience
5. Functional automatic brightness – has improved a bit from the older RC version
6. 100% working USB tethering – brilliant!
7. Quadrant score, without SD booster: 868!
8. Quadrant score, with SD booster: 928!

Note: Some have complained that when connected via USB, the device doesn’t show up as ‘removable disk’ on My Computer. Solution: Go to Settings–Applications–Development and uncheck USB debugging.

This is one of the best ROMs I have used so far on my Motorola XT502 (Xt3/XT5). I’ve clubbed it with Slide Screen and CPU tuner (must have if you have the screen-off music stutter issue), and I’m loving it!

So, what are you waiting for?

DOWNLOAD | more info…

Let me know (via comments) if you have questions.

Useful links:

Wipe battery stats – get 30% more battery life

How to root Motorola XT502 and install custom ROM

Please share if you like this post…

Originally from SuperAosp 8.6 AW ROM for Motorola XT502 (Commtiva Z71 devices) [REVIEW] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

There are quite a few home replacement options available for your Android phone. But, have you tried Slide Screen? Slide Screen, from Larva Labs takes a radical approach to Android home screen.

UPDATE: Sad news: The end of SlideScreen!

When you wake up the phone, you see the latest information from all of the sources, starting from missed calls, calendar entries, messages, mails to Facebook, Twitter and Google reader updates. Yes, all in one screen, where the center bar with cell and weather information slides up and down. Another notable, well thought off feature is that the phone and message bars hide themselves when there’s nothing to notify – no new message or missed call.

After using Slide Screen, I’m no more missing the multiple home screens with widget functionalities. Well, it’s a matter of personal taste. People who are used to the iPhone interface will say “this looks cramped!”. I prefer to move away from the usual, how-so-boring home screens.

Though the development is slow, with no major feature updates during the past 4 months, Slide Screen looks promising. Refreshing too! Should look very good on Android phones with full black panel finish.

DOWNLOAD | info on plugins…

Pic source: Slide Screen

Originally from Slide Screen 2 beta 10 – available for download! on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) is such a brilliant OS, marred by petty issues like force closures (FCs), constant reboots. Though I did succeed in getting a very stable release candidate, I was facing one annoying problem that existed in CM7 versions too – screen-off, music stutter. Music playback is one of the most common and basic functionalities, and it’s quite irritating when this is not capable out of a smart phone.

Problem observations:

• Listening to music + screen ON + DSP Manager EQ/bass boost enabled – very good performance | NO stutter or background noise
• Listening to music + screen OFF + DSP Manager EQ/bass boost enabled – very bad performance | very high stutter with background noise | playback slows down in most instances | phone slows down in all instances
• Listening to music + screen OFF + DSP Manager EQ/bass boost disabled – acceptable performance | NO stutter | background noise exists | playback doesn’t slow down

Inference: It appeared to me that the CPU was getting under-clocked when the screen turns OFF, so unable to handle the higher CPU requirements of the DSP manager. I wasn’t able to change the CPU governors using the built-in SuperAOSP settings – thanks to FCs! Also, the governor adjustments worked like crap in CM7 versions of the ROM.

The solution: To get an app similar to SetCPU; never liked SetCPU. I stumbled upon CPU Tuner (works on rooted phones).

I used the default settings and trigger levels that came with the CPU Tuner. Now, turned ON the music, enabled DSP manager (EQ + bass boost: EXTREME), and turned OFF the screen.

The result: No music stutter or background noise. Just neat, soothing music with excellent bass, out of the Sennheiser headphones. CPU Tuner did the magic!

The side effect: Noticeable improvement in battery life!

If you’re having music stutter problem on your Android 2.3, it’s not because of the phone or hardware, but from bad governor and trigger level settings. Let me know from you, in the comments section, if CPU tuner solved your problem.

Pic source: Android Market

Originally from Screen-off, music stutter problem in Android 2.3 – Solution! on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

I generally don’t write reviews on release candidates. However, after having abysmally bad experiences with CyanogenMod’s (CM7) so-called stable ROMs, I’m urged to write about this release candidate 2 from CML (the SuperAosp guy!). If you have read about how CM7 was made slightly better by the battery and memory fix mod provided by CML, then this post will be of interest to you.

So, downloaded the ROM from here, installed and tested… (changelog for your reference)

Note: This is not a .nb0 package! You have to install it using ROM Manager. If you install directly, you might face IMEI and no signal issues. The best way is to download a .nb0 version (just download the one from here), flash using SUTLR and then install this RC2 via ROM Manager. If you already have a CM7 ROM, you can install directly using ROM Manager. Use the comment section for any queries on this procedure.

1. This is not a .nb0 package – I ‘ve never liked installing via ROM Manager
2. This RC is highly stable when compared to the actual stable versions from CyanogenMod – ain’t this ironic?
3. Absolutely no reboots or system freezes for the past 3 days – Wow!
4. Excellent battery life – as good as the Phantom and Firetrap family of ROMs
5. No annoying ‘SD card unexpectedly removed’ error message – super!
6. Functional automatic brightness – but has got a lot of room for improvement; still should be a little faster than it is now
7. 100% working USB tethering – brilliant!
8. Quadrant score: 790

Issues:

1. Buggy ADW launcher – this has got nothing to do with the ROM. I use Go Launcher now
2. When the DSP Manager is enabled, the audio skips/drags intermittently – quite annoying!

What I think is – this could as well be released as a stable ROM. At least this will lessen the pain of Android enthusiasts installing buggy CM7 ROMs. What say you?

Try this RC2 ROM out, and let me know your comments.

Originally from SuperAosp 8.0 RC2 for Motorola XT502 [REVIEW] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

A long time ago, I wrote an introductory note on Google Chrome OS for netbooks. Well, this June is the time when these Chromebooks will hit the market, for good.

Unfortunately, these Chromebooks are from Samsung and Acer. Don’t people prefer better brands? May be it’s just the perception that keeps these brands alive. If you are in the UK, USA, France, Germany, Italy Netherlands and Spain, go here to order/get notified. It’s not quite understandable why emerging markets (India and China) are not targeted first for these kind of products. May be they are priced in the US $800 (INR 36,000) range?

Hope to see the Chrome OS being ported to netbooks from Asus.

Pic source: Chromebook

Originally from Google Chromebooks – this June! on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

The Vignette camera app for Android is quite high on creativity. Or, may be it kicks the creative dust in you to a slightly higher level. Here is a picture that I snapped using my Motorola XT502 (XT3/XT5), with Velvia as the processing mode…

Pretty good post processing effects on a ganz normal 600 MHz processor!

Originally from Velvia via Vignette for Android on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

This was one Android app that I’ve been missing on my Motorola XT502, after upgrading it to Gingerbread (CyanogenMod 7). I have quite a few spreadsheets on my Google Docs where I store key information that I access on the go.

Thanks to this app, I can now access and also update the info over the basic EDGE (98 kbps – 200 kbps) connection. Yes, this is quite functional over slow connections; I don’t seem to miss Wi-Fi or 3G speeds for this app. However, it does need a working data connection – no offline editing possible at the moment. Though this is not as extensive as the desktop Google Docs, it excels in the basic viewing and quick editing/updating functionality.

The app was launched just about 24 hours ago, and it has crossed 100,000 downloads! Over time, the functionality will be bumped up to enable offline editing – may be!

More info…

Pic source Android Market

Originally from Google Docs for Android – TESTED on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Snapped this pic @Bangalore, when the weather was a pleasant 34 degree Celsius, with the bright sun just playful on my eyes!

Taken with a Motorola XT502 (XT3/XT5)

Originally from Just another B&W photograph.. on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

When I tried CM7 on my Motorola XT502, I was frustrated with the amount of instability in the ROM (it was released as a stable ROM!). I then stumbled upon a CM7 ROM which promised a fix to the battery drain, and also with the stable 2.6.32.9 – SuperAosp kernel.

Installed, tested and here is the review…

1. This is a .nb0 package – no need to downgrade to official 2.1 ROM and then upgrade to 2.3! Flash it (using SUT LR), use it.
2. Quite stable, when compared to the actual CM7
3. Excellent battery life – as good as the Phantom and Firetrap family of ROMs
4. No annoying ‘SD card unexpectedly removed’ error message – super!
5. Functional automatic brightness – but has got a lot of room for improvement; still should be faster and brighter!
6. No duplicate entries!
7. Update: Quadrant score 837

No issues? Well, there are two

1. In case of multiple downloads or simultaneous internet browsing + market apps download, the OS slows down to a stand still. No need to restart, but frustratingly slow until one of the aforementioned operations is complete. I guess this will be fixed in the forthcoming versions from CML.
2. USB tethering not working

If you really want to enjoy the power of Gingerbread (Android 2.3) on your Motorola XT502 (XT3/XT5) or Commtiva Z71 devices, you must try this version of CM7 than the original.

Download ROM | For information on how to install .nb0 files using SUT LR, click here.

Thanks to Boston Mania for releasing this ROM!

Please share if you find this useful…

Originally from CyanogenMod 7 for Motorola XT502 – with battery fix! [REVIEW] on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

CyanogenMod (CM) needs no introduction. Widely known for going the extra-mile in enabling Android devices eat tons and tons of Froyo (Frozen Yoghurt!) – for free! The team responsible for Commtiva Z71 released the Gingerbread (Android 2.3) version a couple of weeks ago.

As usual, tried it; and moved on to Phantom Evolution ROM. Why?

Because:

1. The stable CM7 ROM is so very unstable – can’t even use the phone without force closures and display flicker problems
2. My favorite USB tethering doesn’t work – can’t use for 3G internet connectivity
3. The dialer hangs while punching in the numbers – forgot it’s a phone, damn it!
4. Often get this annoying ‘SD card unexpectedly removed’ message – got to restart!
5. Defective automatic brightness – you need to point the device directly at the light source for this feature to spring in to action
6. Very bad battery life – interestingly, this is the most highlighted problem in the Cyanogen forums
7. Multiple duplicate entries on the phone book – consider this as a value add, just in case you lose a number!
8. and so on…

Ain’t there any good in installing this ROM? Yes, they are…

1. Feel good Gingerbread OS
2. Fast boot times
3. Smooth graphics/transitions
4. Tweaked performance – quadrant score at 837!

Well, you may argue that this is free software, and one has the right to install it or not. Absolutely, that’s why I installed, and then uninstalled. I’m not demanding anything from the CM folks. They don’t work for anyone. Actually, they enable millions of Android users move up to better OS versions.

So, what’s the point? Not to disappoint oneself by installing the STABLE version on your Motorola XT502 or Commtiva Z71 devices. We should wait for other versions from their stable!

Until then, it’s Phantom all the way…

UPDATE: Found a more usable, stable version of this ROM with battery fix!. Check it out here.

Pic source: CyanogenMod

Originally from CyanogenMod 7 for Motorola XT502 – Android 2.3 ROM (REVIEW) on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Before reading this post, please visit Tata Photon’s home page. You will see the image pasted below flashing every other second…

The award has been given by one of the reputed names in the analytics industry – Nielsen! The moment I saw this, I was slightly convinced that this product should perform relatively better than most other products in the market. I planned to give this a try. Called up the Tata marketing guys, and asked for the demo – 8 days ago. Finally, I got this curvy dongle today. Super fast service!

Installed the software, fired up the program, connected! Tested multiple times in 2 locations in Chennai – city (Guindy) and suburb (Urapakkam). Just check the following screenshots.

Tata Photon+ speed in the city – tested between 3 p.m – 5 p.m

Tata Photon+ speed in the suburb – tested between 8 p.m – 10 p.m

Well, the product of the year is not even capable of touching the minimum broadband speed! For this the company expects a rental of Rs 1500 for 90 days, and for a miniscule 6GB data usage! Ain’t this in other words known as crap?

It’s just plain bad that I’m not gonna be a part of Tata Photon’s elite customers – anytime soon.

Results from speedtest.net

Originally from Tata Photon+ broadband service – speed test on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

Oftentimes, when running into meetings, I’ve to make sure that my phone is in vibrate mode. Of course, who wants to look like a jackass when your phone goes off in a loud ring, and all eyes plus frowns focused on you? Sometimes, I do forget to switch to silent/vibrate mode. Busy Me might save you from such an embarrassment; by connecting with your Google Calendar.

This app is just about 23k, but highly functional. I have installed it on my phone, and it works just fine. Give it a try if you run into scheduled meetings too very often.

Pic source Android Market

Originally from Busy Me could save you during meetings… on Ubiquitense

By Naren Ubi

My favorite magazine-type RSS news aggregator, Feedly, has been acquired by XWiki. According to the press release from Feedly, this acquisition will result in a mobile personal elastic curated Wiki. Sounds funky enough? Mobile, elastic, personal, curated, and a Wiki – wow!?

This elastic product will supposedly enable easy mobile knowledge sharing.

A simple phone bump between phones will allow to transfer Wiki pages from one device to another and activate real-time synchronization between the phones content, including real-time merging of editions based on Operational Transformation (OT) provided by the Google Wave algorithms.

More info over here.

Certain technologies are better left as is… just my opinion!

Originally from Feedly acquired by XWiki on Ubiquitense