Right Now In Tech

Why I Like Real Racing 3's Free-To-Play Model

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 23:51:00 +0000

I was highly skeptical of Real Racing 3's freemium model when it was 'softly' released in Australia and New Zealand before the US. The reviews said it was horrible, and I was certain the game wouldn't do well at all. But a friend recommended the game to me anyway, and I decided to give it a try. I was very certain I would play a little and then let it go.

Despite my expectations, I got sucked in. I've been playing for a few weeks. The best part: I haven't paid a cent! Here's why I like it.
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PC Parts You Should Keep Around or Collect

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 23:21:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Stacey Thompson.

People have been proclaiming the beginning of the end of the PC for quite some time now, but never has it been more apparent than the past few years. The marketplace is being bombarded with an increasing number of mobile computing devices: smartphones, tablets, netbooks, and gadgets that fall somewhere between. More people are finding these smaller, almost equally capable machines preferable over the bulky, hardly portable desktop units.
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Should You Defrag Your Mac or Not?

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 22:53:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Vishal.

Whether we should defrag our Mac hard drive or not – is always a matter of discussion among Mac users. Many say that defragging Mac optimizes its performance while others say that it is just a hypothetical remedy produced by professional utilities. However, Apple too is not very definite about this subject as in one of its article it says, ‘you probably won’t need to optimize your machine at all, if you are using Mac OS X’. After that, it provides the remedies to defragment Mac. Moreover, it also explains some safeguards that prevent its hard drive from getting fragmented and as well says that if you encounter any of the below mentioned scenarios, then defragging your hard drive may get back your machine’s speed:

If there are several large files on your hard drive (large files can include video files).
Or if the hard drive of your computer is nearly full. That means it has less than 10% free space.

Windows XP Users, Kicked Off The Web after Antivirus Update

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 00:16:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Taylor Miller.

Computer malwares and viruses may be something that you can’t avoid. It’s like being sick because you’re human and all you can do is prevent attacks beforehand even before it comes to you. That’s how antiviruses should work right? However, computer users were rattled when the supposedly helpful antivirus worked against them.

The issue sprouted after thousands of Windows XP users applied for a misfiring antivirus update, which they don’t know about, from Kaspersky lab and were blocked from accessing the internet during the week because of the said update.
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The Most Outrageous Cell Phone Innovations

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 00:10:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Roland Frampton.

The Good Old Days

How fondly I remember my first cell phone. The year was 2012 and I had just received an amazing new phone with a 4.7 inch touchscreen. It had Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. It used a burgeoning technology called near field communication which allowed us to transfer data by simply touching our phones together. The case was made of a plastic polymer which allowed it to be just around a quarter of a pound. The battery, get this, was made of a lithium ion which allowed it to last over 24 hours without recharging. That was one of the biggest selling points and I remember thinking that I could go to school without having to recharge it in my car at lunch. I was only 16 years old, so it was very uncool to have to charge your phone all the time. I remember how adept I was at sending text messages and not getting caught by my high school teachers.
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Sony Announces PlayStation 4, Doesn't Show Hardware

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 23:57:00 +0000

On Wednesday, Sony announced the fourth-generation PlayStation console. The previous generation, PlayStation 3, was released in 2006. The PS4 is scheduled to launch this year - 7 years after the previous generation.

Here's a summary of what was announced.
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Google Releases Video to Show What Glass Feels Like

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 02:05:00 +0000

Google has been going through Glass prototypes like crazy. They have been designing and redesigning the in-development product Glass on the hardware and UI level. They had released a video last year to show what the early prototype UI looked like. Back then, it was Terminator-style augmented reality that placed UI elements in your field of view.

However, this has changed. At this stage, Glass is a device that will display a very simple HUD in the top-right corner of your vision. They have released a video to show what it looks like through Glass.
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5 Gadgets for Mobile Entrepreneurs

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:54:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Joe Pawlikowski.

Life on the road can be grueling. You sleep in an unfamiliar bed, you're away from friends and family, and you don't have the comfort of your at-home setup. That's not to mention the dozens of meetings that a traveling entrepreneur has to take every trip. It's all for a worthwhile goal, but it can take a toll even on the travel-savviest entrepreneurs.

As with all life's endeavors, there are ways to lessen the impact of frequent travel. The following gadgets won't make your bed feel more familiar, nor will they bring your friends and family to you in the flesh (Skype will still have to suffice). But they can make life quite a bit easier when you're placed in those uncomfortable travel situations.
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Hackers Attack Apple Through Java Exploit; Apple Releases Update to Remove Java Applet

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:06:00 +0000

According to Reuters and the The Verge, some hackers managed to infect "a small number" of Apple's computers through some Java vulnerability. According to Reuters, "there was no evidence that any data left Apple." User info was not compromised.

An update was released a few hours ago that is meant to uninstall the Java applet from browsers in OS X that users can download now.
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Top Tablets for Kids in 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 17:02:00 +0000

This guest post is from GetTechSpecs.

With the excitement and presents exchagne of Christmas and New Year's over, a lot of people will be chuffed with their new gadgets and devices, many of which we're sure would be some of the latest tablets. But spare a thought for the kids and if they're still aching for a tablet to play with, instead of letting them run loose on your shiny new iPad or Nexus, why not try one of these budget, kid-friendly tablets. While the mainstream tablets like the iPad and Nexus are aimed for adults and kids alike, there are tablets made specifically for kids keeping in mind their activity levels whilst also incorporating the newest technology. We review some of the best kids tablets available in 2013 here - listed in no particular order I should add.Continue Reading...

Moves For iPhone is the Best App to Track Your Daily Walking

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:41:00 +0000

I have been looking for an iPhone app that tracks my daily walking for ages. But the only apps I find in the iOS App Store are made for tracking workouts. I wanted a simple pedometer app that tells me how many steps I took over the day. I don't work out purposefully, but I walk quite a bit throughout the day across my university campus. Hence apps that separate workout sessions weren't right for me.

Moves for iPhone is my perfect app now. You just leave it running in the background and it uses some complex algorithms in the cloud to calculate your steps (also running and walking) and ignore any bumps and shakes caused by bumpy transport rides. Plus it's FREE!
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Mobile Payments: A Technology On the Rise

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:51:00 +0000

This article was written by Andrew G. Rosen.

Do you remember what a big deal it was when stores started switching to scanners? Most people could hardly believe that society had advanced to a time where the cashier no longer had to manually punch in numbers. Well, just when you thought that checking out couldn’t get any easier, mobile payments have come along. This is a trend that is sweeping in strong and fast, and if you don’t get onboard, you may find yourself left behind or overshadowed by your competition that is already offering this option.

Everything today seems too revolved around convenience. No one wants to have to call and talk to a real person, nor do they want to go home to use a computer when the internet is in the palm of their hands on their smartphone. Therefore, it only makes sense that when given the option to wait in line and pay a person or utilize their phone and get out the door faster, you can guess which will be the preferred choice. In fact, it is expected that mobile payment transactions are going to account for approximately $300 billion in transactions for 2013.

Convenience for Consumers and Businesses
Whether you have recently opened a small business or if you have a chain of stores, you likely appreciate convenience as much as your customers do. When you have the power to accept payments without the use of a credit card terminal, it not only offers convenient, it opens up a lot of opportunities.

When you can attach a card reader to your smartphone and use a free app to process payments, it allows you to accept payments anywhere. Not only that, you can avoid the setup costs of point-of-sale systems that can traditionally be quite high.

Welcome Near Field Communications
Near Field Communications (NFC) was about a decade in the making and well worth the wait. Rather than swiping your credit card at a payment terminal, you simply need to wave your phone. This eliminates the need to even carry a wallet with credit cards or cash. This will also speed up lines. No one has to dig for their credit card they should have already had out; nearly everyone always has their phone in hand and ready do use. Some public transportation systems are already changing to RFID-enabled transit cards, which will reduce the number of paper tickets needed and the number that are littered. This is good news for the environment any way you look at it.

Looking to the Future
Many believe that mobile payments are going to ultimately replace cash and credit cards by 2020. A study conducted with 1,021 technology critics and stakeholders was done, including distinguished professors and even Google and Microsoft executives. Approximately 65 percent agreed that 2020 would be the magic year when smart device purchasing will be fully adopted.

Choosing a Mobile Payment Option
Only time will tell if the need for cash and credit cards will be eliminated, but one thing is for certain; every business, regardless of size needs to accept mobile payments to compete in today’s market.

Pinpointing your needs and comparing your options is imperative before you make your decision. Read reviews, check rates and even find out what you competition is using. The sooner you welcome mobile payments, the faster you will be able to drive incremental revenues.

About the Author
This article was submitted by freelance blogger Andrew G. Rosen. For more on online credit card processing please visit us online.

How Apple Should Do Widgets in iOS

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:40:00 +0000

A lot of people have been hoping that Apple add widgets in iOS similar to how Android does it. In Android, some apps come with widgets that the user can use to customize their home screen. A weather app might come with a widget that displays weather info as the user unlocks their device.

iOS does not do this. Perhaps Apple considers it clutter. Apps come as standalone applications that do not even have much scope of working with each other, let alone modifying the system altogether. People on the Internet have been creating mockups of how widgets could work if they were added into iOS. Here's what I think.

iQueue Free is an All-in-One iPhone App to Manage Your Netflix Queues

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:50:00 +0000

Ever since I got my Netflix DVD subscription, I have found myself remembering movies that I want to watch on-the-go, like when someone recommends them to me in person. The official Netflix app does not allow adding discs to the DVD queue as of now. The iOS app is basically Netflix Instant for iPhone and iPad. iQueue solves that problem.
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Netflix Wants at Least Five New Shows a Year

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:03:00 +0000

"House of Cards", a political drama series released this weekend exclusively on Netflix. It was a show with a $100 million budget. Netflix original series do not air with a pilot. All episodes are released at once on Netflix Instant. Lilyhammer was another Netflix original show, with a second season coming this year.

Netflix is saying that they want at least five original shows every year.
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250,000 Twitter Accounts Compromised

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 17:49:00 +0000

The official Twitter Blog has reported that approximately 250,000 user account information may have been hacked into.
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Apple Releases iOS 6.1 to Public

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:58:00 +0000

With a beta that ran for months, iOS 6.1 - a major-minor software update for iOS devices (iPhone, iPad iPod touch) is out now. Anyone who could run iOS 6 can download and install this update. It contains various small fixes here and there along with some added minor features.

Valve Releases Original Half-Life for OS X and Linux

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 23:50:00 +0000

The original Half-Life game from Valve that changed first-person games and video games in general drastically in many ways has been ported to Linux and Mac. The game originally released in 1998, before either of these operating systems were good gaming platforms. But Valve is very well known for keeping its old games alive.
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HTC Bundles Tiny Phone with 5-inch Butterfly Smartphone in China

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 23:36:00 +0000

HTC seems to believe that a tiny, dumb-phone can be a great companion to your oversized smartphone. In China, they have introduced the HTC Mini, a small, ergonomic phone to supplement your large all-in-one device.
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Twitter Unveils Vine App That Lets You Embed 6-second Videos in Tweets

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 18:21:00 +0000

Twitter had acquired Vine last fall. Now, they have introduced an app that lets users shoot videos that are 6-seconds or shorter and embed them in tweets.
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CloudClip for iOS and OS X is the Perfect Clipboard Manager that Syncs with the Cloud

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 18:04:00 +0000

New free utility CloudClip for iOS (universal) and CloudClip Manager for Mac allows you to share stuff from your clipboard across devices. Moreover, the Mac app also acts as a very handy, full-featured yet simple free clipboard manger, saving everything you copy or cut.
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EE Hoping the 4G Network Could Boost British Business

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 23:39:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Mike.

It has been a year of positivity for the UK, with a successful Olympic Games and the recent news that the country appears to be emerging from the recession. However, small business will still be feeling the sting of the tighter budgets that may have put a hold on innovation – something one internet services provider is hoping might now change.

Facebook Announces Graph Search, Lets You Search Complex Connections

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:38:00 +0000

Facebook held a media event today at their headquarters in Menlo Park, CA for the press to come and see "what [they're] building." There, they announced a new feature they call Graph Search which will start rolling out soon. The feature will let users search for queries such as "friends of my friends in Switzerland who like hiking" or "restaurants my friends like" and receive personalized search results.

5 Windows Phone Apps to Create and Customize Live Tiles

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 22:37:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Charles Malcolm.

Are you tired of the Live Tiles that appears every time when you start up your PC system? No more of the annoyance now. Windows Phone 8 offers you the capability of customizing the Live Tiles according to your preference. You can resize them and shuffle them as you wish. Don’t you think this is a real boost for the mobile Microsoft OS? You now have the privilege to arrange things according to their importance.

If you desire to make and modify the Live Tile, there are some apps for your help. Check out the best ones so that you can make successfully customize the home screen of your Windows Phone.
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Adobe Makes Creative Suite 2 Free To Download

noreply@blogger.com (Antriksh Yadav) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 20:52:00 +0000

Adobe's Creative Suite includes a large number of media-editing and production software, such as Premiere, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, InDesign and more. While the suite has evolved and developed a lot over the years, CS2 from 2005 is a very powerful set of software that is very capable of doing some real work. It is now free for download from Adobe.

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