Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Google lists over a 100 'must-have' Android apps

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/google-lists-over-a-100-musthave-android-apps/520647-11.html

Google has now published another list of apps that it thinks you must have on your Android devices. The list on the Google Play Store features 122 apps when accessed from India. It includes popular apps like Evernote, Pocket, CamScanner, YouTube.

$5 EBOOK BONANZA – EVERY TITLE, EVERY TOPIC

https://www.packtpub.com/packt5dollar/?utm_source=dysond&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=5D2014

The $5 eBook Bonanza is here!

Treat yourself to the eBook or Video of your choice for just $5 and get as many as you like until January 6th 2015. To get you started, we've put together the Top 20 Titles of 2014 for you to pick up here. 

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Device Assist

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/googles-new-device-assist-app-helps-you-fix-smartphone-issues-suggests-better-phone-usage/516943-11.html

Google's new Device Assist app helps you fix smartphone issues, suggests better phone usage

A new Google app, Device Assist, has been launched to detect problems with smartphones and help people use phone features properly.
The app is designed to help first-time users get the best out of their phones and fix issues that it detects, for instance, with the battery, connectivity and GPS. Tips "to explore new features and improve the performance of your device" are also on offer, says the app description on Google Play Store.
For users of the Nexus, Google's flagship phone and Google Play edition devices, there is also an option of live Google support.
Google's new Device Assist app helps you fix smartphone issues, suggests better phone usage
The Device Assist app is designed to help first-time users get the best out of their phones and fix issues that it detects, for instance, with the battery, connectivity and GPS.

The app is currently available to US-based Nexus, Google Play edition and Android One devices running Android 5.0, Lollipop.
"Great for people who aren't quite so tech savvy! I'm suggesting this to all my family who constantly ask me to help them with their devices," a user said.
There are explanations of features that first-time Android users might not know about, like "screen brightness setting is battery intensive", to help users get the hang of their devices.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Google Drive now lets you edit Microsoft Office attachments right from Gmail

http://venturebeat.com/2014/12/02/google-drive-now-lets-you-edit-microsoft-office-attachments-right-from-gmail/
Google today announced a very useful new addition to Gmail: editing Microsoft Office documents that arrive as email attachments. A new Google Drive edit icon has been added to Gmail attachments that you can click to automatically convert Office files to Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides.
Google notes that the new feature means you can turn Microsoft Office documents into a Google Drive file so that you have a single document to keep track of, as well as get access to revision history. This document can be accessed “from anywhere” since it resides in the cloud, and you can choose to make it available for offline access as well.
Here’s the new feature in action:
Hover over a Gmail attachment to open it in Google Drive.
Google Drive today also gained support for importing 15 new Office formats, though they’re not very widely used ones: presentation show files, macro-enabled files, and template files. Here’s the full list:
  • dot, dotx, dotm*, docm* conversions to Google Docs
  • xlt, xltx, xltm*, xlsm* conversions to Google Sheets
  • pot, potx, potm*, pptm*, pps, ppsx, ppsm* conversions to Google Slides
Google is also promising “improved charts, images, and tables support” for these file formats, but didn’t go into detail.
Being able to access documents in the cloud, with revision history, is of course not unique to Google Drive. Microsoft offers the same functionality in its own Office Online offering, but naturally not from within Gmail.
Today’s announcement is a prime example of how tightly Google ties its services together. Even if you prefer using Microsoft Office and OneDrive, or even Microsoft Office and Dropbox, they’re a hard sell if you’re a user of Google’s other services.
This is exactly why you will continue to see Microsoft using the same strategy as Google to bringOutlook, OneDrive, and Office Online closer together. In the cloud file storage wars, Microsoft has the advantage of Office and Google has the advantage of Gmail.
Some would argue that Dropbox is ahead with its cloud file storage service, but the company is playing catch-up in other areas (hence its acquisition of Mailbox and its document editing partnerships). This battle is far from over.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

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

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/google-releases-list-of-68-best-android-apps-of-2014-61-free-7-paid/516093-11.html

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

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Google launches standalone Messenger app for Android

Google has released its new standalone messaging app for Android. Messenger from Google is a communications app that helps users send/receive SMS and MMS messages to/from any phone. Users can also send group texts as well as pictures, videos and audio messages to contacts.
Messenger is supported on devices running Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, and above.
Android users can download the app from here.
Description
Stay in touch with friends and family. Messenger from Google is a communications app that helps you send and receive SMS and MMS messages to any phone. You can also send group texts as well as your favorite pictures, videos and even audio messages to your contacts.
Key features:
• Faster sharing: Select or take pictures and videos directly from the app and share easily. You can even send audio messages to your contacts.
• Easy search: Search through contacts and conversation threads to find exactly what you are looking for.
• Purposeful design: New, fluid, material design that is intuitive and delightful.
• More control: Ability to block SMS senders. No interruptions when you don’t want them!
• More features: audio messages, emoji support 😃, colored text threads, message archiving and more.
Messenger is supported on devices running Android™ 4.1, Jelly Bean, and above.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Remotely control your Android via internet or SMS with Android Lost

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/remotely-control-your-android-via-internet-or-sms-with-android-lost/?tag=nl.e067&s_cid=e067&ttag=e067&ftag=TRE40fd434

Android Lost

One of the more crucial elements of owning a smartphone is security. Of course, security doesn't just lie in the hands of platform developer -- it's also the responsibility of the device owner. Why? People lose phones. You hear tales of it all the time, and sometimes those tales are laden with woes of "My company's data is on that device!" What do you do to prevent this kind of situation from happening to you?
Simple -- you install an app like Android Lost. With this (and others like it), you can remotely control your Android either via a website or SMS. Here are several things you can do with the Android Lost tool:
  • Read sent and received SMS messages
  • Wipe phone
  • Lock phone
  • Erase SD card
  • Locate by GPS or network
  • Start alarm with flashing screen
  • Send SMS from web page
  • Message pop-up
  • Forward calls
  • Phone status: battery, imei, etc.
  • Remote SMS alarm
  • Remote SMS lock and unlock
  • Remote SMS erase SD card
  • Remote SMS wipe phone
  • Remote SMS APN control
  • Start/stop GPS
  • Start/stop Wi-Fi
  • Hide from launcher
  • Email when SIM card is changed
  • Get call list
  • Take picture with front camera
  • Take picture with rear camera
  • Make your phone speak with text-to-speech
  • SMS message command
  • SMS speak command
  • Lock timeout
  • Restore settings on boot
  • Record sound from microphone
  • Start and stop data connection from SMS
  • Start and stop Wi-Fi connection from SMS
That's a fairly complete list of what you might want to do with a remote management app. Of course, the most important items in the feature list aid you in locating or wiping the data from a lost device. Let's install Android Lost and see how it's used.

Installation

Getting Android Lost on your device is quite simple. Just follow these steps:
  1. Open the Google Play Store on your device
  2. Search for Android Lost
  3. Locate and tap the entry for Android Lost by Theis Borg
  4. Tap Install
  5. Read the permissions listing carefully
  6. If the permissions listing is acceptable, tap Accept
  7. Allow the installation to complete
Now that you have the app installed, you'll find a launcher on your home screen or in the app drawer (or both). Tap it to launch the app, and it will require you to grant Administrator rights to proceed (Figure A).
Figure A
Figure A
Running Android Lost on a Verizon-branded HTC M8.
When you tap Request Administrator rights, you'll then have to tap the Activate button. If you do not Activate this, Android Lost will not be able to remotely administer your device. Tap Activate, and you're done. From the main Android Lost screen, tap the menu button, and then tap Security level. Next, tap the Exit button, and you're ready to start.
Before you can do anything with your device, you must go to the Android Lost website and log on with your Google credentials. Click the Sign In link and then (once authenticated) click the Allow button. Now, you're ready to remotely manage your device.

Usage

From the Android Lost website, you can do everything necessary. One of the first things you should do is set up an SMS Allow phone number. With this number, you can send SMS commands to your device. To set this up, do the following:
  1. Once logged into the Android Lost website, select the phone to be managed in the upper right drop-down (above your email address)
  2. Click the the SMS tab (Figure B)
  3. Enter the 10 digit number (not the number of the phone being managed) to be allowed (under SMS Allowed)
  4. Click the Allow button
Figure B
Figure B
The Android Lost management console.
At this point, you can work Android Lost magic from the website and send commands from the phone number that you set up.
Remotely managing your phone from the website is simple. Just select the Controls tab, and then click on the sub-tab that contains the action you want. For example, to remotely wipe your device, do the following:
  1. Select the Controls tab
  2. Click on the Security sub-tab
  3. Scroll down to the bottom
  4. Click Wipe Phone (you can opt to wipe external storage as well)
  5. Click Wipe again in the resulting pop-up
If you need to manage the phone via another phone, you can send an SMS command in the form of:
androidlost wipe
That particular command will wipe the device. To get a full listing of the SMS commands, go to the Android Lost website, click on SMS, and scroll down to see list of available SMS commands.
If you're looking for yet another third-party tool to remotely cleanse your device of its data or help locate the device, give Android Lost a try -- and enjoy the idea that you can keep your data out of nefarious hands.

Android 5.0 will look like on your Samsung Galaxy phone

Check out the full videos previews from Sam Mobile below to get a better idea of what Android 5.0 will look like on your Samsung Galaxy phone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8qD_h6iL1g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU3H1t0kIrQ

Sunday, November 9, 2014

A new app that helps kids handle emergencies

http://www.redcross.org/monsterguard
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/a-new-app-that-helps-kids-handle-emergencies/511631-11.html

A new app called Monster Guard is out to teach children, through fun and games, how to handle emergencies.
Created by the American Red Cross, the Monster Guard app is meant for children aged between 7 and 11.
From fires to tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes and tsunamis, it teaches children how to prepare for the worst.
A new app that helps kids handle emergencies

Created by the American Red Cross, the Monster Guard app is meant for children aged between 7 and 11.

The monsters in the app teach children to tackle situations and help ensure that in an adverse situation, it will be second nature to pick up the right things and take steps to save themselves and the family.
Monster Guard is free to download in Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store. It is a large file and needs the iPhone 5 or Android version 3.1 or later.
The app is sponsored by Disney.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

How Mark Zuckerberg Started


How Mark Zuckerberg really started is not how the movie The Social Network showed it.


Mark Zuckerberg meets a computer

His father, although not an engineer, was an early computer enthusiast. Running a dental office he had a vision that computers would change the way people communicate. But for the time being he used them for taking scanning people’s mouths. At age 10 Mark was bored with school. His father noticed and introduced him to his Altair computer. Together they wrote a program that connected the computer at home with the computer in the office. They called it “ZuckNet.” It alerted doctor Z, as he is known, when a patient arrived. It worked better than having the receptionist yell, “Patient here!”

Mark Zuckerberg starts hacking
Mark quickly learned everything his father knew about computers. He started studying with a tutor. Then he started taking a college class in computer science while still in middle school. He read books. But he really started learning to code when he transferred to a private school where he met a programming whiz kid Adam D’Angelo. Together they started hacking. They made an artificially intelligent music player that learned the user’s music taste. Soon Microsoft found out about it and offered money and a job. Zuckerberg was not interested.
There is a running theme in how Mark Zuckerberg started. He would be offered millions and even billions at least 11 times since then, and every time he walked away. He might have a bigger plan every time.
Source: The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company That Is Connecting the World

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Wow - Dual Boot MIUI and Cyanogenmod (any rom) on Mi3 !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL2zdFSHznc

To get all stock again of MIUI v5 follow the guide over here - https://youtu.be/5sT-rcTHoTM

FOLLOW ALL THE STEPS CAREFULLY AND DON'T SKIP ANYTHING !

You can dual boot with MIUI 5 and MIUI 6 too using this method !

Cyanogenmod thread - http://sh.st/yRLyp

[ Skip the ad you get after clicking on link - Only 1 paid link per video (Just to keep me alive on YouTube) ]

All the downloads are available there.

Gapps - http://goo.gl/tLuJLX

If you are on MIUI 5 and want to upgrade to MIUI 6 then check this video MIUI 6 flashing guide - http://goo.gl/ZnF0t1

For CWM - http://en.miui.com/thread-19405-1-1.html

How to flash CWM ?
Download the CWM_recovery_r7_cancro_final.zip 
Then put this in the sd card and then 

Goto settings - About phone -System updates - then click option -- Select update package and then select the CWM zip file !!

----------------------------------------­----------------------------------------­----
Xiaomi Mi3 Gaming review - http://goo.gl/L5WSMp

Xiaomi Mi3 Gaming review part 2 - http://goo.gl/JYQoLj

Xiaomi Mi3 Root - http://goo.gl/GQzpxK

Xiaomi Mi3 Tips, Tricks, Features (Software) - http://goo.gl/JYnPsJ

Xiaomi Mi3- Google Now launcher - http://goo.gl/67JWv9

MIUI 6 official - http://goo.gl/ZnF0t1

Android KitKat vs Android Lollipop

http://richdemuro.com/2014/10/26/side-by-side-android-kitkat-vs-android-l-10-screenshots/

Android Lollipop (5.0) marks a big improvement for the operating system. It’s the first time Google has put a big emphasis on beautiful design – or as they call it, “material design.”
To illustrate what the changes look like, I loaded a developer preview edition of Lollipop onto a Nexus 5 and put it side by side with a Moto X (not 100% stock but pretty close). Remember, this is not the final edition of the Lollipop operating system and things can change before it’s released “in the coming weeks.”
Note: KitKat is on the left, Lollipop on the right.
1. Homescreen
You’ll notice the status bar has a slightly different look, as does the Google Search bar, Google Now and the menu buttons at the bottom of the screen. The shapes are now much simpler and clean looking. Also, notice the homescreen dots – they are no longer bigger to indicate which screen you are on, just bolder.
1-homescreen
2. Google Now
You’ll see some of the most dramatic changes here. On the right, Lollipop information is easier to grasp in an instant, with the most important stuff in strong text and highlighted in bold colors. (Side note, what a terrible loss)
2-google now
3. Dialer
Dialer looks cleaner, numbers are spaced out a bit more for more comfortable dialing. Also, there are less choices on screen. Gone are the recent and menu options. There is no doubt where to press the call button.
3-phone dialer
4. Quick Settings
Some excellent and useful changes here. Everything is clean looking and you get instant access to your most important toggles including brightness. On the right in Lollipop you’ll notice the addition of a flashlight (yay!) and Cast Screen is now part of the defaults for easily screen slinging to Chromecast. The “user” toggle is now smaller and up near the top of the screen.
4-notifications quick settings 2
5. Notifications Pull Down
Here’s what it looks like after you just took a screenshot and pull down on the notifications bar. Material design is apparent on the right in Lollipop as you can clearly see the distinction between the three parts of the notification: the explanation at the top, the snippet in the middle and the action option at the bottom. Also, notice the toggle to clear all notifications has moved below them, which makes it easier to clear them using one hand on a giant phone screen (Nexus 6 et al).
5-screenshot captured copy
6. Battery
Battery stats are a bit easier to understand on the right, plus Android Lollipop will give you an approximation of how much time you have left to use your phone. Apparently, battery life is much improved in this update. Additionally, while you charge your phone both this screen and the lock screen tell you how much time it will take until your phone is fully charged.
6-battery
7. Clock
Just a little cleanup here, plus I noticed the background color seems to change based on the time you’re looking at the clock. Also, the globe icon at the bottom has changed to match Material Design standards.
7-clock
8. Settings
8-settings
9. Storage
Not too many visible changes here, but an overall clean and clear look. Also, gone is the “gear” icon since it doesn’t seem to match the simplicity of Android 5.0 Material Design.
9-storage
10. Interruptions
One of the more useful additions to Lollipop (both screenshots are from 5.0). It’s their version of Apple’s “Do Not Disturb,” but offers even more functionality (BTW, if you aren’t getting Lollipop anytime soon check out a fantastic Android app called Agent that does some of this). You can schedule quiet times for your phone or allow only certain “priority” callers and messages to ring your device. There are various ways you can customize here. Additionally, when you adjust the volume on your device, you now have the option to toggle “interruptions” (aka notifications) off for an indefinite or timed amount of time, or only allow interruptions from your priority list.
10-notifications
Conclusion
This is by no means a full review of Lollipop, just a fun look at some of the changes in store for Android users. Overall, the look and feel is best described as a combination of clean and useful. There isn’t a lot of unnecessary stuff floating around – until, of course, OEM’s get their hands on it!
It feels more like a modern day operating system, and less like an “operating system.”

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

GMail vs GInbox - One Father Two Sons

http://en.miui.com/thread-59488-1-1.html


We all have have our inboxes filled  of email, right?
1000+ of emails and its not at all easy to figure out the important ones :)
So coming to the point.
Here we are comparing two apps named Gmail 5.0  and  the new Inbox .
Taking about Gmail 5.0 First

Gmail


After being teased back at Google I/O and then appearing in numerous images here and there, as well as being featured in a ROM built for the Nexus 4, we can finally talk about its beauty (and new functionality). In case you were wondering, yes, this is the Material Design update with ripples, layers and transitions that also includes support for Exchange and other email accounts like Yahoo, Outlook, AOL, etc. You now have an all-in-one email client on Android that has been built by the Gmail team. How awesome does that sound?




Taking About The Structure


The first thing you will notice is the big, beautiful red action bar at the top of the app that blends into the status bar. We have a pulled out hamburger menu icon, a move that seems to be born from Material Design. Tap that icon or swipe from the left and you expose the slideout menu that houses your accounts (including Outlook, Yahoo, etc.) and email categories/tags.
This is How You Submit Different Accounts
The rest of the app is mostly the same, in terms of settings, notifications, and swiping. I didn’t notice any new settings or options in notifications, plus the swipe-to-archive/delete is the same. You still won’t find swipes across messages that can do multiple actions, like you will in Google’s new Inbox app.


Options Avaliable

Inbox
Inbox is a new interface of Google, which intelligently categorises your email, allows you to hide messages until later and highlights the most important information from your inbox.
Do I get a new email address?
No, Google Inbox is really just a new interface for your existing Gmail account.
You keep your existing address, and you can even still use the regular Gmail interface if you wish.
Google say the standard Gmail interface isn't going anywhere - Inbox is an optional extra.

1. Snooze emails



Previously seen in third-party clients (most notably Mailbox), Inbox lets you snooze emails to deal with later—it's the same as archiving Emails except these messages pop back into view after a predefined time. In the apps, swipe left on a thread; on the webs,click the clock icon. Available options include later today, tomorrow, next week or some day. The email remains snoozed until you manually move it back.

2. Enhanced Search engine

As with the main Google portal, the idea is that you don't even need to finish your search to see the information you need.

3. Create reminder
s
Reminders are a Google Now feature really, but they make it into Google Inbox as well. You can create simple reminders that hang around as sticky posts in the Inbox view and the Pinned view. Unfortunately, there's no ability to associate a reminder with a particular time, date or location (as you can in Google Now) so presumably Google will improve this feature over time.

4.Pin emails


Pinned emails are to Inbox what starred emails are to standard Gmail. You can quickly view pinned messages—"emails you need to get back to" in the words of Google—by toggling the master switch at the top of the Inbox interface on Web and mobile. Emails that you've snoozed are automatically pinned and show up in the same view as well as any reminders that you've created.

5. Use the Low Priority label
It's likely that a lot of the email traffic that arrives in your inbox is "low priority" and Google does make some attempt to sift out automatic emails, special offers, confirmation messages, social updates and the like. Inbox introduces a new Low Priority label that you can use instead of or alongside bundles like Social and Promotions. Find it on the app's main menu to activate it.

6. Building bundles


 
Bundles are another of the headline features of Inbox but you might find yourself a little wary of the way they automatically hoover up many of your incoming messages. They're like the preset tabs in the Gmail Priority Inbox, but they stay in line with your other messages. You can move individual emails to and from these bundles, and (as with Priority Inbox) each time you do this the app will ask if you want to sort these kinds of emails automatically in the future.
Conclusion
Over all Its an awesome & worthy upgrade for me.
The new inbox  looks far too much impresive to be ignored; initially you need to have an Invite :)
Enjoy.