Tuesday 15 November 2011

Google set to roll out its music service this week


If reports are to be believed, Google will launch its music service at its event called 'These Go to Eleven' scheduled to be held in Los Angeles later this week. The Google Music store is reported to have new features such as a MP3 music store with a direct connection to its social networkGoogle+. It will also feature licensed tracks from major music labels.
Google had launched its Google Music Beta in May earlier this year. Similar to Amazon's Cloud Player, Google Music allows users to upload their music and store it online. The music can also be streamed to the user's PC or Android devices. Google's Music service also comes with an offline functionality, by making recently played tracks available offline. Google also offers some free licensed tracks to users, and offers a weekly newsletter with downloads of new tracks that can be added to the store.
According to The Verge, Google has started sending out invitations for its forthcoming event, where the search engine company will unveil its music store. The Verge report states:
“We just got word from that Google is holding an event on November 16th, and our sources tell us it's going to be for Google Music. The email came from Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel, in case the event's 'These Go to Eleven' name wasn't obvious. No word yet on what will be announced, but we expect to see music purchasing added to the service as well as new Google+ sharing service following a glimpse in October of an HTML5-powered music player. We'll be covering the event live at 2pm PST.”
Reports of the launch of the Google Music store come in the backdrop of ongoing debate over Google's free MP3 Music Download Pro app on the Android Market, which allow users to search and download copyrighted music to their smartphones. In spite of criticism, Google has said it will not remove the app from its apps store.

Nokia launches Lumia 800 and 710 in India; due on shelves mid-December


Nokia India today launched the “first true Windows Phone 7 devices”, the Nokia Lumia 800 and710, which will be stocked on shelves by mid-December. Pricing will also become available then, but for now, the global suggested pricing figures are rough benchmarks - $580 for the Lumia 800 and $380 for the Lumia 710.
For more details about the two Nokia Windows Phones’ specifications, refer to our previous coverage of the Nokia World global launch event. Both devices will run on Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, and you can check out more details about the platform here and here.
Today’s launch in New Delhi, which also had Microsoft India’s WP7 team out of Bangalore and Chairman Bhaskar Pramanik in attendance, did hold some interesting news however, especially about what makes a Nokia Windows Phone different from other Windows Phone devices in the market. We’re talking of strengths apart from ‘Nokia’s reliable hardware, and Microsoft’s cutting-edge software,’ which was the tagline from the partnership.
The Nokia Windows Phones, Lumia 800 and 710, will come with few unique features onboard utilizing many of the Finnish giant’s previous strengths, including superior optics, and a solid battery life. The first of these is Nokia Maps & Drive, or Nokia Drive, which is the company’sNavteq-powered turn-by-turn voice guided navigation system, complete with 3D maps for 750 cities in India, and 50 voice languages, including Hindi. More maps can of course, be downloaded.
Also unique to the Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 is Nokia MixRadio, a new online music streaming, or online radio service with global and local channels, which should launch with the devices. Both Nokia Drive and Nokia MixRadio will be free of cost. Paid Nokia Music Store services will also be available, separately.
Another unique feature is Nokia ContactsTransfer, a utility that will allow users to transfer contacts across devices, and platforms. Relevantly, the Lumia 800 and 710 will come with App Highlights, Nokia’s version of Microsoft’s App Connect, which will recommend applications to users based on personal preferences and usage characteristics. In this case, Nokia’s App Highlights will also be a great place to discover locally relevant apps.
Speaking of India-specific WP7 applications, Nokia and Microsoft representatives disclosed there are currently about 750 such apps already available on the 35K-app strong Live Marketplace, and that both companies’ strong developer base in the country was actively, and excitedly working on creating new ones.
Also notable, was Nokia India’s retail strategy for the WP7 platform, which has become its primary operating system. Nokia India will be selecting 5,000 of its best retail outlets across the country (including Nokia Partner, Priority, and multi-brand stores) for WP7 retail, and giving them a futuristic Nokia Windows Phone “Amazing Everyday” branding. A specialist sales staff will also be trained to provide live demonstrations of the product, with Nokia eager to let users in on the differentiated experience.
Nokia and Microsoft are expectant of an “amazing year” for the new platform, and have a lot of hopes pinned to this “strategic, long term partnership,” with the launch apparently heralding "a new era of mobility." According to D. Shivakumar, MD Nokia India, the Nokia-Microsoft deal on February 11, 2011 changed the face of the mobile world, forcing manufacturers to re-evaluate their OS strategy, making a tongue-in-cheek reference to Google's acquisition of Motorola as one of the effects. Interestingly, come launch day, every single Nokia India employee will display their pride for the new devices, by being at hand at retail stores, selling the devices themselves.
We had a short time with the Lumia 800 and 710 themselves, and came away impressed by the build quality of the two phones, the speed of the WP7.5 interface, and the Nokia Drive navigation system onboard. We were also told about a few interesting hardware features of the Nokia 800 – its polycarbonate unibody has inherent colour, an industry first that will reduce the visibility of unsightly scratches; as well as its special curved 3.7-inch display, which had no layer of air separating the glass and display, allowing for better touch sensitivity and images that almost jump out of the screen.
Stay tuned for our reviews of the devices, as well as for further launch and pricing details. 
Lumia 710
    
Lumia 800
    

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Wirelessly Sync Files Between Android and Windows with My Sync Center

When we have loads of files to transfer from Android phones to Windows PC we simply connect the phone with data cable for data transfer but what if the task can be automatically?, with My Sync Center you can specify the folders on Android that will be automatically synced over Wi-Fi thereby saving lots of time.You could setup folders for photos and music, and every time when you are on Wi-Fi it will sync them all.
My Sync Center syncs your files over a common Wi-Fi network. The advantage is that it allows you to sync multiple files and it is highly simple. Apart from syncing pictures, music, videos, etc it can also sync iTunes music.

This application need a desktop client to be installed and it works only on Windows as of now. When you launch it for the first time it will ask you to select a category folder from your device and generate a secret numeric code that you have to fill in the desktop client. In desktop client if you drag drop files into the application, it will get synced.

If you look into the Settings tab, pairing with a new system or reset default folders is possible. The Backup tab helps you backup your files even of system folders so that you can use them later. And the Restore tab fetches the data back. The free version allows you to sync 25 folders automatically, rest you have to do manually.
Download: My Sync Center FREE | PAID
Download: My Sync Center for PC

Effective Tool for Hands Free Messaging: Sonalight Text by Voice

There are lot of applications in the market that compose text by voice. But they require lot of physically taping the screen. This takes up lot of attention of the user. So if you happen to drive and use such an application while driving, definitely it becomes pretty unsafe as it is not possible to take your eyes off the road that much. 
Sonalight text by voice is an application that is safe to use while driving. It keeps running in the background once it is launched. Even if your phone is in sleep or fly mode it will respond to your voice without you physically unlocking the screen.

To start using it, simply say text by voice while still having your hands on the wheel. This will launch the application. After this there is voice guidance that will enable you to read text aloud, compose text or send them. It provides a large variety of options all that can be availed by voice. You can use other applications if you want with it running in the background. We have tested this application on Galaxy Ace and it works perfectly fine.

Download: Text By Voice

Easy to use Task Reminder for Android: Forget Me Not

In previous days we have seen elders maintain lists of work to be done on a paper and carry them around. When a task is finished, strike it off. That was the classical reminder list. Later with the introduction of electronic gadgets we now use our phones to maintain a list of works. In usual practice we write the task name and assign some priority to it and set an alarm. When it goes off we stop it.

In recent times all system are moving to android, hence there is need to have a to-do list for androids also. Forget Me Not allows you to maintain multiple lists of task. When a task is over then it can be marked completed or can be delete by a single tab. If you wish you can delete the entire list itself after completion or delete completed tasks one by one. Giving priority is simple. It can also sort the tasks by priority, completion or alphabetically.

Main Features Forget Me Not:
  • Maintain many lists at the same time.
  • Give priority to your tasks.
  • Mark completed tasks with a single tap.
  • Sort tasks alphabetically, by priority or by completion.
  • Delete the completed tasks one by one or all at once.
Download: Forget Me Not

How to Play Android Games On Windows 7


Android games and apps are already popular. Apart from playing those on you android phone, you might want to play them on your Windows in free time. Well, there is a simple way that already exist i.e using a genuine android emulator. But as we all know the android emulators already available are slow enough and android itself lags a lot on them. To avoid such situations we have Bluestacks.

Bluestacks is a simple application that allows you to play your favorite Android games on Windows 7 PC. By default it comes with ten preloaded applications but you can add more. You can create a free Bluestacks account to sync apps you subscribe from the main site. The syncing procedure is similar to the one we follow in market.

If you are not satisfied with the available apps and want to try some apps installed on your Phone, you can transfer using the Cloud Connect feature. Install the phone app and connect it to Bluestacks. You will see the transferred apps soon on your PC.
To play games on PC you can use the gadget that appears on desktop. Just select and click the application you want to play. The application works well and is tested on Windows 7 32 bit.

Download: Bluestacks
Download: Cloud Connect for Android

Track all Interactions with your Contacts using Ping


Now a days it is a common requirement that we want to see more and more information about the contacts we have. We want not only their information stored by us but all that is there on social media about or by that person.
There are a lot many Android applications in the market that provide us with this feature. But right now we will see Ping which promises to be a bit different. It collects data from Gtalk, Facebook or its internal client Seven IM.
This application shows you all conversations you recently had with each contact through call, SMS or IM. For each of these, Ping displays a small icon beside each contact and also a purple plus (+) sign on top to invite them to Ping. There are also small numeric figures on top of each icon that signifies the number of unread text or chat messages or unattended calls.
From settings, we can choose the degree of opaqueness of the application and also launching criteria by swiping across. Hence it becomes easier to track all conversations done with any particular contact.

Download from Android Market: Ping

Context Menu Editor: Open Favorite Websites and Applications from Context menu

How would it feel if you are allowed to access all your desired applications, websites, games or even URLs by simply right clicking on desktop and launching them? It is no longer a bizarre statement but very efficiently possible by a free ware called Context Menu Editor. It is compatible with Windows 7 and Vista in both 32 and 64 bit.

It is highly simple and runs on administrator mode of the system. It essentially allows to change the options in the context menu which may include .exe files of applications, web links, create link to some game with command parameters like godmod or  in extended mode make customized items appear only when you right click and then hold down the SHIFT button.

From operation point of view it creates a shortcut to these items on menu and maintains a list of them. If you want to delete any option it is just one click away. Using this application is very simple and additionally its portable. You do not have to restart or relogin to see changes as they appear instantly.

Download: Context Menu Editor

How to Access Remote Desktop From Google Chrome

Sometimes when we have trouble with our systems and we do not know how to fix it, we ask a friend or someone who we know could handle that problem. Generally we are instructed by them step by step and we tell them the errors coming up and the things are solved. But there are places and certain problems that may be critical and also complex for us to follow instructions in order to properly troubleshoot them. Then arise the need to show that problem to the person concern directly. It is not possible that we will take our system to them or they can come up to us in person. In this situation we take the help of making connections with the system of that person by remote desktop and let him deal with it himself.
There are lots of remote desktop programs in the market but for a beginner it is difficult to understand and use it. Hence Chrome has come up with this new feature of remote desktop in its browser itself. If you have this plug in of Chrome you can use this feature to connect you system to another for remote desktop. The only need being that the other system with which you are connecting must also have this feature installed.

In order to start using it, the master computer starts the extension and proceeds to set up permission for both the systems such that both their operating systems can communicate. There are step by step instructions for this and a small installation. In the slave computer we need to select “Share this computer” and in master “Access a shared computer”.
This is a good feature for the beginners and it has a good performance when there is no other load on the two systems and net connectivity is good. Be sure to use reliable connections. It is true that it is slower than the programs like Team Viewer and etc.
Download: Chrome Remote Desktop

How to get Different Vibration Patterns for Each Contact on Android

Most of us are too busy and even busier are our phones. So if you need to look up and see who is calling every time, it really becomes irritating. More over most of part of our life time we spend in working areas so if we assign different ring tones to the callers, as we often do becomes useless. We have to look at our phones anyhow.

Do away with this short coming ViBe’s help is essential. It is a tool that helps you to customize the vibration pattern for each caller. This is a very simple three step way.
After launching the application go to the contact list. If you tap on any contact it will take you to the vibration customization screen. All the standard vibrations are listed. Tap on any one to preview it. If you are convinced long press on it, a vibration icon will be shown beside that contact. In case you want to batch up your contacts to put a single vibration per group, you can long press any contact in a list and this will enable batch selection.
Once selected, press Ok to finalize settings. Rest is same as assigning vibration to single contact. Selecting multiple contacts under one vibration will optimize the low number of free vibrations. The premium version allows you to have more vibration patterns.

Download: ViBe

DropSync: Free Two way Sync Dropbox Client for Android


Dropbox is a widely used service. It is often desired that we sync all our files with that in the Dropbox for back up or storage. But doing this is tedious and there is fair chance that the application may crash. Hence we can go for this DropSync application for android. This gives full two way sync of Dropbox as in desktop version. It is also very safe as when we want to sync, it takes us directly to the login page of the Dropbox hence application do not store the password or username.
Once it is installed it will automatically start syncing the files. You can set the interval. You can instruct it to skip syncing hidden files. It is very efficient as per code and memory size is concerned. It also draws less power from the battery. It detects the kind of network or speed there and changes it’s performance.

With a simple interface it allows users to perform sophisticated sync operations. It has a PRO version that allows additional features like syncing multiple unlimited folders, sync the full Dropbox or instantly upload files without waiting for the auto sync to do it. In free version you can upload all important files in a single folder to use the application efficiently.

Download: DropSync