Archive for 2013

Home Archive for 2013

2013 was the year of personal electronics and we've seen releases of different entertainment electronics item this year. Here're the top 10 most searched electronics item according to Bing. Do add your favourite gadget in the comments

1. Xbox - The highly anticipated Xbox One went on sale November 22 in 13 countries. The company sold over two million units in just 18 days. Priced at Rs.40,000 this piece of semiconductor baged the first position in Bing top searched electronics item.

2. iPhone - 2013 was another big year for iPhone with release of 5S and 5C as well as iOS7. The 5S boasts major camera improvements, a fingerprint identity sensor, the ability to run 64-bit apps and color options including silver, space gray and gold. Apple tried its luck with low-cost model of 5C but unfortunately due to disappointing sale, they had to limit its production in October.

3. Android - Android lovers had a great news from the world's leading mobile OS platform "Android" - the release of Android KitKat.

4. iPad - iPad ranked 4th on the list with release of two tablets iPad mini retina and iPad air. Both tablets boast a 10 hours of battery life and improved camera & processor.

5. Windows Phone - With Microsoft's recent acquisition of Nokia for USD 7.2 billion, we can likely expect to see continued innovation and announcements in 2014.

6. Surface - With release of surface 2 and surface pro 2 the tablet from Microsoft ranked 6th in the list. With new backlit keyboards, improved performance and battery life microsoft is marking impression in the tablet war.

7. PlayStation - 1 million units sold in just 24 hours, Sony's PS4 was a big move that came on November 15th this year.

8. Nintendo - Nintendo announced versions of both the popular games Mario Party and Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013.

9. BlackBerry - BlackBerry launched two new models Z10 and Q10 - however, the phones ultimately failed to wow users. Another headlines from BB was announcement of Alicia Keys as the company's new creative director, it replaced CEO Thorsten Heins with John S. Chen and announced a $1 billion loss in Q2.

10. Kindle Fire - Amazon's kindle fire finishes the list with the release of Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch and 8.9 inch models.

What was your favourite gadget this year? Add it in the comments.

The year 2013 has seen a lot of improvements in gaming with releases like GTA V, Tomb Raider, etc that keep you glued to the screen and with great improvements in technology, gaming performance is increasing at an unstoppable rate. Here are the top 3 games released this year that are very hard to resist. It's our pick but if you think there's something better that can be added in the list, please let us know in the comments below.

3.Tomb Raider

Lara Croft was back this year with more action and adventure than ever. This new Tomb Raider developed by Crystal Dynamics, is meant to give us Lara's origin story, to explain us how she became an extreme explorer badass that we've seen in previous nine Tomb Raider games. The story is smartly written and Lara has good reason to be so adept at climbing, shooting and exploring. Still, she's got a way to go to get there, and her metamorphosis is fun to watch. The gameplay is amazing and it feels like a breathless action movie from start to finish. Those who love exploration, Tomb Raider has a bit of an open world feel to whet your appetite.

2.GTA V

Well, well, well... the most anticipated game of the year. Living the life of a criminal and still having a sweet life. GTA V is the most beautiful and story-driven game of the franchise. Grand Theft Auto V bests it predecessors — not because of cheap, tawdry tricks, but because it offers an expansive game with intriguing characters and activities that appeal to many play styles. Grand Theft Auto was not known for storytelling until GTA IV, and the tradition contiues in the fifth version too. With awesome characters, the trio Michael, Trevon and Franklin, eye catching graphics, irrestible bikes and cars this game gets my pick of the year.

1.The Last of Us

Living in luxuries and comforts and say what? suddenly everything is gone. Humanity is at its verge and you've to fight every day to survive. This game takes you 20 years ahead in future where America is torned apart by a fungal infection and welcomes you into a ruined world with a parasitic epidemic. One of the best things about The Last of Us is the raw and believable characters. They have quirks and faults, and those are clearly on display during the game. There are beautifully motion-captured cut scenes, almost cinematic in their quality, that blow away what you'll see from most current-generation games. The Last of Us isn't just a good story, but also a well-planned gameplay. Ellie, at 13 in the game looks cute. :p This game can be in your 'play before die' list.

These were our favourites that we loved to play this year. If you'ld like to add another game in the list, please add it in comments and share the post with your friends.

With phones in every pocket these days, mobile photography has increased more than ever. With powerful tools and software amazing photos can be taken on the go.

The keys to taking better mobile photos are in some ways the same fundamentals that apply to taking a picture with a pro SLR or any other camera. The best camera is the one you have with you when the opportunity arises: the tools may be different but the factors that make an image great are the same regardless of the box that captured it.

Tech Soul brings you 5 tips for a better phone photography.

1.Know your device
Understand how mobile phone camera works and know its limitations. Typically these cameras have a limited shutter-speed range and a fixed aperture, so major in-camera exposure adjustments are made by adapting the ISO. There are apps available to help you get around this.

2.Apps

Take your mobile photographs to a high level by using photography apps. They can help you to overcome the limitaions of your device. Camera+ and Camera Awesome (iOS only) have grid tools, levels, image editing and great controls for exposure and focus.

Slow Shutter can create dreamy long-exposure effects like flowing streams and evening hour light trails, while keeping the high ISO noise to a minimum.
Make sure that you save all the photos before editing, because a loss of your favourite moment would a hurt a lot.

3.Exposure
Exposure affect the photo a lot. Get your exposure right in-camera and then play with it afterwards in editing apps.
Small sensor cameras need light! Use the sun, get in the shade, use a piece of paper to bounce light, wait for the right light, use a flashlight or another mobile phone screen as a light source — make use of your existing knowledge to get the best light. Be patient.

4.Composition is King

Get level — keep those horizons and verticals in check. (Many camera apps have horizon levels and grids.)
The rule of thirds — is still the rule. Don’t always centre your subject.
Use curves and converging lines.
Use positive and negative space.
Know your color! Make use of complimentary colors. Use color patterns and shapes to add compositional interest.
Watch your backgrounds. Poles growing out of people’s heads or lines cutting through them ruin mobile shots just like they ruin any other shots.
Direct — Don’t wait around for the perfect composition to happen (or settle for what you’ve got). Move things and people. Arrange your frame so that is makes you happy.
Break the rules! But know why and when to break them.

picturecorrect.com

5.Frames

Use objects in the foreground to frame the main subject and give depth to your shots. Shoot through windows, mirrors, other objects — framing provides context and adds interest.

picturecorrect.com

Look for different angles, don't be afraid to get down on the ground or climb a ledge, get closer for details or keep it wide for more context. Use Black&White for noisy or poorly-exposed photographs. Open up your mind and click :)

Happy photography :)

source : photocorrect.com

About 15 years ago, when Internet was not so popular we used to get out of the house to get what we needed. Now, we do it with just few clicks in comfort of our home or may be in office. Things have changed and we're moving on. All this is happening because of the fastest growing industry : e-commerce.

What is e-commerce?
Trade of goods and services for money on the internet is called e-commerce; 'e' standing for electronic -commerce. There are different ways in which companies are going online:

· Online retail store: You can expect to find many brands under different categories in such stores, example myntra.com, flipkart.com just like the real world shopping-malls.
· Online buy-sell platforms: these e-commerce portals don't sell anything but provide a platform for the buyers and sellers of different products and services to get together and do business. Example ebay.com and OLX.com (Bech Daal)
· Convenience purchases: these portals cater to services that grease the cogwheels of our lives making mundane purchases simpler and faster, saving us much needed time and money. Example online sale of air travel tickets like makemytrip.com, musaafir.com, hotel bookings like hotels.com and movie tickets like bookmyshow.com.

Why shop online?
Online trade makes a lot of sense for both businesses and customers. For businesses, it cuts a lot of costs in terms of rentals, staff salaries, bills and as a consumer, I don't have to move out of the comfort of my home to make an important purchase and sometimes I can even treat myself to some retail therapy in my office hours!

One thing is clear, this industry is here to stay and capture a whole lot of more eyeballs in the coming future.

Here are few things that you need to know while purchasing a product online :

1. Website: First and foremost, make sure the sites you are purchasing from are well-known and have a legitimate customer base to make sure your money is going to an established business that cares about its customers and will deliver quality goods and services. Google is your friend here. If it's a website you're unaware of, look for testimonials and search results.

2. Products: If you're buying something standard like a book or an electronic device, you know that what you pay for is what you will get. However, if it is something like clothes or accessories that need to be touched and felt before buying, the color, size, feel could be entirely different from what may appear in the image on the website. Many services these days allow you to test the products before you give them cash, this can be helpful and tedious at the same time.

3. Terms and Conditions: Read through the website's exchange and return policies. Make sure you keep receipts and take note of delivery terms. A good practise is too save the page/pdf of conformation.

4. Payment Gateway: PayPal can be the best and safest way to swipe your card online. Most of the websites use PayPal and you can pay using your PayPal account if you have one. Plus, your card issuing bank has its own gateway before the transaction goes through for you to enter your personal pass code. This entire structure makes sure your details are safe and secure. If you don't hold a card (very few people), you can go for the 'Cash on Delivery' option if it's available.

5. Shipping and Handling: Most websites usually charge shipping and handling charges to deliver your order to your doorstep. But many websites also offer free shipping or free shipping on orders that are over a certain amount, the latter bieng more common.

To make the most of shopping online, of course after having made sure that the above given basics are in place is finding great deals and offers that many websites offer. Every day there are more and more bargains to be snapped up. But let's look at a few things to do before you get too tempted and spend your money in a hurry:

(i) Research- If you're buying an electronic item on the net like mobile phone or laptop, read the reviews (you can find it on my blogg too), ask your friends and family. Make sure you've done your research before making a big ticket purchase

(ii) EMI'S- Many websites offer you the option to convert your big credit card purchases into EMI's. Go for it, if the plan suits you.

(iii) Discount Coupons and Deals- There are many websites that cater to bringing great bargains to online shoppers in the form of discount codes and coupons. The biggest name is groupon.co.in which is the Indian portal of the international website and there are many others like couponzguru.com, coupondunia.in, coupondekho.in etc. Also, many retail websites keep running promo codes on their merchandise from time to time. Always check for free coupons, they help you to reduce the price.

(iv) Limited Time Period Offers- Some sites offer limited period offers to build excitement around their discount deals. The best example of this is fashionandyou.com that holds sales that last only between 3-5 days.

(v) Shopping festivals- and now shopping festivals have also moved online? Festivals organised like the OMG sale by Citibank and GOSF (Great Online Shopping Festival) are a great time to get your hands on the best deals online. Some sites also offer extra discount during odd hours. A great example of this is Cyber Monday which is the ecommerce version of Black Friday internationally!

(vi) Exchanges and Returns- All e-stores allow a decent window of 15-30 days to request exchange and returns. If you receive the wrong size or product, most websites will exchange for the right one if available in stock. Else, you would get a credit note for the same amount that you can use later to buy any other product from the website till the time it's valid. Most of the times, websites will also arrange for the reverse pick up of the product, else will refund your shipping costs by including it in the credit note. Please keep in mind that a quality check on returns is must and only products with intact quality are accepted.

(vii) Price and e-store comparison- With so many websites carrying a huge variety of categories and brands, it becomes difficult to look for the right thing at the right place. Sometimes too many options cause too much chaos. That's what the global ecommerce behemoth amamzon.com and its sister portals like junglee.com do so effortlessly.

(viii) Try and Buy- Some websites like yebhi.com offer their customers an option of trying their selected items before purchasing them. However this service is limited to select locations only due to logistical constraints. Jewellery e-retailers like caratlane.com and bluestone.com offer a first time home trial as they are selling high value products and need to establish trust and patronage.

(ix) Hidden Charges- many times there could be hidden charges in online transactions that end up going un-noticed. For example, many websites charge extra for a Cash-on-Delivery payment option. Also sometimes shipping is only free beyond a minimum order value. Make sure you notice them.

(x) Pre-Bookings and Wish-Lists- What happens if your coveted phone model goes out of stock at the e-store of your choosing? What happens when you are eagerly awaiting a sequel in a book series/video game due to be released next week? You pre-book it, that's what! Its easy and breezy, an automated service that saves you repeated check-ins, reminders and crowd-rush. You can do this on flipkart.com and most super-stores.

(xi) Same day delivery- With a small amount of extra shipping charges, many websites let you make up for the last minute buying by doing Express deliveries on the same day, just in time for your loved one's birthday or those over delayed Christmas presents! Amazon India and Flipkart have recently started this feature in select cities in India.

(xii) Gift wrap/cards- your presents not only reach on time, they reach complete with beautiful packaging with a thoughtful gift card. These personalised services are also offered by most websites at a nominal cost.

(xiii) Size Chart- Apparel purchases can be a tricky deal since color, size, fit and feel matter a lot while buying a certain item. Its best to opt for brands that you know offer good quality merchandise and consult the size chart of every brand separately since every company follows its own standards in sizing and measurements.

And lastly, enjoy the comfort of shopping for anything you want from virtually any place that has internet. Happy Shopping!
source:lifehacker

Almost all of us are using mobile messaging apps like WhatsApp, Viber, Kik Messenger, Kakao Talk, Line, and BlackBerry Messenger. The popular app depends on the country you live in. But they don't run on windows PC, but we have a trick that can be used to run these apps on the PC itself.

Install Bluestacks

BlueStack is an android emulator, which is used to run android apps on windows PC. You can use other emulators but BlueStack is the best and my personal favourite too.

First, download BlueStacks and install it on your PC. Download here

Click the Search icon at the top-left corner of the BlueStacks app player screen.

Search for the mobile messaging app you want to use like whatsapp, wechat or whatever you like.

Click the app's icon and BlueStacks will prompt you to set up a Google account before you can start installing apps. Login with your google's account (your Gmail ID) so BlueStacks can access Google Play and get apps from there. Link BlueStacks with your Google account so it can download apps to your device.

Install Mobile Messaging App
Once you're done with account setup, you can install apps from Google Play within BlueStacks. This works just like it does on Android phones and tablets. Click the Install button and BlueStacks will download it to your computer. Simple!

After installation, click the Home button at the bottom of the BlueStacks app player window. You'll find your newly installed app at the top of the window. If you don't see it, click the All Apps button at the right side of the window.

Setup Your Mobile Messaging App
Now it is the time to set up the messaging app. We'll be using WhatsApp as an example, but the process should be similar with other apps.

Open WhatsApp from the home of BlueStacks. Then, enter your mobile number and continue. The best part you could even enter a landline phone number here.

WhatsApp thinks it's running on your cell phone, so it will wait five minutes for the SMS message to arrive. You can't skip this part; you'll just have to wait five minutes. Oh noh!

After five minutes, WhatsApp will offer to call the number you entered and give you a verification code. Tell WhatsApp to call you, answer the phone, and enter the code WhatsApp tells you. Now your phone is verfied.

Now you can enjoy messaging your friends from the PC.

Tip
You can download and use other messaging app, the procedure is same and not just messaging app but all the other apps available on Google's playstore.

Note
You must have a graphic card to install Bluestacks.

Most of the phones these days come with wi-fi and people are using it more than ever. Though Wi-Fi is very comfortable and easy way to share information and access internet, it is also highly vulnerable to attacks if not encrypted properly. While setting up your Wi-Fi connections you may come across terms like WEP, WPA, WPA2 etc that may be confusing for some. Today, I'll try to explain these terms as simply and exactly as possible, so that you don't loose your valuable information.

WEP
WEP stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy and is the oldest & least secure way to encrypt your Wi-Fi. Now a days it is very easy to crack WEP protected Wi-Fi and anyone interested in your information can crack the password. WEP will only stop your neighbours from accessing your Wi-Fi (if they are not hackers).

Therefore, there's no reason to use WEP. If you have an ancient router or device that supports only WEP, it's high time that you upgrade your devices unless you don't care about your security.

WPA
WPA - Wi-Fi Protected Access comes in two version WPA and WPA2. WPA was designed for devices that support only WEP as an security enhancement.

WPA2 is the newer version and all devices these days support WPA2 straight out of the box. You should always opt for WPA2 over WEP or WPA for obvious reasons. WPA2 also comes in two versions they are : WPA2 personal and enterprise.

WPA2 Personal or WPA2 PSK
PSK stands for Pre-Shared Key. This is also known as Personal mode. It's intended mainly for homes and small office networks. The wireless router encrypts network traffic with a key. With WPA-Personal, this key is calculated from the Wi-Fi passphrase you set up on your router. Before a device can connect to the network and understand the encryption, you must enter your passphrase on it. This option is most suitable if you're going to set up your Wi-Fi in your home. There are potential vulnerability but keeping a strong password can help to increase the protection. (Click Here :- how to choose a strong password.)

WPA2 Enterprise or WPA2-802.1X
WPA2-802.1X is intended for enterprises, it requires more hardware and it is difficult to set up and maintain. To use WPA2-Enterprise, you'll need a RADIUS authentication server. RADIUS stands for Remote Authentication Dial In User Service. To authenticate with such a server, a variety of EAP — Extensible Authentication Protocols — can be used. After connecting to the Wi-Fi network, each client would have to log in with a username and password. Traffic to each client would be encrypted with a unique encryption key which isn't derived from a pre-shared key. This is more secure than simply deriving a key from the same pre-shared key on each device. This also allows network administrators to monitor who's connecting to the network and revoke access to specific users at any time without affecting other users.

What should you opt for?
WPA2-Enterprise is the most secured option and if you want it for your big enterprise than you should go for this.

If you use Wi-Fi for ordinary purposes inside your house or small business office, WPA2-Personal is perfect for you.

In no case you should go with WEP.

Remember one thing, nothing is fully secured on the net, even the most secured system can be hacked, the important point is to remain active while using the net and clicking links from recognised sources only.
Stay safe.

You'll start your new year with a curved smartphone, yeah curved that can be bent and it heals itself. Future.... ?

LG has announced the launch of its new curved-screen smartphone LG G Flex in India and it'll be available around Feb.2014 in the stores. This will be the first curved smartphone to be released in the country.

G Flex has a big 6-inch display that curves from the top to bottom, making it easier to hold and offer a better video viewing experience. It also has a self-healing rear panel, world's first.

Both the features are new for the Indian Market and certainly exciting.

Design

The new smartphone fits very snugly into the palm, much better than the conventionally designed handsets and it also feels more comfortable when held against the ear to make calls. Another benefit of curved screen is there's no lost of colour at any angle while watching videos on the smarty because the screen is at equal distance from the eyes at all points.

The phone has got a subtle curve and will look like any other phone if not seen closely. Amazing thing : you can even bend the smartphone just a little by applying some force. This is because the screen is made up of plastic unlike other phones' glass screen. Disadvantage : No gorilla glass protection, obviously you can't bend the Gorilla. Just like LG G2, the new G Flex has volume and lock keys on the back, just below the camera.

Display

The phone comes with a 6inch 720p HD OLED display panel. Though 720p seems to be outdated these days but viewing experience is still good. The display features Real RGB technology to provide all three sub-pixels in one pixel, thereby making it "brighter and more precise."

Self-Healing Back panel

Now this is something completely new! The world's first phone with a self-healing back panel, that means even if you put some minor scratches on the back, it'll be self healed within minutes and the phone will regain its glossy look. Please don't test this feature with a screw-diver or knife to whet your appetite, LG said only minor scratches will be healed. Still, it is an amazing feature.

Camera

G Flex sports a good quality 13MP rear camera on the back with autofocus and LED flash, works good even in low-light conditions with neligible noise. On the front, the phone's got a 2.1MP camera for video calls at 30fps.

Other features

With much cleaner interface and LG's Optimus UI layered on android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the animations and effect are better than other LG products. Under the hood there is a 2.2GHz quad-core snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM, so there won't be any difficulty in speed. Connectivity options in the phone include 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 3.0 and NFC (whoooh..) The phone can store 32GB of your memories internally and does not support external storage. The phone packs a 3500 mAh Li-Po non-removable battery.

New features in the phone are user interface features, such as QTheater for quick access to photos, videos and YouTube from the lock screen; Dual Window for multitasking with two windows; Swing Lockscreen for a dynamic lockscreen image based on the way the phone's held; as well as three Rear Key LED indicators - Face Detection, Camera Timer and Urgent Call Alert.

Key specs

- Chipset: 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM 8974)
- Display: 6-inch HD (1280 x 720), Curved P-OLED (Real RGB)
- Memory: 2GB LP DDR3 RAM / 32GB eMMc
- Camera: Rear 13.0MP / Front 2.1MP
- Battery: 3,500mAh (embedded)
- Operating System: Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2
- Size: 160.5 x 81.6 x 7.9 - 8.7mm
- Weight: 177g
- Connectivity: BT 4.0 / USB 3.0 compatible / WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) / NFC
- Colour: Titan Silver

Price : Though the exact price isn't announced yet, it'll be around Rs. 60 to 65k.

So, if budget isn't your problem this phone deserves to be in your pocket.

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