Category / Software

by Kush Sharma

uTorrent Remote: Control torrent remotely

utorrent-logo-banner

uTorrent is a pretty popular BitTorrent client for computers. With the remote app, you can control the activity of your file sharing on the move. You can check progress of your current downloads, stop or resume them. You can even add new downloads remotely. This is ease the pain of accessing target machine again and again.

What is uTorrent Remote?

According to uTorrent.com, “μTorrent (uTorrent) Remote is a remote control that lets you access μTorrent running on your home computer– from anywhere on the internet, including most mobile phones and tablets.”

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So how it is done?

First of all, you need to open Preferences in uTorrent on target machine, click on ‘Remote‘, and enable remote access by checking “Enable uTorrent Remote Access”. Give your computer a name and associated password and you’re ready to go. Now put these credentials in uTorrent Remote app to start using in Real Time!

preferences-utorrent-remote

Unfortunately, there isn’t an app for iOS but they have a mobile-friendly website which can let iPhone and iPad users have the same functionality as the apps for other platforms. You can even create a shortcut on your home screen by opening the page in Safari and clicking the “Add to home screen” button in the Share menu. Link for remote uTorrent can be found here: https://remote.utorrent.com.

The uTorrent Remote interface is very user friendly and how it works will be clear to anyone who uses uTorrent. It’s not quite as polished as the desktop apps, but it is almost as complete, letting you do pretty much anything you can do on your computer. Just remember that to use it, your computer needs to be on and uTorrent needs to be running.

Price: Free

Platforms: Android, Windows

Play Store link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.utorrent.web&hl=en

by Kush Sharma

Some new features for Google Maps

google-maps

Google recently unveiled a huge makeover to its Google Maps. Currently available in beta mode, it lets you discover changes in its interface and improved accessibilities. However, the search results in this version remain more or less the same as in the earlier version. You’ll find some changes in the form of search inputs and queries. Unlike the older version of Google Maps, it has a bunch of new and improved functionalities such as advanced filters for search queries.

Search on the Google Maps

Let’s say you’re looking for coffee shops near Delhi’s Qutub Minar, you can use the term “near” in your search query. Therefore, the most appropriate search query would be “coffee near Qutub Minar”. In the results you’ll be shown all the coffee shops located around this area. You can do the same for other similar search queries.

Instantly share URLs

Whenever you want to share the URL of a particular map, all you have to do is click a button called “link” on the older version of Google Maps. The new Google Maps will allow you to always have a permalink of any place you search for. Whenever you search for any location, you’ll find its URL present inside the address bar, ready to be retrieved and shared instantly with you others.

Mobile:

Get offline Google Maps

If there are particular locations on Google Maps that you’re fond of, you don’t need to be online and connected to access them each time. You can simply make them appear offline for later use. While you’re online, go to the Google Maps application on your phone and open the map. In the search box, you’ll find search suggestions for recently accessed places. Select “Make this map area available offline” and you are done. You can also use menu button and select this option, a square box will pop up and highlight the area of map you want to download.

Note: This feature is currently available only on Android Devices.

Access Street View

Similar to Google Maps on desktop, there’s no longer an option on mobile devices to access Street View as soon as search results show up. If you want Street View of a particular location on Google Maps, simply press and hold on the map to drop a pin. This will render an info sheet, which lets you access the Street View option.

by Kush Sharma

Top 5 Apps: Supports All Platforms

apple-android

Each coming day more and more new applications are being developed for the different operating systems and the designers make sure that they are compatible with the different operating systems or in other words they are cross operating system functions. There are many applications which are compatible with every widely used operating system and below are mentioned top five out of them. Now with these applications it is easy to transport your data and you do not have to use the inferior quality applications.

1.      VLC Media Player

VLC Media PlayerNow managing your audio and media files is not a problem on any operating system. You can convert, format, stream as well as re-size any media file without any hassle. Its presence on the USB drive makes it one of the most widely used applications round the world. It can also be used to manage the multiple codecs, formats as well as the various restrictions on the media files.

2.      Dropbox

DropboxThe second big name in the category of the all compatible applications is the Dropbox which has the function of synchronizing files and folders present on your system. The basic idea is same wherever you use this application whether from your desktop, your iPhone and from your mobile phones you will get the instant backup of all your information and you can use it in the portability mode also. This is perfect for any kind of documents and files you are looking to share.

3.      Firefox

FirefoxIt may not be the best browser in the performance but it is customizable to its last detail. It is very powerful browser though and its USB version makes it compatible to use from anywhere and on any operating system. With the launch of the Firefox Mobile it has become the famous option among the users. With the complete segment of add-on and plug-ins available in the market you can really configure it to the least bit.

4.      7-Zipper

7 ZipperThis may not be the best application of any single operating systems but it is like a boon for the users as no two operating systems accept the same compressed format it is quite an essential download for the file sharers. It is perfect to tackle the RAR files, .tar and .gz files on the different operating system. Also it has the built-in feature of the compressor system that is fast and time-saving.

5.      Miro

Miro AppsThis certainly is not the best all in one video aggregate but because of its cross operating system functionality it has been the best option for file streaming, handling podcast feeds, local files and any other file with the moving pictures and videos which can be aggregated easily without any trouble. The USB portability makes it sure that you can take your desktop as well as favorite web videos with you as you go on a picnic.

Going through the above five applications you will come to know why they are considered as all operating system compatible. You can make their optimum use by downloading them on the various operating systems and can use anytime as per your convenience.  There is no trouble of information transfer as well as moving data.

 

Author Bio

Claudia has written a number of articles on the various dimensions of the operating systems as well as on the applications. They try to make the user aware of the best applications which can be used on all the operating systems and how SAP BO online training can streamline the business operations of any organization, follow me @ITdominus1.

by Kush Sharma

Android: Easiest way to type in Hindi with Google

Google-hindi-input-title

Google-hindi-input-title

Have you ever wanted to send a text message to someone in Hindi but was unable because your cell phone didn’t comes with a Hindi layout keyboard, and suppose even if it comes with it then it will surely consume a lot of time and effort to write a single paragraph.

Google recently introduced his new app Google Hindi Input which let users to type in Hinglish(Hindi in English alphabets) and it will convert it to Hindi for you. If you have an Android smartphone or tablet, Google Hindi Input is the quickest and easiest way to compose emails, send messages and post on social networks using Devanagari script. There are alternatives also available on Google Play enabling typing in Hindi and other Indian Languages : PaniniKeypad and Lipikaar are two such apps. But we will focus on Google Hindi Input first.

Google Hindi Input has two methods for writing Hindi text. In transliteration mode, you simply type a Hindi word in English (like namaste), and the app will automatically convert the word to Devanagari script (नमस्ते). And you can get suggested words in Hindi language when you type some letters only. This will save your time and no need to type full Hindi words. Switching between English to Translator to Full Devnagari Keyboard is super smooth and just a button away.

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Hitting the globe button switches to a full Devanagari script keyboard, with Hindi consonants ordered alphabetically on two pages. In this mode, you can long press at any time to select various forms of a consonant.

How to enable keyboard Input method?

Open Settings -> Language & Input, under “KEYBOARD & INPUT METHODS” section, check Google Hindi Input, then click Default and select “Hindi transliteration/Google Hindi Input” in the “Choose input method” dialog.

Don’t forget that it will not going to support if your android device does not have Hindi fonts installed. If so then you have to install it first but most of the Indian manufactured devices are pre-installed with it.

Bad Sides:

  • No voice or handwriting input: The keyboard gives no option to help the user input text using voice or handwriting.
  • No Gesture Support: There are plenty of android keyboards now who have started gestures a major thing to emphasize on and let user feel comfortable but Google Hindi input still needs to work on it.

 

Real time prediction while typing with devnagiri keyboard

Real time prediction while typing with devanagiri keyboard

Over all, Google Hindi Input offers an excellent option to those who would wish to use Hindi text while communicating through their Android devices. It’s simple and intuitive and makes typing in Hindi very easy.

Play Store Link : Google Hindi Input

by Kush Sharma

Android : The best music player out there

PowerAmp

This music player unlocks a whole new world for mobile audiophiles, including a 10 band equalizer, greatly expanded file support, and a somewhat customizable interface. Ever since Gingerbread days till now, Poweramp continues to be the most powerful music player for Android and has a huge fan following.

What works well on Poweramp

The interface is somewhat similar to the stock music app, but it unlocks several new features for advanced playback that should meet just about any need you might have on your phone or tablet. For example, instead of just using a long, nested set of commands, you can give quick commands like swiping to navigate playlists quickly.

Title Screen

Oh how wonderful the file support is. While listening to FLAC files on your mobile device is a little silly when you think about it (as most phones don’t have a good digital to analog converter chip), being able to equalize your music while listening on the go is fantastic if your music tastes vary. If you have great headphones to match, this is a fantastic way to bring out the best in your music when you’re on the go. As another plus, this app doesn’t seem to chew through as much battery as other music players do.

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Lock Screen

Interface and Features

Once installed, you’re presented with a clean and easy to use interface. The UI is extremely novice-friendly giving you oversized media . Your music can be sorted according to the usual artist, album categories or you can choose folder view, which shows you all your music the way you have copied it on your phone. Tapping on this takes you to the playlist from where you can switch folders. The album art area also houses the shuffle and repeat toggle buttons along with a five star rating system.

Library

What makes Poweramp one of the most sought after music player is the long list of audio formats supported. The list includes mp3, mp4/m4a (including alac), ogg, wma, flac, wav, ape, wv, tta, mpc, aiff, which covers pretty much every format you can find audio in these days. The ability to customise the sound is also very extensive. We start off with a 10-band graphic equaliser that can be used to fine tune your music depending on what genre of songs you listen to the most. There are plenty of presets as well and you can also use the sound enhancements (like Dolby or HTC FX) that come with some phones in Poweramp. Besides that, you also have the option to adjust the bass and treble separately along with a volume limiter. You can also add extra effects like Stereo eXpansion, mono mixing and adjust the balance. Every change you make is noticeable provided you have a good pair of headphones. Other features include support for crossfading, gapless playback, queuing system, ability to update missing album art and even download lyrics of the song through the musiXmatch plugin.

Pros & Cons:

Pros

  • One of the best fully featured Android music players
  • Features equalizer for custom or premade presets
  • Super slick user interface with themes

Cons

  • Cannot play Podcasts

Performance

With the right pair of headphones, the audio quality is really good and beats any other player in the market. The equaliser and or audio effects make a huge impact on the audio quality and you can actually make out the difference between mp3 and flac files. One neat feature is the ability to parse .cue and m3u files. If you download radio shows, especially trance music, you’ll often come across one single file that’s an hour long. Cue and m3u files help breakdown this singular file into individual tracks so you can skip to the one you want without having to split the track physically. Gapless playback support is also present for albums that feature it.

EqualizerYou also get plenty of widgets for your homescreen to choose from, including a very nice lockscreen widget. You can customise the amount of information to be displayed on the lockscreen widget too, from album art to equaliser controls. Poweramp also gives you the option to change the theme. You get a bunch of them by default and you can even install third party themes from the Play Store. One feature that we feel should be added is a social component. Apps like MixZing allow you to play your music from your library as well as search for trending tracks around the globe. You can even see what your friends are listening to at the moment and rate songs so your friends can find them.

 

Verdict : Worth the download?

If you want to milk a better audio experience out of your mobile device and don’t want to carry around all sorts of unnecessary clutter like external amps in your pocket, this app is a good way to start consolidating your devices into one unit. Poweramp is available for as little as Rs129 for the full version, which makes it extremely good value. The app is compatible with Android v2.1 and upwards and is constantly being updated with bug fixes and support for the latest version of Android. If you have an Android phone and want to experiment with its audio, Poweramp is the most popular audio app in the Play Store for a reason and we strongly suggest you ditch the stock player for Poweramp.

Get it on Play Store

by Kush Sharma

7 Apps that every traveler should have

Here are some apps to get you started and on  the way to getting extra value for the money you spend on your upcoming trips, and also in a way unlocking your smartphone’s hidden potential.

Ask A Nomad

ask-a-nomad

For any new place you visit, inevitably there are bound to be a lot of questions – mostly regarding which place to visit. Quite simply, Ask A Nomad lets you ask a question, and get answers from other users who may have some idea about that subject. This is a lot more interactive than just searching for information on the web. Alternatively, you can also answer questions about places you’ve been to. The app divides the world very neatly into continents, countries and then cities. This makes asking a new question, reading other discussions and replying to a query simpler. Better way of getting all the information you need about a place, from people who have probably already been there.

Price: Free

Platform: iOS devices

Agoda.com

Agoda

This is an app you should definitely refer to, because it will surely have information  on the hotel that you plan on staying in. Considering over 1,50,000 hotels worldwide are a part of this database, users can search for hotels based on pricing and type, and even get special deals. This service also lets you book using credit card, along with special offers and deals from time to time.

We believe that even though you may find it a little risky to book from here, it is useful app to check out and compare hotels.

Price: Free

Platform: iOS devices

Foursquare

foursquare

This app isn’t very new, but it is a must have on every smart mobile device and most people have used it. But if you have a number of contacts who are explorers in their own right, this may just be the app for you.

Utilise the knowledge base of your friends to get information about a place you’re going to visit, or have already checked in to. Also get recommendations from other users who have visited the place and written reviews about it.

Price: Free

Platform: Android, Blackberry, iOS, Symbian  and Windows Phone

Expensify

expensify

Use Expensify on your Android™ device to log expenses, capture receipt images and manage reports on the go! Even better, SmartScan will read your receipt images, fill out the expense details, and create a new expense (or attach to an automatically imported bank/card transaction).

An essential app for business travelers, Expensify allows users to scan or log their receipts to be compiled into expense reports.

Price: Free

Platform: Android, iOS

Google Translate & Goggles

google-goggles

Google Translate helps you make sense of 63 different languages. You can even speak text to be translated into the local language.

Search by taking a picture: point your mobile phone camera at a painting, a famous landmark, a bar code or QR code, a product, a storefront, or a popular image. If Goggles finds it in its database, it will provide you with useful information. Goggles can read text in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Turkish, and translate it into other languages.

Price: Free

Platform: iOS, Android

WeatherBug

weatherbugIf you are sensitive to weather changes or do not like snowfall or rainfall, you would obviously be interested to find out about the weather in the places where you are going to be during your trip. WeatherBug gives accurate and reliable weather information, letting you know beforehand the kind of weather you can expect during your stay in a foreign city.

This app allows you access to the most reliable weather stations across North America to find out the exact weather conditions at thousands of locations around the world. You can thus avoid places where weather is not to your liking if you have this app installed.

Price: Free

Platform: iOS, Android

Google Maps

Whether you need directions to your destination, the closest good place for a bite to eat, or just a sense of where you are, Google Maps for Android can help.

Immediately after Apple Maps landed, customers and critics complained loudly (and rightly) of inaccurate location search and a lack of map data over points of interest. Fortunately, Google does search better than most everyone, and Google Maps for iOS is no exception. You also can search for addresses like you would expect, but also landmarks, local restaurants, businesses, and common search terms like “pizza.” Google database is more extensive and generally much more accurate than Apple’s offering.

Price: Free

Platform: iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Symbian

 

by Kush Sharma

Control your pointer with WiFi Mouse App

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No need to use your old tech mouse in this era where Android/iOS is making its mark of gadgets. Transform your phone/tablet into a wireless mouse, keyboard and trackpad using WiFi Mouse. WiFi Mouse supports speech-to-text as well as multi-finger trackpad gestures. WiFi Mouse enables you to control your PC, MAC or HTPC effortlessly through a local network connection.

XDA Senior Member Williams Joe offers up computer control app. In the above video XDA Developer TV Producer TK reviews Wi-Fi Mouse. TK shows off the application and gives us his thoughts, so check out this app review.

Features:
* Mouse curser movement
* left and right click support
* Middle mouse button scroll
* Remote keyboard input
* PC/Mac hot keys and combination key
* Speech-to-text input for all languages
* Mouse & keyboard full screen
* Auto-connect on application startup
* Compatible with XP/Windows Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8/Mac OSX.

Gestures:
* Tap-to-click
* Two finger tap for right click
* Two finger scroll
* Pinch to zoom
* Three finger drag & drop or highlight
* Four finger swipe down to show desktop
* Four finger swipe up to maximise current window
* Four finger swipe sideways to change current window focus
* Left handed mouse support (swap left and right mouse click)

How It Works

For an app this advanced it’s fairly easy to set up, all you’ve got to do is install the app from the Play Store and then install the Server software. I can’t speak for Mac Users but the installation on Windows was pain-free and more importantly – safe and unobtrusive.

After that all you have to do is open up the app on your phone and then either click auto-connect and wait for the magic to happen. I manually entered the IP address because I really don’t trust Windows and networking but in testing both worked fine.

Conclusion

To control a PC off in the distance or just use touch for a change through your smartphone is brilliant. Its execution is good as well, a solid application that serves it’s purpose almost flawlessly. These apps were all the rage some years ago and whilst you could say this app is trying to revive a trend I’d disagree because the app changes the rules and gives you an experience that touchpad manufacturers have struggled to deliver in laptops for years – through your smartphone.

Get the app from Play Store.

by Kush Sharma

Evernote

evernote

Evernote is an easy-to-use, free app that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use. Stay organized, save your ideas and improve productivity. Evernote lets you take notes, capture photos, create to-do lists, record voice reminders–and makes these notes completely searchable, whether you are at home, at work, or on the go.

Why Use Evernote?
Without the Evernote app, I’d be a lot less productive while I’m away from my desk, when the only device I typically carry is an iPhone 5. This free, straightforward note-making and –syncing app outrivals most competing apps thanks to its strong search capabilities, effortless tagging features, and  simple organization. But the real key to its success and popularity is that Evernote synchronizes all your files by saving them to a cloud service, meaning anything you create or alter from your iPhone will be there waiting for you when you log into any other version of Evernote, such as Evernote for iPad,Evernote Web app, Evernote for Windows, and every other platform where it’s supported.

Evernote excels when it comes to searching your notes. Evernote can find typed text, as well as text that shows up in images, including handwriting. Let’s say you’re walking or driving by a new shop, and you want to jot down its name, address, and phone number. You can pop open Evernote and simply take a photo of the store’s window or awning where that information is likely to appear. Later, just search for anything you can remember about the business, either the first few digits of the phone number or the name of the business, and Evernote will find the photo. Although I’ve been able to stump Evernote’s OCR, it’s reliable on the whole.

In a nutshell, Evernote lets you create all kinds of electronic files—text files, images and photos, audio or voice memos, and videos—and gives you access to them through a variety of interface Log into any of these access points with your Evernote account, and you’ll be able to read, write, search, and otherwise utilize all your files.

 

 

With the new interface, you now have easy ways to view your information no matter how you have it organized. Whether you rely on using notebooks, places, or tags to find your notes, you switch to a view tailored to your preference that shows you a handy list of each. This is a much better experience than the older versions of the app provided, putting all the ways to browse Evernote only a couple of taps away.

My only beef with this app is that the premium version offers all the important tools you need, but costs more than most people will want to pay. With Premium, you get PIN access to keep your professional documents safe; you can use and edit documents offline when there’s no connection; you can view past versions of your notes with note history; and much more. I understand that a company needs to make money and Evernote is a great service, but I think $5 per month puts it out of reach of many users (like students who could really take advantage of the app), and after only a few months your investment in the service will be more than it’s worth.

The good: Evernote gives you access to your notes, images, and voice recordings on all your devices. A premium subscription includes PIN access, among other features.

The bad: Evernote Premium offers the ideal setup with PIN access, document history, offline notebooks, and priority support, but a $5 monthly subscription is simply too steep.

The bottom line: If you’re looking for a note-taking app that syncs across all platforms — or just an easy way to keep track of your digital odds and ends — Evernote is a worthwhile download.

by Kush Sharma

MX Player

mx-player

One of the great things about Android, is that it has a flexibility – especially with regard to the file system – that you don’t get on iOS. It is, for example, perfectly possible to drag and drop video and music files over USB on to the SD card or internal storage of your phone. The problem comes when playing those files back. For music, the Android player is fine; for video you might want something more.

The video player that comes built in with your Google Android device is pretty limited to say the least. If you want to get the most out of your Android device then we strongly recommend downloading a new video player. With the MX Video Player you can unlock a whole host of new codecs/video files for your Android and it won’t cost you a penny.

Before we get any further, you should know that nothing in life is truly free and, alas, the MX Video Player is no different, it comes with banner adverts. They won’t interfere with your video playback, but whenever you’re lining up a video or fiddling with the volume or zoom, then you will see the little banner ads. But it’s a ‘free’ and much better video player at the end of the day, so it’s a pretty fair compromise.

Possibly the best thing about the MX Video Player is that if app doesn’t recognise the the codec of the video you are trying to play, it will give you a link directly to where you can download the correct codec. For there it’s a painfully simple two clicks and MX Video Player has downloaded and saved a new codec for you Android device. Whenever we flummoxed it with a codec that wasn’t installed, we were able to download and instal the new codecs via the app in roughly 30-seconds. A very impressive feature!

Bottom Line

It seems the whole idea behind the MX Video Player is that it puts you in control. Presets become a thing of the past, and if you ask me, that’s a good thing. That you could throw almost any video file at it without having to bother with codecs and trans-coding on the PC, is the clincher.

by Kush Sharma

SwiftKey 3 Keyboard

swiftkey-3

If you’re not familiar with SwiftKey, it’s a Google Play Editors’ Choice app, and it won the coveted Most Innovative App award at the 2011 Global Mobile Awards in Barcelona, Spain. What sets it apart from other keyboard replacement apps is its capability to understand not just patterns in your typing, but also how words work together. This makes it scary good at predicting not only the next letter you need to type, but also the next word, sometimes even before you begin typing it. What’s more, Swiftkey can continue to learn from your e-mail, SMS, and even social media accounts (if enabled), so it gets noticeably better at making predictions as you use it.

More than just a new set of keys, though, SwiftKey offers a full set of tools to improve the efficiency of your typing. Under the settings menu, you’ll find a list of quick tips and typing statistics where you can see how many keystrokes SwiftKey has saved you, how many typos it’s corrected, and more. Plus, there’s a nifty “heatmap” that shows how accurately you type and on which keys you tend to make mistakes. You can even share these statistics via Android’s share menu, if you like, though this feature is probably more useful to SwiftKey’s marketing team than it is to you. Lastly, you can customize the keyboard for your typing style, change the color scheme, and even adjust key height to suit your tapping needs.

The newest version of SwiftKey comes with an improved UI, a larger spacebar (thank goodness) and a smart punctuation function that rolls out punctuation choices when you hold down the period key. These tweaks, while they may seem minor, help significantly to reduce errors and speed up your typing. There are also two new themes — “Cobalt” and “Holo” — so you can customize the look of the keyboard to your liking.

Also, SwiftKey now offers Smart Space, an almost magical technology that understands when you accidentally omit or otherwise screw up spaces in your typing. With Smart Space, you can actually tap out an entire sentence without spaces, and have the Smart Space technology correct you as you go.

Between the phone and tablet versions of SwiftKey, most of the features are the same. Both support dozens of languages and offer the same customization options. The tablet version, though, does let you switch between a normal keyboard and a split keyboard when in landscape mode. This split keyboard pushes the letters close to the edges of your tablet (by putting the number pad in the middle of the screen), which lets you more easily type out words with only your thumbs.

Overall, I can’t recommend SwiftKey highly enough. With all its customization options and its scary-smart technology, it can help improve your typing accuracy considerably, which is worth the premium price. Plus, its predictions will certainly help with your speed. If you’re still not convinced, you can, of course, try the free version (phone | tablet) for up to one month, before making your decision.

Get Swiftkey Keyboard here