Skype integration comes to Outlook.com in the UK, global rollout soon

Skype has finally come to Outlook.com. Back when Outlook was launched in July last year, Microsoft had promised users Skype integration with their accounts and nearly nine months later, it has kept its promise. Skype is rolling out a preview version of Skype for Outlook.com in the UK right now.

"Even with the best email service, sometimes text isn’t enough," reads the blog announcing the feature. "We all face those situations where it’s just easier to jump on a call to talk something through. Sometimes that quick call can accomplish more than a long email reply. That’s why we are bringing Skype audio and video calling to your Outlook.com inbox."

Available in only the UK currently, Skype in Outlook.com will be made available in the US and Germany “in the coming weeks.” The global rollout will only be coming “this summer” though. “In the coming months, audio and video calling powered by Skype will be available in every Outlook.com inbox,” reads the blog.

To install Skype in your Outlook.com inbox, you will require a one-time download of a plug-in for your browser. Currently, the most recent versions of Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox are supported. You will then be prompted to pair your Skype account with your Outlook one so you can make voice and video calls from your email inbox. This way, you will be able to add all of your Skype contacts to your Outlook.com contacts list for easy access.

While text messaging is supported using Skype too, you do not require the plug-in to access this feature. You can straight away start chatting using Skype from Outlook.com.

Outlook.com already boasts of having more than one million users in India. Microsoft’s revamped mail service would do well if it would roll out Skype integration for India soon. The wait sure seems to be worthwhile, though. Skype has become synonymous with VoIP calling and video chatting and its integration within Outlook is only bound to help both the services. Gmail and its Hangout feature better watch out!

Sony rumoured to be working on Android superphone ‘Honami’

To pack Snapdragon 800, 16/ 20MP camera, 5-inch full HD display

Sony is rumoured to be working on a new smartphone codenamed Honami, which will be the company’s 2013 H2 flagship. There are some really juicy reports circulating around the smartphone and they paint a very great picture of the phone.

Many of these specs are a little hard to believe, but given Sony’s recent attempts to get back in the smartphone game, we won’t be surprised to see them become a reality.

According to a member of Baidu forums, Sony Honami will be the company’s One Sony model with best Sony technologies in one phone. It is allegedly coming with 5-inch full HD display and dedicated Walkman audio chip (S-Master MX Digital Amplifier?).

The forum poster adds that it will be Sony’s most attractive smartphone till date and will be released around July in Asia, followed by global release in August/ September.

Chinese website ePrice adds some more details about the phone, but similar to Baidu post, they are too just rumours. According to ePrice, the phone might come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, which recently went in to mass production. The phone will also reportedly pack Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB of RAM and 2700/ 3100 mAh battery. The website also claims that Sony Honami will feature a 20 MP rear camera with xenon flash.

VR Zone on the other hand is more excited about the display in the phone, which according to the website is Triluminos display – an exclusive display technology from the Japanese manufacturer. You can read more about Triluminos display on VR-Zone.

The site however notes that the camera in the phone is just 16MP, not 20MP as suggested by ePrice. We are inclined to believe VR-Zone compared to ePrice.

Google Now for iPhone, iPad released

Google has released the Google Now service as part of the update for the Google Search app for the iOS based devices.

Google had offered the personal digital assistant service Google Now for the Android platform for almost a year. Now the Google Now service is made available for the Apple iOS platform as a part of the Google Search app update. The new Google Search app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad tablet brings Google Now integrated inside.

The Google Now user interface brings different information in a cards format. Each card pulls in data from Google and presents latest information about the weather, location, Flights, and sports. It also integrates maps to inform the user about the approximate commute timings. Google has also integrated Voice Search in it to make it similar to the Apple Siri.

Since the Google Now feature is now available along with Voice Search on the iOS platform, it would be interesting to see it compete with Apple Siri service. While Apple iOS based device users would be rejoicing, there are several users stuck on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich waiting to hear from Google.

Google Now does not directly compete with Apple Siri but brings along several features in interesting presentation to be consumed quickly and efficiently.

Get the updated version of the Google Search from the Apple App store.

Samsung unveils Galaxy Tab 3

Samsung has announced the new Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 tablet with dual-core mobile processor and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Samsung has formally announced its third generation tablet - Galaxy Tab 3. This new Galaxy Tab 3 comes with a 7-inch display and a dual-core mobile processor. Running the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, this tablet comes with Samsung's own TouchWiz user interface. This tablet will be offered in WiFi Only and WiFi+3G models. Samsung plans to make the WiFi only model available from early next month while the WiFi+3G version will be released in June.

The new Galaxy Tab 3 has a 7 inch display with 1024x600 pixel resolution natively. This display offers 169 pixels per inch pixel density. The tablet houses a dual-core 1.2 GHz mobile processor with 1 GB RAM and comes with 8 GB or 16 GB on-board storage.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 has a 3 megapixel camera at the back for imaging and a 1.3 megapixel camera in the front for video calling over 3G in the SIM supporting model. This tablet is capable enough to play full HD videos in different video formats. Samsung has packed a dual-band WiFi network chip for faster downloads and offered Bluetooth 3.0 for faster file transfers. There is WiFi Direct and WiFi channel bonding features to make the tablet work like a touchscreen laptop over WiFi networks. For location based services, the tablet features GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS support for faster location locks.

Samsung has added its bunch of apps such as Samsung Apps Store, Samsung ChatOn, and Samsung Kies Air support.

Samsung has added a 4000 mAh battery to make this tablet run longer. The company claims that this tablet is thinner than its predecessor. We hope this tablet is made available soon in India as well.

Spice to launch 5 inch phone for Rs 6,999

The phone called Smartflo Pace2 Mi 502 will come with Android 4.0, 1 GHz dual core processor, 512 MB RAM, 2100mAH battery and 5 megapixel camera at the back.

Spice is all set to launch an entry level 5 inch Android phone in the market, called Smartflo Pace2 Mi502. The phone is pitched directly against Micromax Canvas Viva A72 and will be priced at Rs 6,999.

The Dual SIM Android 4.0 based phone will come with 5 inch display, 1 GHz dual core processor, 512 MB RAM, 5 megapixel rear camera and a 1.3 megapixel camera in the front.

The phone is a 2G only device and offers Bluetooth, WiFi connectivity but not 3G. The phone is 9.6mm in thickness which is quite on the lower side for a phone this big. The phone also has a 2100 mAH battery which is another big plus.

Spice has done well in creating a rival for Micromax Viva A72 which has only 256 MB RAM, Android 2.3, 3 megapixel rear camera, 0.3 megapixel front camera and a 200mAh battery.

The phone will be available shortly in the market.

Micromax Canvas 3D A115 launched for Rs 9,999

It is to be made available across all leading retail outlets in India from the first week of May.

Micromax today launched its first 3D phone in its Canvas series. Named as Micromax Canvas 3D A115, the handset comes with a 5 inch display on which you can view 3D content without wearing 3D glasses.

Canvas 3D A115 comes with a 1 GHz dual core processor and runs on Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean operating system. Packed with a 2000 mAh battery, the phone provides a talktime up to 4.5 hours ensuring a strong battery backup. The phone sports a 5 megapixel rear camera with auto focus while a 0.3 megapixel camera is in the front.

With an expandable memory of 32 GB, the phone supports Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi, ensuring full time connectivity for the social media buffs. The phone comes with 'Micromax 3D Space' giving them access to 3D videos, and pre-loaded 3D games.

It is to be made available across all leading retail outlets in India from the first week of May, according to Micromax.

Samsung announced new NFC tag for Galaxy S4

Samsung's flagship smartphone Galaxy S4 has been incompatible with the first generation TecTiles Near Field Communication tags. Now the company quietly plans to push the TecTiles 2 NFC Tags.

Samsung has introduced a new generation NFC tag - called TecTiles 2 - for its recently launched Galaxy S4 smartphone.

Samsung had introduced the easily programmable Near Field Communications tags - TecTiles - for the Galaxy series of smartphones. Apparently, the Galaxy S4 does not support the old TecTiles tags, as reported by AnandTech. So the new TecTiles 2 will be made available for the NFC enabled devices announced or set to launch sometime later this year.

Last year, the Near Field Communication was pushed heavily by the handset makers. Sony, LG, and Samsung also come out with the easily programmable Near Field Communication tags. These passive NFC Tags can be programmed with a supplement app available through the Google Play Store. This TecTile app is to be used to program a specific trigger activity whenever the phone is tapped on the passive NFC tag.

Samsung had introduced the TecTiles tags last year and also provided updates through the app. This year, the company has used a new NFC chip inside the Galaxy S4 smartphone and the TecTiles 2 tags are likely to be announced in coming few weeks.

We did not see much curiosity amongst average consumers to actually buy and program the NFC tags. Of course, we are not counting out the technology enthusiast folks that counts for a small fraction to a large consumer base. So far, Samsung has not announced the new TecTile update to the app or the tags formally.

Make and receive phone calls with updated version of AirDroid

Android app AirDroid has been updated to version 2.0. The biggest change in the update is that it now gives access to your phone with a cellular data connection, as opposed to Wi-Fi being the only option in the earlier versions. The major advantage for this is that you don’t need the phone to be connected to the same network as the computer to use AirDroid. This can be done by simply scanning a QR code, or making an AirDroid account and using that to log into your phone. You can grab the update from Google Play.

Other added functionality includes a "Find my Phone" feature that lets you track your phone in case it gets lost or stolen, a remote wipe option in case your phone gets into the wrong hands, and a camera option that lets you access your phone's front or rear camera, take pictures, and store them directly on your computer without directly activating the display. There are also incoming call notifications as well as the ability to start outgoing calls. Along with all of this, there have been improvements and bug fixes to improve the stability of the app.

AirDroid gives you the ability to control your phone from a computer. It also lets you access all the files on your phone, including APKs, music, photos and videos, among others. The handset is controlled through a web app on a browser, which has an interface very similar to that of Android. You can do various things like view or download videos, use your contact lists, or even send and receive messages.

Bing, Skype, Xbox rebranding coming soon

Look who’s getting a makeover! Microsoft is giving Bing and Xbox logos – amongst other services –a spruced up new “flat” look to match with the rest of its product bouquet.

Windows Phone design studio general manager Albert Shum and Todd Simmons, creative director at Wolff Olins, at the recent Design Day Event in Norway revealed plans of “re-imagining” Microsoft. Part of this plan includes an overhaul in the logo designs for Bing, Skype, Yammer and even Xbox.

The newly imagined designs are going to be on the lines of the now-familiar flat redesigns of Microsoft, Windows and Office brand logos. Showing off an old concept video, Simmons revealed a new Bing logo that looks like a minimalistic paper plane. Another blue-print of the design looks like it could be the foundation of a new Skype logo in the latter half of the video too.

"We thought about Nike," says Simmons. "When you experience the Nike brand in whatever form you may experience it, there's always a Nikeness right…you can certainly see it without the logo." It looks like Microsoft was sufficiently inspired by Nike to try and create products that look like they come out of one basket and are still recognisable by themselves.

The “re-imagination” process formed the crux of the decision behind changing the brand identity of Windows. The three main drivers behind the process were people, reach and choice, according to Simmons. He admitted that the team realises the risk – rebranding a popular product over a billion users is never easy. But unless they take the plunge, it never will be.

Insurance firm predicts one in four Galaxy S4 owners to break it within a year

Samsung expects to sell at least 10 million units of the Galaxy S4 every month, and the flagship is attracting a lot of attention. Insurance firm SquareTrade believes that Samsung will sell more Galaxy S4s than any other in the past, and predicts as many as one in five American consumers will buy the phone. However, worryingly, the firm also says that a quarter of those owners are expected to break their shiny new Galaxy S4s within a year.

The Galaxy S4's popularity does not have any bearing on what people think about its plastic body, and the handset is being compared with the likes of Apple’s iPhone and HTC’s unibody design. There are even jokes that say Samsung’s phones are more affordable than the competition to make room for the insurance against damage.

The report says that since 2007, in the US alone, Android smartphone owners have paid over US$7.2 billion in repair fees, and Samsung customers account for more than half of the total. It goes on to add that last year, nearly 30 percent of Samsung Galaxy phone owners in the UK and US reported breaking or damaging their handsets.

The report, which combines a study of more than 6,500 users in Britain and US as well as SquareTrade's historical data, shows that 19 percent of the people who own a Samsung device used to be iPhone users, and are 20 per cent more likely to get damage cover than those sticking with Apple’s product. "While Samsung owners seem to be savvier about protecting their devices, millions of people will suffer the unexpected drops and spills that are so common today, and discover that it's not US$199 to replace their smartphone - but between US$500 and US$700," Ty Shay, Chief Marketing Officer, SquareTrade told AFP.

Of course, if you don't want to get insurance for a smartphone just yet but still want a Galaxy S4, then we'd advise you to wait a few months. Samsung is reportedly working on a water and dust-proof version of the S4 that may be announced very soon.

Japanese company unveils working mecha for kids

If you're into mecha anime, Japanese manufacturer Sakakibara Kikai has just the thing for you. The company has introduced a new product that is aimed towards kids. Dubbed the Cyclops, the robot stands at over six feet tall. It has a full range of motion that can be played with, including having the ability to manipulate arms or being able to walk in any direction. Much like anime, all you have to do is hop into the cockpit and start pushing buttons.

As of now, the price of the robot is unknown, but looking at the company's previous track record, it would be a good bet that a Cyclops would cost around $20,000, which roughly translates to Rs 10,86,500. You can check out the capabilities of the battery-operated robot in this video:



The last robot made by Sakakibara Kikai was dubbed the Landwalker. It is an 11 foot tall robot and is aimed at adults. It sounds like it would be great to have a few of these things at a party with your friends, since it's equipped with air cannons that can fire nerf balls. The Landwalker is powered by gasoline, and is pretty powerful. Much like the Cyclops, you can simply hop into the cockpit and start pushing buttons to operate the robot.

It isn’t surprising that something like this would come out of Japan, considering the country’s fascination and borderline obsession with robots, ranging from having cartoons to full-fledged video games and toys based around anime. As impractical as they are, it’s only a matter of time before the country starts weaponising these mecha.

Intel to launch next-gen Haswell CPUs on June 3

Intel has announced that its newest family of processors, codenamed Haswell, will be available from June 3 in the US and June 4 in Taiwan. The initial set of Haswell processors is expected to comprise of quad-core CPUs for powering high-end laptops.

 "In approximately 3,337,200,000,000,000 nanoseconds, Intel will reveal all there is to know about the highly anticipated 4th generation Intel Core processor family," Intel said in a statement.

More than raw performance, Haswell aims to address Ivy Bridge's power consumption issues. Intel states that Haswell is much more efficient with its power consumption, but we can't say how well it'll fare in the real world. The processor and integrated graphics in Haswell are purportedly more powerful than its predecessors, though.

The new processors can power a variety of new devices that earlier processors couldn't owing to their demands for power. It wouldn't be surprising to see some of the smaller notebooks powered by Haswell, thanks to the improved power efficiency. Apple may even want a piece of the pie, and might power its next-gen MacBooks with Intel's offering.

This development gives credence to rumours from last year about Haswell's launch date being pushed back to June. Historically, Intel has shipped its new processors in March or April, and Haswell's June launch is a new thing for the company.

Samsung to manufacturer Galaxy S4 in India: Report

Samsung has revealed that it will soon start manufacturing the recently launched Galaxy S4 smartphone in India itself. The Android smartphone will be made at the company’s Noida factory, which already manufactures 35-40 million phones including Galaxy S III.

“We are planning to start manufacturing of S4 soon at our Noida facility,” Samsung Mobile and Digital Imaging Country Head Vineet Taneja told PTI. Samsung however did not reveal an exact time-frame.

The company currently imports Galaxy S4 units from South Korea.

To remind you, Samsung Galaxy S4 went on sale in India over the weekend and has been priced at INR 41,500. You can grab the phone at all major retailers as well as online for this price-tag.

Samsung is currently the smartphone market leader in the India and Galaxy S4 is further going to help the company in cementing the position.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 image appears online

An alleged image of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note II successor has appeared online. Spotting a 5.9-inch display, Galaxy Note 3 looks considerably large in size compared to Galaxy Note II. Posted on Baidu forums, this image is said to be of an engineering sample of Note 3, so chances are that the final design might be little different than this.

As per the accompanying specs and previous rumours, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will feature a 5.9-inch full HD display, 2.0 GHz Exynos 5 Octa processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The phone also reportedly runs on Android 4.2.2.

We expect to see an announcement around IFA 2013, but some reports also indicate an early debut of the phone.  We will know more in the coming days.

In related news, WSJ recently reported that Samsung is planning to launch a rugged version of Galaxy S 4 smartphone, which might be dubbed as Galaxy S4 Active. The phone is expected to be announced in July along with Galaxy S4 Mini. WSJ also added that the Korean manufacturer is also working on a new 8-inch tablet that will be released in June.

Lenovo K900 India launch on May 10 with a price-tag below INR 25K: Report

It seems that Lenovo’s Intel Clover Trail+ powered K900 smartphone is landing in India earlier than expected. According to a report, Lenovo will launch K900 for the Indian market on May 10, making India the second market after China to get this phone. Another Asian country Philippines also scheduled to get Lenovo K900, but in June.

What is more interesting – Lenovo is planning to keep the pricing under INR 25,000. Such a pricing will kill the market for Samsung Galaxy Grand, Galaxy Note and even Note II.

Lenovo K900 is the first smartphone to come with Intel’s Clover Trail+ platform and is powered by a 2GHz Atom Z2580 dual-core processor.  The phone sports a 5.5-inch full HD display with Gorilla Glass 2 on top. The K900 also comes with 2GB of RAM, 13-megapixel rear camera, and 16GB of internal storage- all this in just 6.9mm thick stainless steel alloy plus polycarbonate body.

It is also being reported that Lenovo is planning a huge marketing push for K900 and the company will also advertise the phone in Indian Premier League. Lenovo is not really a known smartphone brand in the country. Although, it sells around nine Android phones in the country, the company still needs more brand visibility for smartphones. The company however has a top notch dealer network, which should work in its favour.

Here is a look at key specifications of Lenovo K900:

Android 4.2
5.5-inch 1080p display with Gorilla Glass 2
13MP F1.8 rear camera with dual LED flash
Front camera with an 88-degree super wide viewing angle
2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage
2GHz Intel Atom Z2580 dual-core processor
157X78X6.9mm, 162 grams
2500 mAh battery

Lava to launch Android 4.2 Jelly Bean tablet for Rs 10,000

The 7 inch IPS display bearing tablet will run on the latest version of Android operating system and will be powered by a 1.5 GHz dual core processor

Lava Mobile is planning to announce a WiFi only tablet under its Etab series with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system. The phone, which is to be priced less than Rs 10,000, will be launched by the first week of May and will be available both through online stores as well as physical retail stores, the spokesperson of Lava told thah.

The 7 inch IPS display bearing tablet will run on the latest version of Android operating system and will be powered by a 1.5 GHz dual core processor and 1 GB of RAM. It will have an 8GB of internal storage (expandable), a 2 megapixel rear camera, a VGA front camera and an HDMI port. It will have a 3,700 mAh battery.

Sometime back Lava had launched Etab and ETab Xtron for Rs 9,500 and Rs 6,500 respectively.

Etab has calling facility and came with 1 GHz single core Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, 7 inch display and Android 4.0 OS. While ETab Xtron has 1.5 GHz dual core processor, quad core graphics processor and 1 GB RAM. The tablet also had a 2 megapixel front camera.

Lava Etab Xtron also has a 7 inch IPS display and 8 GB of internal memory of which 5 GB is usable. It has expandable storage capacity of 32 GB. It was a WiFi only and has a 3500 mAh battery.

LG launches Optimus GK

LG Optimus GK comes with 1.7GHz quad-core processor coupled with 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB ROM and 3100 mAh battery, 13 megapixel camera at the back and 5 inch HD display.

LG has launched a new 5 inch phone, called Optimus GK. It has almost similar features as the Optimus G Pro, which comes with a 5.5 inch display.

LG Optimus GK is powered by a 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage, a micro SD card slot and a 3100 mAh battery. The phone also comes with a 13 megapixel rear camera and 2megapixel front camera.

Even in terms of software, the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean powered phone is similar to Optimus G Pro and comes with several software customisations including the recently introduced Dual-Recording feature that allows simultaneous video recording from both front and rear cameras.

The phone is 9.9 mm thick and weighs 156 grams. Unfortunately the phone is currently available in Korea only with no news on its availability outside of LG's home soil.

Idea Cellular gearing up to launch Idea Whiz for INR 7,850

Telecom operator Idea Cellular is planning to launch yet another Android smartphone in the Indian market. The phone – Idea Whiz – has already been listed on the company website and is expected to be officially launched in the next few days. The Idea website listing also revealed the price-tag of the smartphone, which is INR 7,850.

Idea Whiz features 4-inch WVGA display and is powered by 1GHz dual-core processor. The phone runs on Android 4.0. It also sports 5-megapixels rear camera, VGA front camera, dual-SIM support and 1,500 mAh battery.


Similar to other smartphones in Idea’s portfolio, Idea Whiz buyers will also get data benefits with the phone. As per the listing on Idea website, the phone buyers will get 1.6 GB free data per month for 3 months on 3G or Unlimited data on 2G.

To remind you, Idea recently launched Android 4.1 powered Aurus 2 in the country for INR 6,490. With Aurus 2 and Whiz, Idea will have seven Android phones in its portfolio.

Idea Whiz key features:

Android 4.0 aka Ice Cream Sandwich
4-inch display with 800x480p resolution
5MP auto-focus rear camera
1GHz dual-core processor
VGA front camera
Dual-SIM
512MB RAM, 1.5GB of usable on-board storage, microSD card slot
1,500 mAh battery

New entry level Android handset, VIVA 5660 launched for Rs 4,799

Konka, a new Chinese entrant into the Indian market, has launched a new entry level Android handset named VIVA 5660.

Konka, a new Chinese entrant into the Indian market, has launched a new entry level Android handset named VIVA 5660. The claim to fame for this handset is its slim profile of 8.2 mm.

The phone comes in two colour options of black-red and white. It comes with a 3.5 inch IPS display with HVGA (320x480) resolution. Additional features include an Android 2.3 operating system with 1100 mAh battery. And also has 2 megapixel autofocus camera with LED.

The Dual SIM phone comes with 1 GHz processor coupled with 512MB RAM and offers connectivity features like Bluetooth, WiFi and EDGE, however you do not get 3G connectivity.

The phone is available for Rs 4,799 and competes with the likes of Micromax A54 Smarty, Lava Iris 355, Micromax Bolt A51.

Alcatel One Touch Scribe Easy phablet now available for INR 12,090

Alcatel has released another Android smartphone in the country recently. Dubbed as One Touch Scribe Easy, the phone has been listed on the company’s India website and is also available online. It is priced at INR 12,090.

Originally showcased at Mobile World Congress, Alcatel OT Scribe Easy features 5-inch WVGA display, 512 MB of RAM and 2.4GB of internal usable storage. The phone runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and is powered by 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8225 processor.

Other features of the phone include 5-megapixels rear camera, VGA front camera and 2500mAh battery.

The phone also support stylus input, although we are not sure right whether it will be bundled with the device. The company has also pre-loaded some stylus supported apps on the phone including Scribe note (for note taking) and a movie-maker app.

To remind you, Alcatel had recently launched One Touch Idol and One Touch Idol Ultra smartphones in the country.

Alcatel One Touch Scribe Easy key features

5-inch TN display with 800x480p resolution and Dragontrail glass
Dual-SIM support
Colours: Flash Red, Black and Flash Blue
Android 4.1
Dual Core 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8225 processor
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS
512MB RAM, 2.4GB internal storage, microSD card slot
5MP rear camera
VGA front camera
2,500 mAh battery

PsychoFolder: Automatically Organize The Files In Your Folders

Most people’s Downloads folder is quite cluttered and has all sorts of files in the same location. But we all would prefer an organized Downloads folder. In fact we would prefer all our folders to be organized. Here to help you do that is an application called PsychoFolder.

PsychoFolder is a freeware desktop application for Windows computers. The application lets you automatically organize files within a folder by setting your own rules. You start by downloading the application which is sized at nearly 100 KB. You then install the app and point towards the folder you want to organize.

To set the rules, you right click on the app’s icon in the System Tray and select an XML file of rules. You can open up the default file and edit it to set your own rules. Rules can be sending certain file formats to other folders, unzipping archives, and more.

With your rules set, the application automatically monitors your specified folder and organizes it according to your rules.

Features:

• A user-friendly desktop app.
• Compatible with Windows computers.
• Lets you automatically sort files within a folder.
• You can set your own sorting rules.

Check out PsychoFolder @ code.google.com/p/psychofolder

Birthdays: Birthday Reminders For Friends & Celebrities [Android]

The Android Birthdays application is designed for users to keep track of birthdays for friends and celebrities. It allows you to see at a glance exactly how old someone is and when their birthday is.

Birthdays offers a variety of widget sizes for you to use. Using widgets on the home screen, Birthdays can let you keep track of several important birthdays at once. Push notifications can also be used to remind you of the important dates in advance, with you setting your preferred notification period yourself.

When the birthday comes around, Birthdays can automatically send an email, can dial the person’s phone number for you or can offer you a template to be used for a Facebook message. It’s an easy way to ensure you don’t forget to say something to acknowledge the day!

Features:

• Widgets for the home screen.
• Notifications of important birthdays.
• Makes it easy to send greetings by email or initiate a phone call.
• Messages (Facebook, email, sms)are only sent with direct users interaction to ensure the app does not send spam messages or incorrect greetings to friends and contacts. The same applies for phone calls.
• It would be nice if you could rephrase this sentence somewhat. Maybe something along the line “Makes it easy to send greetings by email or initiate a phone call”.
• Templates for Facebook messages.

Check out Birthdays @ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.muzurisana.birthdayfree

Star Splitter 3D: Shoot Things In Space & Complete Missions [iOS]

The online iTunes store has a large library of games to keep all iOS device owners entertained. But these games are in such a large quantity, that often you come across games that are not very impressive. You are then stuck with a boring game application. Fortunately however, every now and then, a great looking game is released that helps you to enjoy playing on your iOS device again. One such game is the very recently launched Star Splitter 3D for iOS.

Star Splitter 3D is a free to download game for iOS devices. The game app is sized at nearly 47 MB and it is compatible with iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad devices that are running version 5.0 or later of iOS. The game lets you steer a spaceship to complete various action-packed adventures. You defeat numerous types of enemies and take on many challenges totally more than 60 missions.

The game lets you build up your spacecraft and even upgrade it from the many weapon options that include laser guns, rockets, super weapons, and more. As you progress in the game, you develop different new skills and unlock many super weapons.

The game has you fighting aliens and capturing their territories. And all of this is made extremely enjoyable by the game’s intuitive gameplay. Adding to the list of features for the game, is stunning 3D graphics that offer brilliant visuals while you are completing your space missions. The objects defined, their physics, and particularly the explosions are all very visually appealing.

Features:

• A user-friendly phone app.
• Compatible with iOS devices.
• A game that lets you play missions in space.
• You shoot enemy aliens and conquer their territories.
• Offers wonderful 3D graphics.
• Intuitive gameplay.

Check out Star Splitter 3D @ itunes.apple.com/us/app/star-splitter-3d/id553183646

Noisy Typer: Make Your Keyboard Sound Like a Typewriter [Mac]

If you grew up in the 80's or 90's, you will clearly remember how popular typewriters were in offices. As a child, you wanted nothing more than to press down one of those typewriter keys and hear the typewriter sound. Here to bring a touch of typewriter nostalgia to your computer is an app called Noisy Typer.

Noisy Typer is a free to use open source desktop application for Mac computers. The app is sized at nearly 2 MB and is compatible with Mac OS X. After you install Noisy Typer, it runs in the background and monitors your keystrokes in all applications such as email, Internet, text editors, etc.

With each keystroke, the app makes a loud typewriter sound. Even the ‘ping’ sound is made which a typewriter makes when a new line is started.

Features:

• A user-friendly desktop application.
• Compatible with Mac computers.
• Plays typewriter sounds with each keystroke.
• Supports typing in all apps.
• Brings typewriter nostalgia to your Mac experience.

Check out Noisy Typer @ fffff.at/noisy-typer-a-typewriter-for-your-laptop

Label 59: Create Presentations That Can Be Played Online & Embedded

Most of us use PowerPoint to create our presentations, but what if the computer you are working on does not have the program installed? What if the presentation you are making needs to be made available online and should also be embeddable? In that case, you should check out a web service called Label 59.

Label 59 mostly helps create product promotion and demo presentations. You can load up images from your computer for each slide and use the site tools to insert different types of markers, arrows, connectors, and text boxes. Everything is repositionable and resizable. When you are done making your presentation, you can publish it online or get its embeddable code. It can also be downloaded as a ZIP archive.

Label 59 offers a free account with a 1 slide per demo restriction. You can buy credits from the app for more slides.

Features:

• A user-friendly web service.
• Lets you create presentations online.
• Focuses on product demo and promotion presentations.
• Generates emebeddable link for presentations.

Check out Label 59 @ www.label59.com

Currently: Replace New Browser Tab With Weather & Current Time [Chrome]

Using various shortcuts such as links on your bookmarks toolbar, you can quickly open your most visited webpages. As a result, a lot of people do not make use of the webpage shortcuts on the New Tab page in their browsers. Fortunately you can replace those shortcuts with something informative such as the time and weather, all thanks to a tool called Currently.

Currently is a free to use browser extension compatible with Google Chrome. After you install the application, it replaces the default New Tab page with a visually appealing page displaying the current time and the day’s weather of your city.

The extension’s options let you control preferences like temperature display in Fahrenheit or Celsius, time display in 12-hour and 24-hour formats, choosing a background color, toggling the seconds display on and off, and toggling the animation on and off.

In case your location is not accurately detected automatically, you can type in your location manually.

This neat little application is excellent for people who work with their browsers set to full screen. They don’t need to exit the full screen mode to view the mode – all they have to do is open a new tab.

The weather information is a nice little touch to help you learn what kind of weather you should be expecting in the upcoming days.

Features:

• A user-friendly browser extension.
• Compatible with Google Chrome.
• Replaces New Tab page with time and weather information.
• Lets you control time and weather display type.

Check out Currently @ chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ojhmphdkpgbibohbnpbfiefkgieacjmh

42floors: A Search Engine That Helps In Finding Commercial Real Estate

There are numerous search engines online that let you search for property and real estate. But very few of these engines specify the type of property – residential or commercial. Even then, it cannot be convenient for an office searcher to filter through the residential and commercial properties. Imagine finally finding the place you want your new office to be, only to find that it is a residential location. Therefore there is a strong need for a search engine that is dedicated solely to searching for commercial real estate. This need is met by a tool called 42floors.

42floors is a web application that acts as a search engine for commercial real estate. Anytime you want to look for your new office, simply visit the homepage of 42floors. There you should select the area you are looking for commercial property in. A map will be generated that shows available properties. You can change the zoom levels on the map and drag it around. Properties are also loaded up in the left pane as a list, corresponding to the markers on the map.

If you click on a marker on the map, you will be shown its different units. You will also be shown its total area and its annual renting rate per square foot.

Clicking on a unit will display more details. These details include a photograph, an informative description, the size, rate, lease type, term, and any other available information that might be of use.

People interested in the property can then contact the phone number of the listing agent for that property. The number is mentioned on the property’s 42floors page.

Features:

• A user-friendly web service.
• Shows detailed information about each property.
• Displays listing agent contact information.

Check out 42floors @ http://42floors.com

iView: A jQuery Image Slider That Looks Great & Is Easy To Use

For any web developers out there looking for an easy to an implement image slider that looks great and is easy to set up, you should take a look at iView. It’s simple to set up, and it has lots of options for making a beautiful slider that suits your needs perfectly. Check out a sample slider made by the developer of iView. It gives you a feel for the kinds of beautiful things this can do.

iView supports HTML elements that will help you make your slider really stand out. You can add images, videos and iFrames. Of course, no slider would be complete without transitions between the slides, and this one comes with 35 of them, all with their own flare and style. You can also set up beautiful looking animated captions that will make your slider stand out.

Another fantastic feature of iView is support for mobile. The sliders will function perfectly with a mouse or with a touchscreen. This gives you options whether you need this for an image slideshow, collection of banner ads, or presentation.

Features:

• jQuery image slider.
• Support for HTML elements.
• Support for 35 transitions.
• Works with desktops and touchscreens.
• Animated captions.
• Unlimited slides.

Find iView @ iprodev.com/2012/07/iview

OutMyWindow: Control Privacy Settings Of Your Shared Photos [iOS]

It’s not always the case that we want all of our photos to be shared with everyone in the entire world.  More likely, we’d rather share some photos with family, others with friends, and then some with co-workers. Current social networks don’t necessarily provide the easiest ways to control the privacy of those photos, so more people will be seeing photos on your Facebook page than you may think. However, iOS users can enjoy a separate service which makes sharing photos and controlling who sees them super easy.

OutMyWindow is an entirely separate service which specializes in photo sharing. With OutMyWindow, you can control who sees what photos in a visually-appealing app which is also a good way to browse through all those images. You can also connect to other people and receive instant notifications on any new photos, and import photos from your camera or popular photo sharing site.

You can even send your photos to digital frames or internet-connected TVs.

Features:

• Control who sees your photos.
• Upload to specialized storage of 5GB for free.
• Send to multiple devices.
• Keep track of others’ photo activity.

Check it out @ the Apple App Store

Intel-powered Android notebooks coming soon, will cost $200

If this piece of news is to be believed, then very soon we will see Intel-powered Android notebooks for as low as $200 (Rs 10,880 approx). Dadi Perlmutter, Intel’s executive vice president and chief product officer, told Cnet that notebooks carrying a price tag around $200 will predominantly be Android devices equipped with Intel’s Atom mobile processors.

However, there is no further information about these Android notebooks. It is unclear how they’d look like. Seemingly, they are expected to be convertible type devices, the hybrid trend that we saw at the popular tech shows earlier this year. Perlmutter expects the PC market to pick pace during the second half of the year as it heads into the year 2014.

Last week, Intel CEO Paul Otellini had disclosed that touchscreen PCs could make a debut at prices as low as $200. And this is expected to happen in the coming months. However, he hadn’t specified which operating system these devices would carry, so one could have easily assumed Windows 8. Whether Windows 8 PCs will carry such a low price largely depends on Microsoft, disclosed Perlmutter. He further added, "We have a good technology that enables a very cost-effective price point. The price of Windows 8 laptops depends on how Microsoft prices Windows 8. It may be a slightly higher price point."

The cheaper laptops are expected to run on Intel's Atom chips, and the ones which will run on Intel’s Core line will supposedly sell as low as $399 to $499. One can expect the higher-end laptops to be priced more. Reportedly, Intel will ship data-only multimode LTE processors by the mid of 2013 and multimode voice over LTE and data processors later during the year. Presently, the company offers only single-mode LTE chip. On the other hand, its rival Qualcomm dominates the mobile market and offers multimode LTE chips.

Intel has been a late entrant in the mobile segment. It will be introducing a mobile chip that integrates LTE on the same piece of silicon as the application processor in 2014. It has gained some traction in smartphones, but the figures are still low. Intel dominates the PC market by making chips that power computers/laptops and servers. However, the PC market has been witnessing a slow down due to the overwhelming response for mobile devices.

HP Slate 7 is now on sale online for $170

HP has finally started selling its seven-inch Android tablet Slate 7 in the United States. Apart from the branding of HP and Beats Audio presence, there is hardly anything interesting about it. With Nexus 7 tablet as its competitor, it has a tough road ahead. If only the company had opted for a HD display, it might have emerged as a decent tablet.

The tablet can now be ordered from the company’s online store in the United States for $169.99. To remind you, HP Slate 7 was originally announced at Mobile World Congress and US is the first country to see its launch.

It is also scheduled to be released in the UK on MAy 1. HP Slate 7 features a 7-inch 1024x600p resolution display. It is powered by 1.6GHz Cortex-A9 dual-core processor. The tablet also features 3MP rear camera, VGA front camera, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and microSD card slot. In addition, there is Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth 2.1, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

HP has also included support HP ePrint as well as its native Android print solution. The tablet is pre-loaded with full suite of Google applications.

Vine Android app coming ‘soon,’ but when?

The popular iOS app Vine, which was acquired by Twitter last year, is getting ready to launch its Android version in Google Play. Vine co-founder Dom Hofmann told The Verge in an interview that Android app is coming soon, but did not give a specific time-frame.

Those of you not aware of Vine, it is a platform, which enables users to share six-seconds long video clips, similar to how Twitter enables users to share 140 character messages.

Despite becoming the most popular smartphone platform in the world, Android is still being treated as a step-child by many developers as well as by content and social firms as big as Twitter. Even after six months of acquiring Vine in October 2012, Twitter has not been able to get the Android version of Vine released till now. The micro-blogging giant also recently launched Twitter Music; the iOS app for the same is already out in iTunes app store, while the Android users continue to wait.

We hope Twitter gets its act together soon and releases the Vine Android app in Google Play along with Twitter Music app.

Samsung to launch dual-SIM Galaxy Core i8262 Android phone soon

Samsung is going to launch a new dual-SIM Android smartphone called Galaxy Core soon. The smartphone, which is reportedly set to debut in Russia around mid-May, will most probably be released in Asia and Europe as well.

Hi-tech@mail.ru has posted a press render of this phone along with detailed expected specifications. According to the website, the phone will run on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and will be powered by 1.2GHz processor.

It sports a 4.3-inch WVGA display and comes with 768MB RAM, 8GB of internal storage and microSD card slot.  From the looks of these specs, it is a mid-range phone.

Hi-Tech has also revealed the Russian pricing of the device, which is expected to be around 12,990 RUB (about €320), however it is not an indication of pricing elsewhere as Russian prices tend to be on the higher side.

Other details of Galaxy Core:

Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0
5MP rear camera with LED flash
129.3 x 67.56 x 8.95 mm
140 grams

Google X coming with Android 5.0.1

Google X which is expected to be made by Motorola is going to have a 1.5 GHz processor.

A new Nexus smartphone seems to be in the making. Named as Google X, the new handset comes with an all new Android 5.0.1, as per a listing on the Antutu benchmark.

As per the listing, there seems to be three versions of the handset. The top model has a 1.5 GHz processor with Android 5.0.1 operating system version while another comes with a 1.2 GHz processor but the same Android version. Another comes with a 1.2 GHz processor but with Android Jelly Bean operating system, however this may not be launched as Google phones (usually branded as Nexus) usually come with a brand new Android version. Thus probably the top model of new Google X phone with 1.5 GHz processor (in all likelihood a quad core processor based on Qualcomm 600 chipset) and Android 5.0.1 (which could be named as the Key Lime Pie) would be launched.

However, if the Antutu listing is to be believed, Google X will not be the fastest smartphone out there as it has got 15479 score which is much lower than Samsung Galaxy S4's 24894 or even HTC One X+'s 16170. Lower level of performance could also be result of Google's attempt to bring the phone at a very affordable price point similar to what it did with Nexus 7.

However this Antutu benchmark listing could very well be a hoax. But if true, this means that Google will unveil the phone in next couple of months.

No other detail about the phone is available. However next Nexus phone is going to be made by Motorola and this is likely to be the rumoured Motorola X phone.

The phone could have a smaller screen than 5 inch as earlier this month while talking about the upcoming Google smartphone, Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt said "If you like smaller form-factor devices or stock Android, you're going to be excited."

Nokia released 3G network fix for Belle Feature Pack 2 devices

It fixes the issue pertaining to the 3G network for the Nokia Belle Feature Pack 2 devices.

Nokia has released a update to solve the 3G network connectivity issue for the Belle Feature Pack 2 running devices. This new 3G Network Connectivity Fix update measures mere 3 KB. AllAboutSymbian spotted the update and immediately tested it out on a Nokia 700.

Select Nokia 808 PureView device owners were facing issues with the 3G network connectivity and the new update fixes the issues. However the new update is expected to fix the 3G network connectivity woes.

The new update arrives for the Belle Feature Pack 2 devices which include Nokia 808 PureView, Nokia 700, Nokia 701 and Nokia 603. Only these device owners need to download the small update in order to enjoy hiccup free mobile web browsing.

LG confirms smartphone with flexible OLED display by year end

LG expects to introduce its first smartphone with flexible OLED display in the fourth quarter of this year.

If you are wondering about a flexible display bearing smartphone, your wait would be over very soon as LG is planning to launch such a handset, The Wall Streen Journal has reported.

Yoon Bu-Hyun, vice president of mobile division of LG, told the Journal that LG is planning to release its first smartphone with flexible OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. This smartphone will be made available sometime by this year end. LG did not share much detail on the same and thereby left everyone clueless about the device.

Flexible displays have been showed at the annual conventions such as Consumer Electronics Show and others since last couple of years. However, these displays are still not commercialised due to high cost factor.

However, we don't know how exactly the flexible display work. Whether the display would be like a flip phone, a slider or regular candy bar form factor device. There are no details about the specifics of the smartphone. However, LG does aim to announce the device by year end.

Reliance Digital Stores to offer Samsung Galaxy S4 from April 27

Reliance Digital Stores will be offering Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones at Rs. 41,500 from tomorrow onwards.

Samsung has formally announced its flagship smartphone - Galaxy S4 - today at an event in Delhi. The Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available for purchase tomorrow from the network of 139 Reliance Digital Stores across the country. This is the first time when the flagship smartphone will be available for purchase the next day after formal launch.

Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone arrives with the new Nature UX 2 layered on top of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update. The Galaxy S4 features a 5-inch full HD Super Amoled touchscreen display and offers 441 pixels per inch pixel density. With such a crisp display, Samsung has also implemented the Air Gesture feature that lets the user interact with the phone without touching the display.

Inside the 7.9 mm thick chassis, Samsung has packed an eight-core Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5410 mobile processor with PowerVR SGX 544MP3 graphics chip. Samsung has used 2 GB RAM and will offer the device in 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB internal storage options. There is a 13 megapixel camera at the back that lets simultaneous HD video recording and image capturing. Other imaging features such as HDR, image stabilization, face and smile detection have been added to the camera app. There is a front facing 2 megapixel camera capable of full HD video recording and performing video calls. Apart from the dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and several other sensors, the Galaxy S4 packs 2600 mAh battery to power the hardware.

Samsung will also make the Galaxy S4 available through the official Samsung India eStore online for purchase but the users will have to wait for the delivery. Whereas, Reliance Digital promises the facility to purchase device on the spot from the chain of 139 stores across the country.

Lava launches a pocket router cum phone charger for Rs 2,499

Lava W200 can be used with 3G dongles as well as wired connections. It can also charge a phone with its 1800 mAb battery.

Lava has launched a new pocket router for Rs 2,499. The new Lava W200 router can be used with EVDO (CDMA) and 3G (GSM) dongles as well as with a wired connection.

The router can be used to create a WiFi hotspot for up to 32 users. The router comes with 1800 mAh battery that not just powers the device but can also be used to charge a phone or other mobile devices.


There are many pocket routers in the market but this is the only one that can charge a phone. Though its 1800 mAh battery won't be able to juice up your phone completely it will certainly be enough to power it for few hours.