Fwd: Handy Tips To Help Maintain Your Android Device

Handy Tips To Help Maintain Your Android Device

Android's open nature may be lauded by many but it also leaves your device vulnerable to malware, freezes & slowdowns. Hitesh Raj Bhagat shows you how you to keep it running like new with little effort.

Guard Against Malware & Bad Apps 

IF YOU DOWNLOAD a lot of apps from unknown sources (places other than Google's Play Store), chances are that your phone is already infected with malware. Trend Micro reports that there are over 500 sources that host malicious apps. While most malware will send texts to premium numbers without your 

knowledge, some could also be mining data (and consequently slowing down your device). If you must get apps from unknown sources, you should get an anti-virus app. Some of the best free options include Avast, AVG, Lookout, Norton, ESET & Zoner. Note that you shouldn't install more than one of these at one time and having one isn't a guarantee against bad apps — but it helps. 

Manage RAM for Smooth Multitasking

ONE OF THE biggest reasons why your device runs out of steam is limited available RAM. This is more true of devices with 512MB and to a certain extent, 1GB of total RAM. Depending on the number of applications you have installed (and how many of them are running in the background), the amount of free RAM your device has may not be enough to smoothly switch between apps. To solve this problem, get a free app called Clean Master by KS Mobile. Not only does it have a task killer (to free up RAM), but it can also delete history (web browser data & history), clean the cache, properly uninstall apps and remove residual files (remnants of previously deleted apps) to free up space on the device memory. 

How to Manage Your Applications 

MOST IF NOT all Android devices have a built in task manager which shows you all the background apps (running apps) and lets you selectively remove them from memory. Keeping them running will pull them up faster when you need them, but beyond a point, too many apps will slow the device down. The app manager is usually pulled up with a long press on the Home or Options button. If you need to install a third-party app to do the same thing, you can get Advanced Task Manager (by Infolife) or Android App Manager (by SmartWho). The advantage that either of these apps can offer is a home screen widget which allows you to close running apps with just one tap. 

Get Your Settings Straight 

TAKE A LOOK at your device's settings page. Are you signed in to any accounts that you are not using? Remove them. You can also check for sync intervals (how often these accounts check for updates). Are additional functions like Bluetooth, NFC and WiFi on when you don't need them? Some of these might keep hunting for a connection and slow down other services. If you are using a third-party launcher, set it as the default. If you use more than one launcher at a time, resources are usually shared between them, making everything slower. It also helps if you remove any widgets that you aren't using (because they keep updating in the background) and remove any extra homescreen pages. 

GET A FRESH START 

Sometimes, whatever you do may not be enough. If your phone or tablet still keeps freezing or drags its feet with even the simplest of tasks, it may be time for a factory reset. A factory reset restores your device to original settings — like the way it was when you first got it. Luckily, every Android device has a factory reset option built in. Initialising the factory reset is a simple, one-step process — just head to settings and 'privacy' or 'backup & reset'. Keep in mind that doing a factory reset erases everything on the device: all installed apps, contacts, calendar entries, photos, texts, videos & any accounts that you're signed in to will be removed. So before you reset, use an app called inDefend to backup your contacts & messages, use App Backup & Restore (by Infolife) to backup apps, SMS Backup & Restore for SMS & Dropbox to save your photos & videos to the cloud. 

ANDROID TIPS 

Periodically Clean Out messages and Gallery 

If you've owned your phone for a while, chances are you have thousands of texts, photos & videos stored. You can take a backup of all essential data and clean out stuff — starting from the oldest first. 

Since these apps won't have to cache as much data, they'll load much faster. 

How much Free Phone Memory do you have? 

Even if you have 16GB storage, some of that is taken up by the operating system and essential apps. You should keep at least 2GB of that free. Move all non-essential data and apps to the external memory card using the file manager and a free app called App2SD. 

Does the Stock Launcher Slow you Down? 

Phone makers have a tendency to use heavy interfaces with animations & features that you may never use. Download Nova Launcher from the app store to give your device an instant speed boost. It's also way more customisable than the stock interface that you get. 

Live Wallpapers use up Processor Bandwidth 

Using a live (animated) wallpaper on your device uses up a fair bit of processing power — power that could easily be put to use by making apps load up faster and making the interface smoother. While this is more true of budget devices, switch off your live wallpaper and you'll also see better battery life.

 Courtesy : Tectonic, Times of India, dated: 03/07/2013 

Google's Latest Plans For World Domination

Google's Latest Plans For World Domination

Google showed off a bunch of new services and upcoming features at their annual Google I/O conference. Karan Bajaj & Hitesh Raj Bhagat analyse the announcements to give you a detailed look at what's new and how they will affect you

MAPS 

Maps for Android will see a number of new features, starting with the Fused Location provider. It uses all your phone's sensors to provide accurate location spotting while consuming less than 1% battery per hour. Maps will also use your phone's accelerometer to determine whether you are walking, running or driving. Another interesting addition to maps is an improved Geofencing feature. Geofencing lets you setup a virtual perimeter on a map. Concrete details were not shared, but we expect this will allow you to set certain functions & apps to start or stop using an Geofencing. For example, it could automatically switch on WiFi and set the ringer to vibrate within your office building. 

PLAY STORE 

A useful new feature is the cross platform, single sign in for third party apps. So, if you signup for Box.net on your Android smartphone, it will automatically sign you in on your Android tablet as well as your desktop Chrome browser. Notifications are also synced across devices — if you dismiss a notification, it will be removed from all other connected devices. The great news for developers is that they can now invite beta testers for apps directly through the Play Store. Previously, beta testers had to sideload apps onto the device. Developers can also get direct feedback from the beta tester from within the Play Store. 

HANGOUTS 

Hangouts will replace Google Chat and offer a unified messaging experience, be it on the web or on a smartphone (Android or iOS). Apart from text chat. it will allow videos call with up to 10 participants, across platforms. It will even offer SMS alerts for incoming chat notifications when offline (select countries only). Since a conversation is not deleted when you log off, you can continue where you left off, even after a few days or months. 

GOOGLE+ 

Your Google+ stream will have a revamped design — new animation and cards — similar to Google Now on Android smartphones. The layout displays content in multiple columns that automatically adjust to your device's screen size and resolution. A new smart hashtag feature has been added for photos. 

Google+ will automatically analyse an image, recognize the location/structure/monument and hashtag it. Clicking on a post or photo will show you content with similar hashtags. Storage space for full size photographs has been increased from 5GB to 15GB. A feature called 'auto highlight' automatically selects the best photos out of hundreds, removing blurr ones and duplicates. Auto enhance offers onetouch image correction within the browser by fixing white balance, sharpening images, removing red eye and auto adjusting colour tones. 

MUSIC 

Google announced a US-only (for now) music streaming service called 'Google Play Music All Access'. Users will get a 30-day free trial after which the service will cost US$ 9.99 per month. The service gives you access to all music on the store and also offers personalised recommendations based on your listening history. You also have control over streaming playlists — it will allow you to rearrange songs or remove them easily. A feature called 'listen Now' instantly start playing tracks from your music uploads or from Google's music collection. 

GAMING 

You can now save game progress in the cloud — start playing the game on one device and continue from where you left off on another device (Android, web or iOS). You also get leaderboards. Using a Google+ account, sign-in to the service, connect with friends and compare game scores in public and private leaderboards. Google Play services will work across platforms: Android, iOS as well as browser-

based games. 

COMING SOON 

NEW IMAGE & VIDEO FORMATS 

WebP, a new image format invented by Google, is a third smaller in size than JPEG while retaining the same quality (if all other parameters remain the same). WebP also supports animated images (like animated GIFs). For video, Google's format called VP9, offers the same quality as the current (and most commonly used) H.264 standard — but is less than half the size. Smaller image and video file sizes will automatically mean lower data costs and faster load times, especially on mobile devices. 

SEND MONEY USING GMAIL 

You will soon be able to send money in an email — as long as you have a bank account or credit/debit card associated with your Google Wallet account. Wallet is already used to make purchases from the Play Store so if you have purchased an Android app, this step is already done. Each email money transaction (using cards; bank account transfers are free) will carry a 2.9% transaction fee. Google is gradually rolling it out to Gmail users.

Courtesy : Techtonic, Times of India, dated: 22/05/2013 

Older Devices With Fantastic Bang For Your Buck

Older Devices With Fantastic Bang For Your Buck

More often than not, gadget updates just have minor changes and a new model number to keep things looking fresh. Hitesh Raj Bhagat & Karan Bajaj point you towards some of the best deals right now

TABLETS

Apple iPad 2 (WiFi) 

Even though there are two new versions, the iPad 2 is the slimmest (8.8mm) and lightest (601 grams) tablet from the range. It has a 9.7-inch display (1024 x 768 pixels), dual core processor & 16GB storage. 

It upgrades to the latest iOS 6.1 and there are absolutely no issues with running any of the newer apps or playing the latest games. Apart from the performance, the battery life that you get is also phenomenal. WAS 29,500 NOW 22,500

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (WiFi) 

If you're looking for a 7-inch tablet from one of the bigger brands, Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 is a great option. It may be old, but it still offers a lot in terms of hardware, software, features as well as overall build quality compared to most other tablets in this price range. Specs include Android 4.1, 1Ghz dual core processor, 1GB RAM and 16GB storage. The 7-inch display (1024 x 768 pixels) is sharp & vibrant. WAS 13,900 NOW 9,499

CAMERAS

Canon IXUS 500 HS 

This is one of the few ultracompact point and shoot cameras at this price with 12X optical zoom. It has a unique design, 10MP CMOS sensor and Canon's HS system for fantastic low light photos. It is also capable of full HD video recording and has HDMI output to connect with a TV. The rechargeable battery is good for up to 150 shots. WAS 19,995 NOW 11,990

Canon EOS 600D 

This mid-range DSLR recently had a hige price drop & has an 18MP sensor — similar to the one used in Canon's EOS 7D DSLR. You get a built-in flash, full manual controls and full HD video recording. The 3-inch articulating LCD makes it easy to frame your shots from different angles. WAS 50,990 NOW 34,000

Nikon D3100 

For first-time DSLR users, the D3100 is a great camera thanks to the guide mode that makes it easy to learn. It has a 14MP CMOS sensor, built-in flash, 3-inch LCD display, HDMI and even does full HD video recording. The D3200 doesn't add too many features. WAS 32,950NOW 27,110

BUYING A PC?

Processor 

There are currently two variants Intel Core series processors available — 2nd and 3rd generation. There is a clear difference between the two when it comes to performance and energy efficiency. That being said, if you are buying a PC for basic usage like Internet, multimedia playback and office work, why not save and opt for the older chip? Laptops with the 2nd generation processor can be a lot cheaper compared to those which have the latest third generation Core processors.

Windows 

Microsoft's new and revamped Windows 8 has a lot of new features, but even the older Windows 7 stands its ground. Manufacturers are moving towards Windows 8 and almost all new machines now come with the new OS. However, a lot of retailers have older stock of devices running Windows 7 which they are looking to get rid of — if you ask around and check online, you'll get some great deals on laptops and allin-one PCs with Windows 7.

PHONES

Apple iPhone 4 

The iPhone 4 marked a major shift in design compared to the previous 3GS. It still looks fresh because the iPhone 4S is near identical and the iPhone 5 follows the same design language. Apart from the latest version of iOS, the iPhone 4 also enjoys a vast app + accessory ecosystem and there's currently a great buyback (discount) offer on that drops the price by another Rs7k. WAS 34,500 NOW 24,345

Samsung Galaxy S3 

The blockbuster S3 and S2 were the main factors that catapulted Samsung into the Android big leagues, making them the world's largest vendor of smartphones. Now, even though the mighty S4 has now been launched, the S3 is no slouch. At its new price, the S3 is superb value for money and still one of the best Android phones around. WAS 43,180 NOW 27,500

Nokia PureView 808 

There wasn't much to differentiate cameraphones from one another till the 808 PureView came around. It was unveiled last year - the 41 Megapixel sensor and pixel oversampling technology was inno vative to say the least. It was and still is leagues ahead of most cameraphones – primarily thanks to the sensor being larger than most compact cameras. The Nokia Belle operating system fell out of favour though and is the main reason why it's available at this throwaway price now. WAS 33,899 NOW 17,999

Courtesy : Tectonic, Times of India, dated: 29/05/2013 

Handy Tips To Help Maintain Your Android Device

Handy Tips To Help Maintain Your Android Device

Android's open nature may be lauded by many but it also leaves your device vulnerable to malware, freezes & slowdowns. Hitesh Raj Bhagat shows you how you to keep it running like new with little effort.

Guard Against Malware & Bad Apps 

IF YOU DOWNLOAD a lot of apps from unknown sources (places other than Google's Play Store), chances are that your phone is already infected with malware. Trend Micro reports that there are over 500 sources that host malicious apps. While most malware will send texts to premium numbers without your 

knowledge, some could also be mining data (and consequently slowing down your device). If you must get apps from unknown sources, you should get an anti-virus app. Some of the best free options include Avast, AVG, Lookout, Norton, ESET & Zoner. Note that you shouldn't install more than one of these at one time and having one isn't a guarantee against bad apps — but it helps. 

Manage RAM for Smooth Multitasking

ONE OF THE biggest reasons why your device runs out of steam is limited available RAM. This is more true of devices with 512MB and to a certain extent, 1GB of total RAM. Depending on the number of applications you have installed (and how many of them are running in the background), the amount of free RAM your device has may not be enough to smoothly switch between apps. To solve this problem, get a free app called Clean Master by KS Mobile. Not only does it have a task killer (to free up RAM), but it can also delete history (web browser data & history), clean the cache, properly uninstall apps and remove residual files (remnants of previously deleted apps) to free up space on the device memory. 

How to Manage Your Applications 

MOST IF NOT all Android devices have a built in task manager which shows you all the background apps (running apps) and lets you selectively remove them from memory. Keeping them running will pull them up faster when you need them, but beyond a point, too many apps will slow the device down. The app manager is usually pulled up with a long press on the Home or Options button. If you need to install a third-party app to do the same thing, you can get Advanced Task Manager (by Infolife) or Android App Manager (by SmartWho). The advantage that either of these apps can offer is a home screen widget which allows you to close running apps with just one tap. 

Get Your Settings Straight 

TAKE A LOOK at your device's settings page. Are you signed in to any accounts that you are not using? Remove them. You can also check for sync intervals (how often these accounts check for updates). Are additional functions like Bluetooth, NFC and WiFi on when you don't need them? Some of these might keep hunting for a connection and slow down other services. If you are using a third-party launcher, set it as the default. If you use more than one launcher at a time, resources are usually shared between them, making everything slower. It also helps if you remove any widgets that you aren't using (because they keep updating in the background) and remove any extra homescreen pages. 

GET A FRESH START 

Sometimes, whatever you do may not be enough. If your phone or tablet still keeps freezing or drags its feet with even the simplest of tasks, it may be time for a factory reset. A factory reset restores your device to original settings — like the way it was when you first got it. Luckily, every Android device has a factory reset option built in. Initialising the factory reset is a simple, one-step process — just head to settings and 'privacy' or 'backup & reset'. Keep in mind that doing a factory reset erases everything on the device: all installed apps, contacts, calendar entries, photos, texts, videos & any accounts that you're signed in to will be removed. So before you reset, use an app called inDefend to backup your contacts & messages, use App Backup & Restore (by Infolife) to backup apps, SMS Backup & Restore for SMS & Dropbox to save your photos & videos to the cloud. 

ANDROID TIPS 

Periodically Clean Out messages and Gallery 

If you've owned your phone for a while, chances are you have thousands of texts, photos & videos stored. You can take a backup of all essential data and clean out stuff — starting from the oldest first. 

Since these apps won't have to cache as much data, they'll load much faster. 

How much Free Phone Memory do you have? 

Even if you have 16GB storage, some of that is taken up by the operating system and essential apps. You should keep at least 2GB of that free. Move all non-essential data and apps to the external memory card using the file manager and a free app called App2SD. 

Does the Stock Launcher Slow you Down? 

Phone makers have a tendency to use heavy interfaces with animations & features that you may never use. Download Nova Launcher from the app store to give your device an instant speed boost. It's also way more customisable than the stock interface that you get. 

Live Wallpapers use up Processor Bandwidth 

Using a live (animated) wallpaper on your device uses up a fair bit of processing power — power that could easily be put to use by making apps load up faster and making the interface smoother. While this is more true of budget devices, switch off your live wallpaper and you'll also see better battery life.

 Courtesy : Tectonic, Times of India, dated: 26/06/2013 

How To Get Premium Features On Any Android Phone

How To Get Premium Features On Any Android Phone

When it comes to smartphones, high-end features are usually reserved for those with deep pockets. Not so with Android, say Hitesh Raj Bhagat & Karan Bajaj

Use Multiple Apps, Side-by-Side

Now that many Android phones have really large screens, a single app on the whole screen sometimes feels like a waste of screen space. Samsung's MultiView and LG's QSlide make it easy to run multiple apps simultaneously on a single screen. However, you can get similar multi-tasking functionality on any 

Android phone using various free apps. The free Floating Browser Flux provides you with a resizable browser window that hovers on top of running apps but still offers usual functionality like page zoom and scrolling. Similarly, you can install Floating YouTube to play streaming videos, Air Calc to have a floating calculator, Pluto Messenger (for Google Talk and Facebook Messenger) and the Multiwindow 

Messenger app to have multiple SMS conversations. All these apps allow quick resizing of the floating windows for easy placement. 

Intelligent Screen Timeout 

Typically, a phones's screen switches off if not used for a pre-set time. You might find yourself constantly tapping the screen to keep it on while reading a long article or waiting for an app to refresh. 

Samsung's premium smartphones offer a feature called SmartStay — it uses the front camera to detect when you are looking at the screen and keeps the backlight on. A free app called SmartStay Ex enables the same thing on Android smartphones which have a front camera. 

Motion Gestures 

Some Samsung smartphones offer an interesting set of features that are activated using motion. For instance, you can mute an incoming call by turning the phone over or answer a call by raising it to your ear. Other 'Smart Alerts' can inform you of missed calls and messages. A free app called Easy Answer has both these functions and even offers the option to disconnect the call when the phone is moved away from the ear. For smart alerts, install a free app called Missed Call / SMS Alert — it lets you set reminders and alerts using sound or vibration when you miss a call or have unread messages. 

Intuitive Note-taking and Annotation 

Scribbling notes on a piece of paper is now passé; most people use their smartphones for it. Thanks to features like Samsung's S Note and LG's QuickMemo (on the Galaxy Note and Optimus Vu), jotting notes on the phone is easier. An app called Floating Draw adds similar functionality to any Android phone. With this app, you can start drawing freehand on the phone's screen with your choice of color. The only issue is that to take a screenshot of the note (with the background included), you may need to use a separate screenshot app. 

Picture-in-picture Videos 

If you often find yourself pausing a video to look at incoming notifications, Samsung's Pop-up Play function solves this by allowing you to have the video playing in a floating, resizable window while you access other apps or check notifications. An app called Super Video Player offers similar functionality for 

free. Not only can you have a floating window with an HD video playing in it, it also goes 'one-up' by letting you play two simultaneous videos. 

Phonebook Integration with Social Networks 

A very useful feature in Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10 is the integration of social network updates with phonebook contacts. This allows for quick access to status updates and your friends' activities. A free app called Contacts+ not only integrates Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn with your phonebook, but it also auto-syncs contact pictures and birthday reminders. If that wasn't enough, it can suggest and merge duplicate contact for you plus it has a widget for quick access to favourites. Finally, a built-in messaging function lets you send messages from within the app to your contacts — you won't even have to switch between apps. 

Automate Your Smartphone 

Some Motorola Android phones have SmartActions (available on the app store, but only for Motorola). It lets you define a set of functions that you can start/stop at a specified time or when you reach your destination. Using a free app called Phone Scheduler, you can adjust various supported functions (Wireless connectivity, ringtone mode, brightness level) at a prespecified time. You can also pre-set days of the week when the function should automatically run or launch an app at a pre-configured time and day. 

Language Translator 

The language barrier can be an issue for travellers. LG's Qtranslator scans and converts text between 44 languages to ease things up. You can try the free Camdictionary for similar functionality. The app even goes a step ahead and offers speech to text translation between various languages. 

Live Video Zoom 

LG's Live Zoom functionality lets you zoom into video while it's playing. The ad-supported BSPlayer Free lets you pinch to zoom in a video during playback and also offers automatic subtitle search when required. It support multiple video formats and can even play videos stored in zip archives. 

Advanced Voice Features or an Interactive Voice Assistant 

A typical voice assistant (think Siri) can do all sorts of stuff: set reminders & alarms for you, search the web, make calls and so on. However, your device needs a constant (and fast) data connection because your voice is sent for analysis before an action can take place. With an app called Utter (currently free 

and in Beta), many actions can be performed without a data connection. Plus, unlike Siri or apps like S Voice in Samsung phones, Utter is always on and works in any app throughout the phone — you don't need to tap a button or open an app to start the functionality.

Courtesy : Techtonic, Time of India dated 20-03-2013 

How to Solve The Most Common Tech Problems

How to Solve The Most Common Tech Problems

Sometimes, the most complex problems have the simplest fixes. Hitesh Raj Bhagat & Karan Bajaj offer easy solutions for four of the most common tech problems

EXPAND THE STORAGE OF A PHONE OR TABLET 

Power users everywhere have a common problem — the limited storage on phones/tablets often runs out. iOS users have it bad because the devices do not have expandable storage and the next version with more storage is way more expensive than necessary. In case of Android, you usually get 4 or 8GB of onboard storage, expandable via microSD cards. Most devices support at least 32GB cards, which are fairly inexpensive. Other devices with expandable storage can also usually accept 32GB cards. However, there are other ways to add storage for all the files you need. 

Wireless Drive 

A wireless hard drive connects to your computer like a standard portable hard drive to copy data. However, it has a built-in battery and creates its own Wi-Fi hotspot. You can connect your phone or tablet to the wireless drive's Wi-Fi and use an app to access the content stored on the drive. The app usually provides the option to download data on the hard drive, over to your device if required. Depending on your requirements, you can choose to go for the 500GB Seagate GoFlex Satellite ( 9,990) or the 1TB Seagate Wireless Plus drive. ( 16,000). 

Cloud 

The benefit of using cloud storage is that you can access your data from anywhere, anytime. Using various services like Dropbox, Box. net, Google Drive and SkyDrive, you can easily get over 100GB of cloud storage without spending a single Rupee. Almost all of these services have their own dedicated smartphone/ tablet apps. With these apps installed, it becomes simpler to access and download data to your device. The only issue is that you need to be on a fast data connection, or else downloading large files will take a long time.

RECOVER FILES DELETED BY MISTAKE 

Sometimes, all it takes to lose an entire vacation's worth of photos is a single click — it can happen to anyone. As long as you haven't formatted the hard drive or memory card, you should be able to recover most of what you accidentally deleted because of the way a file system on a computer works — when you delete a file, the data doesn't actually get removed from the storage memory — it just gets earmarked as available space, over which other files can be written. Therefore, for a successful recovery, you need to use 'undelete' software immediately after files were deleted. Recuva (www.piriform.com/recuva) is one of the best options — it's fast, easy to use and gets the job done. 

If for some reason Recuva doesn't work for you or can't recover all the files, you can also try Glary Undelete (www. glarysoft.com/glary-undelete) and Pandora Recovery (www.pandorarecovery.com). 

Mac OS X (10.5 and above) users can try MiniTool (www.mac-data-recover.com). Even though this is a Mac-only file recovery software, it works with all popular file systems like HFS, FAT32 and NTFS. The free version will recover up to 1GB of deleted files. 

RESTORE YOUR PHONE TO FACTORY STATE WITHOUT LOSING SMS, CONTACTS OR DATA 

If you like to install and then delete a lot of apps on your smartphone, you may notice that existing apps take more time to start, games have random frame drops and even the keyboard takes time to come up. Multiple apps, extensions and remnants of old files might be consuming extra phone resources. The easiest and guaranteed fix for this issue is to restore your phone to factory settings. However, when you factory reset a phone, everything on the phone including your text messages, multimedia content and contacts are wiped. Depending on what devices you have, there are ways to backup & restore your data easily. Apple iPhone users have it easy. Just connect your phone to iTunes and take a backup of your existing phone. After the backup, you can use iTunes to restore the phone to factory settings. Once it is reset, iTunes will restore all your data from the backup. Similar to iOS, both BlackBerry and Windows Phone have their desktop suites. Using the respective software, you can easily take a backup of all your 

data and then restore it when you do a factory reset. For Android users, things are slightly complicated. Samsung, HTC and Sony have their own desktop software to take care of data backup and restore. 

But for other Android phones, you will need to use apps. First, backup all text messages to a memory card using a free apps called 'SMS Backup & Restore'. For apps, use a free app called 'App Backup and Restore' (it allows batch backup and restore). You can also backup apps to your PC wirelessly using an app called AirDroid. Since contacts are synced with your Google account, they are automatically backed up to your Gmail account. Once you sign-in after a factory reset, contacts are automatically restored. 

REFRESH YOUR WINDOWS PC WITHOUT DELETING ANY FILES 

Some Windows computers have a tendency to get sluggish over a period of time. You can install various utilities that claim to speed up a computer by freeing RAM and deleting temporary files, but nothing works as well as restoring to factory settings or reinstalling the operating system from scratch. However, like the smartphones, restoring removes all your existing files and settings. You can take a backup of your files on a portable hard drive, but what about the personal settings, installed applications and related files? 

Windows 7 

Make sure that you uninstall Windows Service Pack updates first. Insert your Windows installation DVD and run the setup. However, instead of a fresh install, choose to upgrade Windows. Windows will then re-install the OS and restore all your existing files, programs and settings. 

Windows 8 

Windows 8 has a built-in feature to 'refresh' your computer. You can access it in Settings > PC Settings > General.

The feature backs up all your personal files and programs that came preloaded with the new PC and then automatically restores them after Windows has been re-installed.

Courtesy : Techtonic, Time of India dated 06-03-2013 

Wireless multimedia, transferring large files or using your phone as a remote

Wireless multimedia, transferring large files or using your phone as a remote are just a few examples of what you can do. Hitesh Raj Bhagat & Karan Bajaj show you how -

AIRDROID 

If you frequently connect your Android phone to the computer for data transfer, AirDroid can make your life a lot simpler. It's completely free and enables a connection between your phone and the computer over WiFi. You don't need to install any additional software on your computer because it works using a web browser. Run the app and open http://web. airdroid.com in any web browser. Enter the password displayed on the computer screen into the app to create the secure connection. The browser interface is easy to use and there are several features on offer. You can take a backup of your phone, send and receive SMS from your browser, install new apps on your device, manage the running processes as well as view details about your phone's storage. BlackBerry's Z10 has a similar feature built in. Go to Settings > Storage and Access > Access using Wi-Fi. This shows the Z10 as a network drive in your computer to transfer data. 

AIR DISPLAY 

Multiple monitors can improve your productivity. However, if you can't install one and if you already have a tablet or phone, you can configure it as a second display. With Air Display ( 270 for Android, 550 for iOS), you can use your Android device or Apple iPhone/iPad as a second monitor for your computer. 

Both devices need to be connected to the same WiFi network & additional server software needs to be installed on your Windows or MAC computer from www.avatron.com. Once installed, launch the app and it will automatically work like an extended monitor with full touch functionality. It can be used in both portrait and landscape mode. A free (adsupported) version of Air Display is available for iOS. 

AIR VIDEO 

All iOS devices, be it the iPhone, iPod or iPad, have limited storage. Now this is a problem if you like to watch a lot of videos on the device. At least within your own WiFi network, you can solve this problem by using an app called Air Video (iOS only; 165). Air Video requires that you first install server software on your computer (the server software is free, available for both Windows & MAC). Once the server software is running, just add all the folders where your videos are stored. Connect your iOS device and computer to the same network and Air Video will instantly show you all videos, arranged by folder. Just tap on a video to instantly start streaming it over WiFi. If a file format is not supported by iOS, the app converts it on-the-fly — a very useful feature because iOS only supports MP4. Another app called Qloud (limited free version or roughly 165 for the full version) offers similar functionality for Android and Windows Phone users. If you want free Android apps. you can try BS Player or Emit, both of which offer similar functionality to Air Video. 

PLEX 

Plex is a free, cross-platform, media player available for Windows, Mac and Linux. You can use it to play video audio and photographs on your computer — however, pair it with the free Plex app on Android, iOS, Windows Phone 7 or Windows 8 and you can also stream your entire multimedia collection to your portable device. One of the highlights of Plex is that it automatically organises your multimedia by downloading associated information like cover art and movie/TV show information — all of this is also shared on the mobile app. 

PLAYERXTREME 

PlayerXtreme (the app is free for basic streaming, but some features talked about here are paid, enabled using an in-app purchase) is a media player that not only plays every video format on your iOS device, it also allows for super-easy wireless transfer of videos from your computer using WiFi. Within the app, go to the WiFi sharing tab and switch on wireless transfer. The app will give you a web address, which you type into a web browser on your computer — make sure your smartphone and computer are connected to the same network. Then, right from within your web browser, you can copy and paste video files to your device. Android users can get Easy Video Player (Free) or BSPlayer (Free & adsupported or Rs350) for roughly the same kind of functionality. 

GROUP PLAY 

Group Play, a feature first showcased on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4, is now available on other Galaxy devices like the Grand, S III, Note II, Tab 10.1 and Note 10.1. With Group Play, you can use WiFi to instantly share music (MP3), photos (JPEG, GIF) and documents (PPT, PDF) stored on your device with up to 9 other people — all devices need to be connected to the same WiFi network. First, you need to download the free Group Play app from the Play Store — needless to say, it only works on supported Samsung devices. From within the app, choose the type of file you want to share (multiple files can be selected at once) and the app will prompt you to enter a PIN for added security. Other devices need to open the app, tap on the shared session ID and enter the PIN. 

MOBILE AIR MOUSE 

With Mobile Air Mouse (available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android devices — $1.99 to $2.99, depending on version), you can convert your device into a remote control for your computer. Since it uses WiFi, you don't need to point your device at the screen and it even works from another room. It works with all versions of Windows, Mac OS X 10.5 onwards and Ubuntu — all you have to do is first install the app on your mobile device and the free server software from www. mobilemouse.com. Both the computer and the mobile device need to be connected to the same WiFi network and no further configuration is required. You can then use the phone/ tablet as a trackpad, as an 'air mouse' (move the device in the air to control the mouse; available on devices which have an accelerometer), presentation tool (iPhone and iPod Touch only) or as a remote for different applications like a media player or web browser.

Courtesy : Techtonic, Time of India dated 27-03-2013 

Free Online Alternatives To Expensive Software

Free Online Alternatives To Expensive Software

Almost every piece of expensive software that you buy for a computer has a free and capable online version. Not only will you save money, but you'll also free up some vauable hard drive space, explain Karan Bajaj & Hitesh Raj Bhagat

DOCUMENT EDITING -

Google Docs/Drive 

http://drive.google.com 

Google Drive provides a feature-rich interface for text, spreadsheets and presentations. You can open documents saved in your Gmail inbox or create a new one online. You can also collaborate real-time with colleagues on a document. All documents are automatically saved in your Google Drive cloud storage space. 

Microsoft Office Web Apps 

http://office.microsoft.com/web-apps/ 

Microsoft also offers a free online office suite for SkyDrive users — the interface will be familiar to users of MS Office. You get 7GB of free cloud storage to store your documents. You can create or upload Word, Excel, PowerPoint as well as OneNote files to SkyDrive and edit them. Documents can be shared and you can select which users can edit the document and if it is mandatory for users to sign into their Microsoft account to access the document or not. 

Zoho Docs 

www.zoho.com 

Zoho's office suite includes support for MS Word, spreadsheets, presentations as well as databases and reports. Like the other two office suites mentioned above, this one also supports real-time collaboration but in addition offers various other integrated services. With a single account, you get access to mail, chat, calendar/planner, invoice generation, as well as a CRM (customer relationship management) system. 

VIDEO EDITING 

Filelab 

www.filelab.com 

Filelab products work better with Google Chrome and you need to download a free plugin first. Once you start, you get support for multiple video formats and HD resolution. It offers all the basic editing controls to trim, cut and merge. You can also add creativity to your video with multiple effects. There are over 50 transition effects available along with the option to overlay one video on top of the other. You can define transparency, add audio tracks and then watch a live preview right in your browser window. 

Video ToolBox 

www.videotoolbox.com 

This editor supports editing of the most common file formats and also lets you convert from one format to another. You can add watermarks, merge videos, extract audio, take screenshots or remove unwanted parts of a video. It also gives you 1GB of free cloud storage. 

YouTube Editor 

www.youtube.com/editor 

Youtube offers a powerful online editor that lets you trim videos, merge multiple videos into one, add transitions, stabilise video or add a soundtrack of your choice. It also automatically suggests corrections and effects if your videos are not up to the mark. 

PHOTO EDITING 

Photoshop Express 

http://photoshop.com/editor 

If you need to do just basic image adjustments and manipulation, Adobe's own online photo editor is great. You get basic editing (crop, resize, rotate) as well as a few adjustments (white balance, soft focus, highlight) options. Various effects to enhance the picture are also available. Once done, images can be saved to your computer or shared on Flickr, Facebook or Picasa. 

Pixlr 

http://pixlr.com/editor 

With this online editor, you can create a new image, upload one from your computer or open any image from a URL. The interface is similar to Adobe Photoshop and you get all the usual tools as well as support for layers. You also get various filter effects, levels, curves and exposure controls. Images can be 

saved to the computer or to online services like Flickr/Picasa. 

Splashup 

www.splashup.com 

Splashup has a similar interface to Photoshop. Apart from your PC and from a URL, it also supports importing images from Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket and can capture an image from a webcam. Like Pixlr, it lets you work with layers to add various filters. However, it does not have advanced editing

options such as levels and exposure control. 

VARIOUS OTHER FREE TOOLS 

Music Creation 

SOUNDATION STUDIO (www.soundation. com) offers advanced tools and effects that you would only get with professional music studio software. You launch the studio right inside your browser window and it also includes over 600 free audio loops and samples that you can start with. A free account lets you save and publish as many songs as you want, but if you want recording, you need one of the paid plans. 

3D House Planner 

HOMESTYLER (www.homestyler.com) is a free and easy-to-use house planner. You can use it if you are planning on building a new house or even just redecorating. Homestyler lets you easily create a layout, add furniture, landscaping and experiment with paints, textures and different lighting for your room. 

You can easily view in 3D and share with friends too. 

PDF Tools 

A SUITE of no-nonsense PDF tools can be found at www.pdfunlock.com (to remove restrictions from PDFs), www.pdfmerge. com (to merge multiple files into one), www. splitpdf.com (split one file into multiple) and www.pdfprotect.net (add password protection). At www.pdfaid. com, you can choose from a variety of web tools for watermarking, image extraction, rotation, compression and conversion. 

Note that some of the tools imprint a small PDFAid logo on the final file. 

Speech To Text 

RATHER THAN use expensive dictation software, just head to www.talktyper.com. You need to download Google Chrome first because it doesn't work too well on other browsers. Make sure your microphone is working and click the green microphone button to start the dictation. It works pretty well if you speak clearly and the conversion to text is almost instantaneous. 

Optical Character Recognition 

AT www.ocronline.com, you can convert a scanned document, PDF file or an image (JPEG, TIFF, PNG, PDF) to an editable text file. First, complete a quick sign-up. If you are scanning, make sure to do it in 300dpi. Upload your document, select your preferred output format and you're done.

Courtesy : Techtonic, Times of India, dated: 10/04/2013

Quirky USB Gadgets to Accessorise Your Desk

Quirky USB Gadgets to Accessorise Your Desk

You can use the ubiquitous USB port on your computer for more than just boring memory devices and dongles. Karan Bajaj rounds up some cute and useful conversation starters

Handy Microscope 

This lightweight and easy-to-use microscope offers up to 200X magnification. It has a 2MP sensor that records stills and video which can be directly saved to a computer. It also has 8 LEDs built-in, which combined with the microscope's automatic light contrast can deliver sharp images. It also offers a live view of the magnification on the connected computer. 

Get it for 3,250 from ebay.in

Super WiFi Antenna 

Having trouble with poor WiFi reception in your room or office? Get the USB powered super WiFi antenna that boosts your laptop's ability to receive a WiFi signal. It is weather resistant, so you can even place it outside if the Wi-Fi router is on a different floor. The device comes with suction mounts to help stick it on glass.

Get it for US$ 120 from www.firststreetonline.com 

Cute Toast Handwarmers 

These smiling toast-shaped gloves are universal size & have an adjustable strap. Plug them in to switch on the built-in heating. You can choose the level of warmth (only two levels of heat; low or high) and it takes a few minutes to warm up. Since they don't cover your fingers, you can even use them while typing on a keyboard — good news for anyone in an office where the air-conditioning is kept on full 

blast.

Get it for US$ 31.99 from www.thinkgeek.com

The Squirming Tentacle 

The squirming tentacle doesn't serve any purpose other than being a conversation starter. Plug it in and it instantly starts wiggling and squirming as if it's alive. Plug a few of them into a USB hub and it will look like you have a small octopus trapped on your desk. 

Get it for US$ 14.99 from www. thinkgeek.com

Bladeless Fan 

The USB powered desk fan has a bladeless design — no danger of any injury and nothing to get caught in rotating blades. It has a brushless motor that draws in air from the back and pushes it out through the bladeless ring. The airflow is steady but not too powerful — just enough for personal use. It includes a removable sponge — soak the sponge in water  to get cold air from the fan. You can power it via USB or with four AA batteries. 

Get it for 2,000 from ebay.in 

Heated Blanket 

Made of plush, comforable material, this heating blanket has two USB cables for power; use it with one USB port for low heat and connect both USB ports for high heating. It uses an infrared carbon fibre heating wire which supposedly has therapeutic health benefits for people with high blood pressure, heart conditions and arthritis. With both USB cables connected, the blanket heats up to around 50 

degrees Celcius. 

Get it for 1,600 from ebay.in

Desk Fishquarium 

If you're looking to brighten up your desk & take in the calming benefits of live fish, why not get a Fishquarium? It has an LED light, space to keep your office stationary, a built-in clock, calendar and temperature sensor as well as a tiny aquarium. The USB connection is required for a low voltage pump and filtration system. The clock and calendar uses three AA batteries. 

Get it for US$ 39.99 from www.thinkgeek.com

Folding Piano 

Nothing like a foldable, hide-away USBpowered keyboard to bring out the buding musician in you. This piano offers ifferent tones and even a built in drum pad. It's also great for kids because it's pill-proof, unbreakable and has no keys hat can chip or fall out. Can also be powred using three AA batteries. 

Get it for US$ 40 from www.dx.com 

Portable Drum Kit 

With this nifty gadget, you can carry six different drums in your backpack – all powered by a USB port. The pads are made of silicon, so you know it's durable. A pair of plastic drumsticks are included, as is a software CD to help record/playback the drums on a computer (Windows only). It's not really a serious musicians instrument since it only recognises one tap (one beat) at a time, but good for a laugh. 

Get it for US$ 23 from www.dx.com

Toaster Hub Thumbdrives 

This quirky, 4-port USB hub resembles a retro style toaster — the USB ports face upwards and it also includes an SD card reader on the side. The fun part is you can also purchase USB drives in the shape of toast that fit perfectly on the toaster hub. Each 4GB toast-shaped USB drive is US$ 19.99 and is available in four different shades of brown. 

Get it for US$ 19.99 from www.thinkgeek.com

Courtesy : Techtonic, Time of India dated 03-04-2013 

How to Stay Ahead With Up-to-the-minute News

How to Stay Ahead With Up-to-the-minute News

In a world where everyone is connected, you shouldn't have to go searching for news — it should come to you. Karan Bajaj shows you how you can stay on top of current events or really anything you choose, with just a few clicks

Online Newspapers 

The newspaper is the primary source for news for a lot of people. To keep up with 

the digital age, publications also have a portal, which is continuously updated. www.allyoucanread.com and www.onlinenewspapers.com work as a central repository of newspapers from around the world. You can view newspapers from various countrires and access websites with one click. On a smartphone, a free app called Newshunt gives you quick access to news from multiple newspapers. 

Live TV News 

If you have a fast enough broadband connection, you can watch live streaming news video, right in your web browser. http://wwitv.com provides a list of channels from around the world. Select the news channel of choice and the website will either stream a live feed of the channel or take you to the live broadcast page on the official website. On your smartphone, check out free apps like nexGtv, YuppTV or Myplex Now TV. You can use them to watch Indian news channels. 

BuzzFeed 

As an online news aggregator, BuzzFeed lets you select the amount of news you want in different categories (Tech, Politics, Food, Sports and so on). Once you have set these parameters, the website refreshes the home page with the most relevant stories for you, from across the Internet. The best part is that you don't need to open multiple pages — all content is displayed on a single page — just keep scrolling down for more. 

Live News Ticker 

For a live, customisable, RSS-based news ticker right on your desktop, head to Snackr (www.snackr.net). Snackr is a free download available for Windows, MAC OS X & Linux. If you see something interesting on the ticker, just click it to pop it out in a window. 

Apps 

Feedly 

With a mobile-optimised view, this RSS news reader aggregates contents from different websites of your choice and delivers them to your handheld device. 

Flipboard 

Presenting news from topics of your interest, Flipboard has a magazine-style interface — you just flip pages to view various stories from different sources. 

News 360 

With a combination of text, images and videos, this free app offers the latest news from over 50,000 sources. You can also save articles for offline reading.

Pulse News 

Pulse shows headlines from various stories in a unique, scrolling interface. You can view an article in text-only format or just visit the new source directly. 

Zite 

Zite lets you select from thousands of topics of interest and then creates a personalised magazine with news, articles, images, videos in an easy-to-browse interface. 

Track a Word 

IF YOU NEED to constantly keep track about mentions of a particular word (could be a name, brand name or an industry) on the World Wide Web, check out http://en.mention.net. You can either download the desktop software, the mobile app or just use the website. You can also select specific sources which you want to track, such as Facebook, blogs, forums, videos and images. The free trial 

limits you to 500 mentions per month, while a paid plan (US$ 19.99/ month) gives you 50,000 mentions per month. 

Publish a NewsPaper 

USING THE free Paper.li service (http://paper.li), you can create and publish a virtual newspaper (around any topic) on your social network. You need to login with your Twitter or Facebook account and choose how often the newspaper will be published. Just select your preferred sources from a list and you are good to go. 

Google Alerts 

IF YOU WANT to get regular alerts about a specific topic, head to Google Alerts (www.google.com/alerts). The interface is simple — type in a keyword, select the type of result you require (news, videos, discussions) and how often would you like to be alerted (immediately, once a day or once a week). Enter your email address and you will start receiving alerts in your email inbox. 

SMS Alerts 

CELLPHONE operators provide a paid subscription service for SMS based news alerts. Airtel has Cool Alerts (Dial *321# to subscribe), Vodafone has Vodafone Alerts (Dial *123*31# to subscribe) and Idea has a news portal pack. Other operators also have similar services for news alerts. Subscriptions to this 

service usually set you back by 30/month (for a news alert every two hours).

Courtesy : Techtonic, Times of India, dated: 17/04/2013

How to Make Your Gadget’s Battery Last Longer

How to Make Your Gadget's Battery Last Longer

One of the most common issues that handheld devices suffer from is poor battery life. Using a few simple tips, apps and accessories in your daily routine can help maximise the battery backup. Karan Bajaj shows you how

PHONE/TAB

Brightness Level 

Display is one of the biggest battery drainer on a phone. Instead of opting for automatic brightness in settings, manually set it to 40-50% 

Connectivity 

Keep the phone's Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and 3G connectivity switched off when not required to improve battery backup 

Uninstall Apps 

Various apps run background processes that constantly consume battery. If you are not using a particular app, it's better to uninstall it 

Haptic Feedback 

The vibrating feedback from the phone everytime the touchscreen is used might feel nice, but switching it off saves battery life 

Battery Doctor 

This free app is available for iOS and Android. It shows which apps are consuming more battery and the remaining battery time of the device. The android app also lets you do one touch optimisation of the battery 

Carat 

Carat is available for both Android as well as iOS and shows how much power each running app is consuming. After a week's usage, it starts giving recommendations on phone usage to improve battery life 

PORTABLE CHARGER 

Available from a number of manufacturer's, a portable charger is the best way to charge your device on the go. We recommend picking up one with at least 6,000mAh battery so that it is good enough to charge your phone as well as tablet. 999 onwards

LAPTOP 

Display 

Similar to phones, laptop screen is also a power guzzler. Keep the brightness as low as possible. Also, If you also have keyboard backlighting, turn it off 

External devices 

Any external device plugged in the USB port constantly draws power from your laptop. Removing them after use conserves battery 

Temperature 

Overheating leads to the internal fans to run faster - which in turn consume more battery. Use a laptop cooler to keep the temperature at bay 

Hibernate 

Instead of putting your computer on standby, choose to hibernate - it saves the state of your computer and shuts down the computer and saves battery.

Windows Power Plans 

Laptops running windows have built-in power plan settings. You can choose various items such as display brightness, when to turn off the display/ hard-drives and USB power. Use these to improve your laptop battery life. 

BatteryCare 

This records the battery discharge cycle and also shows a detailed battery status including consumption, manufacturer, wear level etc. It also shows CPU and hard drive temperature to indicate any overheating. 

(http://batterycare.net) 

EXTERNAL BATTERY PACK 

With a 20,000mAh battery, this external battery pack from Anker is capable of providing one full charge to your laptop and charge your other handheld devices side by side too. It even has 3 adjustable voltage levels to suit different laptop models. Available for 7,000 from eBay Global EasyBuy 

CAMERA 

LCD Display 

If your camera has an optical viewfinder, use that to frame your shots instead of the LCD display. The display consumes more power than the viewfinder. If you do not have an optical viewfinder and have to use the LCD display as a viewfinder, then we recommended turning the brightness levels of the screen as low as possible 

Use of Flash 

Be it a point and shoot or a DSLR, the built-in flash on the camera draws power from the internal battery. Extended use of flash would result in faster draining of the camera's battery. Try using flash as less as possible by either increasing the ISO or using an external flash to extend the battery backup from your camera battery 

Memory Cards 

Opt for a memory card with a fast read/write speed. With most cameras shooting at 12MP resolution and above, file size of the image has also increased - especially is you save in RAW. The longer camera takes to save the image on the memory card, the more battery it uses. Using a fast memory card takes care of this issue 

Stop Reviewing 

Most of us like to instantly review the clicked photo and then delete it if there is something wrong. 

Doing this occasionally is fine, but if you review each image and then choose whether to delete or keep it, you are eating through the battery. Instead, use a large memory card to save all the image and review them later 

SPARE BATTERY 

Whatever camera you use, investing in a spare battery is always a good idea. Not only does this make switching between batteries easy, it also extends both the battery's lifespan as discharge cycle is compar battery.

Courtesy : Techtonic, Times of India, dated: 08/05/2013 

Free & Simple Ways to Create Online Surveys

Free & Simple Ways to Create Online Surveys

From simple data collection to complex, customer satisfaction surveys, all the tools you need are free available. You should know where to look, explain Karan Bajaj & Hitesh Raj Bhagat

Survey Planet 

www.surveyplanet.com

It takes just a minute to signup and you can start creating a survey. You can choose to have multiple or a single question per page. The site lets you have unlimited questions in a survey and you can choose from multiple choices, scale, true/false or rating-based questions. Once finished, share the survey via a direct 

link or embed it in a blog. Survey results can be accessed from the site anytime. 

Survey Monkey 

www.surveymonkey.com 

This one offers a free and a paid account ( 490/month). The free account limits you to 10 questions and 100 responses per survey. You can choose a theme-based survey template and start adding questions. 

There is also a question bank from where you can select popular questions. Share the survey link via email or social networks. You can login to the site anytime to view the survey results. 

Kwik Surveys 

http://kwiksurveys.com 

Kwik Survey lets you make a survey, quiz or a poll. It has a graphical user interface that makes it really easy to create a survey. The types of questions on offer are not as vast as the others, but you can add unlimited questions & create multiple pages. A useful feature is the option to filter responses by location and time. The free account is ad-supported & keeps the survey active only for 6 months. 

Google Drive 

http://drive.google.com 

To create a form-based survey using Google Drive, sign in to http://drive.google.com with your Gmail account and click Create > Form. Choose a theme and add your questions — the responses can be using a scale (1 to 10), multiple choice or plain text boxes. Once done, click Send Form to get a link. You can also invite responses using Google+, FaceBook, Twitter or simply send to your email contacts. 

Microsoft Office Online 

http://skydrive.live.com 

To create a Microsoft Excel-based survey for free, simply sign in to your SkyDrive account (or create a new account if you don't have a login) – click on Create > Excel Survey. The Microsoft Excel web app will open right in the web browser and give you an easy way to create your survey questions. After you create all questions, you'll get a link which you need to share with your respondents. 

LimeSurvey 

www.limesurvey.org 

LimeSurvey differs from the rest because it's an open-source project with downloadable software. It has the most number of features on offer compared to any survey or form creator software: unlimited surveys/questions/ participants, 28 question types and multimedia integration. The only downside of LimeSurvey is that there's a fairly steep learning curve because of all the features. 

USE FACEBOOK 

Facebook has its own survey/poll service called Questions, available for a page admin or in a group. 

Write your question, add poll answer options and post the question. The results are displayed in real-time as people answer the questions. You'll see an increasing graph and percentage next to all the the answers. 

USE TWITTER 

Twitpolls (www.twitpolls.com) lets you quickly create a poll for Twitter followers. Just write a question, give answers options (up to 4 answers), add images or videos and publish the poll on your timeline. 

Followers will reply using the hashtag and results can either be viewed on Twitter or on Twitpolls' website. 

SURVEY APPS 

Insta Survey 

Use Insta Survey for customers or attendees at a conference. Tablets/smartphones with the app and pre-loaded survey can be placed strategically. Data from the survey is saved to Google Docs for analysis. 

QuickTapSurvey 

Thanks to large text and icons, this free app makes it easy to take a survey on a tablet (IOS or Android). It works offline and can be setup to show advertisements and promotions while taking the survey. 

Datafield, Forms and Surveys 

This free app is available for both iOS and Android. Create a survey and participants can take the survey immediately. Contact details entered can automatically sync with your Mailchimp account. 

POLL APPS 

Poll Anywhere Lite 

This Android app lets you get responses for a poll via text messages. Set up a poll and the participants need to send you responses by text. The app automatically tallies results in real-time & shows a result. 

Poll It 

Using this app you can create a quick poll and share it with your contacts via SMS. The app then automatically tracks and analyses the responses from your contacts and shows them in a graph. 

Polar 

Polar for iOS lets you create an image-based poll. Choose any two images you want an opinion on, upload them using the app and you can solicit comments from people using the app, completely free.

Courtesy : Techtonic, Times of India, dated: 15/05/2013 

Where and How to Get the Best Online Gadget Deals

Where and How to Get the Best Online Gadget Deals

You can save a lot of money when shopping online for gadgets as long as you know where to look. Karan Bajaj lists some of the online stores that offer great deals and discounts:

Phones, Tablets & Cameras

If you are on the lookout for a handheld device, you can get some fantastic deals compared to retail stores on these sites 

UNIVERCELL.IN 

Along with a deal of the week that offers promo codes for additional discounts on purchase, they also offer heavy discounts on slightly older devices. 

SAHOLIC.COM 

The site has a clearance sale section where older products can be picked up for as much as 70% discount. They also offer the facility to collect a device purchased online from nearest Spice Hotspot store. 

THEMOBILESTORE.IN 

Although the rates are similar to other websites for a majority of the products, their 'Super Sale' section has some unbelievable deals at times. 

ZOOMIN.COM 

Although they show discount over MRP on most listed items, what sets them apart is their special offers where newer devices are listed with extra discount making them cheaper than other sites. 

MIRCHIMART.COM 

This one offers fantastic discounts on recently launched gadgets. Every Tuesday they have special discounts on various products under their dedicated sale day called 'Toofani Tuesday'. 

Discount Coupons Website 

Most e-commerce sites offer discount coupons to attract new users. The coupons help you save further over the sale price when buying online. Head to www.khojguru.com, www. cashkaro.com, www.couponpolice.com and www.couponzguru.com to get discounts coupons for popular websites. Most of these websites do not require you to signup for any account. Search for the online store of your choice and the site will list all the offers currently available. Everything Under One Roof Offering everything from gadgets to home appliances 

CROMARETAIL.COM 

The online store of well known retail chain offers discount on a number of products, unlike retail stores. It offers various combo offers along with discount coupons for their own 'Croma' range of products in order to entice customers in buying them. 

SHOPPING.INDIATIMES.COM 

The site offers fresh discount coupons in their daily midnight deal. The discount is on one specific product category so that the consumer can avail discount on any product of choice. There are also deals on gadgets and accessories running on the homepage. 

EBAY.IN 

Though eBay works on a different model than the usual e-commerce sites, it offers some of the best discounts in its Deals section. Just make sure that you purchase from a power seller with manufacturer warranty provided and not seller warranty 

INFIBEAM.COM 

Infibeam keeps updating its site with various deals on a weekly basis and even has some combo offers at times. However, it stands out with its Magic Box section that daily offers two new products from various categories at unmatched discounted price. 

FLIPKART.COM 

Flipkart is a household name now thanks to its innovative marketing. The site offers almost anything and everything from handheld gadgets to home appliances. Although they don't have a dedicated deal section, the site always has some discount offer. 

SNAPDEAL.COM 

Shifting from being a deal sites to an online store, Snapdeal now offers a much larger portfolio of products across categories. They have various offers listed on the home page across categories as well as a deal of the day (not necessarily of gadgets). 

HOMESHOP18.COM 

Homeshop has two deal sections on the site. The first is called Daily 18 – lists 18 products from various categories with a discounted price. The second called Superdeals lists down products along with discount coupons of certain value. 

TRADUS.COM 

Tradus works on a similar model as eBay – verified sellers list products and the consumer can purchase from the seller offering the lowest price. There is a dedicated deal page listing products (usually unknown brands) at a surprisingly low price. 

Accessories Only 

STUFFCOOL.COM 

Stuffcool is a great source for accessories of phones, tablet and laptops. There is usually one or the other deal running and they also have clearance sale on accessories for older devices. 

LOVE4APPLE.COM 

As the name suggests, the site deals in accessories for various Apple devices. They have a hot deals section where you can get up to 70% discount on select items. The section is updated on a weekly basis. 

FOMMY.CO.IN 

This is the only site where accessories for devices by Indian manufacturer like Micromax, Intex, iBall etc are available. They have a dedicated daily deal page where a new product is listed everyday at a special price. 

International Sites 

THINKGEEK.COM 

Thinkgeek has one of the best collections of quirky and unusual gadgets and accessories. The site ships to India via DHL or UPS Express due to which the shipping cost is slightly high. 

DX.COM 

DX (DealeXtreme) offers free worldwide shipping and has over 80,000 products (most unknown brands) in its roaster. They have some great clearance sales and deals available almost every week. 

EBAY GLOBAL 

• http://GEB.EBAY.IN

• The site offer access to products that are not available officially in India along with the price inclusive of shipping and custom duties to India. Requires some searching around to find the various deals. 

ALIEXPRESS.COM 

With vendors across south east Asia selling products on Aliexpress, you can get accessories and gadgets at great prices. They also have a dedicated superdeals section where products are listed with hefty discounts. 

Price Comparison Websites 

With the growing number of ecommerce sites, it's tedious to visit each and every website, find the price offered by it and then compare it against the various other websites. One way to simplify this process is to use a price comparison website. Websites like www.junglee.com,www.mysmartprice.com, www.phonecurry.com, www.compareraja. com, and www.pricedekho.com let you search across various online stores for a particular gadget. The results 

— listed along with relevant information like price, delivery time and rating of the store — make it easy to view the difference in price among websites and quickly find the lowest price of a gadget.

Ongoing Gadget Deals

APPLE IPHONE 5 + APPLE TV DEAL PRICE: 45,500 

The 16GB Apple iPhone 5 is priced at 45,500 and comes with a 4-inch retina display, dual core processor and a fantastic 8MP camera. Apple TV is for 8,295 and lets you enjoy multimedia content from the internet or iCloud on your TV. Get the combo of both devices for just 45,500 atwww.infibeam.com 

BLACKBERRY TORCH 9860 DEAL PRICE: 14,500 

The Torch 9860 runs Blackberry OS 7 and has a 3.7-inch touchscreen display. It has a great 5MP camera and runs on a 1.2Ghz processor with 768MB RAM - offering great performance. The phone usually sells for 21,990, but on www.themobilestore.in you can get it for just 14,500 under their special deals.

SAMSUNG GALAXY SII DEAL PRICE: 18,643 

The Galaxy SII still outweighs most budget smartphones when it comes to features. It has a 4.3-inch super amoled plus display, dual core 1.2Ghz processor, 1GB RAM along with a fantastic 8MP camera. 

Head to www.themobilestore.in to pick it up for just 18,643 instead of its usual price tag of 25,900

CANON EOS 600D DEAL PRICE: 28,869 

Canon's entry-level DSLR features an 18MP APS-C size sensor, Digic 4 processor and records videos in full HD resolution. It has a 3-inch articulating LCD display that is great for composing pictures. The camera usually sells at 34,995 with the 18-55mm kit lens, but is currently available for 28,869 at http://ebay.in 

NOKIA LUMIA 720 DEAL PRICE: 17,599 

One of the slimmest Windows Phone 8 smartphones available in the market today, Lumia 720 has a 4.3-inch display, runs on a dual core processor and has a 6.1MP camera that takes great low-light photos. 

Announced less than two months ago for 18,999, it is selling for 17,599 atwww.homeshop18.com