Shazam now available for Windows Phone 7.5/8, explore Music, download now!

Sure and steadily Microsoft is getting the biggies from Apple and Android to make a launch for Windows Phone and the latest entrant is Shazam.  Music discovery App Shazam has finally made its way to Windows Phone devices, just a week after the launch of an iPad app. 

This Windows Phone optimised version will bring its signature tagging from home screen as well integration with Xbox Music and Nokia Music.  Windows Phone 8 users will be able to identify songs that are currently being played, as well as tag artists, track song names and albums.  But unlike the iOS or Android app that links users to iTunes, Spotify or Rdio, the Windows Phone Shazam App will guide you to Xbox Music and Nokia Music.  Though you can watch YouTube on Shazam.

As in Android and iOS, Shazam also has local tag features and will flag up what you have tagged and listened to every 30 minutes.  Shazam will give you the option of showing these tags as a tile on the home screen. You will also be able to set your favourite cover art or tag charts as your phone’s wallpaper using this app too. The additional advantage with Windows Phone 8 App is that you can pin the tagging button to your homescreen for a quick access faster.

So, if you are a music afficionado, you can head over to Windows store to download Shazam.  A Pro verison  called Encore available for Rs.310.00 for hard core music fans here.

Vijay Prabhu

Tutorial for rooting Samsung Galaxy S IV i9500, Build "XXUAMDK" Easy 3 step guide.

You may have just bought your self a brand new Samsung Galaxy S IV and enjoyed being the object of envy among your friends, colleagues and neighbours.  After the initial exuberance has worn of, you did better get down to the basic things.  S IV ships with a lot of gloatware or Apps which are needless and hog your memory.  You also may wish to customize your phone to suit your own identity and needs.  I will present to you the safest way of rooting a Samsung Galaxy SIV model i9500 and Build "XXUAMDK".  Under no circumstances should you use this method to root any other build or model, it may brick the phone.

Remember rooting a phone is a serious business and will void your warranty.  Improper rooting may cause the phone to break down.  Now lets get down to business.  First verify that the Galaxy SIV you have purchased is indeed using i9500 (Exynos).  Some SIV are shipped with i9505(Qualcomm).  This process will not work with i9505.  To check which model and build your phone has, you go to Settings > More > About Device.  You can get both the details here.  

Next thing is to check the build number.  For this process, it should read as "XXUAMDK" as the last few digits.  After you have verified both the above, you need to get your phone ready for USB Debugging mode.  However the new OS will not show you the "Developer options" menu nor enabled in the settings by default.

To enable it, click on "About Device" and scroll down till you see the "Build number". Tap continuously on the "Build Number" field till you see some messages on the screen; go down to enable the Developer options. After a while, you will see a message informing you that the "Developer mode" is enabled. 

Hit the back button and you will find the Developer options field available. Click on it and enable it with the toggle switch on the top right. Now head below to the "Debugging" section and enable "USB debugging". Finally, go back to the "Security" options and click on the field "Unknown sources" to allow third-party apps to be installed. 

If you have completed the above steps, congrat, your phone can now be rooted. Now all you will need are two files and a simple utility to be downloaded from the Internet. Download the files from the links below

Odin 3.07 : Android Flashing utility

Samsung SGS4 drivers  : USB drivers required for the PC to recognise your phone. 

ClockworkMod Recovery : Recovery utility that you need to install on your phone to flash ROMs and take backups of your existing operating system. 

Adam’s kernel :   Kernel  to root the phone for you in a single step. 

Download the above files and store them in a separate folder name. You will have to unzip them from within the folder.  Store the folder on your desktop for easy access.

Now to the rooting process : Switch off your SGS4 and wait for a few seconds. Now press the "Volume down" button and the "Home button" together and keeping the two buttons held down, press the power button. Release the buttons when you see the Samsung logo on the screen. You shall see a message stating that the phone is in download mode and asking you to continue by pressing the "Volume Up" button. Go ahead and press the Volume Up button once. Your phone is now in download mode and ready for being flashed with new files.  Next plug in the USB cable into your phone and the PC.  Windows will start installing the necessary drivers.  Wait till all the driver installation work is done. Now open the desktop folder where you have  saved your above files.  In the Odin folder, double click  on Odin.exe executable file. Odin will start up and you should see the phone connected to the utility and ready for flashing. To confirm this, the field "ID:COM" should have a light blue colour with "0:(ComXX)" written in it. (the XX can be any number and will vary from PC to PC). This states that your phone is recognised by Odin and is ready.

Now click on the button "PDA" and choose the file "GT-I9500_AdamKernel.V1.2.Odin.tar" from the Adam Kernel folder. Next, ensure that the check boxes "Auto Reboot", "F. Reset Time" and "PDA" are the only check boxes checked, leave the rest unchecked as per image below :

Hit the "Start Button". Watch the "Message" box on the lower left side to see if everything runs fine and there are no errors. This process will take a few seconds and the phone should reboot on its own. After the phone restarts, you should see the "Superuser" app installed and the phone already rooted automatically by this kernel. To confirm that the phone is successfully rooted, download any app that needs superuser permissions (such as Titanuim backup, ROM manager  or Root explorer) and you should be prompted for the root access, which means that you have successfully rooted the phone.  Shut down the Odin window.

Next process is to install the Clockwork Recovery Mode.  This process is also simple and involves the same procedure you used for Adams' kernel.  

Switch off the phone and restart as per above process, when you get to download mode screen restart Odin. This time, click the PDA button and choose the file "recovery-clockwork-6.0.3.2-i9500.tar.md5" from the folder. Once again, ensure that the check boxes "Auto Reboot", "F. Reset Time" and "PDA" are the only check boxes to be checked. Hit the "Start" button and wait a few seconds till it gets done and the phone restarts automatically. 

Disconnect the phone from the PC and shut down the phone.  Now press the Volume Up button and the Home button together, and keeping the two buttons held down, press the power button. The phone should now enter the recovery mode automatically.

Congratulations! You have successfully rooted your phone.  Now first of all things, take a complete backup (Nandroid) of your existing operating system from the recovery mode to ensure that the operating system can be safely restored in case of a mishap.  This is really important.  

Now you can search for good custom ROM you want to install and install several root level Apps.  You can even remove the gloatware that SIV ships with as per your requirement.

Remember this is a tutorial for only qualified technicians, if you are not comfortable with rooting of phones etc. please don't try this one.  Please post in your comments.

Vijay Prabhu

Apple bows to popular wishes, to release a cheaper no frills 16GB iPod touch, says coming soon on website

Image courtesy engadget.com

Apple has finally realised the futility of high pricing its products and releasing a no frills 16GB iPod touch.  The new release is priced at $229 (Rs.13000.00 approx).  As I have mentioned it comes without the rear camera even the front camera has been toned down.  The front camera will be a 1.2MP one with 720p (HD) capability.  This version will not have the loop which you can connect to your wrist. 

The Apple India website has an image of the new release with the quotes "Coming soon".   As far as I can tell it should be available by the first week of June, 2013.  

A brief description about the 16GB iPod touch.  It comes in two colours, Black and Silver.  The 16GB variant features a 4-inch Retina display, Apple’s A5 chip and Siri. Housed in an anodised aluminium body, like the 32GB and 64GB variants, it is even slimmer than the iPhone 5 at just 6 mm thick. It weighs 86 g.  

The fifth generation iPod is said to deliver twice processing and 7 times faster graphics compared to it older sibling.  It can also give you a 40 hours non stop music playback or a 8 hours video playback on one charge. It will also ship with the the popular Apple EarPods.

So if you are planning to get one, visit this site for further news.  Do comment in on the article.

Vijay Prabhu

Microsoft to change from Tile Menu to Start Menu in Windows 8.1, only just

Image courtesy engadget.com

Never liked the Windows 8 tiled menu? You are not the only one, I myself had upgraded to Win 8 from 7, but after a while got tired of looking at the tiles, searching for my Apps and then reverted back to Win 7.  Having a smart phone like interface for Windows 8 may have its admirers, but it did not have the numbers Microsoft would have liked.  So what does Microsoft do? 

The answer is simple, go for the middle path.  And that is what Microsoft has done with Windows 8.1. Microsoft will publicly show off the improvements it has made to Windows 8.1’s Modern UI sometime tomorrow.  

Its been 7 months since the launch of Windows 8 and bowing to the popular opinion Microsoft has made many changes in the Windows 8.1.  It will be available free to the Windows 8 users through the Windows Store.  Touch was the essence on which Windows 8 was built and 8.1 will continue the legacy.   Some of the changes that have been incorporated in Windows 8.1 are given below.

The Start menu

This is one issue which formed the crux of many threads in various fora.  It has had its critics and likes but not having the control panel easily accessible is the biggest drawback of Windows 8.  Microsoft  seemed to have realised that!  But it is only visible in a tiny line buried at the end of the Microsoft blog.  In Win 8.1, you’ll now be able to choose from different views to boot into and select your own options.  Its a change but only just.  

Microsoft also says the “hint” icon displayed when hitting the lower-left corner of the screen has now been changed so that a Windows logo appears, and it will always be visible in the Desktop mode. So this somewhat evokes the old Start button, but doesn’t quite reinstate it.

The Start screen

The Start screen will now consist only of tiles that you want to pin there. The earlier "All apps" view was much better organised but also difficult to find. This view now pops up with a swipe upwards from the bottom of the screen that is if you aren't using it by default from boot menu.  Another thing Microsoft has done is that the newly installed Apps tiles will be highlighted similar to what we have in Windows 7.  So ultimately the start screen will show only the tiles you want to see.

With the tiling system, the tiles in Windows 8 were prone to be accidentally moved or displaced.  With Win 8.1, that has been solved to a extent because in Win 8.1 you will need to tap the tile and hold or right-click to move them around.  Win 8 also offers a wider range of tile sizes to choose from. The new small and large squares make the Start screen look very similar to Windows Phone 8’s main menu. Multiple selection of tiles was a much needed relief, for you can now resize, move and even get rid of several tiles in one go.   However there is no information in the blog whether  all tile animations can be turned off in one shot.

There are also more choices for the Start screen’s background. There are more colours and new “tattoo” patterns (including animated ones), but users will most likely appreciate the ability to use any customised image as the background and also have a single  image as desktop wallpaper and Start screen background. 

PC settings

As I had noted above Windows 8 made a simple task of getting into the system a presumably difficult one for users because Control Panel was not easily accessible to users.  With Windows 8.1, Microsoft says that would not be much of a problem right now.  Though explicit shortcut to Control Panel has not been provided, but Microsoft indicates that there should be nothing in the Control Panel that cannot also be found outside the desktop, including hardware setup, power management and domain management.

The lock screen

You can now run a Slideshow as a screensaver when your device is lock.  The slides can contain anything you have stored on the hard disk or in you cloud accounts.  Windows 8.1 also gives you ability to take photos from the webcam even when the device is locked.

Multitasking

The Snap feature in Win 8.1, is now not limited to specific screen sizes. You can snap two apps next to each other and drag the bar between them arbitrarily. You can also have two instances of the same app snapped next to each other on screen, such as two document windows. PC users with more than one monitor will be able to snap even more apps together on screen, run different full-screen apps on different monitors and even leave the Start screen permanently visible on any one monitor. 

Windows Store

Free apps will be easier to find and the homepage will have pinned lists of top picks and new entries. Related apps are now listed in an app’s detailed view, along with more descriptive information about it. Apps can update themselves in the background instead of requiring a user to check for updates. 

Others

Internet Explorer has been further updated to version 11. Microsoft assures that touch response is improved, pages will load faster, there’s no limit on open tabs and you can choose to have the address bar visible at all times.  

Search and cloud integration

Searching for anything from the Start screen or within the Modern UI will now bring up a Bing results page with results from the Web, your synced SkyDrive and social accounts, and apps. Results will come with “Quick Actions” shortcuts for doing things such as playing media files. The new search experience is described as “the modern version of the command line!” by Microsoft.

Microsoft has said that the preview will be launched on June 26, coinciding with the Microsoft DEVCON and you may get your hands on the new build soon after that.

Vijay Prabhu

Syncing Windows Phone 8 with PC becomes easier with Microsoft's Windows Phone App for Desktop

Syncing Windows Phone with Desktop has become that much easier with Microsoft announcing a new update for its Windows Phone app for the desktop. With the new update, the Windows Phone user can experience good desktop experience.

One of the things Microsoft has done is upgraded the podcast support the software used to offer.  Now the users can get their podcasts from different sources. With the App you can automatically sync with podcasts that are saved in a specific folder on your desktop and vice versa. 

Now with the update, the software  allows you to sync audio files that may be anywhere on your computer including external hard drives.

Microsoft has also fixed a lot of bugs that were visible before the update. Now you can also get your updates directly from your desktop rather than your Windows Phone website, as was the case earlier.  This is what you can do according to Microsoft :

• Sync music, photos, movies, TV shows, and podcasts from your existing Apple iTunes library or your Windows Libraries to your Windows Phone 8.*

• Automatically import pictures and videos you've taken with your phone to your PC.

• See at a glance how much space you're using for each type of content, so it's easy to make sure you never run out of room on your phone.

• Get your playlists on your phone.

• Find songs that will work as ringtones and add them to your phone.

The only problem with the software is that it just supports Windows Phone 8, lack of support for Windows XP and the disability to search the Windows Phone store from the App itself.  However regardless of these snitches, this update is a worthy one for Windows Phone 8 users.  You will need a PC with a Windows 7/8 installed and a Windows Phone 8.  Download the update here and make full use of it.

Vijay Prabhu

LPG subsidy directly to bank account will start from 1st June, 18 districts to start with, whole country to follow soon!

Remember my tutorial for downloading Aadhaar Card.  In the post I had reported at that time,  that the authorities will soon be moving towards a structure where all the LPG subsidies you are entitled to, will be directly paid into your Aadhaar Card linked bank account.  Now the Government is planning to implement the same in a rightful earnest.  

The authorities are going to start the scheme from June 1, 2013 with 18 districts namely Anantpur, Chittoor, East Godavari, Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy in Andhra Pradesh; Diu in Daman and Diu; North Goa; Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Una in Himachal Pradesh; Tumkur in Karnataka; Pathanamthitta and Wayand in Kerala; Wardha in Maharasthra; Pondicherry; SBS Nagar/Nawanshahar in Punjab and East Nimar (Khandwa) and Harda in Madhya Pradesh.

And from 1st July, 2013, it will be implemented in Mandi and Mysore districts of Karnataka.  The rest of the country is to follow soon in a phased manner.

So if you have not yet heard about this, or linked you Aadhar Card to your bank account you can head over to your branch and do it now.  State Bank of India had advertised a few days back about the fact and invited its customers to link the Aadhar Card to their bank accounts.  

If you are a HP LPG customer and want to know more about linking your Aadhaar Card to Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) visit my blog here, wherein the hyperlinks about login to linking are provided.  These links were provided by HPCL itself to me.

Another question many of my friends, readers and colleagues ask? why this additional work or 'Jhanjhat'.  Did you know that around 20 % of LPG cylinders which belonged to you, genuine users, were sold in the black market by operators.  Their modus operandi was simple and straight forward.  They would study your usage pattern and develop a way to assign a cylinder in your name and sell it in black market.

If you required 1 cylinder every month, they would book 2 in your name, deliver 1 to your address and sell the second one at a neat and handsome profit of around 200%.  Even right now after the price rise and restrictions on the LPG cylinders per year,  the residential cylinders are available in black market at Rs.1200.00 and the commercial ones @ Rs.1900.00 (this is the rate in Mumbai).  

So one fine day when all the LPG connections through out the country are linked to a central data base viz UIDAI authority through Aadhaar Card, and the subsidy is directly paid to the users, the leakage and pilferage will stop because everything will be online and no paper money is exchanged.  

Join the Aadhaar revolution, support the Government in its efforts to weed out the black marketeers who themselves are reason for high prices of LPG.

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments please do so in the comment box and I will answer them promptly.

Vijay Prabhu

Got Mobile and a PC, play Skee Ball within the browser on your mobile for free with the new Google Experiment 'Roll It'

Google's new experiment called Roll It gives you chance to play a arcade game called Skee.    And the requirements are rather simple and free.  All you need is a smartphone and a PC with Chrome browser installed and you are on! The games allows you to pit yourself against two other players.  The aim of Skee is to roll the  ball into an inclined lane in order to make them fall into holes that have points. The holes further away have the most points while the ones closer and easier to target have fewer points.

Try this new game by heading out to Roll It on your PC and generating a code.  After you get the code, start Chrome on your mobiles and head over to g.co/rollit.  Pair your friends phone and tilt the phone to choose number of players you want to play against. Done that, now to play you need to aim from your phone and then swing it in order to aim. The game guarantees a few fun hours on a boring day indoors with a couple of friends. 

Unlike most other Chrome Experiment games, you can play this game solo also.  This is the second game in succession to Racer that Google has released after its Google I/O.

Do post in your comments.

Vijay Prabhu

Snapdragon BatteryGuru for Android devices updated, enjoy extra power on your Snapdragon powered phone

Snapdragon BatteryGuru is a powerful Android App which helps you save battery charge on Snapdragon powered processors.   And believe me, Android devices running on Snapdragon processors do need battery life extension.   Qualcomm on Monday released the full version of Snapdragon BatteryGuru, an app that helps you save the battery life of your device.

BatteryGuru extends the battery life on Snapdragon-powered devices by optimising its functionality. It doesn't need any manual configuration and runs in the background. The hueristic nature of the App enables it to learn the phone’s behaviour in two to four days and notifies the user that it is ready to extend the battery life.

The App has already received more than one lakh hits since Qualcomm launched the beta version in February. Qualcomm has now also added addition language support for Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish languages in the new version. 

IF you have a Android device powered by Snapdragon processor, this must have App is available for download from Google Play here.

Vijay Prabhu

Tencent's WeChat now available for Nokia Asha family of phones. get it now!

Remember Tencent's WeChat, the all in one messenger, I had written a review about it way back in Feb, 2013.  Seems that WeChat has come a long way since Feb, 2013 and is going out all out to win the instant messaging war.  Tencent has made India a priority country and is actively promoting WeChat through online ad campaigns and other methods.  And it seems to have found success.  

Riding on this success Tencent has announced that WeChat, the popular mobile social communication application, will now be available on the Nokia Asha Touch family of smartphones.  The WeChat app for Asha Touch smartphones comes with its signature “Hold-to-Talk” feature that allows users to send voice messages over a mobile or data network. Users can also chat with a maximum of 40 friends online through WeChat’s group chat feature.  The WeChat app also allows users to add friends through various methods, including connecting via phonebook and WeChat ID. 

The Tencent Head of Product Center, Dennis Hau has to say this about the launch 

“We are delighted to bring WeChat to Nokia Asha Touch smartphones to further extend the reach of this leading mobile social app. Nokia Asha Touch smartphone users can now enjoy a new way to connect with WeChat for free. Providing the best user experience is always our mission. While we aim to provide state of the art functions to our users, service quality is even a higher priority. We are excited about the launch and Nokia Asha Touch smartphone users will be pleased by the performance and experience brought by WeChat”

And another advantage of WeChat is that only friends who are granted permission can chat with you which enable you to share and interact with loved ones', colleagues and friends.   Read all about the App in my review here.

And as you all know Asha is quite popular mobile phone in India.  The application is available for download in Nokia Store or by going to the WeChat website here.

Vijay Prabhu

doubleTwist the popular iTunes clone App on Android to gets Holo interface in its update

If you are a music freak and you own a Android device, you must have doubleTwist the famous iTunes clone on your mobile.  The doubleTwist has just now been updated by its Developer.  The updated doubeTwist is a "Holo” version.  Though it has not gone for a complete overhaul the changes are very good from users point of view.  

doubleTwist, which was last updated in 2012, now has flattening the interface, changing the colours that you can see and streamlining the fonts.

As per the developers the new doubleTwist will have 

♬ Enjoy Magic Radio, a personalized streaming service that seamlessly blends music from your music library with new music uniquely tailored to your musical taste from a catalog of over 13 million songs.

♬ Sync music (including iTunes playlists) to your phone from your Mac/PC over USB or AirSync over WiFi.

♬ Download legal, high-quality album artwork for your music.

♬ Smart Playlists for easy access to your Top Rated and Most Played songs.

♬ Subscribe to podcasts without needing a Mac/PC and get new episodes downloaded automatically over 3G or WiFi.

♬ Stream music, videos and photos to the Xbox 360, PS3, Sonos, and Apple TV (black model; AirPort Express not yet supported).

If you have a doubleTwist on your Android device, update it from Google Play now and if you don't have it yet, download it now.

Vijay Prabhu

One free Galaxy S4 takeaway contest you could never win; Stare for 60 minutes, not possible says Samsung!

Walking away with a brand new Samsung Galaxy S IV doing nothing but staring at the screen for 60 minutes!  Sounds easy, doesn't it.  Well, it is not!  Apparently nobody could win the free SIV, Samsung was giving away, as a part of promotional campaign at Zurich Main Station last week.  

Samsung is running a campaign across Europe to promote its new flagship launch Galaxy S IV and by the look of it the contest doesn't sound too hard.  But wait a minute,  Samsung set up a Galaxy S4 "stare down" station in the middle of the main station, where users had to stand for 60 minutes to get their very own Galaxy S4. Oh boy, is that hard?

Actually Samsung was showing off the S4's eye-tracking technology, which it calls “smart pause”. The challenge was to stare at the Galaxy S4 for 60 minutes straight, without looking away.   The catch, "smart pause"  developed by Samsung is so powerful, even if you move your eyes for a nanosec, it catches you and you lose.  

And imagine doing this in middle of a Station.  Next to impossible, with the rush, the crowds, Samsung's barking dogs and your own heart beats pumping rather erratically.   Watch the video below to get an idea of what I mean :

Samsung is planning to hold the takeaway in two more locations , tomorrow at Berne (Waisenhausplatz) and at Lausanne (Place de I’Europe) on May 30. 

While Samsung says its near about impossible to win the contest, I say bring it on into India!  With its never say die spirit and 'Jugaad' attitude, Samsung may have to ship many free SIVs to India.

Please write in what you think about this superb and imaginative concept of promotion by Samsung and whether you feel Indians could beat the "smart pause"

Vijay Prabhu

Appearing for CAT (Common Admission Test), check out these best online resources for your preparations

You wish to be one of them! Read on!!

Appearing for Common Admission Test or CAT, as its known and famous, is a must for getting admissions into the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM).   There are several entrance examinations taking place every year in India like MAT, XAT, MH-CET but CAT remains one bull which all students and aspirants wish to climb.  This is because a admission into any of the IIMs is a assured mode of career progression and attaining your financial and lifetime goals.  

This is a known fact and to take advantage of this, there are several coaching classes and various online sites who specialize in preparing you for the CAT.  However it is often seen and heard that many of these classes and sites are nothing but money making expeditions by operators.  So to help all students who wish to appear for CAT I have prepared a list of online coaching classes, so give them a try.

TCYOnline  : This site offers free preparation tests and study material as well as premium courses.  TYCOnline offers three courses which you may opt as per your budget.  Basic for Rs.975.00, Advantage for Rs.1450.00 and Premium for Rs.1950.00.  Basic offers you 250 chapter and section tests along with mock tests.  Advantage includes all of the above and voice based lectures with notes, which you can download.  Premium contains all of the above  and  includes mock tests for other tests. TCY Analytics lets you compare your score with other test takers and know where exactly you stand.  Visit their site here to know more.

Next one is Arun Sharma's MindWorkzz.  Arun Sharma is a alumni of IIM Bangalore and one of the best known online coaching Gurus.  MindWorkzz offers online coaching to interested students and includes webinar. In case of a query during the lecture, a student can conveniently raise his/her hand ask the question.   To check out what I am talking about, please visit his site and click on demo lectures.  This one of the best options for hardworking students.  The courses on MindWorkzz start from Rs.5500.00 onwards.   Once you are online, you can specifically opt for the section which interests you like Verbal or DI.  If you want a full comprehensive course you can opt for it.   MindWorkzz's DNA is the convenience it offer to you to attend the lectures sitting at home rather then spending 30+minutes travelling to the physical centre.  Visit here to have a look at MindWorkzz.

The next one I am presenting is BYJU’s classes.  If the MindWorkzz idea of attending a online lecture is not your cup of tea, try this one.  It has physical classes all over India.  The only problem is you have to attend the local class to watch the online lectures. The queries and questions you have will be answered by the local teacher.  One big advantage of BYJU's classes is that you get to interact with students and its lectures are known to be particularly well received by students. 

Another plus from me for BYJU's classes is that before joining it they offer you an option for free trial lecture.  And the site itself is extremely easy to navigate with Easy, Medium, Difficult level filters and within them Verbal, DI, Quantitative and mock tests.   BYJU's classes also offers you options to download the free e-booklet, a PDF file with all shortcuts.  Their online comprehensive test series package which includes 4000+ online questions, 150+ chapterwise unit tests, comprehensive online feedback, special CAT files to practise techniques and strategies, costs Rs.5000.00 Try out the  20 or so online mock tests available on the site.  Visit here to give BYJU's classes a try!

There are many more which are really good, I am publishing this three and if you respond favourably to the post, I will post some more classes in continuation to this article.  Do write in your comments on if you have any of your choice online coaching sites.

Vijay Prabhu

Tapatalk 4 Community Reader released today for Android devices and FREE, get it now

Forum users may know Tapatalk which is a very good tool for forum users.  It has completed 4 years and for that occasion has it has launched a beta community reader for Android devices.  The best use of Tapatalk 4 Community Reader is that you have all your favourite online communities at your fingertips and you can comment, post a thread within the App.  And whats more it is free for now.

The Publisher, Qoord Systems Limited has given following information on the App.

This is the public beta release of Tapatalk 4. Final release of this app will be merged with Tapatalk HD and will be renamed to Tapatalk 4

Discover great internet communities or stay connected with your favourites community on-the-go with this award-winning mobile app. Tapatalk is the only mobile app combing over 50,000+ internet communities with a streamlined mobile experience, allowing you to share and follow thoughts, photos, opinions to all your communities within a single mobile app.

Tapatalk aggregates content from network of communities of common interests, from automotive to parenting, from gardening to horse-riding - You will meet passionate people who share the same interest and participate in great discussions on topic only you and the like-minded members truly appreciated.

If you are interested in the App kindly download it here from Google Play.  Kindly post in your comments on the App.

Vijay Prabhu

Google Maps get biking friendly, adds directions for Cyclists in Europe

Google is on a warp speed mode as far as updates are concerned, Just today it launched a service to give directions to Cyclists in Europe.  Though not all European countries are not covered as of yet, but bikers in  number of European countries covered by its Google Maps service, including Germany, France, Poland, Ireland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein will get this service at no extra cost or update.

As per the The Next Web, the Google Maps will  give cyclists popular bike trails, official cycle lanes and recommended roads directly on the map in a Browser.  And since all the data is provided by cycling experts like General Bicycle Club in Germany and other cyclists in Europe, you will be provided with accurate road maps with up to date information.

If you already have Google Maps with you, the process of planning a route remains exactly the same like you do for driving, walking etc.  You simply have to open  Google Maps from the browser, put in the start and the end points and press/click 'Get Directions' Google will then display a recommended route, with a clear indicator of where the cyclist needs to go and a number of step-by-step directions in the sidebar.

Kai Hansen, Product Manager at Google, said the service should offer a route that avoids busy streets and leverages suitable bike paths wherever possible.

“Time estimates for the route will be based on a complex set of variables accounting for the type of road, terrain and turns over the course of my ride,  I also am able to turn by turn Navigation for my bike. I just plug earphones into my phone, switch over to Navigation and let Google Maps guide me through the city – just as from the car.”

The only problem is that the Google as not provided a App for it as of now but Google has said that a App was already on the cards.

Vijay Prabhu

Facebook messages posted by you made public due to flaw in Android Facebook Pages Manager

Image courtesy Android Police

Privacy and Facebook seem to be eternal enemies bonded by blood!  In a development yesterday, Android users messages sent to private beneficiaries were seen in Public.  Facebook messages sent by Android users through Facebook Page Manager were seen in Public.  It seems that the App has some kind of flaw causing private messages sent by Page owners using Facebook’s Pages Manager for Android to become public on the very page. 

The Android Police first noticed this flaw and brought it to the notice of Facebook.  At 11.30 pm PT Facebook's Rory informed Android Police that the company is looking into the issue and "will try to get a fix up soon."  

Till the issue is fixed you shouldn't use the Android Facebook Pages Manager to send or receive posts and images.  They may land up in unwanted hands.  Will keep you updated of the Facebook's fix for this very serious flaw.

Vijay Prabhu

Samsung Galaxy S IV Mini to follow S IV launch, spotted on Samsung's UK website

Samsung already seems to have made plans to launch a Samsung Galaxy S IV Mini to followup the successful launch of Galaxy S IV in the world market.  You watch the image closely you can see that the 5th smart phone is listed as Galaxy S4 Mini.  While there were rumours about Samsung launching Mini S4 but nothing concrete had come of the rumours.  However Redmond Pie managed to take the above screenshot and post it online.   But when I visited the site, it was taken off.  So maybe somebody looking after the Samsung App website accidentally included the device in the list.  

But that said and done, Samsung Galaxy S IV Mini is indeed a reality now and hopefully will be a cheaper and smaller version of the flagship phone.  This is good news for people who want a Samsung S4 but cant afford $650.00 + or (INR 40000.00+) for the same or for those who feel S4 is too big for their pockets!

Though the specs aren't available just yet, earlier this month S4 Mini specs had made appearances on the forums.  And as per those leaks the Mini will boast of 4.3 inch screen with a much lesser 256 ppi density compared to its big brother.  It will also not be sporting the famous Exynos 5 Octa 5410 chipset that the S4 has, but rather have a much subdued dual core 1.6 GHz running aboard.

I will keep you abreast of any information on the Mini.  Kindly write in your comments on this article.

How to free memory by removing unwanted gloatware from Samsaung Galaxy S IV(rooted)

You may have just purchased a Samsung Galaxy SIV and are just basking in joy of having the ultimate Android phone in your hands. The flagship phone from the South Korean giant in your hands may be sense of envy among your friends and colleagues.  But, do you know that the brand new Samsung Galaxy SIV comes with both wanted and unwanted features.   The Samsung SIV comes with a hell lot of bloatware (see screenshot)!

Bloatware on SIV (click to enlarge)

You will sure be overwhelmed by the features on the Samsung Galaxy S4 combined with super good looks, do remember there are several unwanted Apps under the hood of the device which not only hog memory but also make your screen a bit cluttered.

A few examples of unwanted Apps and features are the stock live wallpapers, such as phase beam and bubbles or the printing services which you may never use.  Some features like maps, social networking apps, widgets, weather apps and a few more run in the background even though you will use your own custom Apps.

While most might not be active every time you switch on your Galaxy S4, they unnecessarily hog useful space, and believe me if you own a SIV you will require every bit of real estate in future.  And add to that they eat into the system resources and feast on the battery life.   So it is better to get rid of them and make your phone lighter App wise, clutter free and in the process enhance the battery life.

The beauty of using this tutorial is that you can safely delete the unwanted material and can even restore some of the Apps, should you require them in future.  To continue with the tutorial you have to root the Samsung IV.  Kindly read the tutorial for rooting Samsung Galaxy SIV i9500 here.  If you have done so already, proceed with the tutorial.

The method to get rid of the bloatware was put up by my friends at XDA forums a while ago and is pretty neat.  They have also opened a separate SIV thread, should you need one, head over there.  

Now back to the tutorial.   All you need is a rooted phone with a root-enabled file explorer to enter into the system area and delete the unwanted applications from there. It is requested to make a backup before you do so, just in case you accidentally delete something you didn't intend to.  To reinstall any app, just copy the file into the original location and set permissions for Read/write, Read Read (RW-R-R) (see screenshot) and reboot the phone.

Remember YOU are not to install these system Apps like any other Apps you download and install.  This may cause your OS to crash.  As I have already advised take a complete backup (Nandroid) using the recovery mode and then proceed. In case you mistakenly delete something important, you can simply recover the entire operating system from the Nandroid backup. 

You can also use the Titanium Backup for removing the unwanted files.  You can either freeze the app or uninstall it. Titanium Backup also features automatic backup of the app you are uninstalling, so you are safe here too. To get the app back, you can simply defrost it or restore it using Titanium Backup. OF the two this is a safer method.  

The other Apps available for removing the bloatware such as "NoBloat" and "Root Uninstaller".  Click on the hyperlink to download them. These apps can also back up and restore the apps at a later stage, but they won't free up any memory on your phone, they will hide the apps from your app drawer and keep them from running in the background or popping up notifications. 

After removing the bloatware PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING :  In order to keep the deleted apps from reinstalling automatically after rebooting, make sure you have deleted the app "PreloadIndtaller.apk" from the "/system/app" folder. If you forget to delete this app, the bloatware will reappear again after rebooting.

If you have any queries like a system crash or other bad, you can head to XDA forums where the Android Guru's will solve your any query.  Remember rooting voids warranty and is only to be done if you are comfortable with playing with system files.  Do not, I repeat do not attempt it if you are a novice.

You may choose to keep some of the files mentioned in the Image 1 above, if you require them.  After removing the bloatware you will feel you phone lighter on memory side and the battery will drain much slower then previously.  Kindly write in your comments on the tutorial

Vijay Prabhu

Sunday Punch : A haircut on the street, Amchi Mumbai style

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This video was shot in realtime by my co-Author and boss Vijay Deepak Chhibber, when we had gone to have a cuppa tea.  This video was released by me on Youtube on my channel Indianfilmbar.

The haircut video has already had 1400 hits because of the raw nature of the video without any edits.  Together I and Mr.Chhibber are collecting videos of different vocations undertaken by the thousands of nameless migrants, who come to Mumbai with a dream.

It is our humble attempt to bring these people to the fore for bringing something positive to the spirit of Mumbai in their very own way.   The rest of videos are tea making, mausambhi juice, flourmill, paanwala etc.  IF you like the video do visit the channel and subscribe to it.  

Do comment in on the video and what you think of it.

Vijay Prabhu

Samsung Redwood and Samsung Melius sporting Tizen 2.1 Magnolia OS spotted in the wild

Samsung had promised at the MWC 2013 that it would release at least 3 phones having its Tizen OS and it seems to have kept it word.  It is coming of with two models, codenamed Samsung GT-I8805 Redwood and GT-I8800 Melius having Tizen 2.1 Magnolia operating system.  The Redwood was spotted in the wild by active blogging community.  The Redwood seems a high end phone while Melius will be a mid range model.

The Samsung Redwood spotted will sport 4G LTE connectivity while the Samsung Melius will apparently come in with a 3G radio onboard only.  Both the phones are slated for release in 3 Q of 2013

Though the reports are very dim about the features, these phones will have, but the GT-I8800 Redwood with the latest Tizen 2.1 was seen having S-Voice, which will wake up when users say “Hi, Tizen” instead of “Hi, Galaxy”.  You will remember my post where I has predicted the next S series to be based on Tizen, maybe this prediction may indeed come true!  You may read the article here.

Lee Young Hee, executive vice president of Samsung’s mobile business was seen in an interview saying that Redwood “will be the best product equipped with the best specifications.” 

In addition, Samsung has already introduced the upcoming platform's App store.   The application storefront, which was demonstrated at the Tizen DEVCON, was appreciated by developers.    In the app store, apart from standard sections like featured apps and categories, there also seems to be a special section dedicated entirely for discounted apps, which will be convenient if someone wants to look for titles that may be available at a lower price temporarily like the offer of the day type which will be new sort of strategy from any Play Store.

Unity has already started offering its Engine for free to Tizen developers so now that they can try the new App Store.  As does the Havok which plans to offer free games on Tizen  Do write in your comments on these new phones.

Android 4.3 comes with a new camera interface, nothing else appears to be changed.

Image courtesy http://forum.xda-developers.com

The Android 4.3 has been spotted at a Thailand Mobile Expo.  The 4.3 upgrade seems to have no other major change in the Android dynamics other than the Camera interface, which Google has spruced up a little.  If you check out the image above you will notice that the build number mentioned is JWR45B and the kernel was compiled on May 14, which gives the impression that this is quite a recent build.

A video has been released showing the changes in the Camera interface, you can watch it below :

The video though very noisy clearly shows the changes in the camera App.  The old circular touch menu has been replaced by one where the icons are presented in an arc.   Navigation, it seems, is to be done by holding a finger over the menu item, which opens up deeper settings. Even when the user moves into deeper levels of the settings, they can easily come back to an earlier stage by sliding the finger down. 

As seen in the video, this one will take lot of practise before you can get a swing at it.  However it looks more elegant and graceful then the earlier circular touch menu.

Now with the spotting of the 4.3 build on Android, the development and launch of Key Lime Pie is a big question mark.  Because earlier it was though that Google would release the KLP in June 2013, but spotting this 4.3 build in this week of May, creates doubts over the early release of KLP.  

Will keep you posted regarding any further information on the subject.  In the meantime kindly comment in what you think about the new 4.3 Android.

Vijay Prabhu

Google Buzz posts made by you will be available on Google Drive from 17th July, both private and public

Remember Google Buzz, yep the predecessor to the Google+ we enjoy today.  Two years back Google had killed it in the infamous spring cleaning operation within a year of its launch.  Google will save all the posts made by users on Google Buzz to Google Drive starting 17th July, 2013.

In an email sent by Google to all Google Buzz users, the search giant has announced that starting July 17, it will start backing up all the posts made by them on the micro-blogging and messaging site to its Drive. And whats more these files will not count towards the space available on Google Drive.  

Google will store Buzz files in two sections on the Google Drive. The first type of file will only be accessible to you and will be completely private. This will consist of snapshots of public and private posts you had made on Google Buzz while the service was still active. The second file will contain public posts you had made on Google Buzz which will be visible to anyone by default and may appear in the search results and on your Google+ Profile if you have linked the Google+ to Buzz.  The Buzz links floating around on the Interwebz, will be redirected to the new location.

Any comments that you have made on your family or friends’ Buzz posts will be saved straight to their files. And Google has given you the choice if you want to make your private posts public or public posts private.  

It is also informed that if you want to avoid you comments being made public by deleting your Buzz content now. Your Drive will contain comments from users who had previously enabled Buzz. If you had deleted comments before moving your data to Drive the same cannot be seen.  Google has said in a release that :

“Once the files are created, they will be treated the same as any other Drive file. They are yours to do with as you please. This includes downloading them, updating who can access them, or deleting them.”  

So if had made some pretty nasty comments back then which you think shouldn't appear now, now't the time to delete them.  Google's Google+ integration will now be complete with this move.  Please write in what you think about Google+'s new UI.

Vijay Prabhu

Google Buzz
Last Reviewed by byVijay Prabhuon May 25 2013
Rating:4