TechnoBB – Page 22

Can’t Decide On An Android Phone? Try ‘Which Phone’ From Google.

Android is the most popular mobile OS in the world with thousands of smartphone models to choose from. Even for hardcore Android and smartphone fans, it can be a daunting task to select the right phone for your needs. Because Android is so popular, naturally there are different models that cater to different people. Some might want to use their phone as a high quality digital camera. Others might want the very best in sound clarity when listening to music. Then again, others might want a workhorse with great battery life and a fast processor. Or you might want all of the above in the newest, top of the line model. Google wants to help make it easier to find the right phone for you, and has released a handy web tool called Which Phone to do just that.

After heading to https://www.android.com/phones/whichphone/, you’ll be given twelve categories relating to things you can do with a smartphone. These range from ‘Listening to music’, ‘Taking photos’, and ‘Texting & instant messaging’ to ‘Being on the go’, and ‘Staying fit’ among others. You’re asked to select a category that would describe how you often intend to use your phone. So, if you’re a heavy texter who also uses your phone for fitness apps, you could select the ‘Staying fit’ and ‘Listening to music’ options. Once you select an option, you’ll be asked how often you make use of that category. Then you’re given a few more options to specify exactly what you do in that category. For example, under ‘Listening to music’ you can specify if you listen through Bluetooth, headphones, streaming, or all of the above. You can select as many of these specifications as you wish for each category and you can also select as many categories as you want.

You’ll need to pick at least 3 categories and specify how often and what type of use you have for each category. You can fill out as many as you want but 3 categories is the minimum. Once you’ve given enough information, Which Phone will allow you to select a carrier if you know which one you’ll be using. Or you can simply see all options regardless of carrier. After that, you’re given a selection of phones that suit your needs as well as a helpful listing of the phone’s strengths and specs.

It’s a very quick and painless way to get some phone suggestions based on your needs.

5 Best Alternative solutions for Smartphone Charging

Charging a smartphone is pretty standard right? Just plug it into a micro-USB (or your proprietary cable) and then into a wall outlet adapter. Or you could charge it much more slowly over USB or something similar. These methods have their drawbacks, namely that your phone has to be plugged into something which makes it more cumbersome to use. Charging is also notoriously unreliable and subject to the quality of your charging cable, adapter, and even electricity supply. There are other ways to charge phones now, and the options are only growing in reliability and usability. Try these options out or at least give them a look as alternatives to the standard wall charger.

1. Wall Outlet Adapters

Ok, you’re thinking, isn’t this supposed to be about alternatives to wall chargers? Well, sometimes it’s hard to beat that steady supply of electrical juice. There are adapters like the PlugBug that allow you to charge both a Mac and a smartphone at the same time on a single outlet. There are also standard USB adapters that plug right into an outlet so you don’t have to worry about having the phone’s power adapter to charge it.

2. Docks and Wireless Charging

Many smartphone makers also sell handy docks that will charge the phone and allow some basic functionality while the phone is charging. Docks are also great for using your phone as a music player or alarm clock. Some newer phones also support wireless charging and you simply need to place the phone on a special charging mat with no need for cables. Wireless charging is set to grow rapidly and become more commonplace.

3. Portable Chargers

Portable chargers are pretty much a rechargeable laptop battery pack that you can carry around in a small form and charge nearly any USB device. They’re becoming very popular for travelers and commuters who don’t want to ever worry about running out of power.

4. Car Chargers, Bike Chargers

Car chargers have been around for decades, often using the cigarette lighter adapter. Now, some cars even come with USB ports standard for charging or you can buy suitable adapters for your device. If you’re a cyclist, there are dynamos that use the energy from the bicycle wheel rotation to power and charge devices.

5. Solar and Wind

Solar and wind power are often cited as unreliable and weak but that is rapidly changing thanks to better technology. You can now find solar chargers with larger panels that stick to a window to maximize the amount of sunlight they receive. Or mini windmills that will generate a charge from wind or moving air.

These are just a few of the charging options available. It’s actually a very exciting time for new charging possibilities, so keep an eye out!

9 Jailbreak Features Now Standard in iOS 9

Though Apple works hard to prevent jailbreakers from gaining full control of Apple devices, it seems they’re not above outright stealing good ideas when they see them. Apple is notorious for being obsessed with control, and maybe the aesthetics of some of the jailbreak features weren’t entirely up to their standard for release. It’s hard to ignore the public though and even harder to ignore a good idea. So, Apple has decided to include several popular Jailbreak tweaks that were previously not available in iOS in the latest version of iOS 9.

1. VideoPane

Apple has included a new Picture in Picture feature on the iPad which entirely mimics VideoPane’s ability to play a video over any app, in any location. It’s a wonderful way to simultaneously use an app and watch a video.

2. Search in Settings App

Ever get tired of scrolling through Settings, looking for that app to adjust? Well jailbreakers have been able to search through the Settings for a while. Apple apparently decided this was a useful feature and it is now standard in iOS 9. You can access search with a simple swipe down in Settings.

3. SwipeSelection

It’s much more intuitive to swipe across some text to select it instead of tapping, holding, then dragging a selection box. Luckily Apple has also included this handy feature which is sure to save some time and headaches.

4. ShowCase

Now when you tap Shift on the digital keyboard, the case is also changed. Amazing how this feature took so long to include as it is standard on desktop keyboard for decades.

5. BattSaver

This tweak was designed to better manage battery consumption on iOS devices. Apple has made a big push to include better energy saving capabilities with Low Power Mode and general energy settings.

6. Copic

Copic allowed you to to have photos associated with contacts everywhere. Apple thought this was a good idea and now Messages include this feature.

7. ReachApp

ReachApp allowed you to do split-screen multitasking, which was a much asked for feature for iOS for some time. Lo and behold, iOS 9 supports split-screen multitasking!

8. RelevApps

RelevApps was an app catering service that would recommend apps you might like. In iOS 9, Apple has Spotlight Search to highlight recommended and popular apps.

9. Quick Reply

Though it was possible on jailbroken devices for a while, in iOS 9 you can now Quick Reply to various messenging apps without actually opening them. It’s a great way to save time and the tediousness of having to open a half dozen different apps to reply to each.

Although Apple has made it even harder to jailbreak devices, luckily they have included some of the best features available to jailbreakers.

Apple iOS 9 includes iCloud Driver App, Here’s How to Enable it

Although many new features of iOS 9 have been touted in Apple’s WWDC, one feature that escaped mention was a new dedicated iCloud Drive app. With this app, you can access all of your files stores in iCloud, Apple’s cloud management service. People have been asking for this feature for quite some time and it’s nice to see it finally make its way onto mobile Apple devices. The app is actually included in iOS 9 but is buried in the menus and not readily accessible. It’s very likely that Apple wants to put a little more time into tweaking the iCloud app before it’s officially and more public released. Fortunately, finding the app and using it is very simple and takes only a few taps. Follow these steps to enable the iCloud app on your device running the iOS 9 beta.

1. Launch the Settings app.

2. Under Settings, look for iCloud and tap it.

3. Now under iCloud, tap the iCloud Drive listing.

4. Now under the iCloud Drive menu, simply toggle ‘iCloud Drive‘ to On. Also toggle ‘Show on Home Screen‘ to On.

5. Exit the Settings app.

Now, the iCloud Drive icon will appear on your Home Screen and can be used to access iCloud Drive and all files you have stored there. The app is a very welcome addition to iOS 9, especially for those who enjoy and depend on cloud storage. It couldn’t be any simpler to browse your files in the cloud and upload and download as necessary. It’s a wonder that it took Apple this long to release an app dedicated to iCloud given how helpful it can be.

If you’re happily testing out the iOS 9 beta, be sure to give the new iCloud app a spin, it’s a joy to use all around. Otherwise, just be patient and wait until the official release and you can fulfill all your cloudy needs.

5 Best Apps To Unlock Your Mac With An Apple Watch

The traditional way we’ve grown accustomed to unlocking our computers is with a quick password login. For some, it’s just a part of everyday life, but for others, those precious few seconds are a hassle and a waste of time. Passwords are also only as secure as their complexity and how safe we keep them from others. With wearables and smartphones everywhere, you can now unlock your Mac from one of these devices. Having a secondary physical device to unlock your computer is a new and potentially safer way to access your Mac and prevents others from doing so. That’s of course provided you keep tabs on your device which is now acting as your password. Check out these solutions for device based Mac unlocking.

1. Knock 2.0

With Knock, you physically knock on your iPhone twice to unlock your nearby Mac using Bluetooth Low Energy. It’s a fun way to turn a gesture into a password. Knock has added support for the Apple Watch so you can use the Knock Glance and unlock your Mac right from your watch.

2. MacID

MacID uses the fingerprint sensors on newer Apple devices to unlock your Mac from your iPhone or Apple Watch. You can even use a custom pattern based password if you want. MacID also supports limited remote control over various media apps.

3. NearLock

NearLock uses the same Bluetooth Low Energy communication to unlock your Mac and save battery power. It uses the strength of the Bluetooth signal to unlock your Mac based on proximity which is a neat trick. You can also fine tune the distance at which NearLock will unlock your Mac.

4. TokenLock

TokenLock will work with any Bluetooth device, not just those that support Bluetooth Low Energy. It uses the same proximity field trick to unlock your Mac and doesn’t require an iPhone or Apple Watch, just any Bluetooth device. Because it uses an older Bluetooth specification, it will consume much more of the battery however.

5. Umwelt

For you Android users who also happen to have a Mac, Umwelt works with Android Wear devices and Bluetooth Low Energy to provide an unlocking solution. It’s great if you have a newer Android Wear watch like the Pebble and want to be able to unlock your Mac from it.

iOS 9 Announced, Beta Available to Download

iOS 9 has been officially unveiled at WWDC and the Beta 1 is available for download and testing right now. As Apple gears up for the release of the next iPhone model and continues to tweak the new Apple Watch, they’ve included dozens of new features in iOS 9. From improvements to Siri’s accuracy and speed, predictive help with Proactive Assistant, an overhauled Maps, a new Wallet app and fully integrated Apple Pay, and a few major new official apps.

Apple’s new Notes app should prove to be the king of helpful note taking apps. You can even doodle sketches and integrate photos, maps and webpages to any note. It should make iOS devices even better for productivity.

Apple has also proudly shown off a new official News app which both shows news stories and curates those that you might be interested in based on your browsing habits and stories you like to read. The News app will have full multimedia support for audio, video, photos, etc. to make it more immersive and interactive. News looks like it will be also usurp most other News aggregation apps for iOS.

The iPad will receive full multitasking support for two apps open on the same screen, running simultaneously. Even more impressive, you can drag and drop data between the two apps which will open up a huge array of options and should be great for work and productivity.

iOS 9 promises to dramatically increase battery life as well by cleverly managing resources and using sensors to turn things off when not in use or not needed. A new Low Power mode can also be engaged to stretch out usage.

The iOS 9 Beta 1 includes all of these features to try out today. However, you must be enrolled in the Apple Developer Program at $99 a year to download and install the beta. You’ll also need a compatible device which means a newer iPhone, iPad, iPad Mini or iPod Touch. Finally, you’ll need the device’s UDID to register with the Apple Developer Program. If you have all of that, it’s a simple matter to download the iOS 9 Beta ipsw firmware file for your model and then install it to the device using iTunes.

Everyone else can wait a little bit for July to roll around and with it, the public beta release. Then you won’t need an Apple Developer Program account and anyone can try out these features. Or you could wait a little longer until September and just get the official iOS 9…patience, patience.