OpenSignal: The Crowdsourced Network Map App

If there is one glaring lie in the mobile device industry it is the maps that the companies put out. Of course they are going to sell themselves as better than they are, but sometimes it is just downright crazy the claims they make. All of us have probably found ourselves in a position where we lose bars and drop a call in an area that was supposed to have great service. There is finally a way to truly tell the coverage, from a non-biased user supported interface, in an app called OpenSignal.

OpenSignal has had millions of downloads and users all over are using this app to give and receive information on network phone and data coverage. It is a priceless resource for those who need to know when their devices will actually work compared to when they simply won’t. The one thing this app didn’t cover until only a few days ago was the world of iPhone users. Now that bridge is gapped and both iPhone and Android users can rejoice in the world of OpnSignal.

The app isn’t just a useless network of information on signal strength though. The data is uses allows you to open a real time compass infused map which can enable you to walk towards, and pursue stronger signal strengths when you’re on the go and in need of better service. This means that if you’re cutting in and out or have an important email to send you can ensure it goes through without fail in a place where your network is stronger.

OpenSignal is a great app and is now available for both Android and Apple users. Phone networks are touchy and with this app you’ll never be frantically wandering around aimlessly for signals anymore.

Source: OpenSignal for Android | OpenSignal for iPhone

[Image Credit: Google Play Store | Apple iTunes Store]

Twitter #music: The New Music Discovery App for iPhone

Finding new music that you love these days from emerging artists can be difficult. Usually the only way this happens is from a friend of yours or someone you know who tends to devote hours to listening to awful tracks in hopes for a diamond in the rough. Although music services like IheartRadio, and Spotify are great for seeing what your friends like and maybe catching an occasional glimpse of a new artist you like, the real discovery of new music has been mostly lost in recent years. Twitter rolled out a new service recently to help people come across new emerging artists. The app is called #music and is now available only for iPhone users.

#music is simple in its function. It allows users to sign in and then be exposed to new musicians while hearing clips or excerpts from their iTunes songs or logging into another music service you can link to the full song. It is a very new and amazing way to come across actual new artists and not more top 40 mainstream people you will hear anyway. If you’re a music buff always edging for more new artists this app will be a huge benefit to you.

Not only does the music discovery end at that artist. In fact, if you find one that you like the possibility to stem off of that artist is built right into the app as well. You can see who that artist follows and branch out on your wave of new music from there, all while saving the ones you like to twitter or save them into your iTunes for later.

Only time will tell how successful this app will be, but as of now it looks to be a really innovative and interesting way of finding new music you like.

Source : Twitter #music App for iPhone

[Image Credit: Apple iTunes Store]

Tips and tricks for Using Cloud Computing in your Home

Cloud computing gives modern computer users, be they corporate, small businesses or individual residential computer owners, a wide variety of computing, storage and hardware use options that can lead to enormous financial savings thanks to the genius of their implementation.

This is the case because, with clouds, instead of buying a whole plethora of hardware and software solutions for your needs, then going through the complex process of setting them up and connecting them together, you can simply “rent” access to services that do all this for you. This payment comes in the form of monthly use fees and in some cases the services provided can even be free up to a certain point.

Also, since cloud computing is varied enough in its options that it can be applied just as well to small residential needs as major business tasks; you can and should consider using the cloud process in your own home. To do just that, keep these key tips in mind.

1. Get a Strong Internet Connection

One of the most fundamental tips to keeping your cloud connection functional and robust lies in contracting an equally robust internet connection. This is especially important since all cloud services depend on web connectivity to work in any way and even the best cloud products are going to be only as good as you bandwidth lets them be.

Because of this, don’t shirk on your internet connection. Go for a reliable provider that can offer you sound residential connectivity with an absolute minimum of 5 Mbps. If no decent residential plans are available, then just hire a business plan, which should give you more connection potency. Again, this reliable internet connection is important; nothing sucks worse than being connected to excellent cloud services in storage or computing and having everything you want to do take hours just because of slow data transfers.

2. If you’re Looking for Cloud Storage, Take the Encrypted Option

Cloud storage is a potentially vital component of your data backup and protection plan, and it can save you from catastrophic data loss through computer thread or failure by offering a deeply secure continuity of information option. However, a lot of this data might also be quite personal or confidential and you can never be sure who might be watching for a chance to hack your cloud servers. Thus, make sure that any provider you use offers encryption options for all your valuable information.

Also, sometimes you can’t even trust your cloud service provider themselves –especially if you’re guarding valuable IP secrets or something that may be considered illegal in some places. Thanks to this, some even better encryption solution are to either encode your information through third party software tools like TrueCrypt before even uploading it to the cloud, or simply hiring a cloud storage company that offers double blind encryption, meaning passkey based encryption that neither they or external hackers are capable of accessing. One example of this sort of service is SpiderOak.com.

3. Cheapest isn’t Always Best

When it comes to cloud computing in the form of clouds as software tools or clouds as hardware tools, quality is your best friend and you should never ditch out on it. Thus, go for reliable, trusted software names like Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, Xerox or RackSpace. With them, you can at least be sure that you’re dealing with professionals in the IT industry and thus reduce your risk of destructive data or processing errors as you work.

This isn’t to say that only big name cloud service providers are any good; many smaller companies offer innovative and much more flexible cloud computing solutions at very reasonable prices. However, regardless of who you choose to run your cloud storage and computing with just be sure to review any potential company for some useful previous customer advice.

4. Try Basic Services First

Before you jump headlong into the world of complex cloud services with a cost, first see if your personal needs can be met comfortably by basic free or extremely cheap services like Google Drive or DropBox. These are especially useful for cloud based storage and shared document collaboration (Drive) but they are also very easy to use, can be set up in minutes and often more than enough for most home users.

This may seem like the opposite of what we recommended in tip 3 above, but that’s just how the logic works: if you have complex, large home based needs, then go with well-known professional quality services, but if your needs are simple, avoid spending money while still using what high quality companies like Google and DropBox offer.

5. Take Advantage of Free Trials

Running with the general idea of choosing based on quality, need and savings in your use of cloud computing services, let’s also talk about free trials. These are offered by numerous cloud based software, storage and lower end hardware providers, and should be taken advantage of.

Cloud software vendors like Salesforce.com and Amazon Web Services offer 30 day no-risk trial periods for their products. Thus if you want to see what’s right for you without losing money pointlessly if it doesn’t work out, look for these kinds of offers and use them.

6. Review and Experiment

As a final piece of advice, remember that your own personal cloud needs are going to be different from the next person’s and because of this, not every solution you see recommended is going to be your ideal setup.
Thus, review all the available options based on what you’re doing or would like to do, try them out and see what works best. For some users, a mix of options including basic services like Google Drive and more complex cloud computing systems such as Amazon Web Services will be useful, while for others only a basic storage option will be needed.

Writer Bio:

Steven Taylor is a freelance writer specializing in writing on about technology, cloud computing and high speed internet topics.  Steven is currently associated with Time Warner Cable Business Offers.

Currency – Made Simple: The New and Useful Currency Converter for iPhone

There is nothing more frustrating than traveling and not knowing what your native money is worth in another country or worrying that some less than honest merchant sees you in a new place and is trying to take advantage. Worry no more with the newest and easiest to use currency conversion app, righty named “Currency”. No matter where you are the app will have you covered. It syncs to the internet to make sure all of the conversion rates are up to date, but also works well in an offline mode if the internet or networks aren’t accessible. Of course, being online will make sure your conversion rates are the most up to date though.

With over 160 world currencies covered in the app, you’ll most likely be taken care of no matter where in the world you find your travels taking you. The best feature of this app is the way in which the user interface is set up. It is so well built that it is almost entirely swiping and tapping and the use of the keypad is almost never needed. This makes it very easy to use on the go, wen you most likely need a tool like this anyway.

A favorites list will enable you to keep track of your most visited countries or keep tabs on investment values you have in other parts of the world too. This comes in handy so you an get to the ones you want and not have to scroll through the list of the numerous world currencies that the app comes with.

A world traveler or just a person who needs to know what their money is worth in other parts of the world will find this app priceless, although it will set you back $0.99, or whatever the local currency conversion rate is.

Source : Currency – Made Simple for iPhone

[Image Credit: Apple iTunes Store]

Perfect365: Great Face Retouching App Makes it Way onto Windows Phone 8

With cameras attached to cell phones and mobile devices becoming the prime way of taking spur of the moment pictures and allowing us to capture memories at all times, the need to edit these photos is becoming greater and greater. Perfect365 is an amazing app that allows you to retouch the face in a photograph to make it look much cleaner and more appealing. This app has been available for some time now on Android and iOS, but just recently was included on the Windows Phone 8 store.

The best thing about the Perfect365 app is the instant facial recognition algorithm they have. It works extremely well and can map out a face instantly to pinpoint the areas that might need the most attention for you. This allows pinpoint precision when editing out dark circles under eyes or blemishes on the skin.

This is an all round photo portrait editing service with more features than you could ever possibly want. Even the ability to use filters to enhance features or adjust color intensity on the skin to make things look softer or bolder are included. Once you have a specific setting that you love and makes your picture look exactly the way you like it, you can save those settings to apply them to another picture in the future.

This free app will revolutionize the way you can edit and perfect your pictures on the go. Nothing to lose except the seconds it will take to get acquainted with the very simple and easy to use interface. Start editing out your pictures now and allow them to be the best they can be.

Source: Perfect365 for Windows Phone

[Image Credit: Windows Phone Store]

The Official Yahoo! Weather App Now Available for iPhone

Not much has been heard from Yahoo! In the past few years. In fact, the company all but lost every single internet and technology based battle they were once involved in with Google. They have made it their goal and their dying effort to recreate some sort of success in technology and they have been coming back hitting hard this year. They just released a new official Yahoo! Weather app which looks to be quite an improvement over the native Apple Weather app.

Weather apps aren’t really the most complex things out there. They tell you the weather, and within a certain amount of fluctuation allow you to customize things such as hourly, 5-day forecast, and weekly forecasts. Besides that there really isn’t much to them. Yahoo!’s new weather app does all of that for the iPhone very well. The user interface is great and allows anyone who has never used it before to navigate through it perfectly well.

The other benefit to this weather app is that it actually allows sync with Flickr photos, since Flickr and Yahoo! Are linked. This means in any town or city you are looking at the weather for, a Flickr photo of that same place could very well be the background to the weather information you’re reading up on. This neat little combination of photography and technology is a welcome change to the drab graphics and icons of weather apps currently.

If you’re looking for a better weather experience on your iPhone definitely give Yahoo! Weather a look. It’s a great app and allows you to make the absolute most of a pleasant weather experience. It is simple and easy to use, and if you’re like me you’ll find your native Apple Weather app to be all but replaced.

Source: Yahoo! Weather App for iPhone

[Image Credit: iTunes Store]