Technology Trends in 2011

Ya! Every one, every tech blog out on the planet, is doing a recap of 2011. I thought I will do one on techedIN too, depending on what caught my attention in 2011. There were plenty of trends in the Information Technology world that I consider as trends that defined 2011, for various reasons. I would like to list them for you!

Social Media Revolutions
What Malcom Gladwell said in 2010 was proved wrong in 2011! He tried to postulate why revolution will not be tweeted. And that whole line of argument was proved wrong in 2011, when Social Networks had a greater role to play in almost all political uprisings across the world. From Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street, protesters and agitators across the world used Facebook and Twitter to organize and move. It was proved that  if you have a smartphone and a twitter account, you could bring on a revolution. It was proved that social networks like Twitter and Facebook can help to bring about change in more ways than we thought.

Hacktivism
2011 was also a year when hacking went wild. Almost every month you woke up reading about a website or email that was hacked. You heard about accounts compromised. And secusity breached. LulzSec and Anonymus became some sort of modern day heros for their Robin Hood like approach to hacking. Companies like Sony were punished and hacked for their greed.  Their "Operation Anti-security was aimed at protesting government censorship and monitoring of internet. Thus, the new word Hacktivism was born.

Mobile Overload
There were big time battles to take over that huge space in the future of computing, mobile technology. We witnessed wars. Apple suing companies that made Android devices. Oracle suing Google. Patent Trolls trying to earn some quick money suing developers. And then we saw the market flooded by tablets and smart phones. Apple, Google and Microsoft led the show. iOS, Android and WP 7 became household names. RIM was trying to survive. Nokia became famous for trying nothing to handle the decline of their Symbian OS. HP came up with WebOS, something that tech gurus dubbed as the best tablet OS ever, and then killed it. And then there was the HP fire sale! And then you had Amazon joining the war with Kindle Fire. Touchscreen became the fashion. 2011 was overloaded by mobile phones! And Steve Jobs passed away! Ice Cream Sandwich was born!

Rise and Fall of Location
Location based applications either changed their course or committed suicide in 2011. People began to see why location based applications like Gowalla or Foursquare were not that great an idea when offered alone. People learned that to make location based applications popular, you needed to club it with something else exciting. Like Facebook, a social network. Like Foodspotting, a hobby. Like badoo, a dating service based on location. No one cared for location after the initial use, if it was not clubbed with anything else.

Everybody Goes Social
Ya, I meant Google went social. After a couple of failed attempts at creating a successful social experience based on Google products and the sad demise of Orkut and the murder of Buzz, Google came up with Google+. And Facebook replied with enhance features. And everyone who came into the tech market was trying to be social in one way or the other. Almost all applications available in the market and almost all devices  in our hands are socially enabled.

Ugly Patent Wars and Trolls
This must be read along with the mobile overload. However, it was a major trend in 2011 to sue for patents. Ugly patent wars I would call them. Google failed to buy Nortel's patents, defeated by an Anti-Google consortium. Then they bought Motorola. In 2011, we say everybody trying to sue everybody else holding one or the other godforsaken patent. The most noteworthy among them is the failed attempt of Apple to stop Samsung from selling their tablets and phones. And then Oracle suing Google. Then there was some company hitherto unheard of, threatening to sue developers.

Start Up Rush
2011 was also the year of start ups. And venture capitalists. This was a year when venture capitalists got the tag "ANGEL" attached to their profile. Everyone started a start up in the hope of becoming the next Google or Facebook. From Codecademy to Oink to Sojo Studios, every one was trying everything to change the world and save the universe. You often heard the word 'bubble' floating around. You witnessed cat fights on tech blogs about why women are not coming forward to start tech start ups. You heard about how blacks are ignored in the startup world. Then you saw start up incubators trying to save the world and protect the unprotected.

Mobile Payment
Near Field Communication became the buzz word. Everyone from Google to Apple, from  Visa to Mastercard tried to take over the mobile payment space. The war is on. perhaps this war is going to define 2012. We shall wait and watch! 

How to figure out which programme or application opens an unknown file type?

Your client or colleague sends you an email with an important attachment. You download the attachment and eagerly open it to find that it is an unknown file type and you cannot open it on your system as your computer does not have the programme that runs it. Windows offers to help you figure out the programme. Knowing Microsoft for so long, you will not try it as you will end up finding nothing about the file. 

Encounters with unknown file types is a major issue that often comes up in offices across the world. With many organizations moving towards Open Source and many still sticking around with Microsoft, the issue is not as simple as you think.  It forces you to waste a lot of time and phone calls, trying to figure out what went wrong.

What can you do when you come across a file you cannot open? 

1. Find out the file extension. Most files have a file extension. It can be .odt .epub .txt .jpeg or anything. See what follows the dot (.) after the file name. That is your file extension.
2. If you do not have the file extension mentioned in file name, go to the file and right click to open the properties of the file. Check out file type to figure out the file extension. 
3. Once you figure out the file extension, go to WolframAlpha. You can go to WolframAlpha from here. Type the file name in the text box and click search. WolframAlpha will come up with a list of programmes that will help you open the file. 
4. Go back to Google and find out how to download this Application or Programme, which can open this unknown file for you.

Samsung, I don't want your value pack!

Roumour mill is running again, with stories about how and how not Samsung will provide Samsung Galaxy S and Original Galaxy Tab users with Ice Cream Sandwich. I am following each story closely.

Last week Samsung announced the list of devices it will include in the Ice Cream Sandwich update. Samsung Galaxy S and Original Galaxy Tab, the two devices that provided Samsung with the stepping stones to mobile success were not included in the list. There was such a hue and cry in ts social media world about how unfair it is not to give updates for devices like Galaxy S and Original Galaxy Tab even though they are as capable as any other devices out there to receive one. It seems that Samsung's Touchwiz is the culprit.

Looks like Samsung could not provide an Ice Cream Sandwich update for both the devices given the fact that the space available in them was not adequate for both ICS and Touchwiz to run together. Many pointed at Apple and asked Samsung to learn from them about keeping updates for sold devices on. Then there was news that Samsung is in fact considering an update for both the devices. I was happy that ICS is coming soon on my Galaxy Tab.

No! The news is out now! It seems that instead of an ICS update, Samsung will give us some value pack that will bring the tab and S closer to ICS functionality. Value pack, my foot! Samsung, either you give me my ICS or give me nothing. I don't want any value pack. Drop Touchwiz and spend that money to give us a vanilla ICS. Please don't insult us, people who jumped into buy your first products, by giving is a value updated of sorts.

How to get Google Analytics on your Android Phone

A few days ago, I wrote about a tool that bloggers can use on their Android Phone to keep track of their Google Adsense Account. But if you are a passionate blogger, just a way to keep track of an Adsense Account is not enough. Most bloggers do not care about making money. They just want more people to read what they write. And Google Analytics is the best tool available out there to help you keep track of how people are using the information on your blog.

In a world that is moving towards mobility in a great way, I am sure some of you are looking at ways in which to keep track of your Google Analytics Account on your Phone. If you use an Android Phone, there is a neat application to help you access information frm your Google Analytics Account.

GAnalytics! Yes, that is the name of the application. There are plenty of applications in the Android Market that promise to help you access your Google Analytics Account. However, I like GAnalytics in particular. It has your Google Analytics information presented in a neat and organized manner. It is very easy to figure out how your blog is performing if you use GAnalytics. It allows you to see the performance of your blog on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis. From visits to pageviews to traffic sources, GAnalytics allows you to get a deeper understanding of how your blog is doing. You can download GAnalytics from here.

What is the time limit or size limit for YouTube Video uploads?

I know. If you are into serious video making and want to show off your videos in front of the world, you will hate the upload size and time limit some of these video sharing sites have in place. Not that many of us create videos that are more than ten minutes. But then, sometimes, one of these rare times, you will make a video that is longer in duration or larger in bite size. You will try and upload it on your favourite video sharing site, YouTube, only to find that you cannot upload that video because of a time limit.

What is the upload size or time limit for YouTube? As far as I know, you can upload only 15 minutes videos on YouTube. There is no size restriction on YouTube, like the 500 MB a month restriction on Vimeo for the video you upload.

That is great, right? You can upload 15 minutes video on YouTube. What if you make a video that is 20 minutes or longer? Will not YouTube allow you to upload that? Will you see that horrible error page with an empty video box which says your video is removed because it is longer than what it should have been?

Do not worry. YouTube will not let you down. Look for a link on the upload page on YouTube that asks you if you want to upload content that is more than15 minutes. If you find it there, then go ahead and click on the link. It will take you to a verification page. You will have to verify your account using your phone number. Once you enter your phone number, Google will send a verification code to your phone. Once you verify your phone you can upload videos that are more than 15 minutes.

This is a great step from Google to manage copyright issues. Normal users will not make content that is more than 15 minutes. If you want to upload content that is more than 15 minutes, Google wants to make sure that you are responsible for that content. Keeping our phone number is a great way to make sure that we are available to take care of it in case there is an issue about copyright.

How to keep track of your Adsense Account on Android?

You are a blogger and you write a lot. And you have an Adsense Account you use to try and monetize your content, hoping that you can make some money as you write, without an editor breathing down your neck.

Blogger and Google revolutionised the way people benefit from creating content online. Pairing blogging with Google Adsense, they opened up a way for  ameture bloggers to monetize their otherwise 'worthless' content.

Now a person like me, who would not have taken to writing my heart out for the fear of rejection, can write any time of the day about anything I want. And I have an incentive to do so. I can place a few advertisements from Google on my blog and make some money out of what I write. If what I write is useful, more people will visit my blog. Some of you will click on an advertisement you see here. And I will get paid for the time and effort I have put into creating the content you are reading.

If you are a blogger like me and you run Adsense Campeigns on your blog, I am sure you will want to keep track of your Adsense Account every day. So far most of us used to do that when we were in front of a personal computer. Times have changed. Most of us would like to have such information on our fingertips, accessing it on the go. We want that information on our phone. Is there a way to access your Adsense Account on your phone?

If you are using an Android Phone, like I always say, there is an app for that too. Adsense Dashboard is the application. You can download the app from here. Adsense Dashboard allows you to keep track of the Adsense Campeigns you have on your blogs. It allows you to see how your Adsense Account is performing, at a glance. It tells you how many pageviews your blog generated, how many clicks got converted into what kind of money. It also tells you how much money you have made so far. Adsense Dashboard is a very useful application if you want to keep track of the different channels you have created in your Adsense Account.

If you are a blogger and found Adsense Dashboard, the application for Android, useful to keep track of your Adsense Account let me know.

Samsung may bless Galaxy S & Original Tab with Ice Cream Sandwich

Samsung seems to be listening. After drawing the ire of the blog world and customers on twitter for not including Galaxy S & the original Galaxy Tab in the list of possible candidates for Ice Cream Sandwich update, looks like Sammy has taken the right decision to evaluate the possibly of an ICS update for these devices.

Samsung is probably confused if the users will like the Tab and S without Touchwiz. They don't have to be confused. I think Samsung must not waste time trying to figure out how to incorporate Touchwiz into the ICS update they are planing for both the devices. I did not buy the Galaxy Tab for Touchwiz, with all due respect to the Samsung Developers. I bought it for the hardware specifications and to experience Android. I am sure the users will not know the difference between Touchwiz and a vanilla Android. Besides, ICS user interface is much more sophisticated and beautiful. It does not need to be tampered with.

I think it's about time great hardware makers like Samsung focused only on hardware and not software. We do not care how the user interface is differentiated. All that we want is the ability to use the most recent version of Android on these devices. It is time you guys looked at phones like you look at personal computers.

It is a welcome move from Samsung if they have decided to include Galaxy S and Tab in their list for ICS update. Since Samsung is a leading Android Phone Maker, I am sure this will change a lot of things in the game. It will change the way people look at phones.

While keeping my fingers crossed, I have deferred my decision to move from Samsung to Sony Ericsson for want of regular updates. Good luck Sammy!

Stream Bollywood Songs on your Android Phone

The Android Market ecosystem is full of applications that allow you to stream music. Plenty of them out there allows you to get online music and radio station streaming. If you are someone who is keen on listening to music but do not want to save songs on your device for the fear of eating up space, these applications are good for you. Or if you are bored of the music saved in your device and wants some pleasant music surprises steaming is a great idea.

If you are from India and you do not like all these heavy drum beating stuff they play in English or if you love listening to Hindi songs once in a while, what can you do? Most flats the Android applications all you to stream oly western music. For the love of India, is there an application that allows you to play Hindi songs? Yes, there is.

Saavan Music! A great application that allows you to stream both old and new Hindi songs on the go. You can make your own play list or play randomly as you go when you are using Saavan. You can also choose from the list of top songs. Or you can choose from the different categories or themes available in Saavan. If you are in India and are using an Android Phone, I would say Saavan is a must download. You an download Saavan from here.

Use anyone's face as a smiley or emoticon in Facebook Chat

I am sure you have come across plenty of applications that offer to show customized smileys on your Facebook chat. The issue is, if your friend does not have the same application installed on their profile they will not be able to see the custom chat smiley you are using. And most of these custom chat applications are malware or spyware in disguise. You can never trust them.

Is there any way you can use custom smileys as you wish on your Facebook chat and let your friends see it without having to install a Facebook app? Yes, there is. Facebook now allows you to use profile pictures as smileys in your Facebook chat. How do you do it?

Go to any Facebook user or page url and copy the I'd and come back to your chat window and put them in double brackets. The profile picture of that person or page will appear as a smiley. For example if you want to use "xyz" profile picture as a smiley, go to that user's url. Go to www.facebook.com/profile/xyz or www.facebook.com/profile/687659018 and copy the profile id. In this case copy xyz or 687659018. And paste it into your chat like [[xyz]]. This will enable you to use that person's Facebook profile picture as a smiley icon. You can also use profile pictures of pages as emoticons or smileys. The only catch here is that if the page is automatically created by Facebook from wikipedia, then you cannot use it as an emoticon. This is also a great way to share information about people and pages because when your friend who receives the emoticon hovers the cursor on the image he will see a pop up with information about that person or the page. I am sure Facebook will integrate this feature soon to status updates. Till then have fun converting people into emoticons.

Best recipe application for your Android Phone

You love cooking? You love trying out new recipes every day? You have a dinner coming up and you are wondering what to cook for your guests?

I don't cook. I don't cook because I don't know how to cook that well. However I have friends who love cooking. I find them always on the look out for new recipes. Most of them rely on cook books. Some of them rely on online recipe libraries. Both are limited when it comes to finding new and exciting ways to cook. They make discovery of new recipes a boring thing to do.

I have been searching for a good Application for Android that will allow my friends to cook well. See, when they cook well I get to taste it. Any hit recipe offers me a great lunch or yummy dinner. That is my incentive. So I set out on this journey to figure out a good recipe app on Android.

The search did not go on for long. I stumbled up on one of the best recipe application in the Android Market. Campbell's Kitchen.

Campbell's Kitchen is fully gear recipe application. Neatly designed. Beautiful images. Greatly organized to allow you to discover great recipes. The best thing I liked about the application is how the Kitchen offers recipes under beautifully organized themes. You can also register and save tips and tricks to save your face for a dinner. For each recipe you get to know step by step instructions on how to cook it, ingredients and the nutritional value of hag food. That way you can be sue about what you are cooking. You can download the application from here.

Now I perfectly understand how US patent system works!

Now I perfectly understand how US patent system works.

Just read the news that Apple is awarded a new patent. It is for a system that allows users to use other applications on a device as they are making a call. For example, you are on a call and you want to quickly look up something in your calendar. Or you want to find out a place on the map. Or you want to look at a website. Apple got the idea patented. This means no other operating system or device manufacturer can make a device which will allow you to look up something on your phone while you are on a call.

I use an Android Phone. I don't know who invented this feature. But I know that I can access other applications on my device while I am making a call. I just need to minimize the call window and it will rest in the notification tray while I am accessing the application I want.
Even I can remember my old symbian phone used to allow me do this. Symbian has its limitations. So you could only access a few applications like contact list or calendar while you were on a call. And I had symbian phones long ago, even before Apple came up with their first phone.

I am trying to figure out who invented this feature. I am sure it is not Apple. But now they are telling us that Apple is awarded the patent for this particular feature. And that shows you exactly how the patent system in US works. You don't have to invent anything to get a patent. All that you need to do is ask first. Ask and it shall be given to you. Make sure that you ask first.

That is as dumb as a patent system can get.

Samsung will not give me my Ice Cream Sandwich

Samsung recently announced the names of the devices that are going to get Ice Cream Sandwich update in 2012. And sadly, Samsung Galaxy S and the original Samsung Galaxy Tab is not there in the list. And Sammy, that is not fair to a customer as loyal as I am.

The original Samsung Galaxy Tab is a dream to use. It is almost a year and still the one I own runs pretty smoothly. It used to crash once in a while when I was on Froyo. Later it was updated to Gingerbread and now everything runs so smoothly on the tab. I used it as a replacement for my personal computer.

Now that Google released Ice Cream Sandwich, I was hoping that Samsung will allow me to have a taste of it. I am planning to buy Seven Plus when it is out in India. I heard that it is going to get an ICS update. That is not enough. I think the original Tab users are entitled to an ICS update as well.

Samsung says it is difficult to integrate Touchwiz UI with ICS and run it smoothly on the original Tab. Is it that difficult? Good! Then do away with Touchwiz and give us the vanilla version of ICS.

I am currently running ICS on my Tab. This is an Alpha Version ROM from XDA forum. Ya, it has plenty of limitations considering that the version is still in Alpha 3. The camera will not work. The bluetooth does not listen to what you want to say. And there are plenty of bugs. In spite of all these, it runs pretty well on the Original Tab. It runs pretty smoothly and as good as a legitimate version from Samsung will run. Sammy, this Touchwiz excuse does not hold water anymore.

Samsung is competing with Apple. And Apple is known for the way they keep their customers happy. When there is an update, everyone gets it if you are using an IOS device. I think it is time Samsung learned from that. Otherwise, they will just keep competing with Apple without reaching anywhere.

I do not know why Sammy does not understand that we buy him for the hardware. Touchwiz is does not influence the decision making process of a buyer at all. I bought the Original Galaxy Tab because of the size and the hardware. I wanted something that could fit into my trouser pocket and at the same time had a big screen so that I do not have to squint to read. I wanted something that could run 3 G and Wifi at the same time. I wanted something with a clear screen. I wanted something with both front and rear cameras. The Original Tab has all these and I bought it. Touchwiz did not figure in my decision at all. Sammy, get rid of Touchwiz. It will not hurt you if you get rid of it. We buy you because of the quality of the hardware.

Let me taste Ice Cream Sandwich on my original Samsung Galaxy Tab.

This side of Open!

Closed. Closed. Closed. Closed. Closed. Closed.

Every chance he gets, Techcrunch's M G Seigler tries to write there is something absolutely wrong with Google and their Android Platform. He did it again, this time trying to write about why Android is not as open as Google tells us. He says that a good percentage of Android Openness is marketing bullshit. In the process he ends up writing how being open is bad for Android than actually telling us how Android is a closed platform. Either MG is a confused Apple Fanboy or he thinks that his readers are fools. Either way, M G is not doing any good to the already fragile reputation of Techcrunch as a reliable tech blog.

If you read the write-up, you will immediately get that M G does not have a clue what openness is. Or may be, he is pretending that he does not know what 'openness' is. I do not know what drives him mad every time iOS dominance is questioned. One should read M G's post along with the post from Andy Rubin that "There are now over 700,000 Android devices activated every day" And the last time Apple spoke to us, only 275000 iOS devices were activated on average per day. Good for Google. Bad for Apple. But why should M G get paranoid about it?

For M G's benefit, let me give the definition of "Open Platform". Wikipedia defines it: "In software and web-based architectures, an Open platform describes a software system which is based on open standards, such as published and fully documented external programming interfaces that allow using the software to function in other ways than the original programmer intended, without requiring modification of the source code. Using these interfaces, typically known as an application programming interface (API), a 3rd party could integrate with the platform to add functionality. An Open Platform does not mean it is open source, however most Open Platforms has multiple implementations of its API."

To add insult to M G's injury, Android is Open Source as it is an "Open Platform". M G can get the source code from here and do what he wants with it without Google Legal suing him. That is exactly what Amazon did. That is exactly what Facebook can do if they want. And both companies need not include any Google Service to their implementation of Android. How is that bad for Google, when the very purpose of Android is to enable people to do what they want with their Mobile Operating System? Anyone can take it, anyone can make it! If people like it, they will buy it. If they find it useful, they will stick to it. There is nothing M G can do to change the 700,000 minds that decide to buy Android Phones every day.

M G is seriously wondering about the future of Google with Android. He says: "Imagine if Microsoft had open sourced Windows back then. Would they still have become the dominant player? Possibly, maybe even likely at first, but eventually it’s feasible that a competitor would have used their work as the basis for a better version of Windows. That’s the real risk Google is now facing." M G is talking as though he does not know what is Microsoft's status in the tech world today. If Google was not willing to open source Android, ten years down the line they will be a company like Microsoft, coming up with crap software for both PCs and Mobile Phones. Microsoft is what Microsoft is today because they limited the possibility of developing their software to the four walls of Microsoft. Because Google is willing to open source Android, we will have a Mobile Platform which is better than what it is today. People will work on it and make it better. If Google fails tomorrow, someone else will come up and take Android development forward. It will not anyway be limited to the skills and knowledge of  a few Google Engineers. Open Source is not a risk. It is an opportunity.  If M G doe not know, that is what people call "vision"

I use a Samsung Galaxy Tab, 7 inch. Now, Samsung is too lazy to give me the new Ice Cream Sandwich. But I already have Ice Cream Sandwich running my Tab. Why? Because Android is open and open sourced, developers are working hard to give the best to the community. And they have given me the best that is possible. It is in Alpha and that means they are working hard to make it better. ICS for the original Galaxy Tab is in Alpha Version and is available here. Perhaps, people like M G does not understand what it means to give to the community. Because, anyway, he is in love with a product which was made by a man who did not believe in giving to the community.

Imagine Amazon  wanting to try iOS as their platform instead of Android, because according to M G that is a much better platform. They can not. I know, it is a waste of time imagining that. Which means Jeff Bezoz will not think about Kindle Fire. Even if he did, it will take a long time for him to develop a new mobile platform. Even if he developed one, who knows, it may end up like WebOS. Because of Google and because of Android, the mobile world is becoming more open with more possibilities. There is nothing that M G can do to change that. 

How to watch Indian TV Channels Live on Android Phone?

If you own an Android Smartphone and use a 3G connection, I bet you are already searching for an application that allows you to watch TV on it. Ya, there are plenty of applications out there in the market that allows you to watch TV on your Android Phone. The issue is, all of them have European or Chinese Channels listed on them. What do you do if you want to watch Indian Channels on your Android Phone? Is there a way?

Like I always say, there is an app for that too on Android. Yes, you can watch Indian Channels on your Android Phone. In other words you can stream Indian TV channels live on your Android Phone, as they are happening. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that you need to download at least three applications to watch most of the channels. Let me tell you which applications to download so that you will have a complete Indian TV viewing experience on your Android Phone or Tablet, watching your favourite regional channels.

Apalya Technology's MimibiTV is the first application to download. It has most Indian News Channels and Regional Entertainment Channels listed. You can go to Apalya's website here and read the download instructions for different Indian Telecom Operators/carriers. Sometimes, the instructions on Apalya's Website will not help you download the MimobiTV Player, especially if your carrier does not support your device. Aircell, Airtel, BSNL, Idea, MTNL, MTS, Tata Indicom, Docomo, Virgin and Vodafone are listed on Apalya's Website. However, I am talking to you from my experience of trying to watch TV using 3G connections from both BSNL and Airtel. I use a Samsung Galaxy Tab. BSNL does not support Galaxy Tab. Airtel support Samsung Galaxy Tab. In such cases you can download the application directly from the Android Market or if you are using a Samsung Phone you can download it from the Samsung App Store. If you are using Airtel, you can download the TV App from here. If you are using Idea, you can download the TV App from here. If you are using Vodafone, you can download the TV App from here. Apalya will charge you Rs. 40 per week if you want all channels. Please note that the data you use to watch TV is from your 3G Data Plan, which mean you pay for the data separate.

Digivive's NexGTv Nano is the second application you must download. It has all the channels that Apalya does not have and it does not have all the channels that Apalya has. So do not have to worry about downloading two applications for the same Channels. Another thing about NexGTv is that it is free at present. You can download NexGTv from here.

Then you need to download DittoTv from Zee Entertainment. It has all the Zee Channels. Right now Ditto TV is free. I think there is a trial period and after that you can get recharge coupons from Zee and refill your TV Application. You can download DittoTV from here.

These are the three applications I use when ever I want to watch Indian channels. Now, downloading TV applications from the market is a tricky business. Most of them are crap. It is very difficult to try and identify which Application to download for a great TV viewing experience on Android. Most Applications are just bookmarks that take you to some site loaded with malware. So be careful when you randomly download TV Applications from Android Market. I request the readers to post links in the comment section to any other good TV Application for Android other than what is mentioned in this post.

8 steps you must take not to be hacked on Facebook

Like Microsoft Windows is a popular target among spammers and hackers just because of its ubiquity, Facebook is vulnerable to attacks much more than we think. Last month it was the porn attack on Facebook users wall. This month the owner of Facebook, the great Mark himself was hacked and his private photographs were leaked online. If Mark can be attacked by a hacker on Facebook, anyone can become a victim. But it is always good to be careful.

What can you do to avoid getting attacked by hackers? Not that they will spare you. Real good hackers are smarter than we can imagine and they will hack you no matter what you do, if they want to. However, that should not stop us from taking care of what we should take care. Following are some of the things on can do to cover your back while hackers are busy figuring out how to hack you:

1. Always log out
Many of us never log put after we use an online service. That is a bad habit and you should do something about it if you do not log out after you use Facebook. It does not matter even if you are using your personal computer or a public computer. Log out after you use Facebook.

2. Never save passwords on browser
Most modern browsers offer to save your passwords to make it easy for you. While it makes your life easy, saving your password on the browser is risky. One, someone who is smart enough and has access to your computer can go to your browser settings and figure out what your password is. Two, a good hackers can use some vulnerability in your browser to obtain your password. So never ever save your password on the browser.

3. Clean your browser cache and delete cookies
Ya! Do that at least once in a while. A good hackers can gain access to your temporary files, browser cache and cookies and figure out how to hack you. Go to your browser settings nd clean up your browser cache and cookies to remain safe. Do not let the hacker look into your dustbin to figure out what kind of person you are.

4. Be careful about applications and games
Think twice before granting permission to any application on Facebook. You may badly want to see what your friend commented using an application. Or an application may offer to tell you things you really want to know, like your future. Or you may want to play that game. Make sure you do not give access to all applications that come your way. If it is an application that you are going to use only once, make sure that you revok he permission soon aft you use it. If an application wants your email, there is an option to use a fake email id instead of the real id. Make sure that you do not give your email away. Remember for a hacker, getting the email you use to sign in on Facebook is more than enough.

5. Enable Log in notification
Facebook can notify you the moment someone logs into your account from a different computer or location than you usually do. All that you need to do is to go to your security settings on Facebook and enable it. Give your mobile number and Facebook will let you know when someone logs in. If someone logs in and is hacking your account you will know and you can prevent it.

6. Use HTTPS
You see, a good hackers can track the information you send online. Once you type your password and click send or log in, your computer will send that information to the host computer to pull your data. Someone can track that when that information travels online from your computer to the host computer. Because once some information leaves your computer it is public. Facebook will help you encrypt your information like Banks do. You need to enable encryption. In other words, you need to change from http to https. You can go to your security settings and enable https. Do that.

7. Lock your information down
Make sure what you post is visible only to your friends. Great hackers are great mind readers. They can piece information from your post together and figure out what are the passwords you can possibly use. So do not post any information in public that an lead someone to your password. And make sure that your password is real strong. Make it longer. Make it a combination of letters and numbers and if possible symbols.

8. Be careful with clicks
Be sure about the links you click on Facebook. Do not click on a link even if it sounds really attractive. The least you an do is to wait till you see a few of your friends like it or comment on it, if you cannot avoid the temptation of clicking the link.

What Google Currents should have been?

Google Currents is the new hero in the Android Application world. It is not available anywhere else in the world right now, other than US. If you are anywhere else, you will have to go online, find the apk file for Google Currents and side load it. Or you can download it directly from the Android Market, if you have your phone rooted, using a Market Enaber. Google, being as free and open as it can be, will not block you from using Currents even if you do not live in US right now.

I have downloaded Google Currents straight from the Market, using a Market Enabler and I fell totally in love with the design. Google Currents is designed well - simple, minimalistic and easy to use. By allowing content providers to design the streams on their own, Google has enhanced the design possibility and readability of this app, making it my everyday news reader.

That said, Google Currents is still not the Google Currents I want it to be. What do I want Google Currents to be?

I want it to be my best news reader application, socially enabled and well curated. At present Currents is just another application that allows you to visit websites in a different format. I would like it to be an application that brings me the news as it is happening, irrespective of the which websites I subscribe to. I would like it to be like Google News of the Android World.

I would also like it to pull links from my social networks and tell me what content my friends are consuming. I would like it to filter that content based on what most of my friends like and share.

I would like it to bring me the news based on what I click the most. My interest lies in technology and education. In a perfect world my favourite application would bring me any piece of information, new information, available online about technology and education. I wish Google Currents did that.

See, I have a few favourite websites. I go to them every day. But those favourite websites are not enough for me to discover great content and keep in touch with what is happening in the world. I sometimes get that information based on what friends are sharing online. I sometimes stumble upon great piece of information accidently online. If Google Currents can take care of all that, I may not need another application to go to to consume content.

Google has the wherewithal to do that. They have the power to filter content. They know how to curate it. They know how to integrated it with a social reading experience. And the way Currents is designed gives it enough scope to improvise and include these key features.

Yes, it is just the launch. I am sure Google is working with content providers to make Google Currents an wholesome experience. I am sure it is going to get better in the days to come.

With Google Currents is Facebook vs Google taking a new turn?

Sharing is key to Facebook. Facebook will not exist if there is no sharing. Games and applications are secondary to Facebook. Sharing makes it live. But, from what is happening in my Android Phone, it looks like Facebook is shooting itself in the foot in an attempt to settle scores with Google. Or is it really?

I do not know if it is purposeful or not, Facebook for Android will not allow me to share using Google Currents.

Google Currents is the new news reader application from Google for Android, dubbed as Flipbord killer. It is available only in US right now. I grabbed the apk when it was available online and side loaded the application like a true Android user. And its great design and user friendly nature made it my primary news reader application for now. It is fun to read on Google Currents. It is elegant and feels good to have it open on your screen.

I noticed the issue with Facebook sharing this morning, when I wanted to share something interesting I read on Forbs for Google Currents. Facebook will not let me share what I wanted to. The share page said that there was some error and I needed to fill in a captcha if I wanted to share. And then the captcha never loaded. Initially I thought it might be a problem with the phone. I went to another favourite news reader application of mine and tried sharing some random write up on Facebook. No issues. The Facebook Sharing worked magically. I came back to currents to share on Facebook. Same security error still existed. 

I do not know whom to blame. Is Facebook trying to cut Google Currents from the sharing game? Or has Google Currents not configured their app to make it easy to share on Facebook? I will update you as soon as I figure out.

Update: From what I found out from various sources online, from other Forums and Blogs, Google Currents has an issue when it comes to sharing. Sounds like it is because the sharing feature on Google Currents has some issue interacting with websites on which you want to share. I noticed that Google Currents builds its own list of sharing sites, from the list of applications on your phone. It has Google Plus One button as first in the list. Now, if an application wants to have its own share feature, social networks like Facebook require it to be configured to get special user permissions. I think this is where the issue is. Google Currents has a special share list. But then the only thing special on that list is the plus one button. Rest of the share buttons are pulled based on what application you have on your phone. Now a special share list means, the sharing has to go through Google. Facebook requires additional sign in and permission to make sharing without the actual Facebook for Android. So there is a clash. I hope Google will correct this with the next update for Currents.

A great drawing tool for Android

In the ordinary world, you need to be very creative with your hands and have great control on the way they move to draw a reasonably good picture. That is not so in the digital world.

What Steve Jobs started on the first personal computer, has grown to create great tools for us to express ourselves creatively. Painting on a computer screen has evolved considerably. With tablet computers, it is taken to another level. Now you have the freedom to use your fingers to draw, without needing to have any idea of drawing at all. All you need is a little visual sense and knowledge of what tool to use for what task.

If you are into drawing and painting and you own a touchscreen device that runs Android, you will never be disappointed about the possibilities that the Android ecosystem offers you to express yourself creatively. I have come across many tools that allow you to express yourself for work as well as pleasure. There are many professional drawing tools on Android that allows you to use your fingers to create magic. And if you are not that great in drawing, do not be dismayed. There are applications that will help you draw great images even without knowing how to actually draw a good picture. Sketch n Draw is one of them.

What I liked about Sketch n Draw is the fact that it allows you to use a variety of predefined brushes that will turn even the most mediocre lines into something magical. I do not draw well at all. But I have attached a picture I have done using Sketch n Draw. It is not that great. It is not too bad either. I attached it just to show you how powerful this application is. You can download Sketch n Draw from here. Let me know how you liked using it. Post links to the images you create using Sketch n Draw. I would love to see how creative you are.

How the Samsung Galaxy Tab (7 Inch) became my favourite computer

People are writing about how their iPad became their favourite computer, not only for content consumption but also for content creation. Ya, that is what a good computer is about, right? Content creation as well as content consumption! An wholesome digital experience by any definition will allow you to consume content and create content and distribute content. There is nothing wrong with that. And there is nothing wrong in being able to do that with an iPad.

What is wrong is when people write about an experience as though it is the only experience that someone can have. I am fed up of people telling me how superior an iPad is to any other tablet. It is not. Unlike them, who have not used Android as a personal device, I have used an iPad. I know how an iPad works. I know what I can do with it and what I can't. And I was not impressed with an iPad anytime as much as I was impressed by an Android Tablet.

I use a Samsung Galaxy Tab, seven incher. Ya, I am talking about the old competitor to iPad, the one that was launched much before Samsung launched one that matched an iPad in size.

I do not find my Samsung Galaxy Tab inadequate at all. I use it 70% of the time to read content, answer my mails, create documents and write my bog. I use it to play games. I use it to copy videos from a DVD and watch them when I have time. I use it to chat with my friends. I use it to download torrent files. I use it to download and open zip files. I use it for social networking. I use it to browse any and every site I want to visit.

I have a folder on my Samsung Galaxy Tab where I keep my most important documents. I access them on the go, when ever. I have my favourite songs, books and videos saved there. I can consume them when ever I want to. I have all my favourite photographs on my tab. I have all my favourite sites bookmarked on my tab. I watch television on my tab when I want to. I play games and solve puzzles when I am bored. I have both my Gmail and corporate email ids set up on the tab. And it has made life easier.

Unlike most of the iPad fans, I didn't have to spend money for an external keyboard to figure out I can do most of the things I do with a computer on my Tab. What mattered was the size. And a seven inch screen is perfect to hold and type as long as you want. Because of superior alternate on-screen keyboards with highly evolved autocorrect features, you do not have to worry about typing wrong things. Because of the size that fits into your hand, you will not feel tired holding it. And multi-tasking is like a breeze. What used to get stuck on a Froyo is much relaxed on a Gingerbread after Samsung released their update. My Tab never gets stuck anymore.

I have my twitter discussions on my Tab. I update my Facebook using my tab. I do pretty much all my online work using my tab. Except when I am at work, where I have to use a laptop. I figure out how to reach somewhere using my tab. I even manage a Facebook page using the Tab.

See! What I do not understand is why people are attributing all these qualities only to an iPad. A Samsung Galaxy Tab can do what an iPad does and more.

Last month I bought an external keyboard, a bluetooth keyboard, to see what difference it made to the kind of work I do with a tab. It is fun to use an external keyboard because it makes you feel like you are using a laptop. But not for long. Because tablet is a different experience all together. Tablet is all about being able to hold it in your hand what ever you are doig - creating, dirtibuting or consuming content. And that is what I am able to do with my Samsung Galaxy Tab, seven inch. I use it like a perfect computer I can hold in my hands. What more can an IPad do?

How to read Reddit on Android

It is one thing to go to the Reddit Mobile Site and read what ever you like, if you are a fan of Reddit. It is another thing to have a cool native application on your Android Phone, that delivers you an exclusive Reddit experience. I am sure, if you are a fan of Reddit, you are on the look out for a cool Reddit Application for Android.

You must be wondering, every popular website has an application of its own on Android. Why can't Reddit have one for Android? Because, anyone who uses Reddit , knows that it is a cool experience. Some of you may find it difficult to accept Reddit as a great platform for sharing. But as you keep using it, you will find that it is a great platform for sharing. And if you are addicted to Reddit experience of discovering stuff online and if you are a mobile user who does not shy away from the use of internet and if you are a string Android fan, I am sure you are looking for some great native application experience of Reddit.

And I discovered an application that makes your  experience of using Reddit on Android all the more fun. Great user interface. Smart content from  Reddit. I use a Gingerbread. But I think this application is optimized for Ice Cream Sandwich. Which means we get some Ice C ream Sandwich design goodness on all Android Phones. The name is, Baconreader.

According to the developer: "BaconReader is an intuitive, beautiful, feature-packed client for reddit, made specifically for Android users. BaconReader brings full access to reddit content, along with all of the essential features “redditors” have come to expect in a package that’s easy to use even for those who’ve never tried reddit before. With features like subreddit grouping, keyword and domain filtering, and direct picture uploading to compliment its brilliant interface, there’s no question that BaconReader is the best reddit client around. Whether you want to browse and learn, laugh out loud, or contribute and be part the conversation, BaconReader has the tools you need for an outstanding reddit experience."

You can download Baconreader from here Download it only if you are a Reddit fan. .

Why did Color fail?

Once upon a time, a few months ago, someone in the United States of America came up with a great idea. A magical mobile application that promised to change the way people share photographs online. Then there was a lot of hype. And a lot of investors came along and put in plenty of dollars in millions hoping that this app is going to change the universe. And they called it Color.

That was the first time I heard about it. Color, a magical mobile application that investors trusted. I also heard that it was available only on iOS devices. So I lost hope, wondering what in this world makes these developers develop certain applications only for iPhone.

And then there was the Royal Wedding. I heard that Color was going to cover the event better than all the other Media Houses put together. I think they also encouraged some journalists to use the application so that it was back in news again. It was back in the news. Websites wrote about the great million dollar fund application that was going to show off its abilities at the Royal Wedding.

I didn't get to see how they showed off the application in connection with the Royal Wedding. First, because it was not available for download though someone said the application was now on Android too. Second, even if I had the application I will not be able to see a thing as I was not at the venue where the Royal Wedding was happening. Apparently, the photographs you loaded on the application could be seen only by people near you.

Color is back in news again. It seems that after some serious thought, they have dropped the idea of becoming the best photo sharing application in the world. As they were getting ready to conquer the world, someone who was already ready came along and conquered it. So they threw the photo sharing idea out of the window. Now, they are about to launch or relaunch the whole application as a video sharing application. The chances of color going to win the video sharing game? A big zero.

Why? I am sure these guys are going to repeat the same mistakes they made when they launched the application first. What were their mistakes?

One, when you create a massive hype you need to make sure that you capitalize on it as big as possible. You will never win if you create a huge hype and then launch your product only in some pockets of the world. Either you create a hype and launch a big way. Or just shut your mouth and trust the word of mouth. Color just created a hype which was more than it could handle. And it failed.

Two, never ignore the Third World. The Third World may not have the money to buy your application. But it has the human resource to click on your advertisements. Free applications win if they can get the maximum numbere of eye balls looking at them. That is how you get to sell people's data and serve advertisements. And Asia and Africa are they best places to get your eyeballs. Android is the best example for this. Unlike iPhone, android focused on the whole world. And it has the maximum number of users from all over the world. It does not matter to Android now, even if Americans do not use it. Color launched only in US and later in UK. I am not sure if they ever launched in other parts of Europe and America. I know one thing, it never launched in India. I never used it.

Three, there are three kinds of photographs people share online. Some of them are photographs you want to keep to yourself. You put them online because you are worried you will lose them. Otherwise, you don't want anyone else to see them. Some are photographs you want to share only with people you know and are close with. And some photographs you share for the world. Now you cannot have an app that allows you to share photographs you want everyone to see and then let only a handful of people around you see them. That new category does not exist. Color allows you to share photographs you want the world to see with a few random strangers near you. That is as dumb as photo sharing can get.

I read somewhere that the creators of Color has this new idea of sharing mute videos. Mute videos? Are you kidding me? That too at a time when real video sharing sites with plenty of voice and noise are struggling to make both ends meet! I do not know. I will never know how it will work for Color. Looking at the spelling of Color, I am sure that these guys are not going to launch anywhere else in the world.

Here is a funky Launcher for Android!

I know!  If you are a dedicated Android user, you are already looking for ways to make your screen look different. That explains why, though carriers and manufacturers are late to officially launch most of the new versions of Android for their existing customers, people find ways to port them. Apparently, people are already porting the brand new Ice Cream Sandwich to devices that can never dream of an official version. That is how Android ecosystem is. You are trained to look out for new things all the time.

When people get bored of the existing user interface of their Android, they try the alternate launchers available in the market. I think Android made the word 'launcher' very popular. Something an iPhone user can never dream of. Android dreams have no limits.

So we try the alternate launchers like, Launcher Pro, Go Launcher etc. And then we try all the different themes available on them. We try all the different animations available on them. We try all the icon packs. And then we are on the look out for more. T he alternate launchers finally look like the stock Android launcher to us, with all their cool features.

Once we are used to our alternate launchers, we are ready for more. We try and discover more different launchers. We graduate to launchers like Circle Launcher. And then we look for  launchers that blend into widgets so that we never know there is a launcher there unless we tap on the widget. Slowly we get used to them too .

Once in a while you have a new operating system coming out to beat Android. Like  Windows phone. They come up with user interfaces that are very different from Android. And pesto, you will have a launcher that gives you the same user interface of the competitor,  on Android Market. They can not beat us in that game.

If you are so used to all the other launchers in the market, it is time for you to move on. There is a funky one in the market that changes your whole outlook about a launcher. It looks like you placed the control panel of a rocket on your screen. It is like nothing you have ever seen. Its funky look and cool functions are enough to keep you interested till another new launcher comes out.

You can download Rocket Launcher from here if you want to give it a shot . I gave it a shot. It is very intuitive. It looks, like I said, funky. There are a few things I liked about this particular launcher. The best thing I liked about Rocket Launcher  is the way it organizes your widgets. Instead of  swipe on home screens,  you get your widgets on one screen and you can scroll the screen to move from one piece to another. Then I liked the ever moving Launcher Centre that shows you the time and allows you to keep links to your important applications. Try it and let mere know what you thought.

How to download & save videos on Android Phone

Are you wondering how to download and save some of your favourite YouTube and Facebook videos to your system so that you can view it offline later? You can actually download and save most of those videos you steam using a video player.

Like I always say, what ever your need is and if it is digital in nature and if you are using Android, there is an app for that. Unlike its competitors, Android gives you the freedom to do most of the things you want to do with your phone. If it is possible with the current technology, Android will have an application for whatever your need is. Your need to download and save video content in your phone can also be met if you are using Android.

It is very simple. You do not have to break your head rooting or jail breaking your phone for that. You do not have to forgo  any benefit your carrier or phone manufacturer promised you when you bought your phone. All that you need to do is to head over to Android market and download Real Player Beta. You can download Real Player Beta from here

Once you download Real Player Beta you are ready to download and save any video that you can stream in your phone. Now, here is the key thing you need to remember. Android allows you to use any application for any purpose. This means it allows you to choose default applications from a list of applications that function similarly. Often to avoid annoying pop-ups I'm sure you will make all your favourite applications default. If you want to download and save videos to your phone, do not make any video application as your default.

If you have not chosen any application as your default application after downloading Real Player Beta, you will see a video player list pop up next time you click on a video to stream. There you will find a Real Player option to download and save that video. Go ahead and click on that option and Real Player will save that video on your device. And you can watch that video later offline, when you are bored without a network to go online.