The CHARGEKEY and CHARGECARD

 The CHARGEKEY and CHARGECARD

The CHARGEKEY and CHARGECARD were sent for us to try out by NOMAD.
The key part fits onto my keyring and means that as long as I can get access to a USB port of a USB plug, I can charge anywhere without tangled cables.  The CHARGECARD fits perfectly into a credit card sized slot in a wallet or purse.     They are chargers and not battery packs, so they do need access to an electricity supply, whether it is charging direct to a computer, through a USB plug, or from a back up battery.

I have the lightning charge key that works with my iPhone and the mini iPad.  I have a regular mini usb port on my iPhone 5, as I use a Mophie battery case, so in reflection, a mini usb charge key would probably have been better for me.
It’s quite deceiving actually as it really IS very little.  I have it on my keyring as if I desperately need charge in someones else’s house, I can actually get it without too much hassle.  The USB end is a lot than you expect a cable that plugs into a USB charger to be.  It’s about half the thickness of the regular USB cable end that you’d expect.
The cables are VERY short, so are not practical on my PC, although they’d be fine for a low lying laptop.  It’s unlikely that gadgets would be much use when plugged in to charge.  It’s not impossible, but the cable part is so very short.  Using it would be quite uncomfortable with the inability to turn devices around.
The cables are very very bendy.  I was wary of them snapping, but they seem solid enough and have stood up to my kids testing them out.
The short version of a review is:  they work perfectly.
I find them easiest for using in the car or our motor home as fabulous chargers that take up little space, with no cables to get tangled.  They’ve pretty much proved themselves very handy for that indeed and I keep the lightning connector on my keyring – just in case, as in desperation, I could remove the Mophie base to charge up a dying phone.
Note:  My older kids haven’t broken them, but I’m not sure how they’d stand up to a toddler.  I’d look after these chargers in the same was as you do the regular sized cable chargers and keep them away from children and pets.

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Unknown 00:49  No comment

Eight Android 4.4 KitKat smartphones you can buy under Rs. 20,000

by Akshat Atray, May 14, 2014

 

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Google announced Android 4.4 KitKat in November last year, but smartphones running the latest version of Android have been few and far between. Even the ones available often come with a stiff price tag, especially in India.
The sub-Rs. 20,000 segment might not grab headlines, but for most people it represents the segment to which their first smartphone belongs. We pick eight smartphones in this segment running the latest Android version, but before that, let's take a look at the improvements in KitKat itself.
Android 4.4 KitKat: What's New?
Android 4.4 KitKat has a number of changes compared to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean including more immersive graphics, as well as deeper integration with Google's intelligent assistant, Google Now.
Android 4.4 allows users' to just say "OK Google" from the home screen to launch the Google Now assistant and do a voice search, send a text, get directions and even play a song. Google has been enhancing Google Now with new card types that bring information about contextual topics that interest users such as updates from favourite websites.
Android KitKat also comes with visual changes including a translucent menu bar located at the bottom of the screen, and new transition effects when you open the app launcher. You can preview wallpapers in full-screen before applying and also the wallpapers now extends through the notification tray as well.
The Quick Settings notifications in the Android KitKat menu toggles also add a 'location settings' toggle. A new Emoji keyboard for emoticons is now included in the native Google Keyboard.

There is a new Phone (dialer) app, which automatically prioritises the users' contacts based on the people they talk to the most.
(Also see: Android 4.4 KitKat: Top 10 new features)
Google introduced a new unified messaging app in Android KitKat with Hangouts getting SMS and MMS integration, in addition to offering instant messaging through Google accounts (erstwhile Google Talk), a change that is not entirely desirable.
In addition, Android 4.4 KitKat has brought platform support for two new composite sensors - step detector and step counter. These sensors allows users to track steps when they're walking, running, or climbing stairs, via apps and hardware that support the feature.
Some other additions in the Android KitKat include better support for cloud printing, enhanced connectivity options, and better accessibility.
Google says that Android 4.4 KitKat has been designed to run fast, smooth, and responsively not only on high-end devices but also on entry-level ones that have as low as 512MB of RAM.
(Also see: Seven octa-core Android smartphones you can buy under Rs. 20,000)

We now take a look at these best Android 4.4 KitKat-based smartphone options available in the Indian market under Rs. 20,000 - and let you work out which one's best for you.
1. Moto E (Rs. 6,999)
Motorola announced its most affordable smartphone in Moto range, the Moto E running Android 4.4 KitKat at Rs. 6,999. The Moto E has created a buzz in the Indian market with its affordable pricing.
Moto E comes with 4.3-inch display with a qHD (540x960 pixel) resolution and 256ppi pixel density. Motorola is also touting the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen of the phone, along with its 'water-nano coating' which provides a measure of water resistance. The Moto E is a dual-SIM phone that supports Micro-SIM cards and an 'intelligent calling feature.'
(Also see: Moto E Hands On | Pictures)
Moto E is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor along with Adreno 302 GPU alongside 1GB of RAM. Motorola's latest budget offering comes with a 5-megapixel rear camera and packs a 1980mAh battery.
2. Xolo Q1000 Opus (Rs. 8,180)
The Xolo Q1000 Opus runs Android 4.2 out-of-the-box but received the Android 4.4 KitKat update recently, making it the first sub-Rs. 10,000 handset to run the latest Android version.
With the rollout of KitKat for the Q1000 Opus, Xolo also became one of the first domestic handset makers which announced Android 4.4 KitKat update for its smartphones. However, we are yet to see updates coming for other Xolo smartphones.
(Also see: Xolo Q1000 Opus Review | Pictures)
Xolo launched the Q1000 Opus back in December last year at Rs. 9,999. The Xolo Q1000 Opus is a dual-SIM phablet with support for GSM+GSM and features a 5-inch FWVGA IPS display with 480x854 pixels resolution. It continues the Q range tradition and sports a 1.2GHz quad-core Broadcom BCM23550 processor with Videocore IV GPU and 1GB of RAM. It sports a 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera accompanied by an LED flash and also includes a VGA front-facing camera.

3. Moto G (Rs. 12,499 (8GB) / (16GB) Rs. 13,499)
This year saw one of the popular global handset manufacturers enter the Indian smartphone arena, after a brief sabbatical. Yes, we are talking about Motorola that grabbed a lot of eye balls thanks to its Moto G.
Motorola's Moto G was an attempt to grab buyers' attention by offering a number of features at an extremely reasonable price. The Moto G ships with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean but the Android 4.4.2 KitKat is available OTA.
(Also see: Moto G Review | Pictures)
One of the biggest highlights of the Moto G is its 4.5-inch 720x1280-pixel IPS LCD, which works out to a density of 329 pixels per inch. It is powered by 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with Adreno 305 graphics and 1GB of RAM onboard.

4. LG L70 Dual (Rs. 13,560)
LG seems to be throwing everything it has behind its range of 'L' series smartphones by introducing its third-generation devices in the new L Series III range. All of which are based on Android 4.4 KitKat.
The LG L70 Dual made its way to the Indian market recently and features company's proprietary Optimus 3.0 UI customisation on top of Android.
The L70 Dual features a 4.5-inch IPS LCD display, packing a WVGA (400x800 pixels) resolution and a pixel density of 207ppi. The smartphone comes with 1GB of RAM, and is paired with a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor alongside an Adreno 302 GPU. It sports a 5-megapixel rear autofocus CMOS camera and also houses a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera.

5. Karbonn Titanium Octane (Rs. 14,490)
Large displays seem to be the craze among handset manufacturers these days. Karbonn has played a prominent part in the large phone display race and released three new Android smartphones in India.
The Karbonn Titanium Octane, as the name suggests runs on a 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor with 1GB of RAM. It features a 5-inch HD IPS display and sports a 13-megapixel rear camera, accompanied by a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
6. LG L90 Dual (Rs. 16,745)
The LG L90 Dual is part of company's third-generation L Series device and runs Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box, which is the highlight of LG's new mid-range smartphone.
(Also see: LG L90 Dual Review | Pictures)
The LG L90 Dual offers Knock Code, which is company's evolution of the KnockON feature that first debuted last year in the LG G2 (Review | Pictures).
It sports a 4.7-inch IPS display with qHD (540x960 pixels) resolutio and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor with 1GB of RAM. The LG L90 Dual sports an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front camera.
7. Karbonn Titanium Hexa (Rs. 16,990)
The Karbonn Titanium Hexa features a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) LTPS display, and is powered by a 1.5GHz hexa-core MediaTek MT6591 processor that is coupled with 2GB of RAM.
The Titanium Hexa bears a 13-megapixel rear autofocus camera with flash, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
8. Karbonn Titanium Octane Plus (Rs. 17,990)
The Karbonn Titanium Octane Plus features a 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixel) IPS display, and runs on the 1.7GHz MediaTek MT6592 octa-core processor, however, with 2GB of RAM. It features a 16-megapixel autofocus rear camera with an 8-megapixel front-facing camera.
All three Karbonn phones mentioned here will be available in the market soon, with the Titanium Hex slated to be available from Amazon from May 20.

Bonus
Lava has just announced the first smartphone in its new Iris X range - the Iris X1, which will be running Android 4.4.2 KitKat out-of-the-box and will be priced under Rs. 8,000. Lava also revealed that the Iris X1 features a 4.5-inch IPS display and an 8-megapixel rear camera.

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Unknown 00:56  1 comment

Celluon Magic Cube Projection Keyboard

 

I am writinjg this on the Magic Cube projection keyboa[[rd. I am a 65-words-per-minute touch typisst but the Magic Cube can appaRENTLYy only handle peck and hunt typing. [[[[[ k
Now I am back on my iPad’s on-screen virtual keyboard. Much better.
The Magic Cube laser-projects a virtual, full-size, 63-key keyboard onto just about any flat and opaque surface. You tap on the table in front of you, and the Magic Cube’s magic eye translates your virtual keystrokes into real keystrokes.
The device itself is tiny, but it ostensibly makes typing easier than on the tiny keyboards on mobile devices. And it works on a wide range of mobiles. It connects via Bluetooth to iPhones (3GS or later), iPads, Android 2.0 phones, and Blackberry tablets. You can also connect the cube to a Windows or Mac computer using USB.
Celluon says the projection keyboard handles input speeds greater than 50 words per minute. That’s theoretically, because the “Projection Keyboard Perception Chipset” within tracks finger movements optically (if not optimally) instead of the physically activated switches of a regular keyboard.
In a series of tests with an iPad, iPhone and a Gateway notebook, the Magic Cube proved less than magical when it worked at all. The sentence at the beginning of this review represents the best the Magic Cube could deliver when I typed at full speed. On many tries, the keyboard would start typing random characters without any human input. Or, it would switch to all caps when my hands were nowhere near the caps lock key.
Since typing on a flat surface provides no touch feedback, the Magic Cube uses an audible click for each tap. Welcomed at the start, the clicks soon became annoying. Their volume can only be adjusted using a Function-key combo. Yeah, just try to tap two keys at once on a projection keyboard. It is about as effective as a Band-Aid on a coronary.
While the tiny device is lightweight and portable, its battery life is listed as 2.5 hours. Type on a flat surface for even an hour and aspirin will be mighty tempting. But even if you are a trooper, 2.5 hours of power doesn’t cut it when you aren’t near a recharge.
The Magic Cube sadly is like the surfaces it lets you type on — flat.

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Unknown 03:14  No comment

Movie on Rift

Movie on Rift 
“It was gloomy; I can say it was the time of dusk, when we got down from the train. 
The place was totally outlandish to us.Abhishek who had promised us to be at the station to receive us, was nowhere in sight. 
We were unconscious that he would not come to receive us. The station was very old; its architecture justified that, the walls were grimy and had many cracks in it; almost all tube lights were not working and there were not as much of people on the station. People were hid in their shadows. 
Slowly the crowd disappeared.
 I and my friend were waiting for Abhishek. We were sitting on a wooden bench which had cracks of termites in it.
 We waited for Abhishek for just 10 min. more. 
We were afraid that we have to spend our whole night in the station. My Adeline rose very high. Rapidly all things disappeared and I was black out.
 Techboy: So how was the experience 
Akshat: Oh My God!!! It is an incredible gadget yaar* (buddy).

 I was using oculus rift it is a 3-d gaming console, I was just watching a Movie on it... Oculus Rift takes you to a whole new 3-d world.
 I’m sure when you will use Oculus You will be head out. 
Buy the whole new Oculus....from your nearest shop . . . 
 ..
. ..
*yaar is a modern Hindi word which means; buddy. _Akshat Atray

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Unknown 21:14  No comment

Google: The Reason Behind its logo colors

Google: The Reason Behind its logo colors

You use it on a daily basis, but you will still find it hard to recognize the colors on its logo in the exact sequence. Before you open the website in a new tab to check it out, I will reveal it. The color sequence is Blue-Red-Yellow-Red-Green-Blue. The colors are vibrant and give the logo a cool and attractive look. But have you ever wondered why the color combination is so? Read on and don’t let your brain go nuts over this question.

Before you knock my brain off for wasting your precious time, I confess that the following are just based on my assumptions and none of them have been proved right or wrong.
Why are you wearing a red colored shirt? Well, that’s my favorite; I didn’t think over it, I don’t have any other. These answers are obvious. The colors and its sequence may just be an instant idea or may be the creators’ personal favorite or something else which is of course, none of my business. But I find it hard to keep myself from digging into these matters.

Reason 1: The Official Answer

 "There were a lot of different color iterations", Kedar says. "We ended up with the primary colors, but instead of having the pattern go in order, we put a secondary color on the 'l', which brought the idea that Google doesn't follow any rules". No doubt, the primary colors are essential for any art and it may be the reason Google looks beautiful.

Reason 2: Nature of colors

The first three letters 'g' 'o' 'o' are colored Blue, Red and Yellow respectively which represent the primary colors. But while dealing with software development. The  obvious choice is RGB, Red, Green and Blue and thus the color of the next three letters.

Reason 3: Realtion with numbers

Lets take a look at the first five letters. The first letter is colored blue, the third is yellow and the fifth is green. Red, the color which has been omitted at the primary place possible because of its repeatation. Blue may be the beggining of the next such series. This is the least possible reasons and Google might not have given a thought about it. By the way, one is neither prime nor composite. So, this reason stands cancelled.
Well, thats all. I have made my brain go topsy-turvy over this question and here are three of my findings. My hunt for the answer is not yet over.

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Unknown 23:45  No comment

The Dumbest Criminals ever

The Dumbest Criminals ever.

One of the fastest way to get rich is robbing. That’s of course not easy but if you think an average criminal ends up with all the cash, you got to read this.

1)  Once in 2008,three people were dumbstruck at the sight of a credit card with the name “Shah Rukh Khan” printed on it. The three spent that card on shopping. Of course, there may be more than one Shah Rukh Khan. The slight chances of those three escaping without any troubles was washed off when one of the guys signed one of the transactions with his own name: Vinay Vijay Thambe. They were caught and it turned out that SRK had indeed lost his card. Next time you go out on such an adventure, remember not to follow the theory “Whats in a name?”

2)  Alexander D. Smith was not an expert with currency matters, though I salute his exceptional thinking. He once walked into a US bank to open an account with a $1 million note. Great idea isn’t it? Except that there is no such thing as a $1 million note.

3)  Philip Williams wasn’t quite satisfied with the products he had just bought. So he stopped two Florida officers and asked if they would mind testing the cocaine he had bought just to make sure he had made the right deal. Good news- it was cocaine. Bad news- they arrested him.

4)  Youtube and other such video sharing sites may be a good resource for the common man. But criminals are advised to shun the spotlight. Robert Echeverria once successfully scammed the Del Taco fast food chain by making them believe that he was the CEO of the company whose order had been botched. Echeverria was so pleased with his free eats that he along with his friends shot a movie called “How to scam Del Taco” and posted it on youtube. The movie gathered a lot of attention, especially from cops who promptly arrested the would-be executive.

5)  Police responded to the report of a run-away criminal. The officers chased Blake Leak, through the streets and the embankment. It seemed bleak for Leak until the cops took a tumble. Bleak seized the opportunity and took refuge on the grounds of a large building. He might have been the unluckiest of all, as the building turned out to be a local landmark, the famous Sing Sing maximum security prison.

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Unknown 23:45  No comment

The Coin Tragedy

The Coin Tragedy

One of the most important things our parents and teachers try in vain to teach us as kids is “understanding the value of money”. Every time we asked our parents for a penny to buy an ice-cream or any of those childish things, we were exposed to two long hours of lecture- on how our dads and moms put all their effort to support the family. Little do they know that each one of the words emitted by them at that time are effortlessly converted and penetrate into our ears in the form of ice-creams, chocolates and toys.

It is said that experience is the best teacher. The person who said these wise words might have, in his lifetime, gone through something like this:

Location:  a not very dense forest, Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Date: Somewhere in the month of may.

Out of the many enjoyable pastimes during the summer vacations, summer camp was the most awaited one. Not just was it an enjoyment for the kids but parents too, felt relieved in the absence of their 24x7 hungry young ones whose belly size was directly proportional with the number of holidays left.

This time the summer camp was fixed at a small lodge at Hardoi, not very far off from our actual place. Some of those whom I remember accompanying me were Chunnu, Sharanya, Astitwa, Mannya, Shikha, Sargam and others who are going to kill me for not mentioning their names here. Anyhow, after a fun-filled travel of one hour, we reached the palace we had been dreaming off since the announcement of the camp.

The first day passed with nothing but in remembering the names of children who had come from other units. It was obvious that we were in no need of knowing the names as we all had inherited the great skill of naming others on the basis of their physical characteristics. A fat bellied one would be “watermelon”, while one who showed no interest in eating was called “stickman” or “dhancha (skeleton)”. A heavily stretched one would be a “khamba (lamp post)” and so on. Now let me come to the story-

Sense of humor, a talent not possessed by every man. But Chandan(name changed) was not among the “every man”. He had been enriched with such a skill that while his mouth was shut, his body would tire hard to bring seventy millimeter smile on the face of viewers. Chandan had planned to take us along with him, to a nearby forest which of course was not home to the wild beasts. We reached the spot by four in the evening an after filling every square inch of our stomach with ice-creams (a by-product of Chandan’s almost empty wallet), we started off to see the beauty of that forest.  India is filled with architectural marvels, and one of the most popular among them is the Railway track. The sight of one such track would surely raise a doubt in you and you would come out with a suggestion- Why not put a “use-me” board alongside?

I don’t think we regarded it as a shooting spot but we soon found ourselves clicking pictures sitting on the tracks. The fun was short-lived as a train came head-on towards us with a rattling sound. We at once cleared the area and prepared ourselves to wave the passengers a good bye. And yes, we ended up waving goodbyes…….. to a goods train. The train had passed and we were chatting about those imaginary people who waved back at us. But one of us soon discovered that Chandan, with solid tears in his glary, deep eyes was searching for something. We were moved and we thought of helping him search for the thing which had been lost by Chandan. After about half an hour of futile search, we decided to ask him what he had lost. “ A fat five rupee coin”- he declared with his wet throat, finding it hard to control his tears. The search began again and one of us laid eyes on a bright shining thing on the steel track. The coin had been found but the only regret Chandan had was that it was of no more use to anyone. The fat coin was now thin and flat as no Indian roads are.

We never ever went near a railway track after this incident without checking our pockets for five rupee coins. And of course, we had learnt the value of each penny.

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Unknown 23:44  No comment