With features such as virus scanner, privacy advisor, application management, web shield, sms and call filter, firewall and anti theft, one can be completely at peace after installing it on one’s android device. Let us discuss the features in detail.

Virus Scanner

The most basic feature of any security application, this can be used to scan the installed apps and the memory card. Users can even schedule automatic scans on their desired day and time.

Privacy Advisor

Android users often complain that installing applications can result in compromising your private information on the phone. Avast privacy advisor shows you all the potential privacy issues along with the list of applications causing it. Examples include applications that can track your location or access your messages, contacts etc.

Application Management

This is a very simple yet handy tool that shows you all your installed applications and the currently running applications. The list can be sorted according to name, size, memory or CPU usage.

Web Shield

Accessing the web from your device exposes you to a host of threats such as phishing scams. Avast web shield automatically integrates with your default web browser and warns you whenever it detects a potential threat.

SMS and Call Filter

If you’re tired of all the marketing calls and SMS’s on your phone, the SMS and Call filter will prove to be a blessing. Create customized groups and then opt to block incoming or outgoing calls and sms’s at your desired days and time. Simple, yet effective.

Firewall

The Avast Firewall works only on rooted android devices and can be used to block all or selected applications from accessing your WIFI , 3G or data network.

Anti Theft

If the thought of losing your android phone gives you nightmares, then the anti theft feature alone will make you fall in love with the avast security app. To begin with, the anti-theft application can be both renamed and hidden so that any unwanted user does not know of its presence on the phone.

The application also gives you remote control over your phone via SMS commands. Every SMS command begins with your set password and this message is never displayed on your phone. With SMS commands, you can lock your phone, turn on a siren, locate the phone, make calls and SMS’s and much more. In case of a SIM change, the new phone number, along with the phone’s location, is sent to the pre defined numbers on your phone.

Some advanced options, such as to prevent USB access to the phone, forcing the data connection to remain active, and the ability to install or uninstall apps are also present but they require the phone to be rooted.

Conclusion

Avast! Mobile Security, without a doubt, performs exceptionally well and is certainly a must have application for any android phone. Moreover, it also defies the general convention of paid apps always being better than free ones.

Download Avast Mobile Security for free from Google Play.

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Melanie Slaugh is enthusiastic about the growing prospects and opportunities of various industries and writing articles on various consumer goods and services as a freelance writer. She writes extensively for internet service providers and also topics related to internet service providers in her area for presenting to consumers, the information they need to choose the right Internet package for them. She can be reached at slaugh.slaugh907 @ gmail.com

Finding photo content for your blog that is legal to use can sometimes feel like pulling teeth. Not that painful, of course, but equally frustrating. The various licenses, individual author requirements and the (usually) poor quality of pictures available means that you’re likely better off paying for stock photos than use any random image off the Internet.

Don’t get lost in a mishmash of legal obligations. Here are seven websites that offer photos for you to use, most of them free of charge, and all of them perfectly legal. Just pay attention to the citation rules of each site and you’ll get along fine.

Morgue File

Weird name aside, this site is fun to use and offers a great selection of amateur photography. What exactly is a morgue file, though? Well, this site defines it as, “a morgue file is a place to keep post production materials for use of reference, an inactive job file”. The photos are usually of good quality and interesting dynamics. Check out the front page for featured photos that really stand out.

Public Domain Photos

Public Domain Photos has over 5,000 free photos and 8,000 free clipart usable by businesses and individuals alike. Anything you are looking for, public domain wise, you can find on this site. They may not be the most exciting of photos, but sometimes you just need something simple for you blog post.

ImageBase

This website is easy to navigate and has photos separated into different categories on the first page. It also has a search tab if you are looking for something specific, as well as high resolution pictures (1600 x 1200 or 3072 x 2048). A great site for photos that need to be large or very, very clear.

Free Digital Photos

This website groups its photos into two different categories – you can download good quality stock photos for free, but for their highest quality photos there is a charge. I love the way they separate the photos. It makes it so easy to search, though be aware these are stock photos, and most look like it.

EveryStockPhoto

The photos here are license-specific, so you have to be sure to check the licensing terms before downloading them. You also are able to rate, tag, collect, and comment on their photos. Like number four, these are stock photos. That means a lot of white backgrounds and grinning people. This site may not fit every blog, but once in a while stock photos are just what you need.

Stockvault

StockVault has 27,000 free images to choose from and download. They define themselves as, “Stockvault’s sole purpose is to collect and archive medium and high resolution photographs that designers and students can share and use for their personal and non-commercial design work”. Much more than just stock here, these photos are create and eclectic.

OpenPhoto

OpenPhoto is another website that has all of their categories separated by easy to use buttons on the front page of their website. With a Craigslist feeling, this site makes sense in a lot of ways, notably the navigation. Don’t expect a lot of flair here, but do expect to find just what you are looking for.

Finding photos for your blog doesn’t have to be a struggle. Check out a couple of these websites and see which one fits your needs best. Don’t forget, the picture doesn’t have to be bland or boring. Take a chance and have fun with your photos.

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In the good ‘ol days this meant either making a list of all the important contacts in one phone and then manually entering them into the second phone, or transferring contacts from the first phone to the SIM card’s internal memory and then transferring them back to the second phone. Both fairly inefficient and time consuming tasks, more so, because most of the time the SIM’s internal memory wasn’t enough to hold all the contacts one might have.

With the advent of cloud based services, though, this process has become quite easy. In this post, I’ll be teaching you how to transfer your contacts from an Android phone to an iPhone.

Android phones, by default, backup all the contacts to Gmail, so the first step to export your contacts out is to login to your Gmail account and display all the contacts stored in Gmail.

Now, select all the contacts that you want to transfer over to the iPhone. If you want to transfer all the contacts, mark the appropriate check box.

Just be wary of one possible bug, when I tried exporting my contacts list of over 300 contacts in one go, Gmail stopped responding for me. The only way I could manage to get all my contacts out of Gmail was by selecting max 60-70 in one go.

So, now the next step is to export all the contacts that you’ve selected in the vCard format since that is the format that the iPhone understands.

Click the More drop down and select Export. In the window that pops up, select “vCard format” and hit Export.

Your browser will now open a file download dialogue for you to save the contacts on your desktop. The next step is to imp or the contacts to iCloud so that the iPhone can sync them from there.

Log into your iCloud account at iCloud.com, open the Contacts application and drag and drop the vCard formatted contacts that you just exported to the iCloud Contacts application.

That’s it. Your iPhone will now automatically sync all the contacts using iCloud as the backend.

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There are a lot of software solutions available that’ll let you encrypt the data on your disks but most of them are confusing to use and just a pain really. Not, if you’re a Mac OS X user.

Mac OS X lets you encrypt and password protect the contents of any connected disk. Follow our little guide to know how.

First of all, if it wasn’t obvious, connect your disk (using USB) to your Mac and launch the Disk Utility application.

The Disk Utility application will display all the drives that OS X has recognized on your computer in the sidebar. Select the drive that you want to encrypt.

Note: To Encrypt a drive, OS X has to format it and so you will lose all the existing data on the drive. If there is any important data on the drive, copy it to another location and then copy it back later.

Now, select the Erase tab and from the Format drop down list select “Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted).

You can also select the Case-Sensitive, Journaled, Encrypted option if you want your file system to be case sensitive.

Now, click the Erase button.

Disk Utility will now ask you to enter a password that you will use to access the contents of the encrypted disk. If you can’t think of a strong and memorable password yourself, I’d definitely suggest using the Password Assistant. Click on the little key icon next to the password text box and play around with the password assistant till you find a nice password that you can remember and one that is secure.

That’s it. Now, wait for Disk Utility to finish partitioning and encrypting the disk.

When the disk is ready for use, as indicated by Disk Utility, I’d suggest that you eject it and insert it again just to check if everything works as it should. If you followed the procedure properly, Mac OS X will ask you for a password to access your disk when you insert it again.

That’s it. Enter your password and you should be able to access the contents of your disk as always. When you’re finished using the disk, make sure you eject it properly so that no one else with access to your computer can access your data.

The only problem with this method of encrypting your external hard disks is that the data on the disk can only be viewed on a Mac OS X computer. Depending on your preferences, though, that may well be a good thing!

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There are many desktop PDF tools available that can create a PDF file out of a document in but if you are in a hurry and all you are looking for is an online tool, PDFescape will definitely impress you.

PDFescape is an online service using which you can read, create and edit PDF documents online. There is no software or plugin needed and all you need is a JavaScript Enabled browser and an internet connection.

Though I would recommend that you register on the site but you can continue unregistered if you have a deadline to meet. The only problem of being a guest user is that all the files and settings are deleted after you logout. If you’re fine with that, continue without registering.

To get started, click on the edit link and select one of the available options to start from. You can either start from very scratch or edit a pre-composed PDF loading it from your computer or from an online source. The only constraint is that, the PDF file must be less than 10 Mb or 100 pages in size.

The PDF editor is excellent for a free online editor. You can create professional looking PDF documents and edit existing ones without any difficulty. Let’s have a look at all the amazing features that PDFescape provides its users.

Features of the Reader

• User can rotate and zoom PDF document to suit their needs
• Copy text items to clipboard
• Search for text and keywords in the documents
• You can save download and print documents directly from PDFescape

Features of the Editor

• Ability to add shapes whiteout, images and hyperlinks to PDF document.
• Encrypt PDF contents using a password
• Sign PDF documents using your scanned signature

My Verdict

For the first time ever; I have come across a complete online PDF creator, reader and editor which offer the service for free without any catch. There was no watermark of any kind in the documents to discriminate between a free and premium user. My opinion is that this is an excellent PDF editor that’ll get your work done in a jiffy.

Do you guys use an online PDF editor ?

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Apple announced the latest version of their “hobby” product, the Apple TV, at an event on March 7. They also announced the new iPad that I wrote about earlier. The most notable feature (only feature?) is that the new Apple TV, henceforth just called the Apple TV, does 1080p video. It had to, you see, the iPad and the iPhone are both capable of streaming 1080p video over Airplay and since Apple TV is the only device that they can stream to, the 720p limitation just didn’t make sense anymore.

So, in my opinion 1080p was a given. What a lot of people also thought was that Apple would release an actual physical HD television set. You know, the kind you hang on your living room walls.

Disappointing, I know!

I’ve already written my thoughts on why or why not Apple should release a television set but to reiterate, I think Apple did the right thing here. I don’t think Apple can solve the problem with current television sets with the resources currently available to them. I’m not saying Apple will never make a television set. All I’m saying is that with the amount of clout and resources they have, right now, they cannot make the kind of device they’d want to make.

What are the problems ?

First and foremost, television sets right now are just dumb pipes that display content brought to us by a dumb network. Apple stopped making those kind of devices long back.

None of us know the kind of device Apple would like to make, but we can make some guesses. And the new Apple TV provides plenty of clues.

New user interface design

The new (and the old, with a software update) Apple TV get a spanking new interface. The new interface looks a lot like the iOS interface we all love (or hate, depending on which way you swing). The primarily text-based interface of the old Apple TV has now been replaced by an interface that is primarily graphics and icons based. Does that mean they’re aiming for another touch screen device in the future, or do they just feel that this kind of interface just works better with a remote? Maybe, maybe not! For the moment, all I can say is that Apple loves consistency.

The new Apps

To be truthful, the Apps are not new but Apple just made them integrate a lot better with the iTunes ecosystem. What this means is that you can now subscribe (for instace) to Netflix from right within the Netflix app and would never have to go to the Netflix website again. This is my favorite feature in the Apple TV, even though I still can’t use Netflix in India, I think this is what Apple wants to do, eventually, when they get around to making a real television set.

Apple doesn’t want the user to subscribe to a cable company for their content. Apple would much rather have everyone subscribe to content in individual apps and bill them through iTunes, just like in the Netflix app. It is the future and they will eventually get there.

1080p

This was the most obvious feature and the one most people are going to use (and love) the most. ‘Nuff said!

The new Apple TV does everything that the old one did, it’s just better at those tasks. That, is a good and a bad thing. It’s a good thing because Apple is still interesting in innovating around the Apple TV and a bad thing, because I think it’ll still remain a hobby.

The next Apple TV

I know it’s a little too soon to talk about the next iteration but I couldn’t have ended this post without talking about the features that I’d have liked Apple to include.

Third Party Apps

This is a feature that almost everyone wants and I have a feeling that Apple will get to it, eventually. They just don’t think it’s necessary at the moment. iOS devices can mirror their screens to the Apple TV and that works but built-in apps designed specifically for the Apple TV would be so much better and will really bring out the capabilities of the platform.

DVR

This is a long shot, but I really think Apple should make a DVR device/interface that just works. The current ones, sadly, don’t and we just want something better.

In the end, I definitely think that the 2012 Apple TV is a step in the right direction but I don’t think this is the product that makes Apple finally admit that it’s not a hobby anymore. I think Apple is moving to a future where they can release a real television set and have everyone use that, but that future is some distance away, if at all.

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Google’s 2 Step Verification method adds an extra layer of security to your Google account and keeps it secure even when you lose your login credentials. Whenever you try to access your account from an unauthorized device, Google will send you a code via a text or voice message. This code needs to be entered in order to successfully log into your Google account. This way, even if someone steals your username and password, they cannot access your account until they get hold your phone.

2 Step verification can be enabled for all Google services such as Gmail, Youtube, Blogger etc. To set up your additional layer of security go to your Google settings page and click on the edit link next to the 2 Step Verification text.

The next step will be to set up your mobile or landline phone number where you want to receive the code. Once you do that, verify your phone by entering the code that Google will send to your phone.

You will then be asked if you want to make the computer a trusted one. Trusted computers are those which require the Google verification code only once every 30 days. This prevents the annoyance of having to enter the code every time you log into your account from your own PC.

Do not make a public computer a trusted one as it will defy the whole purpose of setting up 2 step verification. However, if you have multiple computers, you can add all of them to the trusted list of computers from your Google account settings.

The last step requires your final confirmation and just a click on the ‘Turn On 2 Step Verification’ button.

Accessing your account after enabling 2 step verification does not change for trusted computers. However, if you try to login on an unrecognized device, a code will be sent to your phone immediately which needs to be entered for a successful login.

Since the 2 step verification method heavily relies on your phone for sending code, there can be problems in situations when you do not have your phone or there is no cell coverage. To counter this problem you can go to your Google account page and either add a backup phone number for your account or download an application (only for Android, iPhone or Blackberry) to generate the code. As a last resort, you can also keep a hard copy of upto 10 verification codes, each of which can be used only once.

To sum up, Google’s 2 step verification method is indeed an effective way to enhance the security of one’s account and strongly recommended for anyone who accesses his account from public computers.

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It has the best screen of any mobile device ever. It has battery life that is equal or better to the previous iPad and it runs the 2,00,000 excellent applications already written for the iPad flawlessly.

This is the iPad that could have been called the iPad 3, iPad HD or maybe even iPad ‘insanely great’ !

Instead, Apple decided to name their new iPad, ‘iPad’ !

That’s it ! Just iPad.

I’ve read a number of articles and opinions in the last 24 hours as to why Apple has chosen to defy convention and not give the new iPad a version number. No one but Apple knows why. But, we can speculate, can’t we ?

First of all, anyone who thinks the name iPad is a bad choice. You’re wrong!

What’s in a name?

In my opinion, the dropping of the version number means that the iPad has finally come into it’s own. No, it does not mean that CEO Tim Cook has no control over the company and that Apple will not be able to maintain the momentum that is has without Steve Jobs. If anything, it means that Apple is still executing on all cylinders. It means that Apple is confident enough in itself and will continue to defy convention and create products that people will queue miles and miles to buy. Again and Again.

The iPad is now a major contributor to Apple’s bottom-line and the success of the iPad in the future will define the success of Apple. For that to happen, Apple needs to make the iPad a brand, a single entity. Like the iMac, the MacBook and not the MacBook ‘HD’ or iMac ‘Bazoonga’. The iPad like the other major products in Apple’s lineup is just the iPad. When the next iPad comes out next year, it will still be the best tablet computer on the planet and will still be called the iPad. Wether you’re buying an iPad this year or the next or the year after that, you can’t go wrong with the ‘iPad’.

Apple wants to make sure that kids don’t have to tell their parents to get an iPad 10 or an iPad 2o and not the iPad 11.5 since that one sucks ! The message is that this great product is just the iPad and it is the same iPad no matter when and where you buy it from.

No one needs to know if the iPad that you’re going to buy today is the latest one or not. It always is. And no matter which one you get, you’ll get the best tablet available.

In the end it really doesn’t matter what the new iPad is called. It still has the gorgeous retina display, amazing apps and outstanding graphics performance. It is still the best tablet computer in the market, by a long shot!

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I agree with Apple’s philosophy to a certain extent but when a phone, in the 21st century, doesn’t let a user have their own songs as ring tones, it is taking that philosophy a little too far. That too, when Apple itself sells ringtones through it’s iTunes music store. Thankfully there are ways to make ringtones for your iPhone for free and you don’t have to pay Apple a cent for them. The only limitation seems to be that ringtones for the iPhone have to be approximately 40 seconds in size. I haven’t been able to figure out the exact time restriction so we’ll keep our custom ringtones to about 30 seconds in length.

We’ll be using iTunes for making ringtones so you’ll have to launch iTunes and select the song that you want to use for making your ringtone.

Select and right click the song in iTunes and select Get Info from the context menu. Hit the Options tab.

Now, enter the start and stop time for your ringtone. For example, in the screenshot above, from the song that I selected, iTunes will use the audio from the 43rd second till the 1.10 min mark to make my ringtone. Press the Ok button.

Now, right click the song again and select the Create AAC version option.

The next step is a little tricky and a lot of people do it wrong. It isn’t that difficult, though.

When iTunes has finished creating the AAC version of your song, you’ll see two copies of the same song in your iTunes library. The only difference will be that one will be the full song and the other will be the clipped version that starts and ends at the times that you gave earlier. You can identify the length of the songs with the Time column in your library.

What you need to do is select the AAC version (shorter) of the song and drag it out of your library to the desktop. When iTunes has copied the song to your desktop, delete the file from the iTunes library. This deletion step is really important otherwise iTunes will fail to recognize your new ringtone file.

The file that you’ve copied to your desktop will have an extension of .M4A. Rename the extension to .M4R.

That’s all. All you have to do, now, is to drag this file back to iTunes. iTunes will automatically place the file in the Tones section of your library. Sync your iPhone as usual using iTunes and you should be able to use your own custom ringtone. All without paying Apple a single dime of your hard earned money.

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Of course, not everyone installs and uses the thousands of extensions available in the library and that is why we have compiled a list of 8 of our favorite extensions that ensure that you get the best out of your favorite browser.

Adblock Plus

Adblock Plus is one of the most popular extensions for Chrome and if you do not already have it, high time you download it now! It block displaying ads on a webpage. This makes (most) web pages less annoying and increasing the speed of browsing.

Right Inbox

With Right Inbox, you can schedule automatic emails from your Gmail account. Be it a birthday or an anniversary, schedule emails at your desired date so that you never forget sending an email ever again. It also serves as a personal reminder as you can schedule an email to yourself also.

TabSugar

If you are used to opening a lot of tabs simultaneously, managing them can become a herculean task. TabSugar allows you to create groups and then drag and drop tabs into groups or from one group to another. This reduces the clutter on your browser allowing you to manage them efficiently.

Google Dictionary by Google

The importance of having a dictionary on your fingertips need not be emphasised. With Google Dictionary you can get the meaning of any word in a small pop up bubble by just double clicking on the word. It also translates foreign words in the language of your choice.

Xmarks Bookmark Sync

If you use multiple computers or browser, synchronizing them can be difficult at times. Xmark helps you to backup and sync your browsing data such as bookmarks, saved passwords or open tabs across multiple computers or browsers. Supported browsers include Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Chrome Youtube Downloader

It does exactly what the name says, i.e. lets you download youtube videos in a variety of formats including FLV, MP3, MP4, HD 720p and HD 1080p. Definitely a must have for video junkies.

Smooth Gestures

Although it takes some time getting used to, Smooth Gestures completely changes the way you browse the web. With mouse gestures for almost every action such as reload, refresh, next page, previous page, tab management and many more, it certainly makes web browsing a pleasant experience.

Read Later Fast

Do you often come across a lot of web pages or articles which you wish to read later? Read Later Fast helps you save the webpage with just a right click. You can then browse all the saved web pages and read it whenever you want. Since the pages are saved on your PC, you can read the contents even in the absence of an internet connection.

These are just a few of our favorite extensions available for Chrome. Which other extensions do you guys love to use ?

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