Technology Cloud

Google I/O 2013: Google Play Games Services to take on PlayStation and Xbox ??

techicloud@gmail.com — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:40:27 PDT

Google has announced Play Games Services which will have unified and integrated Gaming experience across Android Mobile, Tablet, iPhone, iPad and Web. Along with real time Multi player support Google setting up its first step to take on PlayStation and Xbox and other Gaming Consoles ?

Due to the recent announcement on Play Games Service on Google IO 2013, Google+ Games is shutting down. Google is really getting confused to materialize its products with a unique Goal ?? Thats how it looks like initially, but Google actually moulds them well later. This is not the first time Google shutting down a existing product to promote a similar or same service in a better way.

This time with the introduction of Google Play Games Service, its trying to bring a unique experience across Web, Desktop, Smart Phones for the Games. Think about it like this, how many times you would have felt bad when you couldn't continue the same level on Angry Birds on a Chrome App from where you have left on your Android Smart Phone or a iPhone ?? Google Play Games Service will exactly address this problem.

With Google Play Games Service you will get a unified Gaming Experience across your Smart Phone, Tablet, iPhone, iPad and Web. Eventually Google+ Games will come back with Google Play Games integration.

Google Play Games Service offers much more features as below

Leader Boards
Real-time Multi Player Gaming experience
Social Experience with Google+ Sign-in
Player Rewards and Achievements
Complete Cloud integration and Storage of Game Data

With Such a well thought design in place for Gaming, Does Google setting its First step to compete with Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox and much more Gaming Consoles ??

Absolutely yes in my view, Why ? You don't need a separate Gaming Console with the latest powerful hardware spec with which the Smart Phones and Tables are coming. Multi Core high End Processors, better RAM, graphics driver, etc etc All you need is a integrated software infrastructure to provide the leader board and multi player gaming experience, and Google exactly doing the same.

Going to be a high time Gaming War with Google, Microsoft and Sony. what you do guys think ? Leave your thoughts and comments.

Google I/O 2013: Google Now for Chrome Comes with hot word Support

techicloud@gmail.com — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:36:15 PDT

If you are a follower of Google Products and specifically Google Glass, then you might know whats "hot word", yes its nothing but initiating a Google Search saying "Ok Google" or "Ok Glass". This awesome intuitive feature comes to Google Now for Chrome via Google Search. Just not hot word support Google Now for Chrome comes with more features like conversational Search.

Today on Google I/O 2013, more features has been added to Google Search as a whole and more specifically Google Now for Chrome. We already have Google Search for Windows 8 , then why one more variant of Google Search for Desktop users ? Is int the same functionality we are getting ?. Answer is YES if you are looking for Answers for your search queries and the Answer is NO if you look at how you initiate the search.

Yes "Google Now", "Hot Word Search" are nothing but how you initiate the Search. Search results are all going to be the same either you typed the search query or Google Now anticipated your search or you asked Google Search using "Ok Google" Hot word to initiate the search.

Google Now has the relevant information which you might look forward. It just anticipates your search and gives you the data even before you search, and its mostly based on your personal searches and activities you have done in the past.

Upcoming update on Google Search for Chrome is going to bring the best of both the world, yes Google Now along with Hot Word. You don't need to touch your keyboard to search something on Google Chrome and moreover its going to be Conversational search.

Conversational Search is yet another addition to Google Now, which will maintain the context of your previous Search and continue to get relevant data. Its Apple Siri which introduced Conversational search to the Smart world and after a long time Google is set to roll out similar feature to Google Now.

All these are not yet available on Google Now, and will be rolling out in the coming weeks. Leave your comments on how much you are excited about Siri Like Search on Google Now. Note that Google now already available on Android, iPhone & iPad, Windows 8

There has been tons of announcements made today on Google I/O 2013, stay tuned to get to know more information.

Review : Go Groove Flex Smart SP Car Holder with FM Transmitter

techicloud@gmail.com — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 22:49:28 PDT

Are you looking for a car holder for your Smart phone with FM transmitter ?? You should read this review on Go Groove Flex Smart SP car holder with in built FM transmitter, hands free calling. This Car cradle is not a regular car holder, since it comes with built in FM transmitter to enjoy music on your car radio which doesn't support Aux Port or USB port.

It comes in a nice package with Holder itself, Aux Cable (3.5 mm jack on both the sides), USB to mini USB cable, USB to micro USB cable to power up your Smart Phones.

Design:
It has a very nice design considering the multiple inbuilt functionality. It holds you phone on a single flexi Bar which fits right in to your Car DC Port. So you dont need to have a separate DC power cable to the either the FM Transmitter or the Smart Phone itself. It has a nice USB port near the FM Transmitter so that you can power up your Smart Phone with a small Cable rather than a regular USB cable. It also has a USB port to power up additional devices if needed.

It has a Aux port which you connect to the Phone to receive the Audio from your Smart Phone. Over all the Go Groove Flex Smart is designed to reduce the cables running on your car dash board to listen your favorite music, which is really a plus.Its a complete integrated system which avoid cable usage drastically, otherwise it will be a irritating thing to have cables running (Power Cable for FM Transmitter, Power Cable for the Smart Phone,Aux Cable) every where.

Look and Feel:
Go Groove has a solid build to hold your phone firmly and it has a nice grip on the holder part as well. Even though the plastic looks cheap in the photos, its actually a good quality plastic and nicely moulded as a Car Holder. Flexible Bar on the blue Color looks pretty well on the design and its colorful as well.

Sound Quality and Hands Free Calling:
I was expecting a decent quality on the Songs via FM transmission and to be Frank I was not expecting a quality on the Hands free calling. But to my surprise both of them was good and especially Hand Free calling was really noise free and I am able to comfortably have long conversation over the Hand free calling.

Switching over the Music and Hands free calling was seamless, quick and easy. Once you get a call it switches to Hand free mode automatically and all you need to do is pick the call and continue your conversation completely hand free. Go Groove Flex Smart has a in built mic to receive your voice and you will hear the response over your car radio. It switches back to the Music automatically once the call is ended.

Does it hold your Phone really well ??
This is the area which Go Groove failed completely and I was highly dis appointed. Even though the DC port adapter comes with extra large bushes to support the phone well,its not sufficient enough to hold the phone firmly. Since the whole weight of the phone resides on a single point , there were lot of shakes and tilts.

Especially on a city drive with turns, it doesn't hold the phone at all. the Complete Holder slips to the left or right based on the direction you turn. It became a trouble to watch out the holder and drive. It was not holding the phone as a regular Car Holder which either attached to the AC unit or the windshield.

We have made a little video to give you guys a perspective of how exactly it is when you drive with the Go Groove Flex Smart with a Phone. Take a look at the video and you will see the Holder slipped down couple of times within 15 mins drive.

It was ok to some extend on the Freeways, but definitely not recommended for City Drive. The problem is not with Go Groove Flex Smart, but might be with any holder which fits into the DC port on your Car. Unless regular Car Holder, these type holder doesn't have multi point support, but just just one which goes into the DC Port.

Conclusion
Go Groove Flex Smart Car holder has a nice Design to reduce the cable usage, excellent Hand free calling feature and good FM transmission functionality, but lacks the whole purpose of holding the phone firmly during Drive. If you are a going to use this on a City Drive with regular turns, then think multiple times before going for this. We would recommend regular firm holder and a separate FM transmitter for you.

Please leave your comments and suggestions below in the comments section.

Nexus 4 over Heating and Battery Drain issue Fixed

techicloud@gmail.com — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:22:52 PDT

Are you a proud owner of Nexus 4, but suffering with it because of its Over heating and faster battery drain issue ?? You might be happy to hear this? New batch of Nexus 4 has the issue fixed and it works like charm for over 22hours and more. You have a chance to get the best battery backup on your Nexus 4 as well.
Nexus 4 from Google is the super duper Smart Phone in par with the latest Samsung S4 with 4.7 inch IPS screen, Gorilla Glass 2, 2GB RAM, 8/16 GB internal storage, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 pro Quad core CPU, and the latest ever Android OS ver 4.2. But the only and irritating problem with Nexus 4 was Over heating and quicker battery Drain issue.

It was expected that Android 4.2.2 could fix Battery Drain issue completely, but it didnt actually. But I have find out something interesting is that the recent Nexus 4 which Google ships doesn't have both the Over heating issue and battery Drain issue. Looks like there was a fix went in on the hardware side which has drastically improved the over heating.

I ordered two Nexus 4 on "" which came pre loaded with Android 4.2.1 and I ran into the over heating and battery drain issue. Both the Nexus 4 didn't even last for 8 hours with my regular configuration of Wifi, 3G, GPS switched ON, with usage of Navigation for almost 1 hour, Music for 1 Hour, and very frequent email, Google+, Facebook checking along with casual browsing.

Android 4.2.2 update came and it didn't help me either greatly, still I was facing the same issue.I decided to check with the Customer Care executives and see whats their response. I was asked about the purchase date and issue, I mentioned about the over heating issue and battery drain issue. They immediately recommended for RMA, I got my Nexus 4 RMAed and got a new one.

To my surprise battery backup was excellent on my New Nexus 4, it was up and running fine for almost 22-23 hours, no heating at all in most of the time, except slight heating during the Navigation (During Navigation little heating is expected in any Smart Phone) and I didn't change my usage pattern. Infact I stressed little more for first few days to check if it really works and the result was amazing.

There has been a design change on the Nexus 4, which has drastically improved the situation. I have confirmed the same with some of my friends who has bought Nexus 4 on the recent days and they are not seeing these issues and battery performances matches with my new Nexus 4.

If you are a Nexus 4 Owner and facing the over heating and battery drain issue, I strongly recommend to check with the Google Play Customer care executive to see if you can get your device replaced.

You can reach Google via the following number (Note that you should have purchased via Google play)
1-855-836-3987 in the US and Canada, 1800-093-181 in Australia, 0800 328 6081 in the UK

Please leave your comments below if you or your friends has good performance on the recent Nexus 4.

Facebook for Windows 7 phone now has Places and Tagging

techicloud@gmail.com — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:46:35 PDT

Facebook, highly popular social networking site has various mobile phone services via its Facebook apps. Facebook App is available for iPhone , Android and Windows 7 phone as well. Their latest update for Windows 7 phone has places support and Photo Tagging.

Places

Photo Tagging

Facebook has earlier updated its app for iPhone and Android with Places and Photo Tagging support. Now they have rolled out the features for Windows 7 as well. While Facebook continuously updates its Mobile Apps it also upgrades and introduces new services to the Web users as well. Recently they have updated with New Profile Page.

Free Voip Calls and SMS/MMS on Facebook Messenger App

techicloud@gmail.com — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:10:26 PDT

Facebook has updated its messenger app to make free Voip calls to your Facebook friends on Android Mobile. You can also send SMS/MMS using your Facebook messenger app on your Android Mobile. Voip call feature is currently available on US market.

Android Facebook messenger is becoming a full fledged messenger app and now with Voip and SMS/MMS support its becoming a complete communication Android app with your loved ones. Of course you can communicate with only the Facebook friends who already has Facebook messenger already installed on their Android Mobile.

You can make Voip calls using Wifi or 3G data, note that you may be charged for 3G data usage.

How to make a Free Voip Call on Android Facebook Messenger App

1. Go to a particular Contact
2. Click on the Info Button (Little i icon on the top right corner)
3. Click Free Call

How to enable SMS/MMS on Android Facebook Messenger App

1. Goto Messenger Settings
2. Goto SMS/MMS and enable the MMS/SMS option
3. Optionally you can make the Facebook Messenger app as the default messaging application on the Android Mobile.

You can download Facebook Messenger for Android from

Reduce your data usage on New Chrome Beta for Android

techicloud@gmail.com — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:02:52 PDT

Google has rolled out new feature to reduce your data usage by using optimized webpages by Google servers. Opera Mobile has been providing such feature for a long time, and now Google enters into compressed/Cached browsing. Lets look at how to enable this on your Chrome Beta for Android.

Compressing the web pages on a centralized server and feeding to the Mobile browser is the efficient way to reduce the data usage on Mobile phones. Opera has been pioneer in web page compression and now Google has rolled out the similar feature on its Beta Channel Chrome Browser for Android.

Yes this new feature is only available on the Chrome Beta for Android, not on the regular Chrome App for Android. You can enable this feature on Chrome Beta by going to Settings --> Bandwidth management --> Reduce data Usage --> Enable the Feature.

Note that the compression works only on data usage like 2G/3G/4G data services. If you are in Wifi you will continue to get regular pages. Chrome Beta also give a nice statistics on how much percentage you have saved by enabling this feature for a specific period.

You can download Google Chrome Beta from

Google Launched Note taking app - Keep , Good Bye Evernote and SpringPad

techicloud@gmail.com — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:52:09 PDT

Google has launched a new Note taking app Google Keep for Android.If you are the one (like us) looking for a one stop solutions for all your Notes, ToDo List, Docs, Presentations etc Google Keep is the destination for you. Yes your notes and task lists are synced with Google Drive. Is this the time to say Good Bye to other apps like Ever Note, Springpad, etc ? See the full review of Google Keep.

Taking quick notes on your Smart Phone and continue with the documentation on your PC once you are at home is the task which most of has been waiting for a long time, especially on a single platform. Till date we had this was done in a two independent platform or apps. Not anymore , you can take notes with voice and Photo and edit them as a a complete doc using Google Drive once you are back home.

Google Keep gives the following features on your Android Mobile Phone.

Keep track of your thoughts via notes, lists and photos
Have voice notes transcribed automatically
Use homescreen widgets to capture thoughts quickly
Color-code your notes to help find them later
Swipe to archive things you no longer need
Turn a note into a checklist by adding checkboxes
Use your notes from anywhere - they are safely stored in the cloud and available on the web

Other Note taking apps like Ever Note and Spring Pad have much more extensive features when compared to Google Keep at this point of time, but it doesn't have full fledged integration with office like Google Drive. and of course Google is going to add more and more features to Google Keep to make it to the level of Evernote.

Though Google Keep looks promising, lacks the features like adding reminders, text highlighting etc which the other apps has. If you are an extensive user of Evernote, we dont think you will completely move to Google Keep right away. Do let us know if you are moving to Google Keep on the comments section.

Free Glassless 3D experience in iPhone 4, iPad 2 and iPod Touch 4G – i3D App

techicloud@gmail.com — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:13:35 PST

3D experience on a Mobile phone especially a phone like iPhone and iPad will be a fantasy for everyone. i3D App fulfills that for iPhone 4, iPad 2 and iPod Touch 4G. Though its not a end to end 3D experience i3D gives you feel of 3D perspective using the front facing camera on these devices.

i3D is an overview of Head-Coupled Perspective (HCP) on iOS devices. HCP uses the front camera of the device to track the face of the user in real time. This information tells the app how the user is looking at the display. The app updates the perspective of the 3D scene accordingly, giving the user the illusion that he looks at a small window.

i3D contains several 3D scenes that you can observe with HCP. It only relies on face tracking. It does not use the accelerometers or the gyroscopes.
Above videos would have given the idea of how the 3D experience looks like in iDevices. After installing the App if you don’t get the 3D experience follow the simple tips suggested by the team

Avoid directional lights
Do not use with backlighting
Do not use in darkness
Stay in the shot

PointSense V2.0 for Windows Mobile

techicloud@gmail.com — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:02:14 PST

PointUI is an excellent windows mobile application for UI customization. PointSense is one of the theme available for PointUI, which brings in HTC Hero like look and feel for Windows Mobile.
Earlier Version of PointSense don't have functionality to add widgets to the home screen, in fact to any of the screens. With PointUI we can enable multiple sliding screens in windows mobiles even for versions WM5, WM6.

Here are some of the screen shots of PointSense UI for windows mobile, will update with a separate post on detailed explanation about installation of PointSense V2.0

View Full Album

Video Preview:

How To: search for 3D Videos in YouTube

techicloud@gmail.com — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 21:50:59 PDT

Got a 3DTV, but not sure how to view a 3D content for free ? YouTube has good amount of 3D Videos which you can view for free on 3D with your 3DTV. Its not straight forward to search for a 3D video with title search in YouTube. In this post we will explain a simple step to search for 3D videos on YouTube.

You dont get the 3D filter straight away on YouTube search button, so search for something first, lets say Movie. Now the results page will have a filter options which you can use to filter out only 3D videos available on YouTube.

Click on the Filters Pull down Menu and select 3D option under features. You will see 3D options just above the Live filter. With this 3D filter enabled you will see only the 3D videos on YouTube. Note that you need to have a 3D TV and 3D Glasses which came with the 3DTV to enjoy 3D experience on YouTube.

You can also checkout the YouTube recommended 3D channels using YouTube 3D

YouTube supports multiple formats of 3D viewing methods, you need to choose the right settings on YouTube as well as your 3DTV to enjoy the best 3D experience. Checkout out tutorial on picking the Best 3D settings to watch on YouTube for the best 3D experience.

Let us know your 3D experience on the YouTube Videos in the comments section below.

How To: Enable Best 3D settings for LG TV on YouTube 3D Videos

techicloud@gmail.com — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:24:17 PDT

3D TVs are the next highlight of 2013 on Home Media entertainment and picking the right 3D settings on your TV and the content is what going to give you the right 3D experience on your 3D TV. Lets see what are the settings to enable on LG 3DTV to get the best 3D experience on 3D videos on You Tube.

3D content on You Tube ?? Are you wondering if you can watch 3D videos on You Tube with your 3D TVs ? Yes of course there are 3D content on You Tube you can watch on You Tube and here we will go over the best settings need to be enable on LG 3D Television to get the best experience.

First Lets enable the right settings on YouTube, once you pick the 3D Video you want to watch, you can confirm if the video is 3D enabled or not by checking the 3D button on the You Tube control bar

3D Settings on You Tube

1. Enable the 3D view by clicking the 3D button on the You Tube Video bar at the bottom.

2. Now select the Viewing Method, by pressing 3D Button (once again) and clicking "Change Viewing method"

3. Now select the "Side by Side" Method. Note that once you enable the "Side by Side"method You Tube video will be split into to two and you will see the same video side by side on the screen. This is normal.

4. Now put the video on the full screen mode and take your LG 3DTV remote on hand.

3D Settings on LG 3DTV

1. Press 3D button on the LG Tv remote and you will get multiple options of 3D Mode.

2. Select the same Split/ Side by Side Method on the TV menu options.

3. Press OK on the next screen and its recommended to sit 2 meters away from your 3DTV for best 3D experience.

4. Now your video will merge as one, put your 3D Glasses sit back and enjoy.

This settings is based on our experience with trying out various options on You Tube 3D videos and LG 3D TVs. You can try out other options if you wish , but trust me this is the settings which will give you best 3D experience on LG 3D TVs.

Hold On why are we repeatedly saying only LG 3D TVs , why not Sony or Samsung 3DTVs?? Yup settings might change for other TVs because ony LG has Passive 3D Technology and almost all other vendors uses Active 3D technology which is different from Passive ones. If you got a LG 3DTV with passive 3D /Cinema 3D these settings will work just like that.

Tips to get best 3D Experience on your 3D TV

1. Keep your room as dark as possible
2. Remove reflecting materials near/below the TV. You will not get good 3D experience if you light reflections from you TV video itself.
3. With LG's Passive 3D you dont need to sit straight to your TV, you can enjoy on the sides as well.
4. Test your settings with this 3D Video on You Tube.
5. Select the maximum resolution on the YouTube Video. 1080p resolution 3D videos give best 3D experience.

Do let us know if you are able to enjoy best 3D experience on your LG 3DTV with our recommended settings and tips. If you have more/better tips do let us know in comments section below. Share your 3D TV experience with us on the comments.

Toy Story as a Puzzle game on Android and iPhone - Toy Story Smash it

techicloud@gmail.com — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:00:36 PST

Toy Story, the successful movie series from Disney hits Mobile Stores as Smart Phones Games in Android and iPhone. Toy Story Smash it is going to be a 3D physics-based puzzle game featuring your favorite “Toy Story” characters with 60 challenging levels. Toy Story Smash it will be available on both Android Play Store and iPhone App Store.

You cant be the one who didn't watched Toy Story Animated movie, if so find your way to watch the movie first. I like the movie and its series very well. Now its your time to play the Toy Story on your Android or iPhone.

Checkout what you have on the Toy Story Smash it.

Block-breaking puzzle play

Throw unique bouncing-balls with special power-ups to knock down aliens and break through their defenses!

Play as Buzz Lightyear

Team up with Buzz, and work on perfecting the angles and aim needed to beat every level. Encounter your favorite “Toy Story” characters along the way!

4 imaginative episodes

Take a fun-filled journey “To Infinity… and Beyond!” Get ready for an adventure of a lifetime as you stop the evil Zurg, catch alien bandits, and more!

60 challenging levels

Encounter new challenges in every level. Find creative ways to smash through bricks, glass, trains, and more to get the highest score possible!

Hours of replay value

Replay each episode to get 3-stars on every level and earn impressive achievements!

Toy Story Smash it is available on both Android and iPhone, but not fore free. Yes you have pay to enjoy the game and its $0.99

Angry Birds Cartoon Series is coming up

techicloud@gmail.com — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:38:59 PST

After series of success of its Mobile apps, Angry Birds is becoming a Cartoon series. Yes Rovio has announced that new series of Angry Birds Cartoons will premier on March 16th & 17th. Need to wait till March 16th to hear more news about Angry Birds cartoons, till then you can enjoy the teaser video from Angry Birds Team.

[MWC 2013] Galaxy Note 8.0 announced with 1.6GHz Quadcore processor

techicloud@gmail.com — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:04:43 PST

Samsung has unveiled its next Generation Galaxy Note on Mobile World Congress, equipped with 1.6GHz Quad core processor, Enhanced S Pen etc.. powered by Android Jelly Bean. Galaxy Note 8.0 comes out after the success of Galaxy Note II and has enhanced S Pen operation. Lets look at the full spec and whats enhanced S Pen operations.

Enhanced S Pen operation is nothing but we can now use the S Pen for Menu selections and back buttons on the Android. If you have used earlier versions of Galaxy Note Phones, then you would love this new simple addition. Other features of S Pen are Air View, Popup Note, Popup Video, Shape Match, Formula Match, Idea Sketch.

Galaxy Note 8.0 is a 8 inch WXGA (1280x800, 189 ppi) TFT screen with awesome responsiveness for both hand and the S Pen. Apart from this it has the regular spec of what the recent days smart phones features like

RAM : 2GB
Memory : Available in 16GB and 32GB models - MicroSD slot for expansion
Os : Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 (Soon up gradable to Android 4.2.2 or 5.0 Key Lime)
Camera : 5MP Rear Facing Camera, 1.3 MP Front Facing Camera
Connectivity: Dual Band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, AllShareCast, BT4.0, USB2.0

Price and availability is not yet known completely, stay tuned with Technology Cloud, we will update once we have confirmed data on the dates.

Checkout the more news about Mobile World Congress and Product announcements.

[MWC 2013] Samsung announces its Home Media Server with Android

techicloud@gmail.com — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:50:16 PST

Samsung is really taking up with its various Android based devices like Galaxy Mobiles, Galaxy Cameras and now Home Media Server/Set top box named Samsung HomeSync which runs Android, 1TB in built Hard Drive, 1.7 GHz dual core processor , Wifi, Gigabit ethernet port, HDMI etc etc. When we say Android is it a Google TV ?? or a Latest Android Jelly Bean ?. Lets look at the full details of Samsung HomeSync.

Samsung HomeSync is not a Google TV bases Set top box, it powers complete Android Jelly Bean, what it means is you get full access to the apps in Android Play Store. Google TV version of Apps are very limited when compared to the regular Android Play Store.

Another huge highlighting spec of Samsung HomeSync is that it has in built 1TB hard drive which is huge storage to have much more Movies, Videos and Music. It will become a one stop solution for your Home Entertainment. You can share your contents on your local network via Wifi Share or DLNA, you can stream via tons of apps in Android Play store like YouTube, Netflix etc..

Samsung HomeSync Specifications:

Android Jelly Bean
1TB HDD
1GB RAM
8GB Internal Flash
Bluetooth 4.0
Wireless 802.11n 2.4 & 5GHz
Gigabit Ethernet Port
Optical and HDMI output.
Codec support:

Video : H.264, H.263, MPEG4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark, WMV7/8, MP43, VP8, DivX
Audio : MP3, AAC LC/AAC＋/eAAC＋, WMA 9std/10pro/Lossless, FLAC, Vorbis, AMR-NB/WB, Wav, Mid, AC-3

There are certain things which are not clear or available are

No details on Pricing and Availability (Some expects it to available in April)
Not sure if it is a actually a set top box with Cable port/HDMI in or just a Media Server with Android.
No talk about keyboard/remote , Just a Smart Phone App or a seperate wireless Keyboard Mouse ?

Other things to be note is that Last year Samsung announced about Android based Samrt Camera for Video Calling powered by Google TV, but that product never came out to market. NO update and news about that after that. Lets wait and see what happens to HomeSync. But if Samsung pulls out this to market with a decent price, going to hit Google TV products a tight competition.

Subscribe to Technology Cloud to get up to date on Android and Smart Gadgets.

Google plus app updated for Android

techicloud@gmail.com — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 01:35:09 PST

Google has rolled out a major update for its Google+ Android app. Google plus logo has been changed along with the new feature additions like Community support, Smiley's, upload full size photos etc.

Google has been rolling out frequent updates to the Google plus app, not only to the web app, but also to the mobile apps for Android and iPhone. Latest addition to the list includes the following.

1. Support for Google+ communities
2. Full size image upload via instant upload, but limited to 5GB overall storage. If your image has resolution of 2048 pixels and less then no storage space is accounted. You have an option to choose what resolution you want to upload.
3. Support for animated gifs images and smileys
4. View and explore photo sphere images. (Only on Android mobiles running ver 4.2)
5. Integration with Google Now to wish your friends birthdays right from your Android mobile.

Tip: to disable the full image upload, go to settings --> Instant Upload --> select you upload photo resolution.

Instant upload comes to Facebook - Sync you Mobile Album Automatically with Facebook

techicloud@gmail.com — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 10:16:19 PST

Its been a mesh to upload photos to Facebook Album earlier, but not anymore. Now Facebook App for Android Mobiles and iPhone syncs you Mobile Photos to Facebook Account. This is an awesome feature borrowed from Google+.

Yes Google Plus is the first to introduce Instant upload of your Mobile Photos to a private album, Almost a Year after that Facebook has introduced this cool feature. Facebook App for Android and iPhone updated with Photo Sync, which syncs your Mobile Photos automatically to a Private Album.

Checkout some of the cool features or options in Facebook Instant Sync.

All or New Photos in your Mobile phone is synced to Facebook Album
Synced Photos are kept as private photos, till we share with someone.
You get a free storage of 2GB ( Note that Google+ doesn't have limitations if you have your photos has 2048 x 2048 pixels and less resolution)
You have option to sync your Photos only via Wifi or Cellular Network (As in Google+)

Facebook Photo Sync is not yet completely available for all users, it been rolled out as batches, you would get a notification in your Mobile app if you are lucky. Once you enable it , you can enjoy the Facebook Photo Sync.

Checkout our earlier tips on Facebook about Uploading Photos directly to your Friend's Wall and on How To delete Photos and Album in Facebook

How To: Enable Enhanced Search in Gmail and Google

techicloud@gmail.com — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 18:40:48 PST

Google has been enhancing the search experience across its products and Mobile Apps.Earlier they released the Enhanced Search Google Now to Android, iPhone and the Windows 8, now they adding more to Gmail Search and Google Drive Search. In this post we will see how we can enable the enhanced search in Gmail.

Google has started a field trial or a beta program for the enhanced search experience for Gmail, Google Drive and for the google.com search as well. Its a closed program for which the users has to opt in to experience the enhanced search.

What is available in Enhanced Search:

Improvements in Gmail Search
Results of Gmail and Drive on your search on google.com
Enhanced Flight Tracking feature

Your search is enhanced to show relevant data from not only Gmail, but also from Google Drive, Google Calendar and more

When you use google.com you can get relevant emails, and docs from Google Drive right on the same search page. Note that this feature is currently available only for www.google.com, but not for other domains. Other domains will get this in the coming days.

Get the Information and status of your upcoming flights, with Gates, schedule changes etc. Currently this is only available for Flights, I hope in the coming days it might come for more trip planning as well.

How to Join the Field Trial: Just go to the Google Field Trial Page and click on the "Join the Field Trial" button, you will get a email notification from Google once your account is ready to get started.

What is in the Cloud ?

techicloud@gmail.com — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 03:13:58 PST

Cloud Computing is the hot topic on the next generation on PC Computing, Mobile Computing and internet Giants.Every service and application is now available on the Cloud, so What is in the Cloud? for basic Internet user.In this post let us see some basic understanding of Cloud computing and services available for basic end user.
We will cover the following in this post

Basic Overview of Cloud Computing
How Cloud Applications helps to solve our basic Computing Needs
List of Available Cloud Applications
Advantage of using Cloud Applications

Basic Overview of Cloud Computing:
Before getting into the details of what is available for me on Cloud, lets understand some basic overview and evolution of Cloud Computing.With the evolution of Computers, we started using computers for everything from basic calculations, notes taking, accounting etc to complex algorithms and problem solving. Here we will discuss only from the basic user perspective, and will cover the Advanced users of Computing in a later post.

Basic operations which we regularly do using computers are Data Creation, Data Processing and Data Storage and we need specific application to be installed on your Computer to do these tasks.

Data Creation: Basic data Creation can be one of the following

Creating a word document
Working on a accounting application to track your balance sheet
Preparing a nice presentation for your meeting
Photo Editing

Word Application like Ms Office , Open Office or Accounting Software , Excel Sheet or Photo Editor , Photoshop are the applications which does these tasks for us and we need to either buy or download for free based on the product and install on the computer.

Data Processing: Once we create these data, we might need to do further processing of these data to represent them in the easily understandable format for Humans or other computing devices. This can be called as Data Processing, which will be done by the same application which create these data or it can be a different application.

Lets say you create a Word Doc, but wanted to make sure others don't edit it, then you need to convert it to a PDF file, which needs a a PDF converter or displaying your Monthly expense sheet created in Excel in a nice graphical format with Pie or Bar Chart.

Data Storage: Once the data is available in the required format, we need to store that in a storage device so that we can use in a later stage. Storage device can be your

Hard Disk on your Computer
External Drive
Pen Drive, etc...

When the above mentioned tasks are done on your local computer, it needs specific application to do the task, needs more storage as you continue to create more data. Also Power and computing capability of your Computer need to be regularly upgrade based on your need and requirements.

Cloud Computing does all these basic operations of Data Computing for you and make you not worry about what application you need to use, buy and your computers computing power. Carrying out the basic computing operations Data Creating, Data Processing and Data Storage on the Internet is called as Cloud Computing and Computing power is consumed by the Cloud

Lets look What is in the Cloud to carry out these operations and how can a basic Internet user can make use of these Cloud Services to get the data Created, Processed and Stored in the Cloud. When we refer Cloud, its nothing but the high power Severs which are connected to the internet which can do all these operations to us, leaving us not to worry about much on the application and power required. Just get the work done and get going.

Cloud Applications: There are lot of Cloud Applications using which we can do the basic operations like creating a Word Doc, Accounting Sheet, Presentations,PDF creation, Photo Editing etc.

Big G of Internet is the leader in Cloud Apps with Google Drive which offers Docs, Presentations, Spread Sheets, Application Forms, Drawing . Other Providers like Microsoft, Zoho are some of the other providers for such Documentation applications.

Below are some of the Cloud Services which comes as Free as well as paid which we can make use of

Cloud Service	Features	Cost
Cloud Documentation
Google Drive	Create Word Doc Accounting Sheet, Presentations, PDF creation, Application Forms, Drawing	FREE
Microsoft Live Office	Create Word Doc Accounting Sheet, Presentations	FREE
Zoho Docs	Create Word Doc Accounting Sheet, Presentations	FREE
Cloud Music
Sound Cloud	Record, Store, Play and Share Music	FREE
Google Music	Store , Play and Share Music	FREE upto 10000 Songs
Amazon Cloud Player	Store, Purchase, Play Music	FREE upto 250 Songs
Photo Editing
Google+ Photos	Upload, Basic Editing	FREE
Pixlr	Advanced Editing, No Native Storing	FREE
Cloud Storage
Google Drive	Free 5GB	Paid for More Storage
Microsoft SkyDrive	Free 7GB	Paid for More Storage
Amazon Cloud Drive	Free 5GB	Paid for More Storage
Box	Free 5GB	Paid for More Storage
Drop Box	Free 2GB	Paid for More Storage

Advantages of Cloud Applications:

With these Cloud Application, all you need is your web browser. You dont need to worry about what application to buy and install on your PC to get things done.

Access and Edit your Data Anywhere, Any Time
No Need for a High Computing PC
No Need to worry about the buying and installing applications
Your Data will be stored on Cloud with backup support - Need for your personal Storage.
Overall Cost Effective solution for Basic Users

These are some of the few Cloud Application which we have listed to get started for basic Internet user. Will have detailed post on each of the services and Applications available and how to user these Cloud Applications to have effective Cloud Managements for Advanced users in the coming posts.

Google Now on Windows 8 ? Download Enhanced Search

techicloud@gmail.com — Wed, 15 May 2013 23:31:45 PDT

Google Now is now available for Windows 8 ?. Google has released Enhanced Search standalone app for Windows 8 with Voice Search.Earlier Google Now was released on iPhone and iPad when Apple removed Google as default search engine,now its on Windows 8.

Google has to come up with standalone apps for each platform as competitors are removing Google apps from their platform. Earlier Google Maps, Search are removed from iOS devices, now its Microsoft has removed support for Chrome and Google Search. Google has come up with standalone apps for Windows 8, which can be installed from Windows App Store.

Features of Google Search for Windows 8

Google search box with Voice Search
Image Search
Search Charm
Google Instant and Instant Preview Mode
Google Apps

Google Search App for Windows 8, resembles the Google Now App for iPhone and iPad, and supports Voice Search, Google Apps supports, Enhanced Web, Image searches and instant previews. Google Search apps will be one stop solution for all your Google Services and Apps, yes you can access all the Google Services like Google+, Gmail, Calendar, Maps,YouTube all inside a single app.

Google Now, the Siri killer from Google is being expanded to multiple platforms and definitely Google is not going to let its Search hold drop in the internet world. Search is not a simple search anymore, it has been evolved much from the earlier days to what we are seeing as personal assistants like Siri and Google Now especially with the Smart Phone being evolved.

You can install Google Search app for Windows 8 from Windows Store

Checkout our guide on How to Install Google Now on Android ICS and Google Now on iPhone and iPad

Notion Ink's Next Tablet Adam 2 is getting reading for High Time

techicloud@gmail.com — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:25:34 PST

Notion Ink, the Company which hyped the Android Tablet World with its Adam Tablet, has now ready for the Next Generation of its Tablet Adam 2. Yes Adam 2 has been ready for high time and spec details started coming out from the Notion Ink Team itself on various ways. Adam 2 Tablet is going to have Texas Instruments OMAP4470 instead of Tegra Processor which First Generation of Adam tablet.

Adam Tablet was first teased in CES 2011, and was available for pre order in late 2011. Though Adam Tablet was the first Tablet from Android world which had exciting hardware spec which can compete with iPad, but Adam couldn't with stand the competition after big Players entered into the Android Tablet Market. But Notion Ink didn't go away, and now they are back with Adam 2, and the expectation has started rolling up as the first Adam Tablet.

Earlier we have reported details about Notion Ink planning some thing Big , and now the news started coming true on Next Generation Adam Tablet.Recently Notion Ink has twitted a blurred image of Adam 2 Tablet on Twitter and more information about the processor which is going to be used in Adam2, and Screen Size and resolution has be posted on the Notion Ink Newsletter.

Adam 2 is going to have OMAP4470 processor, which is supposed to be better than Tegra processors for multitasking and low power consumption according to Notion Ink. Earlier Adam Tablet had PixelQI Screen which is again a low power consuming touch screen. This makes it clear that Notion Ink wanted to have low power consumption for better Battery Life and Standby time without compromising the performance.

Screen Size of Adam 2 Tablet is again going to be 10.1", with 1280x800 resolution and 178 deg viewing angle. Below is the some more spec of Adam 2 Tablet.

Screen Size/ 10.1"
Viewing Angle/ 178°
Resolution/ 1280 x 800
Aspect Ratio/ 16:10
Brightness/ 400 Lumens
Contrast Ratio 800:1

Based on the earlier data we can expect an announcement of Adam 2 Tablet in CES 2013, and a pre order in later 2013, as happened in the case of First Gen Adam Tablet. There is no official announcement from Notion Ink on this, but they have started rolling out information on Adam 2, which gives us a clue.

Let us know whats your thoughts on Adam 2 tablet? Would you buy one if its available on 2013.

Source: Notion Ink

Google Plus Now Suggests to Complete your Profile

techicloud@gmail.com — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 11:29:50 PST

Google Plus, the second biggest Social Networking Platform after Facebook is asks you to complete your profile 100%. Google Plus has been improving rapidly with new features and enhancements and its adds more suggestion to complete your Profile now.

Google Plus was launched in 2011 to compete with Facebook, and has been listed as second popular search of 2011 according to Google Data on Web Searches. Google Plus has seen a rapid growth not only on the user base, but also on the features and enhancements to platforms. Google Plus was the first to launch with Multiple person Video Conferencing and Collaborating platform, Google Hangout.

Now they have improved the suggestions to improve the Profile completion, say it recommends to add your School, based on your friends School.It shows up as popup when you login to Google Plus, also it suggests the same as sidebar in the profile page.

Google Plus has its Mobile App for Android and iPhone with Hangout and Instant Upload features. Instant upload feature for Mobile phone is really a awesome feature which automatically uploads your Mobile Photos to Google+ gallery to a private folder. You can share them later, based on your wish, no need to specifically upload photos one after the other just in the case of Facebook. One Lagging feature of Facebook Mobile app is uploading multiple photos to the Album.

AngryBirds Star Wars Available on Android, iPhone and Windows Phone

techicloud@gmail.com — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 09:12:12 PST

Angry Birds much famous on the Android, iPhone and any other platform is now got Star War fever. Rovio has launched its next series of Angry Birds , Angry Birds Star Wars and its available for download on Android, iPhone and Windows Phone.
Angry Birds is a much addictive game and most downloaded game in Android Mobiles and iPhone. Rovio has been releasing multiple versions of Angry Birds in the due course of time as Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Valentine, Angry Birds RIO and Angry Birds Space. After the success on each of the version , they have now released Angry Birds Star Wars.

Angry Birds started as iPhone and Android apps, then entered into PC, Facebook, Chrome Web Store and now in Windows Mobile as well. Its Available for free (Ad version) in Android and Paid version in iOS and Windows Phone.

Angry Birds Star Wars is also available on the following platforms.

Angry Birds Star Wars on Android Mobile (Free)
Angry Birds Star Wars on iPhone (Paid)
Angry Birds Star Wars on Windows Phone (Paid)

How To : Install Country restricted apps on your Android Mobile - No Rooting, No Hacking

techicloud@gmail.com — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:26:28 PDT

Android Play Store has country specific Apps, which can be installed only on Android Mobiles which are in the specific Country. Lets say Google Play Movie is available only in US, and can bee installed only on the Android Mobiles which are in US. In this post we will how we can install such app on other countries where the app is not available.There is no hacking or rooting required to use this simple trick.
Android Play store on your Android Mobile will only list the apps specific to your Country, this applies for the web app also.Android Web Play Store has an option to push the apps to your Devices directly. We will be using this as trick to install the apps which are not supported on your country.

The trick is that the Android Play Store doesn't validate if your device is actually in the supported country and pushes the app to the Android Mobile Device. So all you need to do is get into the US Android Play Store on the web and push the app to your devices which will be listed on your account.

Check the Below Snap shots on how I have installed Google Play Movies on my Android Mobile, which is not supported in India. Note that still I cannot buy movies using this app, since the service is also not available in India. But you can install other apps like games, utility apps which you can use it 100% without any issues. Google Play Music is one such app, which can sync your Music with Cloud and Android Mobile, even though you cant purchase Music from Google Play Store

This is a simple trick which will allow you to install apps which are restricted on your country. But the big question is how to do get to US Android Play Store on Web, if I visit simply to play.android.com, it will still go to my Country Specific Web Store right ? Yes You are correct, but there are tons of way you can use Proxy servers to do that. Don't forget to subscribe to our Facebook Page or Google+ page to get such tips and tricks

Android Play Store and any website decides your location based on the IP address using which you are accessing the site.If you go the Play Store via a proxy server which is in US, then you are all set to go.We are not going discuss about how and what to use as proxy Server.You can search for "US proxy server for https" and find out.

But if you have your friends and relatives in other countries, say US in this case, you can achieve this easily with their help. Android Mobiles support multiple Google Account on Android Play Store as well.Create a dummy Google Account just for this purpose, and share the credential with your friend who is in US and ask them to login to Android Play Web Store and press the Install Button for you. Note that before doing that you need to login to the same account on your Android Mobile and accessed Play Store once, so that your device will be listed on the Web Store.

Let us know if this trick helped you to install your favorite app or game on your device which is not yet available in your Country. Please leave your comments below.