Windows Phone Interface on Android: Launcher 8

A China-based developer created an Android launcher that replicates the Windows Phone 8 interface, and I must say they did a real good job. Each tile is resizable and customisable, just like WP8. The animation, apps list, context menu, settings menu, status bar (optional), all work and look just like WP8. The only hint that you are actually using Android is when you open an app.

 

Most Android widgets can be added to the launcher and resized too. But since Android widgets do not behave like live tiles, the developer coded special widgets to make the tiles look more Metro. These are the Live Contacts, Live Gallery, Time Tile, Lock Screen.

If you have tried Windows Phone before, then Launcher 8 would feel right at home. If you have not, here's your chance to try it out without having to buy a Windows Phone. Mind you, the interaction is very different from Android. Swipe up and down to scroll the entire home screen, swipe left and right to open the apps list.

I have to say that using the Launcher 8 helps me appreciate Windows Phone and Android OSes respectively. I really like the pretty colourful tiles that make Windows Phone so striking. I can use the tile colours to create logical groupings: either group them in the same colour or intentionally select contrasting colours with the surrounding tiles.

On the other hand, I prefer the freedom of Android OS, allowing ease of file sharing across apps and the flexible interactive widgets that shows live updates on the home screen.

With Launcher 8, I get to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Download yours today, free, at Google Play Store.

Developer's website (in Chinese).

Galaxy S4 Official Release Date Near?

 Greetings dear readership and welcome back to another post on the Galaxy S4 News blog! Today, we will be discussing the the Samsung Unpacked event that will take place in New York on March 14. Is this going to be the official unveiling for the Galaxy S4? And if so, will the Galaxy S4 official release date be just around the corner as well? But some of you may be thinking - What Samsung Unpacked? New York - what? and I don't blame you for being uninformed about it! I have my doubts about how authentic this information is, but a site a lot of people admire, called AndroidAuthority, puts its reputation on the line saying that the following story is true.

 So, here are the photos of the official invitations to the Samsung Unpacked Event which will be held on March 14, 2013:

Ready "4" the show? A subtle hint at the Galaxy S4 release?

Episode 1? Is this Star Wars?

 Now, if you compare this to the first fake Galaxy S4 event invitations then you can obviously see that the two photos above are clearly much more professional and much more trustworthy. The first poster is done in the same style as all the previous Samsung Unpacked event posters and even features the event's official logo. The phrases "Ready 4 the show" and "Come and Meet the Next Galaxy" clearly suggest that this will be an event during which Samsung will unveil the Samsung Galaxy S4 to the general public in New York City, but also worldwide via the official live stream.

 The second photograph shows how the official press invitation and media kit look like and this photo was originally published Engadget, a reputable tech blog. The mixture of the the colors that you can see on the word MEDIA as well as the logo in the corner suggest a special type of material which guarantees that this media card is official.

 These special invitations were given to Engadget's journalists during their visit to the Mobile World Congress a few days ago at the official Samsung booth. Sammy is apparently getting tired of all of the new smartphones on the market and has shifted its resources into high gear in order to complete this project a lot sooner than many of us had expected.

 One final question though - what do you think that Episode 1 means? I am guessing that Samsung will first reveal their Galaxy S4 and later show off their Galaxy Note 3. But of course, it also mean that there will be several Samsung Unpacked events for the promotion of the Galaxy S4, although I am personally sticking with the first theory.

 What do you guys and girls think?

25 HTC One X tips

The One X is HTC's mighty flagship smart phone, and with its 4.7-inch screen and powerful quad-core processor, it could power a battleship. But there's more than just impressive specs to the One X, so join me as I find 25 ways to get more out of this Android hero.
With just a few simple tweaks of the settings, you can make typing in text less of a chore, get more creative with your camera and fine-tune the interface until your thumbs get sore. I used a One X running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC Sense 4.1. Read on to find out more.

Home screen, lock screen and app grid features

1. Customise home screens
HTC's Sense user interface has a unique way of quickly adding widgets to multiple home screens. Long-press on any empty space and you'll be presented with a catalogue with tabs for available widgets, apps and shortcuts. There is a horizontally scrolling carousel of all home screens shown at the top of the screen, which enables you to quickly add widgets and shortcuts to multiple home screens.

2. Add and remove home screens
Change the number of home screens by making a pinching gesture to open the home screen preview mode. From there, tap the 'Add Panel' area to add more (up to seven). To get rid of a screen, long press and drag to the 'Remove' area.

3. Home screen calculator widgets The calculator widget deserves a special mention. Having a calculator on your phone is great, but you always have to find the icon. With this widget, you can have a basic calculator only a swipe away.

4. Lock screen modes
To change how the lock screen looks, go into the 'Personalize' section of the Settings app and select 'Lock screen style'. Select from various themes -- Productivity for maximum notifications or Friend Stream for the social media junkies, and so on.

Text input

5. Swipe for keyboard sections With default settings in force, swiping sideways across the keyboard switches between the Qwerty keyboard and the two numeric and symbol keyboards.

6. Get extra predictions via drop-down list
If you often find that your intended word isn't in the top three predictions, there is a drop-down button to view additional predictions.

7. Manage your personal dictionary You can selectively remove words from the custom HTC dictionary such as accidental additions. There's also the option to backup or import a custom dictionary. You'll find this in Settings > Language & Keyboard > HTC Sense Input > Personal Dictionary.

8. Switch keyboard styles
The HTC One X has two alternatives to the Qwerty keyboard. Go to Settings > Language & Keyboard > HTC Sense Input > Advanced Settings > Keyboard types. Options are Standard (Qwerty), Phone (T9), and Compact. The latter has two letters per key, a cross between Qwerty and T9 -- rather like the Nokia E55.

9. Keyboard trace If you're a fan of the Swype keyboard, the HTC One X has it built in. Go into the HTC Sense Input settings and turn on the 'Trace Keyboard' switch.

Settings

10. Disable fast boot
In the Power section of the Settings menu, the option for 'Fast Boot' is selected by default, meaning the phone can have a quicker start-up time. However, Fast Boot isn't thorough enough when clearing temporary data, which can prevent a reboot from curing a problem caused by a bug-ridden application. If you're using beta software, disable Fast Boot.

11. Select USB connection mode
To use the HTC One X with a PC over USB, you'll need to go into the 'Connect to PC' section of the Settings app, as the default setting is 'Charge only'. To use as a USB drive, select 'Disk Drive'. Choose 'HTC Sync Manager' for using with HTC's desktop software. To use the phone as a 3G dongle, select 'USB tethering'. Finally, 'Internet pass-through' allows the One X to get online via a PC's USB port.

12. Free up storage space
When you have filled up either the internal or phone storage drives, go to the Storage section of the Settings application and look for the respective 'Make more space' options and follow the prompts.

13. Incoming call settings
The 'Call' section of the Settings application has options for several useful call handling features. I recommend that you enable the 'Declined calls' option (this will help with tip 24), and 'Save to contacts' for automatically saving unknown numbers.

Apps to install

14. Google Calendar
Because HTC customises Android with its Sense user interface, some standard applications are replaced, such as the Calendar application (pictured below left). Fortunately, Google recently released its Calendar app to the Play store.

15. Google Chrome
Android's standard browser is good but nothing really beats Google Chrome (pictured above right). It's available in the Play store, and synchronises with your tabs and bookmarks from all your other devices.

Built-in apps

16. Activate Dropbox and photo uploading The HTC One X comes with Dropbox already installed, and when you sign in, Dropbox increases your limit by 25GB for two years. Be sure to turn on automatic photo uploading, so all of your images will automatically be backed up.

17. Polaris Office accesses Dropbox & SkyDrive
If you need to work with Office documents while on the move and your company doesn't work in Google Docs, do not fear! The HTC One X comes installed with Polaris Office (pictured below left), which doesn't just let you work with files stored on the phone, but also with files saved in Dropbox and SkyDrive.

18. PDF Viewer If you have PDFs in the cloud that you need to access while you're out and about, load up the built-in PDF reader and look for the Dropbox and SkyDrive icons. These will let you log into your cloud accounts and find your files (pictured above right).

19. Enable 'Quick Controls' for the built-in browser
If you've opted to use the built-in browser then go into its settings, then 'Labs'. From there, enable Quick Controls mode. This will remove the URL and tab bars, and will show a radial control interface when you swipe in from the left or right of the screen instead.

20. Camera settings HTC has completely revamped the Android camera app -- just tapping the 'A' scenes button reveals effects for panoramas, HDR, group portraits and more. Tap the blue button in the top-right corner to reveal another set of effects such as distortion, sepia, vignette and more.

21. Slow-motion video
To film slow-motion video, look to the top of the scenes list for the corresponding option. Don't get too excited as the results are quite jerky, but it's better than nothing, right?

Miscellaneous

22. Taking screenshots
On the HTC One X, take screenshots by holding the power button and volume-down button together.

23. Two-finger fast scrolling
When scrolling through the People or Music apps, speed up scrolling by using two fingers.

24. Managing incoming calls
Make sure you've enabled the options in tip 13. While in a call, switch to speakerphone by laying the phone on its front. When rejecting a call, look for the following two options -- the first lets you compose a text message to the caller and the second creates a calendar task about the caller.

25. Play music with the volume buttons
As you increase and decrease volume, the HTC One X plays chimes. For a some creative fun, you can use this effect to play random tunes.

30 Google Nexus 4 Tips and Tricks

Google's latest Nexus phone may be as hard to obtain as the Holy Grail at present, but that hasn't stopped us from getting our hands on one and testing it to destruction. As a result, we're perfectly positioned to provide you with a quarter-century of indispensable Google Nexus 4 tips.

Below you'll find 25 handy hints, which will enable you to get the most out of your bargain of a quad-core monster. Many of them will be relevant if you have another phone running vanilla Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

1. Trace to type
One of Android 4.2's most significant new features is its trace-to-type keyboard. If you've used Swype in the past you'll know what to expect. Instead of tapping on each key to write something, you merely draw a line over the letters in sequence and lift your finger from the screen to add a space and move onto the next word. To enable it, go to Settings > Language and Input, and select the Android Keyboard option. Make sure 'Enable Gesture Typing' is ticked, and you're away.
 
2. Take a screenshot
There are times when you just want to capture what's on your phone's screen, so you can keep a record of it or show it to others at a later date, and thankfully this functionality comes baked into Android these days. Simply hold the Volume Down and Power buttons at the same time.

3. Share things instantly with Android Beam
Thanks to the inclusion of a NFC chip inside the Nexus 4, you can share data simply by holding your phone next to a compatible device. If you know someone else with a NFC-packing handset -- such as the Nexus S or the Galaxy Nexus -- you can use this feature to display things directly on their screen. If you're viewing a Web page, for example, or a Google Play listing, you can show your friend by beaming the same page to their device, instantly.

4. Access Quick Settings even more quickly
Android 4.2 boasts a new Quick Settings menu, which can be accessed from the Notifications pane. By dragging the pane down with two fingers however, you jump straight to the Quick Settings option.

5. Take a 360-degree images with Photo Sphere
Panoramic photos are so last year, man. The Nexus 4 can take 360-degree shots, thanks to its unique Photo Sphere option. It takes a while to compose the image as you have to take multiple shots, but the end result is unique to say the least. 

6. Lock screen widgets
Yet another new feature for Android 4.2 is lock screen widgets. From your lock screen you can take photos, browse your emails and check calendar appointments -- all without having to unlock your Nexus 4. This is especially handy if you use a gesture or passcode to secure you phone, as it saves you from having to input it every time you receive an email.

7. Secure your phone with Face Unlock
One of Android's unique functions, Face Unlock allows you to access your device using nothing but your face. To enable it, go to Settings > Security > Screen Lock and select 'Face Unlock'.

8. Type using your voice
Speech-to-text isn't anything new in the world of mobile phones, but its application in Android is possibly the best we've yet seen. Accuracy is very impressive indeed, and text is generated on the fly -- you don't have to wait for the Nexus 4 to convert your speech at the end of each sentence. To access this feature, simply tap the microphone symbol at the bottom of the Android Keyboard.

9. Monitor your battery life
Since Android 4.0, Google fans have enjoyed robust battery monitoring features. By visiting Settings > Battery, you can see how long it has been since your Nexus 4 was last charged and spot processes which are consuming a large amount of power. This allows you to take steps to conserve the juice within the phone's 2,100mAh battery, such as dimming your screen or switching off non-essential services.

10. Charge your Nexus 4 without wires
Although it's not available yet, the Nexus 4 has its own wireless charging station, which tops up the phone's battery using induction charging technology. Thankfully, there are alternatives if you're fed up of waiting for Google and LG to get their collective acts together, such as the Philips Qi Charging Pad.

11. Get traffic reports with Google Now
Google Now is Android's answer to Apple's Siri, and is so powerful that it starts offering assistance even if you don't ask it to. Once you 'opt in' to the Google Now experience, it will track your movements and look for patterns. If it sees your regular work trek repeated over a week, it will ask if you wish to mark your place of employment. From that moment onwards, Google Now will offer traffic reports and estimated journey times to and from work, allowing you to plan in advance if you see any potential issues.

12. Make your screen smarter
Screebl is one of the first applications I download whenever I move to a new Android device. It uses your accelerometer to tell when you're holding the phone and looking at the screen, and disables the timeout. This means you don't have to keep prodding the display to prevent it from sleeping if you're reading a web page or other content. When you rest the phone down on a flat surface, Screebl quickly puts the display to bed. Genius.

13. Automatically back up all of your treasured photos
Google+ may not have taken the social networking world by a storm, but the Android application has one fantastic use -- it boasts an option, which allows you to automatically upload photos you've taken on your Nexus 4 to your Google+ account in the cloud. Even if you lose your device, you won't lose all those valuable memories.

14. Expand and collapse notifications
Android's notifications menu has become a pretty powerful feature lately, allowing you to see the contents of individual messages, such as emails or texts. To expand a notification, hold your finger on it and swipe downwards. To collapse, perform the same gesture but after you slide your finger down a little, slide it back up the screen.

15. Tidy up your homescreens
Even with five different homescreens, things can become crowded on your Nexus 4 if you're download-happy. A way of getting around this is to group apps into folders. All you have to do is press and hold down on an app, and then drag and float it over another app -- this will create the folder. Tapping a folder expands it and displays the contents within, and tapping the name of the folder will allow you to give it a more suitable moniker.

16. Silence your phone fast
For those moments when holding down the volume button just isn't a quick enough way of shutting up your phone, you can hold down the Nexus 4's power button briefly to bring up a separate menu. From here you can put your phone into silent or vibrate mode with a single tap, saving your blushes during important meetings.

17. Access your music from the cloud
Google Music is now available in the UK, and the Nexus 4 is the first phone to benefit from this expansion. You can upload your songs using your PC and then access them from the pre-installed Google Music application on your new Nexus phone. If your music doesn't show, check the app settings to ensure that it's been synced with your relevant Google account. 

18. View your Google Play library from your homescreen
Introduced with the launch of the Nexus 7 tablet earlier this year, the Google Play library widget gives a snapshot of the most recent movies, music and books you've either purchased or accessed recently. As well as looking rather fetching, it allows you to quickly jump back into content you've enjoyed over the past few days. You can place the widget on any of your five homescreens by selecting it from the Application Drawer.

19. Sync your bookmarks with Google Chrome
The default Android browser has officially been retired in 4.2, and Google's Chrome browser now takes centre stage. If you use Chrome on your desktop (or any other device, for that matter) you can sync your web activity with your Nexus 4.

20. Put your Nexus 4 into a Daydream
Daydream is another new facet of Android 4.2. It allows you to display content on your Nexus4's screen either when it's docked or simply charging at the mains. You can have it show a clock, fancy colours, content pulled from your Google Currents account or even a selection of photos.

21. Monitor your data usage
If you're on a contract which stipulates a fair usage policy on your data allowance, then you'll want to make use of this feature as much as possible. Go to Settings > Data Usage and you'll be shown a graph, as well as a list, of the most data-hungry apps. You can disable apps which you feel are eating too many megabytes, and even set a monthly limit to ensure you never blast over your allowance.

22. Power control
It's one of Android's most useful widgets and should be on every self-respecting owner's homescreen -- the Power Control widget allows you to toggle features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, auto-sync and screen brightness, all with a single tap.

23. Add phonetic names to contacts to make voice dialling easier
Even though Android's voice recognition is pretty nifty, it can struggle with names, which could lead to some potentially embarrassing accidental calls when you're using voice dialling. Thankfully, you can now add phonetic names to contacts so voice dialing knows the difference between your mum and Mama's Pizza.

24. Prolong your battery by enabling auto-brightness
When you're using your phone in a darkened room, the brightness of your screen doesn't have to be eye-meltingly intense, so it’s a good idea to switch on auto-brightness. By monitoring the level of light in the room, your Nexus 4 can determine how high luminous the screen needs to be, potentially saving your battery from needless drain.

25. Set applications to auto update
When you've got a shed-load of applications on your Nexus 4, manually installing updates can be a pain. Thankfully, there’s a way of automatically downloading and installing updates without having to lift a finger. Go to the Google Play market and select an app, then check the box which says 'Allow automatic updating'.

How to Factory Reset Nexus 4

Performing a factory reset on Nexus 4 is done when you purchased the tablet second-hand, wiping your apps and starting from scratch or when it’s basically not functioning at all. If you can still get to the tablet’s menu, make sure to back up all necessary documents before you perform hard reset on your device. Here’s how you can do factory reset of your Nexus 4.

1. On your tablet, go to Settings.

2. Under the Personal section, tap on Backup and Reset.

3. Tap on Factory Data Reset and then press on Reset Tablet.

4. If you've set up a password for your device, it will prompt you to enter the said password, pin or pattern. And lastly press Erase Everything to clean out your device.

But if you can’t even get to the menu screen or the device is not functioning at all, you need to do these steps before you can perform factory reset.

1. Turn off the device first if it’s turned on and using a USB cable, connect it to your computer.

2. Press and hold Volume Up, Volume Down and the Power button simultaneously for about 3-4 seconds. This will turn on the device and you’ll see an Android image lying on its back. Wait for your computer to install the drivers before you go to the next step.

3. Using the volume buttons, navigate your device until you reach the Recovery Mode option. Press the Power Button for OK.

4. Your device will restart and will boot to a screen showing an Android with a red triangle. Just press and hold for few seconds the Power Button and Volume up to make the menu screen appear.

5. Now that you’re on the menu options, go to Settings and just follow the steps above to navigate to the Factory Data Reset page using the volume buttons. Use the Volume buttons for YES and the Power button to confirm.

How to Make Your Nexus 4 a WiFi Hotspot

Ever imagine how you can make your own Nexus 4 a WiFi hotspot? Well, sure you can. This feature allows for your other devices to pick up your mobile hotspot settings on your Nexus 4. This is more preferable when you’re in public trying to locate a WiFi connection. You can share your Nexus 4 connection with up to 8 computers or other devices. Check out these steps for easy, convenient and a money-saver internet experience.

1. On your device, head on to Settings

2. Select Wireless and Networks. And tap on More options.

3. Go to Tethering and portable hotspot.

4. And finally check on Portable WiFi hotpost.


Wait for few seconds and your phone will start broadcasting its WiFi network name. Now you’re ready to connect your other device to your portable mobile wifi hotspot.


How to Extend Battery Life of Nexus 4

Battery Life depends on how you use your device. For Google Nexus 4 device, if you want to save your battery to last longer hours, you may need to adjust your settings. Follow these suggestions:

If your Nexus 4 tablet has multiple users, each user can change the global Battery Settings. To control the Battery settings, go to Settings, select Device and tap Battery.

To extend the battery life of your Google Nexus 4, you need to turn off the features that you are not using:

• Turn off the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or GPS on settings if not in used so your device will stop searching for a network signal. You can use the Settings app to turn them off. The GPS is located in Settings > Personal > Location access.

• The Maps or Navigation apps should not be leaved open on the screen. Close the application if not in used.

• Turn down your device volume with the volume keys.

• Lessen the screen brightness and make the Sleep timeout to shorter time. You can adjust the brightness on Settings > Device > Display

• Turn off the automatic syncing of apps if you don't need it. You can go to Settings > Accounts > Google account-name.

• If your not in range of a Wi-Fi network, switch your settings to Airplane mode. You can go to Settings > Wireless & Networks > More > Airplane mode, or press and hold the Power button.

• You should use the latest version of the software update. Software updates improves some features and fixes some bugs on the previous software version.

How to Turn on Screen Magnification on Google Nexus 4

With the advance technology we have these days, there is indeed an improvement of how day-to-day devices are structured. These devices, like mobile phones, can now cater to people with physical challenges especially to blind and deaf ones. Take for example the Google Nexus 4. It has lots of features that can be pretty useful to users with visual impairments. One of which is its screen magnification gestures which aides the readability of fonts and photos on a screen. Here's how to turn on the Screen Magnification feature on Nexus 4.

1.  On your Nexus 4 device, go to Settings.

2. Then go to System and select Accessibility.

3. And lastly go to Magnification Gestures to turn on screen magnification.

While you are in Magnification mode you can do these gestures:

1. Pan - just drag two or more fingers across the screen.

2. Adjust Zoom Level - pinch or expand using two or more fingers.

3. Temporarily magnify - triple-tap and hold.

4. Magnify and Pan - triple-tap and hold then drag your finger.

5. Toggle Magnification mode in and out - triple-tap and release or simply enter and exit and app to get out of magnification mode.

Take note that the triple-tap magnification gesture will work everywhere on your device except for the keyboard and navigation buttons.

How to Add and Remove an Account on Nexus 4

Synchronizing an account on your Nexus 4 enables you to get quick access on those accounts right on your smartphone. Whether you're adding a Google account or another account like Facebook or Twitter, then you must read this. Take note that in adding some accounts, you may need to obtain certain details from system administrator like the account's domain or server address. Here's how to add and remove an account on Nexus 4.


To add an account

1. On your device's screen, go to Settings.

2. Then go to Accounts and select Add account.

3. And tap on the kind of account you wish to add on your device. Just follow the on-screen instructions to complete. Most accounts require a username and password depending on the kind of account and the configuration of the service you're connecting to.

4. You may also be asked to configure what kinds of data you want to sync, name the account and other pertinent details.

5. Once you're done adding an account you can view them on:

> For Google Accounts you can view them under Settings > Accounts > Google.
> For all other accounts you can view them under Settings > Accounts.


To remove an account

1. To remove a Google account on your Nexus 4 touch its name under Settings > Accounts or Settings > Accounts > Google, then Menu > finally tap on Remove account.

2. To remove other accounts on your Nexus 4 go to Settings > Accounts > account-name and look for Remove option.

Next: Read the full Google Nexus 4 review or find out what's new in the smartphone world.

Galaxy S4 Camera Details Revealed by T3.Com

 Welcome back to another post on the Galaxy S4 news blog dear reader! Today, we have some fresh new stories to share with you and all of today's content comes right from T3.Com who I personally find a much reliable news source than many others that are a lot more popular. Today's news are also a lot more original since they focus on the Galaxy S4 camera details and features which is something that a lot of previous rumors and leaks did not mention at all. Yes - today's post won't be about any specs, processors or rumored release dates - today's post is about the S4 camera and I am honestly happy to welcome this change!

The S3 had a really nice thing going for it last year in terms of camera software

 Now, so far we have already heard that the Galaxy S4 will feature a 13 MP camera and this will probably is become and industry standard for high-level devices in the future. The fans are not planning to settle for anything less it would seem and Samsung will really have to put-out when it comes to this. Personally, I never understood why people demanded to have an amazing camera on their smartphone. I would still prefer to use my real camera during a trip or a major social event. Even so, there are just some moments that you want to capture in the best possible way and if you are paying over $700 for a phone why not look for one that has a really good camera?

 Well, those who have high expectation of Samsung when it comes to the Galaxy S4 camera can rejoice! T3.com is saying that they have a tip from AndroidGeeks that Samsung is working on a new feature that will maximize the power of their 13 MP camera. The concept is called Samsung Orb and this is expected to be superior to the S3's Photo Sphere. So, how would you like to take 360 degree pictures with a 13 MP camera on your Galaxy S4? I admit that I am also quite intrigued with this feature and  I certainly welcome a new concept!

 The website is also reporting that the Samsung Orb will have social media integration that will allow you to share your photos with your friends and allow them to enjoy the amazing photos that  you will no doubt be trying to create thanks to latest software and hardware that the Galaxy S4 is expected to dish out.

 So what do you think about this concept? It isn't anything extremely new, but it sounds pretty cool. Are there any other improvements to the camera that you would like to see? Leave a comment down bellow!

Galaxy S4 Snapdragon or Exynos Processor? You be the Judge!

 The hottest rumor on the web surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S4 is the processor debate - will the company opt for Exynos or will Qualcomm's Snapdragon be the driving force behind the new flagship? Do you want my honest opinion before you hear the facts and rumors? Well, I honestly don't care at the moment since I know that both of these are high quality products. However, what I am worried about is which is better compatible with the rest of the kit. One would assume that an Exynos processor would go better considering that it Samsung's own pride and joy and they can customize it as much as they like until it fits all their needs. Not to mention that the Exynos 5 Octa is a great marketing strategy so far! But this is just me, what do the rumors on the Internet say?

Well the Galaxy S4 news and rumor mill doesn't have all that much to say except for the same repetitive story which sounds a lot like this:

 The Galaxy S4 was featured in unofficial benchmarks last week and the *reliable, trustworthy etc* photos showed that the Galaxy S4 will be running a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The chairman of Qualcomm didn't give out any details about their possible cooperation with Samsung, but he did hint us that the company's new hardware is well-optimized and will provide *XX% better battery life*.

Click to zoom

You can see that I was being a bit sarcastic here, but the joke I played is very reasonable since every single article out there looks the same! Even blogs that have a good reputation to uphold seem to be getting lazy and just copy the same thing over and over again. I am telling you it is hard to find an original Galaxy S4 news source right now!

 Anyway, let me state a few facts about why you shouldn't worry about this issue in the first place. First of all, read my opening opinion at the top of the article in case you skipped (how dare you!). Second, please note that Samsung has used Qualcomm's processor units in the past already, specially in the USA. They didn't use them on some unpopular/low-level models as you might be thinking. Far from that! They used it on some of their Galaxy S3 devices, including the Galaxy S3 4G/LTE model which is pretty cool.

 The final thing to note is that Snapdragon 600 is a beast! It is powering the LG Optimums Pro and the new HTC One and I have to tell you that I am impressed by those two phones! I am sure that an improved version of that processor would fit great inside of the Galaxy S4!

 So what do you guys and girls think? Leave me a comment down bellow and have a wonderful day!

Micromax A27 Ninja:Budget Smartphone with a unique Swipe ‘n’ share Feature

Micromax A27 Ninja:Budget Smartphone with a unique Swipe ‘n’ share Feature

Micromax ,the mentors of the low cost smartphones continues to release their Android powered Smartphone devices with unbeatable price tags which makes it tough for their Competitors. 

Micromax continues to release the budget smartphones and this time they introduced an Android powered smartphone A27 Ninja with a unique feature Swipe ‘n’ Share. 

This feature allows you to share apps,games,pictures,videos and much more with any other
Android device with a swipe.

Micromax A27 Ninja is a dual sim device powered by a 1 GHz Spreadtrum SC6820 processor with 256 MB RAM and 160 MB internal storage which is expandable upto 16 GB with a microSD card.

Ninja runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread and has a VGA fixed focus rear camera. It features a 3.5-inch touch capacitive display with a 480x320 pixels resolution.

Ninja A27 supports 2G(EDGE) which is enough for a budget smartphone but it also has support for Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g ,Bluetooth 2.1,Micro USB and FM Radio which is much more to expect from a budget smartphone.Ninja A27comes with a 1400 mAh battery.

The Micromax Ninja A27 is available online with a Price of Rs.3,499 on Flipkart and the online retailer Saholic also offers it for a much more smaller price of Rs.3,399.

Though with the limited cost, Micromax offers latest features loaded within their devices . Micromax’s new Smartphone Micromax A116 Canvas2 HD which is launched earlier this month offers a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and features a 5-inch IPS display and all for just Rs.14000 while the Competitor Samsung offers their dual sim model Samsung Grand Duos for Rs.21000 and offering a 1.2 GHz dual-core and much less features than Canvas2 HD.

Micromax has a variety of smartphones coming most of them budget smartphones that would be within the range of about Rs.3000 to Rs.5000.

Key Specs of Micromax Ninja A27:

OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Processor:1 GHz Spreadtrum SC6820

RAM:256 MB

Camera:Fixed focus VGA rear camera.

Screen:3.5-inch touch with 480X320p resolution

Connectivity:Dual sim(GSM+GSM),Wi-Fi,Bluetooth 2.1,MicroUSB

Hope you Like the Post...
Share this!!

Samsung Galaxy S4 Design - a Fan Concept!

 Hey dear readership, how's it going? There are really no Galaxy S4 leaks and stories worth mentioning today, so we thought we'd spice it up a bit! How, you may ask, well, let me tell you! Instead of doing another hypothetical review, today I will focus on what the Galaxy S4 might actually look like - if the fans had a chance to make it! This is an article that is inspired by the hard work of the guys from AndroidPIT who created an amazing Galaxy S4 design render which I will be basing this article around.

 Here is the photo:

Looking nice isn't it?

 Looks really good doesn't it? I am not aware of the name of the author, but whoever this person is I salute them! Kudos for the great work! Yes, I really do like this concept and I find it a nice mix between two very different styles. Will the Galaxy S4 design really look anything like this? I don't really know, but if this is the path that the designer decide to go by, I will be very pleased!

 Now, somebody might come along and say - they only took a photo of another phone, made it longer and added a different display and some color effects. Indeed, this person would be correct, but even so, there some technical details about this design that make me very excited about it!

 So what are these things? Well, first of all, they say that the new Galaxy S4 will be a 5-inch smartphone and this means that it will be a lot bigger than we would like it to be. However, should it feature this sort of edge-to-edge display, the size would not have to increase much as all! And honestly, some people really dig this style anyway! If you are afraid of getting the phone damage too easily with such a design, then get a strong, durable, case kit and all your troubles will come to an end!

 I also like the back design that the authors clearly ripped-off from the LG Google Nexus 4. However, this is something I wouldn't mind. Indeed, wouldn't it be awesome if you Galaxy S4 was really a compilation of the best things out there and still brought in a lot of original features of its own? Now that would really be something!

 So, while we wait, feel free to leave a comment and tell us how you see things! :)

LG Optimus G: Great Value, Great Performance

LG has raised the benchmark of smartphones with Optimus G. Recently launched in Singapore market, the Optimus G is impressive and, in my opinion, the best-value high-performance smartphone.

Since all the phones look similar from the front, it's the back that clearly captures
the differences of each model.

Optimus G (LG-E975) Specs:

• Snapdragon S4 Pro Quad-core 1.5GHz processor
• 2GB RAM, 32GB Storage Memory
• 4.7" True HD IPS+ display
• 128x768 screen resolution
• 13MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera
• 2100mAh non-removable battery
• 131.9 x 68.9 x 8.45mm
• 145g
• Android Jellybean 4.1.2
• 4G LTE 1800/2600, 3G HSPA+ 42Mbps 900/2100, GPRS, EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, MHL, NFC
• Uses MicroSIM card
• No microSD card slot
• No USB-OTG support

As a Samsung Galaxy SIII owner, I cannot help but compare this latest product with it. Could Optimus G be a better Android smartphone?

Personally, I am happy with the user experience of the Optimus G and have no problem replacing my Galaxy SIII with the Optimus G. So that really summarises my impression on the Optimus G.

Build Quality - the Optimus G feels solid, with back panel using crystal reflection material, and the sides using dense gloss plastic. The hardware buttons feel firm and just the right size. The IPS+ display appears crisp without over-saturation, producing better whites, stronger blues. The screen glass surfaces does not attract fingerprints and grease, kudos to that.

Processor Speed - the Optimus G runs on quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 2GB RAM. It feels fast and responsive to touch and slide gestures. Personally, I feel it runs smoother than the Galaxy S3.

MHL - I am glad the Optimus G supports Mobile High-Definition Link, an industry standard to connect audio and video, typically via micro USB made popular by Samsung Galaxy smartphone series. I tested my MHL cable (the same one that works with Galaxy S2, not the S3 one). The Optimus G recognises it and displays a special menu screen so that you can easily consume your multimedia content. Alternatively you may choose to close this app and the Optimus G screen will be mirrored to the external display. Caution, though, for the smartphone will get quite hot when under heavy usage.

Flexible Interaction
LG Optimus G runs on its own user interface called Optimus 3.0. The UI offers additional features and differentiates from the competitors who also designs their own UI. While many purists would scorn at such customisations, I like well-designed UI and pre-installed apps that makes Android so much more usable out of the box, instead of having to download (or purchase) third-party apps.

Zooming - many pre-installed apps like Contacts allow you to change the font size just by using 2-finger pinch gestures. This is more convenient than having to go to display settings and change the global font size. You can also adjust the thumbnail sizes of the Photo Gallery using the zoom actions.

Optimus G also has the ability to zoom in to live video playback in realtime. This will be a splendid feature for fans as they watch videos of their idols in close-ups.

Notification Panel Quick Icons - Optimus G allows user to select the quick icons, as well as the QSlide apps, to display on the notification panel. So you can arrange the icons and select specific ones to show.

Home Screen - you can select themes, change the screen swipe effect, backup and restore the apps and themes, and even support landscape view.

You can also customise the home screen folder colours.

You can also replace any app icons, even create your own photo icon using the camera.

The app drawer icons can also be resized so that you can see more.

I also like how easy it is to manage apps on the Home Screen, allowing me to add, remove and arrange the apps within a single view.

Such rich features are only available with third party premium launchers, but Optimus G has them pre-installed.

Task Manager - you can here are many ways to present the app list: change the icon size, select the sort method, choose wallpaper. No longer are you restricted by the default display

QuickMemo - this is a feature to let you capture screen shots quickly and scribble on it before sharing online. The pen strokes are virtually lag-free, and I feel really natural writing on it.

QSlide

This is LG's answer to multi-tasking. You can display up to 2 QSlide apps as resizable floating windows which you can interact independently. To make them run in the background and yet continue to display the content, just slide the opacity bar. With this, you can, for instance, run videos to listen to the audio while working with other apps. And the Optimus G does this without any lag.

Camera Features
In the promotional material, LG boasts of camera features like Time Catch Shot, Cheese Shutter, and Smart Shutter. Time Catch Shot starts capturing the images even before you press the shutter, the Cheese Shutter lets you take photos with voice command, and the Smart Shutter claims to reduce fuzzy shots by analysing the camera movement.

Although the Optimus G is fitted with a 13-megapixel camera resolution, its image quality is no better than an 8-megapixel camera. The images lack sharpness and appears smudgy when viewed at 100%. But thanks to the higher pixel count, the camera offers sufficient resolution when downsized for posting on social platforms, and I like its quick start-up (within 1 second) so that I don't miss the moment.

Battery
Fitted with 2100mAh, the Optimus G battery drain is on par with Samsung Galaxy S3. I avoid giving actual figures because the actual usage varies with individual. For your information, my S3 battery drain is about 10 hours with 3G data network. If I turn off Sync and run fewer background apps, I can achieve 15 hours.



Almost Perfect, Except...
I really enjoy using the Optimus G and there are practically no usage problems, but there are just a few nitpicks.

Non-removable battery. I do not understand why phone makers would make the battery non-removable. There is no need to achieve slim device profile. In fact, almost every Asian consumer would purchase a thick phone casing to protect the phone.

No external microSD card slot. When I needed more storage space, the Optimus G cannot grow to meet my needs.

Heat. The Optimus G gets hot easily, thanks to the powerful processor. But the smartphone is smart enough to detect overheating and will either stop the charging circuit or initiate an auto shutdown. It will also cap the maximum brightness when temperature is too high.


Final Word
If I haven't made myself clear, I like the Optimus G. It's got a great physical build, runs fast and smooth, and retails at S$768. Users would appreciate the interface's customisation capabilities without having to install third party apps. It's good to see many Android brands improving on their products and to give consumers like me choices for my next smartphone upgrade.


This review is also published on StarHub Community.

Blackberry Z10 Tips and Tricks

The first device to sport the new BB10 operating system, the BlackBerry Z10 is a brave new start for the company formerly known as RIM. The familiar keyboard is gone and in its place is an iPhone-like design, a 4.2-inch screen and an entirely touch-driven interface. It's not the first time that a BlackBerry handset has gone completely keyboard-less, but it's arguably the biggest change in the company's history.

Change can be a headache, especially if you're a seasoned BlackBerry user. There are an awful lot of differences in the latest version of the BlackBerry OS, and that means a generous helping of tips and shortcuts is in order. Here goes!

1. Type faster

BlackBerry phones are famous for their physical keyboards, and even though the Z10 omits this iconic interface, it's no slouch when it comes to text input. The on-screen keyboard is bursting with cool features and the way in which it predicts your next word is uncanny. During typing, if the word you're looking to spell is predicted successfully, simply swipe upwards on the relevant button and it will be inserted into the message you're creating.

If you'd rather the suggested words appeared above the keyboard rather than directly over it, go to Settings > Language > Input > On-Screen Keyboard. Select In-Column in the Text Prediction Display settings.

2. Take a screenshot of the display

If you fancy taking a snapshot of what your Z10's screen is currently showing, simply hold down the Up and Down volume keys at the same time. The image will be magically deposited in the Pictures folder.

3. Get connected

The BlackBerry Hub does exactly what it says on the tin -- it's the centre of the Z10 experience, and will be where you spend most of your time. You can add an email address, which also syncs with calendars and contacts, but it's also possible to link up social networking accounts such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. To add more accounts, tap the '...' icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen and then select Settings > Email Accounts.

4. Turn your phone into a clock

Swipe down from the lock screen to activate the clock. This also suppresses all notifications, so it's a handy feature when you don't want to be disturbed. To put the phone back into its normal state, simply swipe up or down on the display.

5. Activate voice control

Android has Google Now and iOS has Siri, but the Z10 isn't to be outdone -- it has Voice Control, too. You can access this feature by holding down the Mute button for two seconds, and then command your phone using nothing but your dulcet tones.

6. Take a photo from the lock screen

It's possible to take a snap without even unlocking your phone. Simply hold your finger down on the camera icon for a few seconds and it will open up, ready for that impromptu photo of your friend accidentally colliding with a lamp post during a frantic BBM conversation.

7. Turn your phone into a USB storage device

Android owners will already be aware how handy it is to have a phone that doubles as a means of storing and transferring files. The Z10 offers the same function, but you'll need to make sure it's enabled correctly before you go plugging your phone into the nearest PC. Go to Settings > Storage and Access and select the appropriate USB storage option -- you can pick Windows or Mac, or alternatively you can allow the phone to auto-detect the OS it's trying to communicate with.

8. Type in more than one language

If you're fluent in more than just English, you may want to install additional languages on the Z10 so that it correctly picks up spelling errors or suggests words in other tongues. Go to Settings > Language and Input > Input Languages > Add/Remove Languages and pick the ones you want. C'est magnifico, nein?

9. Enable Adobe Flash in your browser

It would appear that reports of Flash's death have been greatly exaggerated. Although its mobile development has stalled, it's still a big part of the Web experience. The Z10 comes with support for Flash in its browser, but it's disabled by default -- most likely because it's a drain on your battery and can cause performance issues when surfing the web. To switch it on, go to the browser's Settings > Display and Actions.

10. Delete an entire word while typing

Having to tap the delete key to remove a 15-letter word you've misspelled is a drag, but thankfully the Z10 offers a quicker method. If you find you've gone wrong halfway through typing Mississippi, simply swipe left with your finger and the entire word will be deleted in one fell swoop.

11. Keyboard shortcuts aplenty

There are a number of cool keyboard shortcuts baked into BB10. Typing 'myver' and then tapping the spacebar gives you your current BlackBerry OS version. 'mypin' quickly displays your BlackBerry PIN number and 'mynumber' shows your phone number. These handy hints save you having to dig into the settings menu to find the information, which takes much longer.

12. Create custom typing shortcuts

You can create your own keyboard shortcuts to make typing even faster. To cook up your unique custom keyboard shortcuts, go to Settings > Language and Input. Tap on the Automated Assistance option under the Text Input heading. On the following screen, tap Word Substitution, and you can start crafting your own personal dictionary to make short work of typing in the future.

13. Finding application settings

Struggling to find the settings for the application you're currently viewing? Try swiping down from the top of the screen -- you'll find that it often reveals additional settings, help guides or other info about the current app.

14. Hide the keyboard

Want to see more of the screen but can't because the on-screen keyboard has popped up? Simply swipe down the screen with two fingers and the keyboard will dock itself, offering you an unimpeded view of the display. You can also activate the keyboard at any time by swiping with two fingers in the opposite direction.

15. Find your phone if you lose it

Everyone has those days when you're about to leave the house and can't find your phone. Where is it?! Thankfully, the Z10 has BlackBerry Protect. You can enable this feature from the System Settings menu and once it's switched on, you can use your computer to track the location of the device.

Log into protect.blackberry.com with your BlackBerry ID and you'll be able to see the exact location, as well as send messages to it, so you can hear the notification sound. You can even wipe all of the content on the device -- should you discover it's not in your house as you thought, but stuck down the back of a seat on the last train home.

16. Creating App Folders

This works in the same way as it does on Android and iOS. Simply tap and hold your finger on an application until all of the app tiles start to pulsate. Then drag the app onto another app and release your finger. The second app will turn into a folder containing both, and you'll then be prompted to enter a title for the folder.

17. Preview your last photo without opening it

You can quickly get a better view of the last image you took with the camera -- just hold your finger in the corner of the thumbnail that appears in the corner of the display, then drag to expand it. This means you can look at the photo without having to leave the camera screen and wait for the image viewer application to open.

18. Take the perfect picture with Timeshift

Timeshift takes several snaps of a single scene and allows you to pick the best one. It's especially handy when you're taking photos of people, as it means you can avoid problems like blinking eyes or mis-timed smiles. To enable Timeshift, just tap the camera icon when you're in the camera application and then select the leftmost symbol.

19. Check your battery as a percentage

That battery icon in the top corner of the display is all well and good, but sometimes you need actual numbers to get an idea of how much juice remains in the tank. It's perfectly possible on the Z10, but the process is rather long-winded. You'll need to visit Settings > About and then change the category from General to Hardware. The battery level will be shown as a percentage.

20. Access the BlackBerry Hub from anywhere

See that row of numbered icons at the bottom of the App screen? Next to that you'll also notice a symbol made of three thin lines. Tapping this will take you directly to the all-important BlackBerry Hub, saving you from having to swipe through your apps to get there. If you're already in an application, simply swipe upwards from the very bottom of the screen and then swipe to the right -- this gesture will pause the current app and take you straight to the Hub.

21. Peek at your notifications without waking the screen

You can have a crafty look at what's happening on your BlackBerry Z10's screen without having to touch the power button to wake the screen. Simply swipe halfway up the screen from the bottom when the display is powered down and you'll be able to sneak a peek without actually unlocking the phone. Just remember that you have to swipe back down the screen -- without lifting your finger -- to return the handset to sleep mode.

22. Turn off accidental gesture control

This tip follows on rather neatly from the previous one, as it enables you to switch off the ability to use gestures to control the Z10 when the screen is idle. Simply go to Settings > Display and you'll see an option that says Allow Gestures when Locked. Switch this to off and you'll no longer have to worry about accidentally unlocking your phone when you're fumbling for spare change in your pocket.

23. Make the screen easier to read

Not everyone is blessed with perfect 20:20 vision -- if we were, we'd all be fighter pilots competing for the Top Gun trophy -- and it's for this reason that so many phones come with Accessibility options built-in, which cater for those with impeded eyesight. On the Z10 you can enlarge the font to make it easier to see by going to Settings > Accessibility > Display Settings.

If that's not enough, you can switch on the magnify mode, which allows you to use a pinch-to-zoom gesture -- like the one commonly seen in Web browsers and image viewers -- to closely inspect any part of the operating system. Go to Settings > Accessibility and switch Magnify Mode on.

24. Put your contact details on your lock screen

Ever thought what would happen if you lost your phone? If you've got the lock screen passcode enabled on your Z10, whoever finds it won't have any way of knowing who it belongs to -- which is why it's a good idea to personalise your phone. By going to Settings > Display, you can add your name and Twitter handle, allowing the finder to get in touch (assuming they're an honest soul, of course).

25. Select which messages appear in the BlackBerry Hub

If you're something of a social butterfly and have loads of Twitter followers, Facebook friends and LinkedIn associates -- not to mention a full inbox -- you might want to be more picky about which messages appear in the BlackBerry Hub to avoid going totally insane from all the content flooding into your phone. From the Hub menu, tap the '...' icon in the bottom-right corner and select Settings. Then pick Hub Management and toggle the accounts you wish to receive notifications from.

Galaxy S4 Benchmark Rumor (Again!)

 Ready for another stack of Samsung Galaxy S4 rumors? I sure hope you are since this post will have a lot of fun news and stories to cover! However, before we actually get started with today's rumors let us look back on a post from last month, when AnTuTu benchmark reveled some interesting new specs. Today, the story continues as the Galaxy S4 got benchmarked once more (supposedly) and there some new rumors about its hardware and overall performance. So, put your thinking caps on and let us get started on our journey!

Another S4 Benchmark photo pops up!

 The specs that the new AnTuTu Benchmark is proposing aren't very different from the original report and there is only one major difference worth mentioning - the CPU. According to the service provider, the Galaxy S4 has a CPU that is running at 1.9 GHz which is a bit better than the 1.8 GHz report we heard last month. While it seems like it is not a big deal, it appears that the little tweaks have been done are actually making an amazing difference. Last month the Galaxy S4 scored a bit more than 20,000 points on AnTuTu benchmark and as you can see right now it has an impressive score over 24.317! Of course, this all goes as long as you are ready to believe all of this.

The Galaxy S4 Sets the Bar Quite High!

 Either way if this report is true, this means that S4 will once again help Samsung set the quality bar very high. The score of over 24,000 points is so impressive that there is currently no phone on the Market that can beat it. The Asus Padfone 2 and HTC J Butterfly come very close since they are the only other devices that got over 20,000 points. And for comparison purposes let us just throw this out: the Galaxy Note 2 "only" scored 17,500 points on the test, which just goes to show how much Samsung is going to improve on their previous lineup.

 Another thing that people are busting their heads over is the CPU issue. The rumors are now indicating a 1.9 GHz clock speed and nobody is sure which unit is going to be placed inside of the phone. One would think that it would obviously be an Exynos CPU, but rumors are suggesting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 or Snapdragon S4 Pro. I personally find it hard to believe, although it is possible that Samsung might not be able to  bring the Exynos CPU in time for every single market and thus they will have to settle with a Qualcomm chipset on selected markets. Whatever the case, both units are quality products and will certainly add value to the device.

Don't trust every rumor out there!

Windows Phone 8 tips and tricks

Windows Phone 8 is Microsoft’s latest mobile operating system. Sceptics may say it’s not a patch on iOS or Android but, finally, they’re being proved wrong. Windows Phone 8 now offers a bundle of features not available at the big Windows for phones re-launch of 2010.

Want to know what Windows Phone 8 can do? Here are our top tips and tricks.

How to change Live Tile sizes

One of the most important new features of Windows Phone 8 is that you can make Live Tiles smaller. In Windows Phone 7, you were restricted to just two sizes, and that meant it was pretty hard to make good use of your phone’s screen space. To cycle between the sizes, hold a finger down on a Live Tile then tap the downward-facing arrow icon on its bottom-right edge.

How to save maps in Nokia Maps (Nokia phones only)

A top feature of any Nokia Windows Phone mobile is Nokia Maps. In turn, its top-billing bit is being able to save maps to the phone’s internal memory. To do this, tap the “…” icon to the bottom-right of the screen in Nokia Maps, then tap the “download maps” option. You’ll then be given a choice of different map regions to download. The whole of England is only a few hundred megabytes, so it’s well worth a download if you live in a poor signal area, or want to save on mobile data.

How to multi-task

Like so many elements of Windows Phone 8, multi-tasking is easy to use and looks pretty fantastic. To access the multi-tasking menu, just hold down on the home button – the middle soft key – and this menu pops up. It shows recent apps as large thumbnail previews that take up around 60-70 per cent of the screen, a bit like the tabs menu in some mobile browsers.

How to delete apps

So simple it’s barely a tip, you delete apps from the main apps menu – a right-to-left swipe away from the home screen. Just hold down a finder on an app and a little menu will appear. In this menu you’ll see the uninstall option. Tap that and the app will be no more.

How to take screenshots in Windows Phone 8

You may never need to take a screenshot with your phone, but to people like us an easy screenshot tool is a godsend. Just press the power button and the Windows soft key at the same time and you’ll hear a shutter sound. A screenshot will then be saved to the image gallery.

How to activate Kid’s Corner

Kid’s Corner is a feature introduced with version “8” of Windows Phone that provides an area that’s safe for kids to play with – they won’t stumble upon anything untoward or accidentally (or otherwise) delete all your music. You’ll find the option within the main Settings menu. It lets you manually select the apps, games accessible from within Kid’s Corner. To access it, you simply swipe right-to-left from the lock screen.

How to add camera effects and modes

The camera app of Windows Phone 8 is pretty basic by itself, with no Panorama or HDR modes. However, you can add camera modules that add these sorts of features. Microsoft calls them Lenses. You can access the Lenses menu by tapping the button within the camera app that features two arrows pointing in different directions. Additional Lenses are available to download too, and plenty are free.

How to access Skydrive

Skydrive is Microsoft’s cloud storage solution. With a Windows Phone you’re automatically given several gigabytes of storage online – and when you setup your phone you’re given the option to automatically backup your data to the cloud. But how do you access it? With a phone, it’s pretty simple – your Skydrive photos will show up as an album within the camera roll, and other data is automatically sync’d. To access your data with a laptop/desktop browser, it’s pretty easy too. Click the downward arrow in the nav bar at the top of the screen of the Outlook.com interface. A pop-up menu will appear, featuring Skydrive as an option. Select it and you’ll see all your Skydrive wares.

How to identify a tune, without Shazam

Windows Phone 8 has its own tune identification engine – just play your phone a song while connected to the net and it’ll tell you what it is. The OS doesn’t shout about the feature, though. Tap the Search soft key, common to all Windows phones, and the universal Bing search bar will pop up. On the bottom of the screen you’ll see a darkened bar with two icons. Tap the one with a note on it and the mic will start listening for a tune. As long as it’s clear enough, it’ll attempt to identify what it is. Simple.

How to read QR codes and barcodes

The other icon here, bearing an eye is what you use to scan barcodes and QR codes, and even read text, turning it into text you can copy and paste into documents. This really is a fantastic feature, and that Windows Phone 8 doesn’t even show it off demonstrates impressive taste and reserve, we reckon.