Tilt-Shift Camera: For Shutterbugs

Tilt Shift photos make the world look like a miniature model. This is achieved traditionally by manipulating depth and perspective of a view using dedicated Tilt Shift lens in a dSLR. However the miniature effect can also be mimicked using Photoshop and other tools. Tilt Shift Camera is an application that can be used to click Tilt Shift Photos easily. 

The application is simple to use and easy to control to achieve desired results. You can move the focus area up or down, control the size of focus area along with controlling the color saturation and filter radius of the photo. This helps you to get different results for different environments. However the application does not let you zoom into the view. 

The application also allows you to edit already taken photos to add tilt shift effect over them and the obtained results are as good as any. These edited photos can then be saved to your gallery. This application works perfectly for its description and is a must try for photography enthusiasts.  I have included some camera samples below. 

Stop Using Google Chrome!

Google Chrome is the most popular browser available in the market right now and that is evident by its huge user base that only seems to be rising. So why not use it? Read on..

Google Chrome is the most stable of all the browsers and the large number of extensions available can truly give you a personalized experience. But all of this comes at a cost. Google Chrome is also one of the top resource user on your machine. It eats up a huge chunk of RAM while using, so for devices with limited RAMs the performance is not great. In fact it would be advisable to use an alternative. In most of the benchmark tests the performance of Google Chrome is not comparable to its alternatives.

Google has built Chrome to be extendable and you can easily sign in to your Google account to sync your bookmarks, history and saved passwords on any number of your devices. Though it adds a little touch of convenience, it also raises some issues with Google tracking all your browsing data.

So What's the Alternative?

There are many alternate browsers available in the market like Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge that match up to the potential of Google Chrome. 

But I would recommend using the Opera browser for some of its many add on features.

• Opera has an in built Ad-Block so you don't need to install any extensions to avoid those annoying ads all over Facebook and YouTube.
• It also contains a turbo mode for slow connections that essentially lowers the data usage in loading web pages and is recommended if you're using a mobile connection.
• The new Opera browser also comes in with free VPN that can be used to access content restricted by your ISP.
• The browser also comes in with a battery saver mode that promises to increase your battery life while browsing.
• Opera has a clean UI without any clutter and also provides a huge number of extensions to personalize your experience.

Wally : Curated High Quality Wallpapers

Most wallpaper applications available on the Play Store do not have high quality wallpapers needed for the full HD screens and the ones which have do not update their content regularly. 

Wally promises to provide premium high quality wallpapers in 2k, 4k upto 10k resolution for all your smart phone needs. The application updates its content regularly so you can find new wallpapers everyday.


The wallpapers are available for ten categories which include Buildings, People, Objects, Nature, Food, Drink, Technology, Water, Fresh, B&W, Love, Space and Quotes. There has been no compromise with the content. The wallpapers are submitted by photographers around the world and selected and presented in the application. 

You can browse wallpapers in three tabs New, Featured and Collections. Collection include a set of wallpapers labeled under a special category. You can even login and create your own personal collection or make them publicly available.  


Give it a try and you wont need any other wallpaper application for quite some time.

      

Backdrops : Wallpapers

Wallpaper App for Big Screens

Backdrops is a bliss for those of us who want the perfect wallpaper. It took quite a while for a beautifully designed app with rich content to show up on the playstore which could do justice to the full HD screens of our devices. 

Backdrop is designed into tabs namely community, explore and favorites. The huge collection of amazing wallpapers are uploaded by users across the globe. You can sign up to submit your photographs as wallpapers too. 

The community and explore tab are refreshed with new wallpapers everyday. You can set any wallpaper from inside the application. However you may only save wallpapers from the community tab. Saving wallpapers to your device from the explore tab requires the pro version.

While most wallpaper apps provide compressed images that appear grainy on the large screens, Backdrops does not shy away from listing wallpapers with size as much as 3-4 mb with exceptional quality, which in turn is required for the full HD screens. 

This application is a must try for people using big screen android device. 

Download Backdrops

Best FREE Live Wallpaper : Paperland Live Wallpaper

Customization is the thing we love most about our Android Phones. Among other things live wallpapers are the things that help customize our phones to our liking. Live wallpapers help change to the boring static screens of our phones on to dynamic one. Let's talk about the best live wallpaper we came across in the play store. 

     

Paperland Live wallpaper is a very interesting live wallpaper which puts a scenery on your screen with moving elements. The default theme comes with a scenery with the sun, clouds, road, trees, cars etc that are all moving. You can also adjust the speed of these objects in the settings according to your need. 

    

One of the cool features of paperland live wallpaper is that it adapts to the local weather and changes its scenery accordingly. For example if it's raining the live wallpaper will show thundering clouds and rains and if it's snowing then the live wallpaper will also display snowing.

Paperland live wallpaper is also very battery efficient and does not drain out your battery too much like other wallpapers.

Paperland comes with a default theme. There are many more themes which you can have by buying the pro version of the application from the play store. So if you use live wallpapers to customize your android device do try Paperland Live Wallpaper


Paperland Live Wallpaper

Fleksy Android Keyboard: Why we Love it!

Fleksy is a third party Android Keyboard which is now also available for IOS devices. Now most of you use the preinstalled keyboard provided(Google Keyboard or the manufacture keyboard). But they have a limited functionality and are simple. So lets see what makes Fleksy stand out.

Fleksy has a very wide layout that is pleasing to the eye and easy to use. The keyboard can be re-sized to three basic sizes depending upon the size of your screen. But the keyboard layout is such that you need both hands to type in. I find this good as with the large screen phones now I don't see how one can type only with one hand. Also the keyboard does not have the popular swipe feature and that's not a problem for me as I don't use swipe to type phrases.

The feature that makes Fleksy catch the eye is the extensions. Fleksy has a lot of extensions to add to the keyboard like the number row above the keyboard, shortcuts to apps and hot-keys etc. You can add up to three extensions to your keyboard according to your liking. And let me tell you these extensions work like a charm.

Although one of the feature that still lags behind is the language support. Fleksy has only basic language support and languages like Urdu and Hindi are still under development.

High on features the keyboard is also high on price. There is a limited trial and a limited number of themes and extensions that can be used. For all other things you'll have to pay. You can always just buy the keyboard and use the basic themes and extensions which are enough if you ask me. That said I have been using this keyboard since last six months and it hasn't disappointed.

Fleksy[Android][IOS]

Tell us which third party keyboards do you use on your device.

Take A Look: Photo Editor Apps

Photo Editor Apps for Android and other platforms

1. Aviary[Android]

Aviary is a nice photo editor that comes with a lot of customization options. You can always chose from numerous effects to add to the original photo. There are a lot of plugins available for effects most of which are free but you might have to buy some if you need all the effects, that said i would say that you might not need to buy any because there are already a lot of options to chose from. Then there are stickers and overlays which can be added to the photos. You can add text, draw and blur the images. In short it has a lot of options to try and a lot of cool effects. One other feature called Meme is given however it just gives an option to add upper and bottom text to the photo to make it a meme as known in popular internet culture. It has a very nice UI and sharing options once you are done with editing photos.

       

2. Adobe Photoshop Express[Android][Windows Phone]

This is an app by the masters themselves. Adobe has released this app to mobile platforms to make the task of photo editing even more easier and on the go. However the app is heavy on the size. This has a comparatively lesser effects than Aviary and you have to buy premium effects. It has only some editing options available for example cropping, red eye removal, blemish removal etc. (No stickers). Frames can be used. The UI is basic. All in all the app does the work it is supposed to do, but it could have been better. One of the feature available is that you can edit the images stored in your adobe account from the cloud. 

 

3. Autodesk Pixlr[Android]

This is the app that i found most promising. Its light weight (only 11mb), however it will download plugins for effects and everything else(Yes! it pretty much downloads everything so you can download everything according to your need). The UI is great and sharing options too. The app also lets you create collages with changing layouts and effects. If you are looking all for one app this is the one. You don't need to go any further.

                                  
 

Internet Browsers: Android

Internet Browsers: Android

We all need the internet for almost every purpose of our lives. Be it from booking tickets to searching for meaning of a word, Internet keeps you posted about everything happening around you. Therefore we also need a good internet browser to access the information. Now most of us are already using apps for most of the things on our smart phones but for some things browsers are still needed. So here is a line up of some browsers for your android device. 

1. Chrome Browser-Google

Already famous among desktop browsers, Google launched its browser for android devices. Sync your personalised chrome experience from your computer to bring it with you anywhere you go. 
Pros: 
• The browser is fast. 
• Able to sync with your Google account 
• Supports HTML5. 
Cons: 
• It takes a lot of memory 
• No native support for Adobe Flash. 
• Only available for 4.0 android and above. 

Download

2. Mozilla Firefox

Firefox for android puts power of the web in your hands. It is fast, easy to use, & customization with the latest security and  privacy features to help you stay safe on the internet. Provides features for extensive security settings, add-ons, and features like Do Not Track. 

Pros: 

• List of available add-ons. 

• Adobe flash player support. 

• Can sync with the PC Mozilla browser. 

Cons: 

• Can be slow and and high memory usage. 

• Sometimes force-closes. 

Download

3. Opera for Android

Fast, smooth and easy to use when browsing on atablet or a smartphone. Ideal browser to use on slow network connections. It is designed to support low end android devices. 

Pros: 

• Saves bandwidth when turbo mode is on. 

• Provides smooth and fast browsing experience. 

• Supports text wrapping. 

Cons: 

• I cant find..u can report if found. 

Download

4. UC Browser

This browser is fast, loads quickly and add a lot of useful features. It has everything you expect from a desktop browser. You can move to full screen browsing with the single button touch. 

Pros: 

• Decent interface. 

• Provides night theme. 

Cons: 

• Gets stuck sometimes. 

Download

5. Dolphin Browser

Dolphin browser is one of the best browser available on the play store. It can perform quite a number of tricks including gesture control, voice control, sidebars, quick tab switching and add-ons support. 

Pros: 

• RAM friendly. 

• Gesture and voice controls. 

• Provides full screen browsing option. 

Cons: 

• No support for Adobe Flash. 

Download

Article by: Mohammad Adil Khan

Windows Phone 8.1 : Microsoft has finally done it!

Windows Phone 8.1 : Developers Preview( For everyone! )

Earlier this week on Monday Microsoft released its Windows Phone 8.1 Developers Preview. This was the answer to all the critics to the Windows Phone who complaint about things like a notification center, moving apps to SD card and lack of customization. 

You must all be very curious to try your hands on this new Developers release. Well, not going by its name the Developer Preview of the Windows Phone 8.1 is almost for everybody who can follow some easy steps. Lets begin. 

Step 1:

Click on this and sign in using the Microsoft account running on your Windows Phone 8 device. Then get your self registered by accepting the terms.

Step 2:

On your device download and install Preview For Developers App by Microsoft. You can also download the app from here. ( Also make sure that your device is running the GDR3 update or Lumia Black)

Step 3:

Now start the app and accept the terms. Sign into your Microsoft account and Enable Preview for Developers. 

Step 4:

Go check Phone Updates in settings you will find updates for your phone. There will be two updates first one is a small one and it helps the phone to install the larger update. The small update is of 5-10mb and the larger update is of  400-500mb. 

If you encounter any problem or have any queries leave it in the comments below. 

New Innovative Design Keyboards for Android

New Innovative Design Keyboards for Android

Here are some new and innovative design keyboards that are worth take a look if you want some new design and features to add to your keyboard! 

1. Fleksy Keyboard

A day or two use of Fleksy keyboard and i am already liking this one. Although it certainly lacks the ability to swipe and type but still the one thing that features above all is design. It is specially good for small screen android phones and people that find their fingers hitting the wrong keys most of the time. Fleksy is clear and big. Almost easy to use. For the people who use solely English while typing, this is a great keyboard. And of course most of us who use Hinglish, it will take some time to add some words to dictionary. But its totally worth it. Give it a try! 

You can download Fleksy Keyboard from here

2. Minuum Keyboard

Minuum Keyboard should be used for its word suggestion skills, But that is to some extent limited to English only. This is not for people using Hindi words in their messages. Minuum has a very unique and interesting layout which takes very less space on your screen and thus making the full use for the screen. Also it will take some time getting used to this new layout because it is unlike any other layout. One of the great features are that if you start using this properly you might never have to type another full word( Sounds to lazy! ) 

You can download Minuum Keyboard from here

3. 8 Pen

8 Pen is by far the most innovative keyboard for Android. Instead of using a normal layout for a keyboard it uses a wheel structure where typing is done by dragging the wheel. Its not easy though! and uses a large amount of work to learn. The basic concept was to built a keyboard that can be easily used to comfortably type in small screens. For using this keyboard you can also learn from some games made by the same developer to improve your skills.

You can download 8 Pen from here