Tag: App

App Of The Day : Island : Secure Your Data And Apps
Data security is a big concern not only for governments and big corporations but the average smart device users as well. There have been several incidents of a data breach that have affected people from around the globe. Both iOS and Android operating systems are quite good at securing user data but certain apps can steal sensitive information stored on the user’s smart device. Even though Android operating system uses a sandbox environment that restricts applications from accessing unauthorised data. Some applications, however, can get a hold of user data and send it to offshore locations for malign purposes.

Island

Click Here To Download Island App

Island is an application for the Android OS that allows users to manage data usage privileges of particular applications. The application is freely available from the Google Play store and it creates an isolated domain that the user can manage in accordance with their requirements.

How Does It Work

The Island application for Android makes a clone of all the essential applications like the Play Store, file storage, and contacts. These applications reside within the same user account as the original applications however the data stored on both instances of application varies. The Island app has two tabs which are Mainland and Island. As the name suggests, the Mainland tab inhibits all the applications that are present on the device. Whereas, the Island tab only inhibit the applications that have been manually cloned by the user. The applications in the Island tab can only exchange data with other Island applications.

The user can log into the Island Play Store with different mail id and download applications. The applications downloaded will only have access to the cloned apps that were also created by the Island app. Therefore, the user can store bogus contacts and files on the Island filesystem. This will allow the user to run potentially hazardous apps by providing them access to private user data.

How Is It Different And Top Features

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy A50 Will Feature A 4,000 mAh Battery And 24 MP Main Camera

A lot of other applications like parallel space and dual space are also available on the Google Play Store. However, they do not provide the level of control that Island does. The list of top features is as follows:
- It allows the user to manually freeze certain applications. The applications when in a frozen state will stay as is and cannot access the internet or perform any tasks in the background.
- The bogus contact and file storage apps can trick applications to work smoothly. Other applications would not function normally if the user deprives an application from particular access rights.
- Certain applications can be enforced to channelise data via a VPN server. Good use of this could be accessing a website from another region that is restricted in the user’s region. A lot of media corporations limit users from other regions to access their content.
Additionally, Island app on a rooted device provides an even higher level of control in comparison to a non-rooted device.
January 1, 2019
Kim Kardashian Kimoji App – Breaks the App Store

After making a super popular game, Kim Kardashian now wants to get into the emoji business. The new App for Kim Kardashian emojis aka “Kimoji” is live. The app that currently costs US $ 1.99 and in India Rs.120. Is not a big fan favourite, especially since people need to pay to even try the App.

When the App went live however, many of the reality star’s fans have taken to Twitter to complain they were unable to download it. According to Kim the App was so popular it caused problems for the App Store servers.

Apple, I'm so sorry I broke your App Store!!!

— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) December 21, 2015

I can't believe so many people downloaded my KIMOJI app that it affected the entire app store!

— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) December 21, 2015

Kardashian West announced the app, which launches Monday, on Twitter and Instagram.

KIMOJI

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Dec 20, 2015 at 9:43pm PST

One user said

Well first off it began with asking for full access and if you don’t give full access you can’t use it. (Possibly out of your $1.99 if your lazy enough to ask for refund) It reads it will not store any info you type but yet when you click full access it reads it will save all info. Including credit card information :|. The emoji design themselves are great, they couldn’t be more perfect for her. I do wish they were a bit smaller like the original emojis. The keyboard crashed or just didn’t appear the first time I tried using it. I had to delete and reinstall. Every so often it will appear blank, no emojis will pop up only the letters keyboard. I think over all it’s a great idea but room for improvements

Either way, there are still a lot of Kardashian fans that would love to get these “Kimojis” in play. Sigh!

App Store

December 22, 2015
Not Sure What to Make of Reflexion- OnePlus’ New Photography App

In another of its firsts, OnePlus has now launched a photography app called Reflexion. It has been released as an inspiration of OnePlus X, celebrating OnePlus’ latest device.

“Inspired by our latest device, Reflexion…easy-to-use photography app that explores contrasts and harmony in everyday moments. Capture your world, express your unique personality and share it with those you care about,” says the company.

The app is available for download on both iOS and Android devices. Basically, what the app does is take two photographs, one from the front camera, the other from the rear camera, and it stitches them together in an X-pattern on your screen. Like almost all other photography apps, Reflexion allows for easy sharing options of the picture on social media.

https://youtu.be/XczhUed1X_I

Don’t get too carried away by the fancy video though. We’re not too sure how exciting an addition Reflexion is to the app-world, especially post the song and dance of OnePlus X earlier this week. You can find more information about it on Reflexion’s official website, or you can check out the Google Play listing.

Are you as impressed by Reflexion as OnePlus would want? Let us know in the comments below.

October 31, 2015
VSCO Cam Joins the Bandwagon With Its Own GIF Making App

Whether or not a consensus has been reached on the pronunciation of the word, GIFs are all set be a bigger part of our virtual lives. VSCO Cam have decided to follow suit with lots of other developers and come up with its own GIF-making app. However, the glitch is this app is only for iOS users.

https://youtu.be/cthr_L7wt5A

DSCO, an Instagram-like app, is unveiled by the company for achieving the moving image effect for a footage of few seconds. This mobile photography app allows you to choose filters and presets, developed along with MTV and others, for your GIF before posting it on one of the social media platforms or on the company’s own portal. The app is available as a free download for all iOS users.

October 29, 2015
Google India Launches Public Transport App for New Delhi Residents

Commuting in Delhi is about to get a whole lot easier. Google India announced a new app today called Delhi Public Transport. It is an experimental app from the Google Maps team designed for New Delhi residents to get around on public transport.

The idea is to make life easier for those who use buses and metros to commute. The app works in offline mode so you won’t have to worry about choppy connectivity when looking for transit directions. It also provides directions and timetable of Metros and buses. You will now get directions from any bus or metro stops, and find out if they are running late.

“In addition to having lots of useful information available offline, Delhi Public Transport also provides you with public transport news and delay information when you do have a connection, all packed into a small app of about 1 MB download size.”

Initial reviews of the app have been very favorable. Users have requested the company to launch the app in other parts of the country as well. The app is still in its early days and Google India is looking to improve on it through customer feedback. So go ahead and download the app, now available on Google Play Store, and let the team know what you think about it.

October 8, 2015
LowRes Coder App for iOS Lets You Create Your Own 8-bit Games

Have you ever had a great game in mind but never could get it past the idea stage because you just didn’t know how? Well, there is an iOS app called LowRes Coder that allows you to create that 8-bit game you’ve always wanted to ever since you played Snakes and Space Invaders all those years ago.

The LowRes app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch provides you the tools to program retro looking games and demos, and you don’t need to be a programming genius to do so. With this app you can be the designer and the developer. It is a user-friendly way to create your very own game and run it on a virtual game console once you’re finished.

The app uses basic programming language that is easy to understand. It is the “classic” language that programmers used a long time ago, and it is perfect for anyone who is keen on knowing how programming works. Consider it as a beginners guide to programming, if you may. The app uses three sound generators, 8×8 pixel sprites, 16 colours, and 64×64 pixels. It is inspired by 8-bit systems with an integrated BASIC interpreter and editor.

Have an idea? Run with it

Before you jump to a new page to start creating your codes, you need to know what to write. The app comes pre-loaded with games like Snake, Tennis, Racing, and Galaxy (some nostalgia for all). You can open any one of them and program more features into them, to make them more unique and fun. The sample lines give you an idea of how codes are written so that you can create your own game from scratch. If you’re new to programming this is a great way to learn the basics.

See what others are creating

There is a big community of amateur programmers out there who just love to make their own hopping, jumping, slithering games. The app lets you publish your games on your own profile page, which is then visible by the community. You can check out others games and have others try out yours. Its a great way to get ideas, inspiration, and share your passion for programming.

What are you waiting for?

You’ve probably got an idea of what this app does for you. And if you are the curious type, you’ll appreciate an app that gives you the potential to one day, go beyond 8-bit gaming. This app won’t turn you into coding savants, but it’ll set up the basics. The app allows you to create new games and make changes to pre-loaded ones, which is pretty neat for a free version. Even if you’re not into coding right now, the app lets you play tons of games on the community, till you get an idea of how easy it is to make them.

The free download limits the amount of lines you can use to 24 (you can do a lot in 24), however, if your dream game is a little more complex than that, you can go for the full version via in-app purchase for $2.99. You can download the app here for iOS users. Code on, people.

October 5, 2015
An App That Lets You Learn Anything For Free

Seldom do you come across an app that actually makes you learn something. These days apps have taken over practically everything we used to make an effort to do. From buying your groceries to shopping for clothes, right from the comfort of your home. So how about an app that gives you free education for a change? And by free we really mean free.

Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization that was created in 2006, that offers “a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere”. The organization, founded by Salman Khan (not to be confused with the actor), began by producing micro lectures in the form of YouTube videos.

Now, the organization has extended their website in the form of an app. You can use the Khan Academy app to browse the platform’s collection of educational videos. You can also bookmark topics, while everything will be synced between the app and the website. The app is genuinely free, with no in-app purchases or user account requirement.

The app features a collection of thousands of videos of topics that range from math, science, economics and finance, arts and humanities, computing, and many more, which are broken down into sub-categories like history, music, physics, chemistry, macroeconomics, once you select a topic.

It also comes with a built-in search function that lets you find the topic and category you’re looking for more precisely. You even have the option to save videos for offline mode. As an educational app, Khan Academy is great for watching short videos on the go. As a free app it does more to provide education than most other apps you find these days. With almost 40 percent of the world with internet access, Khan Academy has the potential to reach far and wide.

Now, while the app does provide useful educational videos, it still has some cons to it. Being a free app, you’re bound to find some lectures to be below par. Anyone can post lectures on any topic, but not everyone’s a certified teacher. Even founder Salman Khan has tried his hands at multiple course lectures, and has found some disagreement with his mathematical skills or his lack of preparation.

Another potential problem is the language. Though the organization’s ambition is education on a global scale, the language in the videos are mostly in English. The webpage does have a few popular languages to choose from like Spanish, French, or Portuguese.

But these are minor bugs when compared to what Khan Academy is offering for free i.e. education for all. The organization reaches out to those without proper educational accessibility or guidance. Educators are supporting the cause and students are appreciating the site’s straightforward and easy learning structure. Khan Academy is available on App Store and Google Play. So, download it now and spread the knowledge, people.

October 4, 2015
Twitter is Moving Beyond the Trademark 140 Character Limit

Twitter is finally moving past the 140-character limit that has long been the company’s trademark. Twitter recently announced that it is working on a product that will allow users to share long tweets that exceed 140 characters.

Over the past few months, the company has been loosening its 140-character rule. In April, Twitter added a ‘retweet with comment’ option to give more room to comment on tweets they share. The company also did away with the 140-character rule back in June.

As of now it is unclear what this new product will look like or how it will work. There are existing apps such as OneShot that allows you to post images of texts, or TwitLonger, which directs users to a website to read a full tweet. But it looks like Twitter is working on one that will solve the problem within the app itself.

Twitter is also looking at ways to remove links and user handles from the count so that frees up more characters.

In addition to the long-form product, execs have been openly discussing the idea of tweaking how Twitter measures its 140-character limit by removing things like links and user handles from the count, multiple sources say. In the past, Twitter has tinkered with the limit in other ways. Twitter Cards are still beholden to the 140-character limit but are intended to help people (and advertisers) share lots of information, and Twitter added a “retweet with comment” option in April to give people more room to comment on tweets they share.

Users have, for a long time, criticized Twitter on character restriction. And for many years Twitter has paid no heed to the hate, but it finally looks like the company is ready to make some sacrifices for the greater good.

September 30, 2015
A Chromecast Upgrade, a New App and Much More

Google has announced a bunch of new devices at it’s event tonight, from the Nexus 6P to the Android Marshmallow. Among these, they have also announced a new Chromecast and another Chromecast Audio along with a Chromecast App.

So let’s have a look at all of them one by one.

The Chromecast: has been one of Google’s most successful ventures and it has decided to bring in a second option, an upgrade. The new Chromecast comes in a circular shape instead of a dongle shape. It also comes with an HDMI cable and various colours such as – lemonade, coral and black.

The new device comes with a new adaptive antenna system which allows it to stream higher resolution videos and can also support up to 5GHz Wi-Fi now. As mentioned earlier, there were speculations that it might come with a ‘fast play’ feature – well it does. This feature gives it the ability to establish a connection with the TV set much faster than the original version.

Google has also announced that you will now be able to use Spotify on your TV and Google Photos too. The Chromecast will go on sale starting today in 17 countries on Google Store, Best Buy or Wal-Mart. Obviously, you’ll get the best deal on Google Store.

The Chromecast Audio : is an extension that Google has created, for a higher audio experience. It looks almost like the new Chromecast except with a 3.5mm audio port instead of an HDMI. This audio port will conveniently plug directly into the back of your speaker, allowing you to stream audio over Wi-Fi from all your existing apps.

The Chromecast Audio will also support and cast music from Spotify, Play Music or Pandora and is expected to come with a multi-room audio streaming soon.

The Chromecast App: This app is pronounced as being “completely redesigned”. How? Well firstly, it shows you the popular activities on their ‘partner’ apps like – Twitch, ESPN, YouTube, Hulu, Netflix. Then, it also shows you content from apps you have installed on your smartphone. The company also announced that most of the apps would be cast-enabled, along with this, they’ve also added some playback controls on the app which should make accessing it much easier. You can also use voice search to access things within the Chromecast app and is universal across all services. The ‘Fast Play’ feature will allow you to pre-fetch video streams on the Chromecast app.

As if this wasn’t enough, the new app can also guess what you might want to watch as soon as you open an app, and will start caching the stream in the background. How cool is that? Oh, and did we mention that the app also supports Netflix (for those of you who have access to it). However, they have mentioned that some of the content prediction features will roll out next year. The new app will be rolling out on the Android and iOS devices soon.

September 30, 2015
‘Stick with Android’ App Mocks ‘Move to iOS’

Android fans have spoken. The Move to iOS Android app that was launched by Apple recently was received like a cold slap by Android users. Now an Android developer has come out with a hilarious reply by creating a ‘Stick with Android’ app.

A developer named Jonatthias released the app on Google Play Store and this is the app’s description:

“Everything about Android is designed to be easy. That includes sticking with it. With just one step, you can keep your content automatically and securely on your Android device with the Stay on Android app. No need to save your stuff elsewhere before staying on Android. The Stay on Android app securely keeps you away from switching to another (worse) platform.”

Clearly, the description wages an all out war to take down the apparently insulting Move to iOS app. The Stick with Android app doesn’t do much except show a single button on screen that says “Click here to stick with Android” which, when pressed, lets the user stick with Android. And it’s as simple as that.

However, the hilarity does not end there. The app has an almost perfect 5 star rating in the Google Play Store whereas the Move to iOS app currently has a 1.8 rating, which is perhaps more to do with the existence of the app rather than the functionality of it. This practically useless app is one of the best rated Android apps at the Store.

As usual, the best part about an app like this is the user reviews. Click here if you want to download the app for a quick giggle.

September 26, 2015
Samsung Pay is Already a Smashing Success in South Korea

Mobile payment seems to be the next big thing getting users excited in the tech world. It refers to transactions, under specific financial regulations to ensure safety, using a mobile device. The latest company to be in news related to this tech development is Samsung, creating headlines with Samsung Pay.

The newest service of the company has been launched in its home country of South Korea less than a month ago, and the company claims it has already witnessed transactions amounting to $30 million. This amount is spread across 1.5 million transactions. They were made by people who were active throughout the course of last month, many using the service every day. The device mainly used for it was Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

Earlier, Google Wallet has been a noticeable name in the realm of mobile payment. Apple is yet to introduce the service and there is little official news available about its launch. It would be interesting to see Samsung Pay pitted against other tech giants and the way in which market responds to it outside Korea.

September 26, 2015
Apple Haters Pounce on ‘Move to iOS’ App

We love controversies. And there is no one more likely to stir up mixed reactions that take over the internet quite as much as Apple. In a move that was sure to create a buzz just from its title, Apple released an Android app (yes, we said Android) called ‘Move to iOS’ which allows Android users who are looking to switch to Apple to do so in an easy fashion.

The app allows a smooth, easy way to transfer all your data such as contacts, photos, messages and bookmarks from your old Android device to your new iPhone. Apple promises a simple process to transfer your Android data. However, the app will only work if you’re setting up your iPhone or iPad as a new device.

Now for a quick tour on how the app works. When you begin setting up your iPhone or iPad, you will select a language, cellular or wireless network, then choose the apps and data you want to transfer. You will then select the Move Data from Android option in the transfer content screen. Then open the ‘Move to iOS’ app on your Android device. You’ll be prompted to enter a nine-digit code on both devices after which the transfer will begin.

While this app is truly helpful for those who want to switch over to the iPhone and would deserve anywhere between 4-5 stars, it, however, has received a hilarious 1.7 out of 5 rating on the Google Play Store. The low rating is credited to Android users who have shown their scorn at the app by giving it the lowest rating possible and by posting hateful reviews. Just for fun, here are some of them.

While Android users have voiced their opinions (which have less to do with the app itself), you can download this app here if you are planning to switch from Android to iOS. It is a solid app that allows smooth transfer of data, no matter what haters say.

Image Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.macworld.com/article/2984758/ios-apps/hands-on-with-apples-move-to-ios-android-app.html”]Mac World[/tw-button]

September 23, 2015
App of the Week: Pintasking

Move over, Apple, Android has arrived with its own multitasking app called Pintasking, that creates bubble shortcuts on the homescreen allowing users to switch between favorite apps and webpages, quicker. The app was launched last month and has since seen positive reviews.

Pintasking uses Facebook Messenger-like bubbles which will stay in the corner of your screen or anywhere else according to your preference. You can pin apps and documents of your choice and switch between them with ease. You can even pin an app by pulling down the notification drawer and tapping on the “Tap to Pin” option. Once you choose the apps and websites you want pinned to your homescreen, the bubbles will appear on the right edge which you can reposition to your choice.

Basically, the app works like a Windows taskbar that allows you to quickly access those applications that you use most often. You can have apps like Google Hangouts and Android Messenger pinned right there for you to switch back and forth. Another way to pin apps is by tapping and holding the Home button and dragging it up (an action that usually launches Google Now). You then open the setting of Pintasking and customize your pins. Once you’ve set it up, you can switch between two or more apps by pulling up the Home button. It works kind of like the Alt-Tab on Windows.

While the free version allows for only two pins and limits the way you want them to appear on your screen, it’s still enough for you to check out whether the app is worth your time and money in case you wish to go for the full features. Though Android already has a fast app switcher, we think this app adds an extra bit of speed which is always welcomed for smartphone users. You can download the app here and let us know whether it eases the way you use your phone or not. The app works on Android 4.1 and above.

September 15, 2015
App Of The Week: Pac-Man 256 Comes With The Best Glitch Ever

From the makers who brought you ‘Crossy Road’ comes another fun, addictive, and nostalgia-driven game – Pac-Man 256. Hipster Whale has developed what you may call an update of the original Pac-Man, including its ‘glitches’. Yes, you read it correctly. The game builds on the famous Pac-Man glitch that appeared once the player made it to level 256. In that glitch, the player was met with half-a-screen of scrambled alphanumeric characters and an endless, unbeatable level due to limitations in the game’s coding. Pac-Man 256 uses that bug and makes it the enemy of the game.

The new Pac-Man is very much like the original. There are ghosts chasing after you while you escape them and eat up the dots and fruits in your way. But players are also navigating endlessly upwards to escape the ‘Glitch’, which starts eating away at the bottom of the board. If the ‘Glitch’ catches up to you, or you get eaten by a ghost, you will die and need to use a credit to play again. Credits are earned via in-app purchases. You didn’t think it was that easy, did you?

We had mentioned the addictiveness of ‘Crossy Road’ and the new Pac-Man follows the trend. It will bring back memories of the original, and will remind you of that ever crazy glitch, if you were one of the great souls who made it to level 256. If you thought the original Pac-Man was a great way to kill time, then the new one will surely take up your whole day. We suggest you either play ‘Crossy Road’ or ‘Pac-Man 256’ but not both at once.

If you find yourself with some spare time head over to Apple Store, Google Play, or Amazon Appstore to download Pac-Man 256.

September 12, 2015
Google Finally Releases its NFC Payment System Android Pay

Android Pay, the revamped Google Wallet app, was launched in the US in a number of locations. The Android Pay will be a one-touch payment app much like the Apple Pay, using NFC technology and Android 4.4 KitKat operating system.

Existing Google Wallet customers can update the app and see it morph into the Android Wallet. Google launched a separate app Google Wallet app that focuses on person-to-person payments between friends and family like Square Cash and Venmo.

In their blog Google describes the new app as “easy, fast, and free to send money directly from your bank account, debit card or Wallet Balance. When you receive money through Google Wallet, you can spend it using your Google Wallet Card wherever Debit MasterCard® is accepted in the US, use your Wallet Card to withdraw it from participating ATMs, or cash out to a debit card or linked bank account.”

However, as of now if one tries to download the new app, users will not find it as Android Pay, but rather Google Wallet (New) with its logo similar to the old Google Wallet app but with softer colors much like the recently changed Google logo. This can cause some confusion to users initially. Google will most likely work out the bugs and come out with a separate Android Pay.

The app will be made available in new locations and will support Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cards from banks including Bank of America, US Bank, PNC, and others. The app will come pre-loaded on new Android phones. No details on when the app will come to India.

Click here to download.

September 12, 2015