Must have apps for your Android Phone

Here we mention some of the apps that every android phone should have.

SwiftKey

SwiftKey is an Android Keyboard application which provides hassle free typing. With more than 250 million users and a rating of 4.3 at the Google Play Store, SwiftKey proves to be one of the common apps for android users. SwiftKey predicts better than any other keyboard apps available now.It also has a swipe like integrated flow feature which allows you to type faster with just a swipe. Other features of SwiftKey Keyboard are

*Auto correction
*Supports a wide range of languages
*Customizable with lots of themes
*Emoji Keyboard to predict your favorite and most used emoticons

Google Photos

Google Photos is a must have app for organising and browsing through your photos and videos in your android phone. It have a neat, clean and simple interface. You can search photos by the places that appear in them with no tagging. You can also back up your photos and videos and can access the photos and videos on any device. You don't have to care about the storage space or security of your files. You can also remove space from your device by a one tap "free up device " option which would automatically remove the backed up photos from your phone to save space.

It also provides photo and video editing tools along with it to easily edit and effects to your photos.

UC Browser

Android Browsers are now growing in features and possess almost all the features of their PC counterpart. UC Browser is one of the best and the fastest android browser app available. Some of the highlighted features of UC Browser are

*Speed Dial to Quickly access your favorite site
*Support for extensions
*Simultaneous downloads and a clean and organized download manager
*Online videos without waiting in Speed Mode
*Expanded unwanted Ad blocks
*Control videos with gestures
*Customizable themes

Pushbullet

Push Bullet app allows you to transfer files, links and messages between your android phone and computer. You will also get notifications from your android device at your PC.  Some extra features of Pushbullet app includes

*end-to-end encryption
*Fast file sharing 
*look through and send SMS from your computer

Best Android Tablets of 2015

Google Pixel C

Google Pixel C is the first tablet designed and build by Google. The 10.2 inch  tablet works on Android v 6.0 Marshmallow. Like new Nexus Smartphones, Google has introduced Type C port for this tablet for faster charging.  It comes with an  external keyboard which can be attached to it using magnets and the tablet can be attached tilted to any angle as your wish. 

Pixel C comes with a 1.9 GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra X1 processor and with 3 GB of RAM. The tablet comes in 2 variants 32 GB and 64 GB versions with no scope for expanding storage. It has dual speakers which is not actually located at the front but the audio is incredibly loud and crystal clear.

It has an 8 MP rear camera and a front facing 2 MP camera. The rear camera is well suited and provide good quality images at good light conditions. The front camera can be used to take selfies and for video calls.

Priced at $ 499 for the 32 GB version and $599 for the 64 GB version, the tablet finds somewhat costlier when compared with its counterparts. The connectivity options of this device include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v 4.1. The device packs sensors such as Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope and Hall Effect Sensor.

Pros

* Good Battery life
* Neat and beautiful screen
* Good 3D experience
* Good Performance

Cons

* Lacks Split screen muti-tasking
* Cramped Keyboard

 Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet

 Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet is a slim, handy, light,fast and waterproof Tablet and is one of the top rated tablets available in the stores.  Sony Xperia Z4  body is made of soft plastc material which makes it much lighter. With a thickness of just 6.1 mm and a weight of just 393 grams, the 10.1 inch tablet is light and handy device and its doesn't even feel like holding a giant screen device in hand. The matte finish on the back side provides grip as well.

Xperia Z4 Tablet packs  a powerfull  2 GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with Adreno 430  GPU and 3 GB od RAM. It has an internal storage of 32 GB which can be expanded to up to 128 GB with micro-SD card. The device works on latest Android v 5.0 Lollipop.

It also has a giant 6000 mAh battery with last up to 17 hours on watching video. The Tablet also comes with IP68 rating  which makes it dust and water resistant and the device can be submerges in 1.5 metre under water for 30 minutes. 

Sony Xperia Z4 tablet features an 8 MP rear camera which produces good,clear and crisp images with much details. It also has a 5 MP front camera for video calls and shooting selfies.

The connectivity options of this device include Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth v 4.1, GPS, GLONASSS, NFC, FM Radio, micro-USB 2.0. Priced at $699, the Tablet is availbale in White and Black colours.

Pros

* Water and Dust resistant
* Excellent display
* Exceptionally thin and light
* Simple design

Cons

* Poor main camera
* Disappointing battery life

Google Nexus 9

Nexus 9 was Google's 8.9 inch flagship tablet released in the November 2014. Nexus 9was the first tablet to run on Android v 5.0 Lollipop. It has an IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2048 pixels by 1536 pixels. It has a thickness of 8mm with tapered edges to make it feel thinner. The tablet comes with a 2.5 GHz Nvidia Tegra K1 processor with 2 GB of RAM. 

The devices also features an 8 MP rear camera with LED flash and a 1.6 MP front facing camera for video calls. It also owns Boom Sound stereo speakers for better quality sound and low noise.

Pros

* Strong Speakers
* Big, Sharp and Clear screen
* Good performance
* Good battery life

Cons

* No expandable storage
* Costly

LG V 10 Specifications and Review

LG had already announced the release of its new line of extra premium handsets and the company,s first V-series phone named LG V 10  has been launched recently .  

Unlike LG's Top line phones, LG V 10 has a flat and sturdy surface with the sides made up of 316 Stainless Steel (the device is certified for shock resistance) and the whole body wrapped with dura skin . Even though LG V 10 looks pretty well finished and clean, it is slightly bulky and heavier than most of its competitors.  LG V 10 is the first non-Nexus device to own fingerprint scanner and is located at the back of the device. Fingerprint sensor can be used to unlock the phone, make purchase from Google Play and so on. 

LG V 10 features a giant 5.7 inch IPS LCD dislpay with a resolution of  1440 pixels by 2560 pixels. It also comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection. The display is beautiful, sharp and bright. The most surprising feature of this Smartphone is its secondary display which is right above the main display. The secondary display seems pretty weird, but add to the huge size of the device. The secondary display is just 2 inches wide and 1/4 inch tall and the secondary display is used to display 5 favorite apps, contacts, media options, recently opened tabs and more. When both the screens combined, the total display of the phone is almost 6 inches. The secondary dislay will show the basic informations like notifications,date, time even when the primary display is off.

The handset is powered by powerful Quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53 Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor and with 4 GB of RAM. The device works on Android v 5.1.1 Lollipop OS.  The weak element of this device is its Adreno 418 GPU which is decent in performance but has not produced great results.

The most striking feature of LG V10 is its camera. It comes with a16 mega pixels primary camera with f/1.8 aperture , Optical image stabilization, laser autofocus and LED flash. The images taken from this camera are sharp and realistic white balance and exposure limits. The picture quality is excellent and is one of the best in class for a high-end smartphone.Other primary camera features include geo-tagging, touch focus,face/ smile detection, panorama and HDR. The camera also features some DSLR like features which enable you to take snaps in RAW formats. In addition to the 16 MP rear camera, the device also has 2 front facing  5 MP cameras. These dual cameras help in depth information or 3D pictures. One of the camera comes with 80 degree standard lens while the othe comes with a 120 degree wide angle lens.The quality of the front facing camera is also quite good.

LG V 10 supports a single Nano-SIM card. The device has an internal storage space of 64 GB which can be expanded to up to 2 TB with micro SD card. The phone Packs a Li-Ion 3000 mAh removable battery which is just below the average mark for a giant screen phone. It also supports faster battery charging with which phone can be fully charged in just 65 minutes.

The networking options for this device include Wi-Fi 802.11, Wi-Fi direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v 4.1, NFC, GPS, A-GPS,GLONASS, USB 3.0. Priced at Rs 50000, LG V 10 is available in Space Black, Luxe white, Modern Beige, Ocean Blue and Opal Blue Colours.

Things to do before selling your android phone

If you want to sell your android phone, there are some task that you must do before selling. Here is the list of things you should do before selling

Backup Your Data

You can backup your data in to your computer or you can backup data to your Google account. The simplest and the more secure way to backup your data is by using Google drive account.
The back up option will be available under settings> Accounts > Google Account and select the data which you want to sync. This way you can back up all important things in your phone like photos, videos, files, bookmarks, apps, passwords, settings.

If you have a slow internet connection or you can back up your important data to your PC. Just connect the phone and PC via USB cable and transfer the data which you need to your computer.

Reset 

Next step is to encrypt your data, that is to completely wipe your data from the phone. For this go to your Settings >Backup and Reset > Factory Reset. Once you had tapped on factory reset, it will erase all data on your phone and the device will be like when you have bought it.

Remove the SIM Card and Memory Card

You may have many contacts saved on your SIM card and also data stored on your Memory card. So it is important to remove both of this and keep it with you to ensure full security.

Before removing the memory card, go to Settings> Sorage and tap on Unmount SD card Option and your memory card is now safe to reove.

Pack It Up

You might have got a box and accessories like charger adaptor, USB cable, headset, bill, guide along with your phone when you had bought it. Re assemble everything in the box, if you have it. having all the accessories including box will add to the value of  your phone and it is most likely to be selled at a higher price. 

Clean It

Once you had completely cleaned the inside of your phone, next step is to clean the outside. If there are many scratches at your screen guard, it is better to replace it a new one so that the phone will look much better.Also clean any dirt or build up in the outer portion your phone so that the buyer will be satisfies and feels that your phone is money -worth.

Rooting your Android Phone - things you should know

What is Rooting?

Rooting is the process of unlocking the Operating system for specific purposes. Rooting is performed to overcome the limitations put the hardware manufacturers on the device. With rooting , you will get the root access to your device . By this you can modify your Phone's software to the deepest level.The process of rooting is not recommended by the manufacturers and  can ruin the Phone's warranty.

Need of Rooting

By rooting, you gain the ability to load Custom ROM of your device. There are many Custom ROM's available which has completely different look and performance. Some of  the popular one's are CyanogenMod, AOKP, Paranoid Android.  You can select from the wide range of ROM's available based on your need. Here are the advantages of Rooting

* Install Incompatible apps

Sometimes, Android will block installation of certain apps which may hack into the android system or which might be a threat to your device. By rooting, you can install incompatible apps to your device and unlock new features.

* Update your OS

If your device is working on an older version of  OS and the manufacturer does not provide a way to get updated to the latest version, you can get latest version of OS in your device even before they are officially announced.

* Change Theme

By rooting, you can get the full themeing capabilities of your device and every graphic on your device can be customized. Even the colour of the battery indicator and the font of the device can be altered.

*Full Control of the CPU and the Kernel

*Improve Battery life and Speed

  There are many Custom ROM's available which would increase the speed and performance of your device and also improve battery life

*  Better Backup

By rooting you can backup or recover all the data ( pictures, apps, files, audio clips and so on ). You can even recover the information stored in your apps.

*  System processes can be automated

Disadvantages of Rooting

 In spite of all the benefits you gain via rooting, there are some disadvantages too which are discussed below.

* Security 

  There is an increased risk of getting malware into your device by rooting. Root access the permissions to the apps which might be harmful to your phone. on rooting, these permissions are removed and the harmfull apps gain the right to control the device. Because of security reasons, even Google refuses to support the Google Wallet service for rooted devices.

*  Warranty

 Once you have rooted your device, you had void your warranty of your phone but you can always un root your device by simply re introducing the original Backup ROM onto your device.

* Bricking

 ' Bricking' means screwing up your phone's software so badly so that your phone can never function properly. Loading of Unsupported Custom Rom into your device can also ruin the software and cause bricking.  

What is a Custom ROM?

If you own an Android device, You will get to hear about terms like Custom ROM , Custom Recovery Rooting and so on. Most people don't know what exactly these terms are meant for. Today I will let you know about Custom ROMs and their influence on your device.

Custom ROMs

In Android sense, ROM is typically a file that contain the executable instructions to run the OS. A Stock ROM is the one which is developed by the manufacturer and comes with the phone when you buy it. Custom ROMs are also filled with features and customization options which control the behaviour of the device. There are many custom ROMs available. Some of the popular Custom ROMs are

CyanogenMod

This is the best custom ROM available and as reports suggest, till now, there are more than 4.2 million active installation of CyanogenMod releases. Some of the features of CyanogenMod are Open VPN integration, DSP equalizer, Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, USB tethering, CPU over and under clocking.

AOKP (Android Open Kang Project)

AOKP allows more customisations than what is available with stock ROM. This is rising in popularity now . It allows customizations which are normally not permitted by the factory firmware. Some of the features are use of Custom Toggles,  CPU overclocking, Navigation ring, Wi-Fi , Bluetooth, USB tethering, LED control.

Paranoid Android

Paranoid Android is a Custom ROM aiming at enhancing the beauty of the android system and allow more customizations in the system. It is completely different from CyanogenMod and also packs some cool features like Hover, Pie and Peak. Hover allows you to to interact with the notifications as soon as they arrive at your screen . Pie helps to enhance the simplicity of the navigation bar and the navigation buttons can be used with just a simple swipe at the screen. Peek feature allows you to take a glance at your notifications as soon as you take your phone out of your pocket. Other Features of Paranoid Android are Multi-tasking and Floating notifications, UI customization, Gesture control and so on.

Nexus 6P Review

Google is back with its most awaited, feature rich new-generation Smartphone Nexus 6P. Nexus 6P is not like its predecessors - it's far too better.Google has stated that the 'P' in the device name stands for Premium.

The last Nexus device which was really popular was the LG made Nexus 5X which was launched at 2013. even though Google couldn't make a big impact last year, with the launch of Nexus 6P they had made their comeback with a blast. The device was announced and launched this September and the reviews seems to be much satisfactory.

This is Google's first partnership with Huawei. Coming to the design aspect, the device had come with metal body instead of plastic and is made of anodised aluminium with diamond-cut chamfered edges. With a thickness of 7.3 mm and weight of 178 grams, Nexus 6P is not the lightest of the phones available.

The device has a 5.7 inch 2K AMOLED huge display which is the best currently available and with rich range of colours and wide viewing angles. It also has Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection. 

It works on Android v 6.0 Marshmallow OS and is powered by a quad-core 2 GHz Qualcomm MSM 8894 Snapdragon 810 processor with 3 GB LPDDR4 RAM. IT comes in 3 variants 16 GB/ 32 GB/ 64 GB internal storage space and there is no option for increasing the Storage memory as there is no external memory card slot.

Nexus 6P has a rear camera of 12.3 MP f/2.0 with laser autofocus and dual-LED flash. The rear camera is placed inside a corning Gorilla Glass 4 enclosure and hence the camera has pop out to a small extend at the top. It also has an 8 MP front facing camera with FULL-HD video recording. Other camera features include HDR+ mode, Panorama mode, Timer mode, lens blur, geo-tagging, face detection and Photo Sphere.The rear camera is capable of shooting 4K videos at 30 fps.

The Nexus 6P also houses a non-removable Li-Po 3,450 mAh battery. The 3,450 mAh battery along with the Android Marshmallow battery new saving feature like doze will provide a long lasting battery life.Nexus 6P has a stand-by time of up to 440 hours and a talk-time of 23 hours on 3G mode.The device also supports USB-C charging port and hence faster charging can be attained in minimum time.

Nexus 6P supports a single nano-SIM slot which supports a 4G LTE SIM card as well. Other connectivity options of this device include Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth v 4.2, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC and so on. It also Packs sensors such as fingerprint, gyro,accelerometer, proximity, compass and barometer.

Priced at Rs 39,999 for the 32 GB model and 42,999 for the 64 GB model, Nexus 6P is available in Aluminium Graphite and Frost colours. Being a Google device, Nexus 6P will also be the first device to get any ne Android OS updates in the future.