Top Messenger App's of 2015

1. Facebook Messenger 

Facebook Messenger app is integrated with the giant social networking website Facebook. You have to log in with your Facebook user id and password. You can see the list of Facebook friends who are online, chat with them,group chat, send similies, emoticons, stickers . Video call and audio call features are available for the latest version of the app . 

The latest version of the app has a brighter interface, faster response, and cleaner service. You can also send GIF files, images and videos using  this Messenger app.

2. WhatsApp Messenger

WhatsApp, which is currently under the ownership of Facebook is the leading messenger app. WhatsApp is the most popular instant messenger app, handling more instant messages in a day than the entire global SMS industry. WhatApp is not known for the stunning features like other apps, but because of its fast response, simplicity and user friendly interface. 

Using WhatsApp Messenger app, you can send text messages across the globe for free, send videos, audio clips, send location map. Recently in 2015 , WhatsApp has also come up with the online calling facility and WhatsApp users can call any person using internet free of cost  even using 2G network.

3. Hike Messenger

Hike is the new generation Instant messaging app and is used by people around the world. Hike provides both Instant Messaging and SMS under one roof. Users can send SMS to anyone from Hike. 

Hike offers 100 free messages to anyone who are not on Hike which gives Hike a great advantage over other messaging apps. Hike also has huge collection of stickers in more than 50 languages (local and international) . Hike also allows its users to create groups with a maximum of 200 members while WhatsApp only offers groups accommodating 100 members. Latest Version of Hike also provides use of Hike Stickey with which Hike users can send Hike stickers via other messaging apps as well.

In addition to all these features, Hike also provides money for referring friends to join Hike and can be used to recharge your prepaid mobile phone.

4. Telegram

Telegram is one of the most secure messenger apps available. Telegram is almost similar to Whatsapp. The thing that makes Telegram stand-out from its counterparts is the end-to-end encryption of messages. Encryption will be done on all transmission stations for your chat and your data will be encrypted till it reaches the receiver and no data is stored on the telegram servers.

How to get pass the lock screen on Android phone

Almost all the android phone users tend to secure their phone's lock screen with pattern / pin lock and we are more likely to forget the pattern or pin.  Here's what you should do if you cant get pass the lock screen.

By Signing in to Google account/ using Backup Pin


If your phone runs on Android 4.4 or any previous version, it is relatively simple to get pass the lock screen . Enter anything where it is asked to enter the pin  and on 5 incorrect attempts, you will receive  a message " too many attempts " on your screen and then you will be asked to enter back up pin or your email id and password of your Google account . You can either enter the backup pin or sign in with your email id to get pass the lock screen.


Using Android Device Manager

Any version of the Android Phone can be unlocked or recovered by using this method. For this you need another phone or computer. From this go to google.com/android/devicemanager ,sign in to your Google account . Now , at the screen select the device which you want to unlock . Tap 'Lock' . Then a a new window will pop up and enter a temporary password at the provided space in the new window and tap Lock again. you will receive a conformation message at the beneath the box . Now, you will see the password field in the locked phone and now enter the temporary password which you had earlier provided and this will unlock your phone. 

By Factory Reset method 

This is the most simple method adopted but this method will erase all your data and your device will be back to its factory condition. For this, first turn OFF your phone. Now press and hold Volume down button and Power button (volume button + Power button + home key for some devices ) while the phone is booting and you will be directed to the Bootloader . Use volume keys to browse through the options untill you find  " Recovery Mode " , tap the power button to select the Recovery mode. Now , using the volume control buttons browse for " Wipe data/ factory reset " option. Tap power button after you had found it. Conform the prompt option and your device will be restarted and all the data will be erased.

Motorola Moto G Turbo launched - Primary review

Motorola has finally released its latest and better version 'Moto G Turbo' ,of their best- selling smartphone Moto G.

The new version comes with 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon octa-core processor and Adreno 405 graphics paired with 2 GB of RAM.

Moto G Turbo comes with a 5 inch HD display with a resolution of  1280 pixels by 720 pixels and is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 with a pixel density of 294 ppi. It also has 13 MP rear cam with LED flash an aperture of f/2.0 and a 5.0 MP front cam for taking better selfies. The device also has an inbuilt storage of 16 GB which can be expanded to up to 32 GB using micro-SD card. 

Moto G Turbo is powered by a 2470 mAh battery .It is also equipped with a Turbo Power wall charger for quicker charging of your phone.The company claims this device to attain 6 hours of talk time with just 15 minutes of charging.

The Smartphone also comes with IP67 certification, which means that the device is resistant to water and dust. Connectivity options of this device include Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, GPS, A-GPS, and GLONASS.  It also packs sensors like proximity sensor, accelerometer, ambient light sensor.

Moto G turbo runs on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Out-of-the-Box and it would be likely to get the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update. Priced at Rs 14,499, Moto G Turbo is available at Flipkart . As an Inaugural offer, Motorola India had offered 100% cash back for 100 lucky users. Also people can exchange their old handset with Moto G Turbo and get up to Rs 6000 cash back on purchase.

The device is currently available in Black and white colours. 

Top Launcher apps of 2015

Launcher apps allows you to customise your android phones home screen, change icons , add gestures, and provide a better overall user experience than before.

Here are some of the top Android Launcher apps of this year

1. GO Launcher Prime

GO Launcher is one of the most popular Launcher apps available. The Now available version of GO Launcher is GO Launcher Prime replacing the GO Launcher EX version. The app  features a great range of transition effects which also include 3 D transition (cloth, crystal, cross-fade, snake transitions).

GO Launcher Prime also provides additional section of lock screens and security lock feature to protect your apps, files, contacts and ensure your security. It also enables use of gestures  for fast and easy access to your contacts, settings, gallery,apps and more.

The app is available at Google Play Store  at $6. The free or trial version of the app is also available which would not be having all the features and ads would also be shown.


2. Nova Launcher

Nova is a powerful and robust android launcher app available . With more than 10 million downloads from Google Play Store and a stunning rating of 4.6 Nova stands at the top of the table of Android Launchers.

It is a highly customisable and performance driven launcher app with features like icon themes( more than 1000 themes available ), customisable app drawer, gesture support for fast and easy access, color control for labels, icons and widgets.

Nova launcher is available for download at the Google Play Store and all android users can download it for free.

3. Hola Launcher

If you are looking for an android launcher which consume less memory and less size then Hola Launcher is the best option for you.

Hola Launcher is a clean, fast and small-sized ( 2-3 MB) launcher app for your android phone. Its appearance is similar to  iOS phones with no app drawer. The app has almost no adverse effect on the phone's performance unlike some of its counterpart apps.

In addition to features like use of gestures,hiding apps,personalise wallpaper and themes,Hola Launcher app also posses some great in built features like
Hola shine which enables you to easily access frequently used app with just a swipe
Hola Boost to free up phones RAM with a single tap


4. C Launcher

The C launcher is a smart,speedy , personalised launcher app with battery saving feature which is not seen in other launcher apps. The icons at the home screen are somewhat similar as seen on iOS phones.

This app help you to customise your phone's view and also help save your phone's battery life. despite being fast and simple this bags features like clean junk files and speed up your device with just a single tap, hide and protect apps with pin / password / gesture.

Why do you need an antivirus app installed on your Android phone ?

It is often argued that android devices doesn't need antivirus software. Have you ever thought about this.. 

We have got many antivirus apps available at the Google Play Store like  Antivirus Free, 360 Security,CM Security etc. but we need to know whether antivirus apps are must requirement for Android phones. 

Android Security chief  Adrian Ludwig had once said , " Do I think the average user on Android need to install anti-virus apps? Absolutely not. I don't think 99 percent plus of users get a benefit from anti-virus apps. "

If the chief of a huge company like Android is quite confident in its security and had not find any useful thing in installing antivirus apps, then why should one download these apps from Google Play Store??

First we need to know what  is malware or virus? .  

Malware or virus are the unwanted intruders to your device which negatively effects your device OS. 

Where do they come from? 

There are various ways by which viruses can enter your Android phone. Some of the main ways are from  downloaded apps, Spam mails,or MMS that get automatically downloaded. 

Every Android phone comes with a facility of downloading apps from third party other than Google Play Store. Downloading apps from trusted market place like Google Play Store would cause nearly no harm to your device. For additional security from malware, Google has introduced its new Tool named " Bouncer " which will scan all the apps submitted to the Google Play Store for  malware.

Use of apps from third party market places are the main cause of getting malware onto your phone. For avoiding this, try to avoid links which you think is spam. For avoiding installation of apps from source other than Google Play Store, go to your phone's Settings > Security Settings  and then un mark Allow installation of apps from unknown sources

Some of the Android users, tend to change or alter their OS by a process called rooting which would certainly break all the barriers of protection from malware and most of the rooted devices are prone to malware as reports suggests.

There are plenty of Android devices which doesn't use Google Play Services. For these devices, a third party anti-virus app would be helpful.

Asus Zenfone Zoom to hit the market this month

Asus has announced that Asus Zenfone Zoom (ZX551ML), the world's slimmest phone with 3x Optical zoom camera, will be available in the market this month.

.The company has announced that the handset will be available only at Taiwan as two variants.  One which is powered by a 2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 processor and the other powered  by 2.5 GHz Intel Atom Z3590 processor. While the former bags 64 GB internal storage, the latter has 128 GB internal Storage space.

Asus Zenfone Zoom comes with a 5.5 inch capacitive touch screen with a resolution of 1080 pixels by 1920 pixels. 

The most attractive feature of this phone is its camera. It bags a 13 Mega-Pixel rear camera with 3x optical zoom and the company claims that Asus Zenfone Zoom is the world's thinnest optical zoom smartphone with an innovative 10 element HOYA lens arrangement. The device also offer magnification up to 12x. Other camera features of this phone include rocky-optical image stabilization , dual LED dual tone flash and laser autofocus. 

The smartphone has a metallic  unibody specially designed for the 3x optical zoom mechanism. 

Both the variants of Asus Zenfone Zoom runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop and is powered by a Non-removable Li-Po 3000 mAh battery.

Connectivity options of this device includes GPRS , Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Hotspot, 3G, 4G and micro-USB. The Phone will be available in meteorite black , glacier white and pink colors. The expected price of the 64 GB variant is about Rs 29000 and  Rs 33000 for the 128 GB variant.

  

Bluestacks v 2.0 launched with multi-tasking feature

Popular Android emulator for Windows and Mac, Bluestacks has launched its new version with more advanced features. The most highlighted feature of this app is its ability to run multiple apps at a time.

Bluestacks, which was found on 2011 has more than 100 million users within this 4 years. It is currently the No: 1 android emulator. Bluestacks App Player allows its users to run apps and games fast and full screen on Windows and Mac using its Layercake technology. 

The new version of Bluestacks App Player, Bluestacks 2 got many advanced features which include Multitasking ability, easiness to set location, manage volume much comfortably. 

With multi-tasking feature, its users can use more than one app at a time-can chat in one tab and play games in the second, stream videos in the third .

Another highlighted feature in the new version is the new toolbar with quick access features like Rotate App, cut/copy/paste, APK install, provide location, share files. It also comes with a new welcome tab with country specific content.