Top 5 Free Photography Editing Websites

If you’re looking for a way to take your content to the next level, images are a great way to do so. They offer your readers a little visual stimulation and give their eyes a break from what are otherwise wordy posts, giving them a chance to recharge before diving into the next paragraph of information. The only hang up? Not everyone is a photo editing whiz. Luckily, there are plenty of free photo editing websites available that make editing easy and fun. Try one of these five the next time you need to add some pizzazz to a post.

1. Ribbet

Any longtime users of free photo editing websites will remember Picnik, which was a free site that let users manipulate and edit photos to their heart’s content. Unfortunately it was recently acquired by Google, which outraged users everywhere. In response to the outcry Ribbet was born. Users can edit photos in a variety of ways for free, or can upgrade to premium status for a small fee, which opens up even more editing options.

Visit Ribbet
 

2. PicMonkey

PicMonkey is another brainchild of the creators of Picnik, and its laid back approach to photo editing takes all of the technicality out of what is otherwise a complicated process and makes it easy and accessible to even the most inexperienced of users. You can choose to either let the website make the edits for you through its preset editing options or apply them yourself based on how severe or minimal you want the edits to be. 

Visit PicMonkey

3. BeFunky

This quirky site allows people to come in with zero editing experience and turn photos into works of art that look like they’ve been professionally edited. If you’re looking for a place to learn the ins and outs of photo editing, this is it. From the simplest changes to the most advanced, BeFunky lets you do it all here. 

 

Visit Befunky

 4. Phixr

Phixr is another website that allows you to edit photos directly through the website – no downloading or purchasing required. It also is available as a Facebook application so that you can edit any and all photos that you want to grab from Facebook, and it enables geotagging to add in the location to photos. Plus it gives a healthy range of edits from the simple to the complex, so anyone can edit as they see fit.


Visit Phixr
 

5. Photoshop Express

Diehard Photoshop users can rejoice, because Photoshop Express allows for quick, free editing straight from the website when you can’t or don’t have access to the full version of Photoshop. If you’re looking for more advanced edits that you can access with ease, Photoshop Express is your website.


Visit Photoshop Express


 

Photo editing doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming. With the right tools any blogger can instantly become known for the amazing graphics that accompany each post as well. Don’t let another post lack visual stimulation for your readers because you’re unsure of how to edit the photos you’re using, just use one of these websites instead.
 

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Motorola i867 - Ferrari 458 Inspired Android smartphone

Motorola launched a brand new push to talk Android based smartphone called Motorola i867 where the phone design was inspired by Ferrari 458. With iDEN technology from Motorola Mobility the phone offer better communication performance, push to talk radio, mobile Internet access etc in just one single device. By taking the inspiration from the Ferrari 458, the phone has got a very unique design with a red back cover with air intake gaps and in addition to the ring tones and wallpapers the owner of the phone will get exclusive kit from Ferrari that it consist of Ferrari key ring, pure leather case, stickers and a charger. 

The phone is specially designed for Ferrari lovers who loves its concept, quality and even the design. The phone comes with on board GPS, Wi-Fi and corporate connectivity and in addition to all these things the phone has push to talk feature and Technologies that are purely based on  Android. The functionality's of Motorola i867 includes 3.1 inch touchscreen, 3.0 mega pixel camera, MP3 player, Bluetooth stereo, 3.5mm universal head jack, for better noise cancellation the phone comes with 2 set of microphone, the phone comes with 2GB microSD card and as per Motorola it can expanded to 32 GB. For easy text entry Motorola introduced SWYPE technology in the phone.

Since the phone is working on the Android based operating system the applications for the phone can be downloaded from Google Play store. The owner of the phone will get access to Google Maps, Google Talk and Google Search directly from the smartphone. The phone is available in black, white and red colours and the price of the phone will come around $1,499.

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Microsoft Office goes Online – A Move to beat Google Docs?

Any business needs word processing . From word-star to fox pro to lotus and then word. After microsoft office launched word, it almost crushed all competition for ages. After years google came up with google docs. An online version of word processing which in any man’s opinion is a nice alternative. Google docs can definitely do almost all common operation that a word processor can. I personally was impressed by how efficiently google docs works. Well did google doc take off well ? Companies were not happy in using a cloud based third party sever to hold their important information and google hasn’t done much in offering alternatives . Recently google bought docverse a company that specializes in document processing. This move may be to gain experience and infrastructure to monopolize the domain .

 

Free is not a part of Microsoft Office’s history. The Business Division, whose chief product is Office, brought in $19 billion in sales in fiscal 2009, more than a third of Microsoft’s $58 billion in sales for the year. It generated more than half of the company’s operating profit — $12 billion of the overall $20 billion. I mean WHOA!!!!!!!!

But Microsoft’s ability to sustain these numbers is being challenged by the new way people use technology.

To counter Google Docs, Office will also take the cloud way but with a little different prespective .Office Web Apps will offer more features and what the company claims is a better visual presentation than its competitor. But Office Web Apps will not have all the features of Office 2010, which is being priced from $119 to $499, depending on the version.

Observers say an Office that embraces the cloud is just the beginning for Microsoft. As Chief Executive Steve Ballmer has said, “we’re all in” when it comes to the cloud. Microsoft has built large data centers in Houston, Chicago, Ireland and other locations to launch cloud services.

I guess time has come where a different way of e-earning has to be figured out. One can’t just survive with ads for a long time . If a new way of earning through web appear . I’d expect more apps to come . Well,will microsoft office web app beat google docs. For once i think the microsoft has the experience and technology in this domain. Only time shall tell the success story .

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Microsoft Surface Tablets: 6 Reasons it will make your iPad look Ancient

Microsoft Surface Tablets are probably the latest buzz on the Internet. People have already decided to part ways with Apple, after seing the specs of the new Windows 8 powered tablet devices by Microsoft.

Long before there was the Apple iPad and now there is the Microsoft Surface Tablet. Microsoft is taking its tablet industry one step ahead by launching these touchscreen tablets.

 

1. Fastest Processors on the Planet

 

The Surface tablets will come in two versions, the Windows RT version and the Windows 8 Pro version. The RT version will run on Nvidia’s ARM chipsets and the Operating system will be Windows RT.

While the Windows 8 Pro version will run on Intel’s latest generation Ivy bridge processors and will be powered by the Windows 8 Pro operating system.

 

2. Windows 8 Operating System+Metro Style Apps

Windows 8 operating system which is still under development is supposed to make its debut on these Surface Tablets. The Metro Style dashboard and apps are probably the only WOW factors on Windows 8.

Although the concept of Windows 8 was taken a tad poorly by reviewers because it is designed more towards the touchscreen interfaces, its applications will now carry that extra Oomph when it will be previewed on Windows 8 Pro Surface tablets.

3. Full-HD Displays: Time to WOW

 

 

Both the RT and Windows 8 Pro will have the same size displays on-board i.e. 10.6 inch cleartype HD panel, although the Pro version will be a Full HD (1080p) display and you are likely to enjoy it more because it also gets you 6 hours of battery life with a 42W battery.

Magnesium casing will further protect the body and give you the added textured finish to your Surface tablets.

 

4. Touchpad (SURFACE): One of a Kind

 

What makes these tablets unique are their touchpads! The Surface tablet (unlike the iPad), will have a physical keyboard and a trackpad too which can be fixed onto the keyboard with the help of covers which will allow you to use it as a touchpad.

Additionally, a built-in kickstand will offer you the much needed ease of use. Oh did i tell you, there’s also a pen input? Yes this is not an ordinary pen, the digital ink will flow when you touch the screen with the pen, by which you can hand draw almost anything take a digital Mona Lisa for example hehe…top that iPad!

 

5. MS Office 2013: Ahead of the future

If you are a student and use Microsoft Office often (i know i do), the RT tablet will come with Office 2013 alongwith the Windows RT, and the guys at the Guardian are already regarding the RT tab as the best MS Office experience.

Fast typing on a tablet is obviously not possible, mostly because of the touchpad and Surface tablets eliminate that drawback by giving you access to physical keyboards.

 

6. Slimmer than the iPad

 

Images credit: laptopmag.com

Measuring at a mighty 9.3mm thickness, definitely less than the iPad, the Surface tablets weigh at 676g which is give or take the same as iPad. The RT tablet will be available in storage size of 32GB and 64GB whereas the Pro version will offer you 64GB or 128GB storage spaces.

USB 3.0 connectivity can only be seen in the Pro version, whereas the RT houses the (not so) outdated USB 2.0, and microSD slots are available in both the Surface tablets.

Pricing and Release

Microsoft hasn’t yet officially announced the pricing of these tabs though from what the engadget guys are speculating, these tablets will be more or less in the $500-$700, again that’s just a rumor. Steve Ballmer is planning to release these tabs late this 2012, although Verge is already expecting it in October.

Hands crossed, these Surface tablets will surely be a great competitor to the iPad and unless the guys at Apple are thinking of something unique for their next iPad these tablets will surely hit a home run this summer.

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How to create free QR Codes from text, URLs, phone numbers, SMS messages, or contacts in seconds

We will be discussing on to create free QR Codes from text, URLs, phone numbers, SMS messages, or contacts. Here is a free tool that will allow you to do this task. This free tool is a web based application which help you to create the QR Codes with in seconds. Here all you need is to simply enter the details that you want to encode and it will automatically generate the corresponding QR Code.

Let us discuss about QR Code or Quick Response Code. It is a two-dimensional barcode that is readable by smartphones. It allows to encode over 4000 Characters in a two dimensional barcode. QR Codes may be used to display text to the user, to open a URL, save a contact to the address book or to compose text messages. "QR Code" is registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.

To read QR Codes with your smartphone, you need an appropriate software installed on your phone. For Android-based devices, you can use Barcode Scanner for example. Just search for it in the market. On iOS-Devices like iPhones, there are also QR Code readers available on the AppStore, for Example i-nigma. On Symbian devices, you can use Mobiletag barcodes reader for example.

This was first invented in Japan by the Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994 to track vehicles during the manufacturing process, the QR Code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. It was designed to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed. There is no restriction of any kind. You can use these QR Codes Images for whatever you like, also commercially. Please note that the word "QR Code" is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.

Now lets disuss about the application, the name of the application is called QR code generator. This QR code generatorwill help you to create free QR Codes from text, URLs, phone numbers, SMS messages, or contacts in seconds.

• Log on to the website
• Select your options that is Free text, URL, Phone number, SMS, or Contact to enter the enter information. Eg: if you are selecting the URL you can enter : www.technowriter.net, www.google.com etc.....
• After entering your information, click on Generate button just below it.
• You can see the Generated QR code on the right side of the screen.
• Below the Generated QR code image you will get the link to download the QR code.

Now you are done. You can put this image any where you like.

Try QRcode Generator and let us know your experience with it in our comment box.

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Evernote Hello for Android is a Must Have App

Evernote recently launched its Android app Evernote Hello which is a contacts app but of the next kind. Evernote Hello was already available for the iPhone user, and now its the Droid turn.

For those of you who are not aware, Evernote Hello is an intuitive way to remember people you meet in and around you everyday. It is a smart way to save contacts and hopefully a neat little database for every person you have ever met in your lifetime. Like there are many acquaintances you had make in a day if you are a businessman, but then remembering each one of em would become more than confusing.

Evernote Hello is one such app which ties all the information of a person and puts a face on it. Then all you need to do is, enter any detail of that person such as the location you had met him/her or the place you had your coffee with that person and Evernote Hello will pull that contact out for you. Evernote Hello calls these as Encounters.
LinkedIn is the most essential tool for every individual these days, to keep your business contacts close by, and Evernote Hello makes this easy by importing all those contacts to its database. Evernote Hello with the help if its Linkedin integration can attach additional information to an already existing contact filling up all the blanks.

Some other unique features about Evernote Hello:

• Evernote Hello predicts people you are about to meet by searching your Calendars for appointments, call logs and messaging history.
• Evernote Hello’s Mosaic view shows the faces of all the people you have ever met.
• All your info is kept private, Evernote Hello doesn’t use any kind of special software for tracking its users. Your data is kept private at all times.
• Whenever you meet a person, Evernote Hello sends a personalized e-mail to that person containing your info and photo.
• All the notes you take at a meeting, pictures you snapped at a hangover, will be displayed right under that encounter as Related Notes, making it easy for you to remember anything and everything that happened at that meeting, don’t show it to your wife, hehe

Evernote Hello for Android is completely free and always will be. Install it now at the Google Play Store.

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Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Review – Gameplay and Rating

Ubisoft has recently launched this amazing game called Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, this game is the next installment of the Ghost Recon Series, which were very popular from the last one decade. As the name suggests, this fifth installment of the series ropes in futuristic environment and gameplay. This PEGI 18 rated game has been released for PC, PS3 and XBOX 360. The release was delayed several months for various reasons. As a result it came out with better features and improvements. Playing this game from the past few days, we have observed a lot of pros and cons. putting to them together, here we go, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Review

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Review

Graphics:

While the game is set in a full ction packed environment, even the graphics are very much satisfying. The game is built on the enhanced version of Ubisoft’s YETI engine. Few of the wonderful features of the YETI engine are the real time Dynamic shadows & lighting, Dynamic physics, Heat wave & effects and Dynamic fire & smoke. Games like Beowulf and the previous ghost recon releases were already popular because of this YETI engine technology.

Coming to Future Soldier, the in game cut-scenes, realistic environment and has minute level detailing. This give the users a real time cinematic experience. But hold on, if you are a Call of Duty or Battlefield fan, then the graphics might seem a little mediocre. In some situations the faces look waxy and the background have low level details unlike the other high end games. More or less the graphics of the game are pretty satisfying thanks to the volumetric lights, ambient occlusion and powerful anti-aliasing.

Gameplay:

This cover shooting based third person game is set at various locations including Norway, Pakistan and Russia. When the player aims down the sight, game shifts the camera to first person view unlike the usual third person shooters. The players have to make use of stealth during the campaign mode. If this game is played like other action games the player will find himself in the midst of heavy enemy fire. But the three features which give the players a realistic experience are the Sync Shot, Adaptive Camouflage and Gunsmith. In the midst of mission, the Ghosts perform ‘multiple kills at an instant’ aka ‘synchronous kills’ as each member of the squad takes one enemy down at the same time.

 

Another cool feature in the game is Adaptive camouflage which makes the Ghosts almost invisible. Gunsmith allows the gamers to customize their weapons extensively and test it before taking up a mission.

Sound:

The developers have done a wonderful job in the sound section as the sound effects and sound detailing is brilliant. Even the smallest of the sound effects are wonderfully inserted and give the gamers a cinematic experience. While the sound effects are brilliantly done, the soundtrack of the game is pretty much  satisfying. The dialogues may not be that effective, but they do leave an impact after playing the game. On the whole we recommend you to plug in a quality headphones, to enjoy game the in game intensive sound effects and background score.

Multiplayer:

The game provides intensive cooperative, campaign game types. Coming to Multiplayer mode, Future soldier has four different game modes namely Conflict, Decoy, Saboteur, and Siege. Conflict provides the gamers with a wonderful team death match experience. In Decoy mode the players must secure objectives out of which one is the main objective and others are decoy. Saboteur mode has a explosive located in the midst of the map and the team’s objective is to get it to the enemy spawn and detonate it. In the Siege mode one team must attack and capture an objective which the defenders are defending. The Guerilla mode allows four players to play in co-op mode and their main objective is to capture a HQ. Later waves of enemies will attack and try to get the HQ back. Multiplayer mode gives the gamers to choose one of the three classes namely Rifleman, Engineer and the scout.

Conclusion:

On the whole, Ubisoft has done a wonderful job in making an action game which is different from its competitors. Graphics and sound gets the player heavily involved in the game. Multiplayer  mode is also very addictive. If you haven’t played the game yet then we recommend you to grab the game, turn on your headphones and Game on !

Pros:

• Cinematic cut scenes
• Realistic Sound Effects.
• Engaging Multiplayer Modes.
• Futuristic Technology.

Cons:

• Graphics could be better at some instances.
• One time use code is provided to play multiplayer. Used copies may not get full online access.

If you are looking for more detailed info, you can always check the official website. Please share your thoughts via comments and let us know how you like playing this Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Review.

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Microsoft Office 2013 Preview – First Look

It’s finally official, Microsoft Office 2013 has been announced and will probably release early next year. The last version of the world’s most used productivity was released 3 years ago and is starting to show it’s age. Microsoft’s new minimalism mantra introduced with the Metro interface is clearly visible in the upcoming Office 2013. It’s the biggest change to the Office suite ever. Everything is different yet strangely, familiar. The biggest change is probably the versions it will be available in. There’s the quintessential Office 2013 and there’s the new Office 365. Office 365 is basically the professional version of Office 2013 that will be subscription based instead of the usual single license retail version. Also, it will include a few more online services and will be more cloud based. Read on for more of the Office 2013 preview.

Microsoft Office 2013 Preview – What’s new?

Changes are both cosmetic (check out the new logo!) and internal. Office 2013 is finally making the leap to mobile devices and it will be available on tablets as well. Office 365 is the cloud based service, but even the desktop Office 2013 will be cloud integrated, although limited compared to the former. Now all documents will be linked across any Office 365 installations anywhere by linking your Microsoft Windows Live ID. By default, everything is stored on Microsoft’s SkyDrive. It makes transferring documents via portable storage media a thing of the past. Furthermore, even drafts of unfinished documents are saved periodically, so in case of a power outage or such the document is still safe! So what else is new? The Metro interface inevitably makes it’s way into Office 2013 and the UI is an extension of Microsoft’s new aesthetic. All the unnecessary tabs and buttons are now gone but the ribbon menu started with 2010 remains, although it can be hidden. The buttons are now more spaced out and have larger fonts, presumably for the touchscreen versions. Speaking of touchscreen differences, Microsoft has clearly designed the new Office with tablets and mobile devices in mind. A nice new feature is read mode, where users can turn a document into a book form to be viewed easily on mobile devices. However, documents cannot be edited and the book form is full screen.

Now media integration and document sharing has also been made easier. YouTube videos can be directly embedded without having to actually save the clip and Flickr photos can be attached without any fuss too! Document sharing takes on a whole new meaning through SkyDrive, presentations and documents can be shared and edited with permissions by multiple people which is a great feature for teams and groups. Individual programs also get new features, like PowerPoint now has an option to show the  next slide in advance along with the present slide to the presenter while the screen facing the audience displays only the present slide. Excel gets a neat new feature called Flashfill that predicts data and fills cells automatically, for example formula calculations or templates in similar cells are predicted and filled automatically.

 

Last year, Microsoft bought out Skype and it will be integrated into the Office productivity network. Home Premium editions of Office will reportedly come with 60 Skype call minutes. This bodes well for the actual “productivity” in the namesake since video conferencing and on the fly editing are two extremely useful features. Microsoft also acquired a enterprise oriented social network called Yammer, so future integration with Office is definitely on the cards. Also, this time around, you will be able to view and edit PDF documents in Office itself. Apart from all the new features, Office is not much more….let’s say polished. There’s little visual flourishes, animations and effects even for mundane tasks like creating a table and it feels rather cool. Icons are also now glossy and overall almost everything has been changed to go with the new Metro look. We are pretty excited and really like this new interface. Installation is also now web based, so make sure you’re connected to the internet during installation.

Microsoft Office 2013 Preview – Editions and Requirements

As of now, no pricing details or release dates have been announced, but we do know the editions Office 365 will be coming out in:

• Office 365 Home Premium: Includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Access and Publisher, 20 GB SkyDrive space and can be installed for 5 users.
• Office 365 Small Business Preview: Adds “professional mail, shared documents and HD videoconferencing” to the previous edition and can be installed for 10 users.
• Office 365 ProPlus Preview: Includes all of the above, adds InfoPath and Lync and can be installed for upto 25 users, 5 installations each.
• Office 365 Enterprise Preview: Includes all of the above along with SharePoint online and Lync Online.

The system requirements are as follows:

• 1 GHz Processor
• 1 GB RAM for 32-bit OS and 2 GB RAM for 64-bit OS
• 3.5 GB free space
• Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012

So there you have it, the next generation Microsoft Office 2013 preview. If you’re interested in trying out the consumer preview of Office 365, click here to download it. Tough luck for Windows XP and Windows Vista users though, you can’t use Office 2013. You know what that means, it’s probably time for an upgrade!

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Nexus 7 vs iPad 3

Do you have your mind set in joining the bandwagon and getting a tablet PC for yourself? 10 years ago, no one could have imagined that tablet PCs will be this popular. The tablet market has become saturated with many of the popular brands entering the fray.

Just recently, Google finally unveiled their own tablet, the Nexus 7, at the Google I/O Conference in San Francisco, California last June 27, 2012. I'm sure many of you are asking just how will it fare against the reigning, dominant tablet PC today, the Apple iPad 3. Let's find out.

1. Aesthetics

What's the first thing you usually look at when you're considering purchasing any gadget? It's "the looks." At first glance, the Nexus 7 looks like a small tablet with its dimensions at 7.81(L) x 4.72 (W) x 0.41 (H). A silver frame surrounds the front glass while the rear cover has a rubbery, textured coating to it which provides a good and firm grip. The beveled bottom and painted silver trim gives it that thinner, sleeker look. With Asus as its hardware's manufacturer, you can be sure of this product's build quality. It also weighs a modest 340g (11 oz).

As for the iPad 3, there really isn't anything that changed from the 2nd generation, on the outside that is. It is slightly more tapered on the edges which gives it that thinner feel. Its dimensions are 9.50 (L) x 7.31 (W) x 0.37 (H) and weighs 652 g (23.00 oz). As usual, the colors offered are black and white.

2. Display

Screen resolution and display has always been the "bread and butter" of Apple. It doesn't want to lose out on this, ever. For the tablet market, the iPad 3 shows who's the boss with a 9.7 inch display, a resolution of 2048x1536 pixels and a pixel density of 264 ppi. Despite the Nexus 7 sporting a respectable 7 inch HD display, resolution of 1280x800, and pixel density of 216 ppi, it is simply nowhere near the iPad 3's display capabilities. Of course, there are setbacks for the awesome display offered by the iPad 3 such as battery life, added weight, and extra cost.

3. Processor

Now comes the part where the competition for processing power supremacy is heating up. The name of the game is "Quad Core." The Nexus 7 doesn't disappoint with its 1.3 GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor with a 12-core GPU. You'd think that having 4 cores is already plenty enough but Nvidia was kind enough to add an extra core to work on tasks at a low frequency. This feature works best for tasks that run on active standby mode and music/video playback.

On the other hand, the iPad 3 runs on a 1 GHz dual-core A5X chipset. Your initial thoughts would probably be that the Tegra 3 processor should win hands-down but you'd be surprised. Tim Cook, the current CEO of Apple Inc., revealed that the "X" in the "A5X" stands for quad-core graphics. This means that if the Apple A5 was already twice as fast as the Tegra 3, then the A5X is 4 times as fast. Of course, this is only his claim and further tests will need to be carried out but that will be up for discussion some other time. It would have been better to see the A6 chipset though. Note that both tablets come with 1Gb onboard RAM.

4. Storage

When it comes to storage, the Nexus 7 offers a 8GB and 16GB versions while the iPad 3 comes in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. If you're looking for the biggest storage capacity, there's no question that the iPad 3 is the better choice. The downside for both tablets is the lack of expansion slots. It's really a mystery to me as to why most brands prefer not to include the option to expand storage capacity.

5. Battery Life

The Nexus 7 is powered by a 4,325 mAh battery while the iPad 3 boasts of 11,560 mAh battery. Despite the almost triple battery capacity of the latter, this doesn't translate to having a longer battery life. As mentioned earlier, the high retina display of the iPad 3 has some setbacks which includes battery life. Google claims that the Nexus 7's battery can last up to 9 hours ( approx. 8 hours if actively used) and Apple claims around 10 hours.

6. Operating System (OS)

At last, we come to the "heart" of the tablet PCs, the OS. Once again, disappointment besets us as the rumored iOS 6 release for the iPad 3 has been pushed back and we only have the iOS 5. It is an enhancement-filled update which includes some small features, such as the redesigned Camera app and face detection, and some bug fixes.

The highlight, of course, is the latest version of the Android, 4.1 Jelly Bean, the successor to 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (these names really give me a sudden craving for sweets). No, it's not a major overhaul but it is a much-improved version of the Ice Cream Sandwich. Latency is no longer an issue when it comes to navigating around the apps. Browsing on the web is a breeze with the pre-loaded Google Chrome browser. The newest feature is called "Google Now" which is Google's answer to Apple's Siri. It predicts what information you will need like the weather for the day, traffic conditions, and even the arrival times of the trains as you stand on the platform. It gathers useful information based on several things like your current location and calendar events. It uses this information to give you the what you need, when you need it.

I can't wait to see what Apple will come back with in their OS6 release this Fall.

7. Camera

There's not much going on for the Nexus 7 for their camera except that it has a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for decent enough for video calls. The iPad 3 has a 0.3 megapixel camera for FaceTime and a 5 megapixel rearview camera.

8. Connectivity

Both tablets offer 802.11 b/g/n Wireless Fidelity so this is a non-issue. They both have Bluetooth capability as well. The biggest difference is that the Nexus 7 does not have 3G capability, at least for the moment. This leaves the iPad 3 uncontested for this segment.

9. Price

We finally come to probably the most important factor, at least for most people...the price. The base model of the Nexus 7 (8GB) will retail at $199.00 while the iPad 3's base model goes for $499.00. Sure the gap in pricing is highly evident however, one has to look deeper and see which will give you more value for your money.

In the end, what's the verdict you may ask? At the end of the day, it all comes down to your personal preferences, as usual. If you're after a kick-ass display, go for the iPad 3. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative, then try out the Nexus 7. Another consideration would be that the number of applications available in Google Play is not nearly as many as the apps available in Apple's App Store. Always ask yourself what you need more than what you want.

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How To Set Up Bing Background Image For Your Google Homepage

Bing the search engine from Microsoft put some new cool background images on the search engine home page everyday. Some times you can see videos too in the Bing. But while in the case of Google you have to set a background image from your Picasa web album. So lets see how to set up Bing background Image for your Google Homepage.

Lets see how it can be done.

The process is very simple. All you need is a Google Chrome web browser. if you have it then no problem. Other wise get it from here.

Install the extension from Chrome web store

Click on the Bing button next to address bar

1. Get in to Chrome Browser and Go to the Google Chrome web store.
2. And sign in with your Google account.
3. On the search box type Bing Wallpaper. Google will take you an extension called " Bing wallaper for Google Homepage".
4. Click on add to chrome and you will get a pop-up to install the extension.
5. Click on the install button and you can see a small bing icon appears next to the address bar.
6. Now go to Bing homepage and click on the small bing icon appears next to the address bar.
7. Now Go to Google homepage and refresh the page you can see the same Bing wallaper on your Google Homepage, If it is not apperaed simply press the icon one more time.

Homepage of Bing

Homepage of Google after installing the extension

The wallpaper remains there if you exit from browser. So in this way you can easliy set up Bings background Image for your Google Homepage.

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How to create GIF animations online from your photos or webcam for free

We will be discussing on how to GIF animations online from your webcam or photos free. Here is a free tool that will allow you to do this task. Most of us know that for creating some good GIF animations we have depend on various photo editing software's, Video editing software and some creative mind.

So here is the solution for that, a web based application called the Gifpal will do the job for you. With the help of the Gifpal you can easily create amazing art from your photos for free.

There is no need of any special software driver all you need is webcam if you want to shoot and convert your own images to GIF simply capture your shots one by one and adjust the timing and convert thats it or you can upload the images that you have taken with your camera and do the same and covert it to GIF. The web based application free to use. There is no registration needed on this site.

With Gifpal you can not only make GIF animations online using your webcam and images but also you can draw, paint, type and add effects and even download the created file to your computer or even save online and share in the gallery.

Try Gifpal

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ThinkPad X1 Carbon - world's thinnest Ultrabook from Lenovo

Lenovo announced world's thinnest Ultrabook which is set to run Intel's brand new third-generation Ivy Bridge processors the brand new 14-inch ultrabook, the ThinkPad X1 carbon. The Ultrabook is very light weight at just three pounds (1.8kg) and just 18.8 millimetres thick.

"We crafted the ThinkPad X1 Carbon with premium carbon fiber material in order to make it incredibly thin and light, yet durable," said Lu Yan, senior vice president at Lenovo Think Product Group, when speaking to Maximum PC. "Our new ThinkPad laptop portfolio embodies much of the innovative thinking exemplified in the X1 Carbon, such as a backlit keyboard, super-bright high definition display, Dolby Home Theater, and rich communications features that balance business performance with personal use."

The keyboard has changed from the traditional style to newer backlit chiclet-type keyboard.  The ultrabook is equipped, with two USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, a Mini DisplayPort, headphone port, SD card slot, 720p HD webcam with face tracking and a fingerprint reader. The 14-inch display comes with a resolution of 1600x900 pixels, offering 300 nits of brightness with wide viewing angle.

There are other features like the "Lenovo's rapid charge" allows the battery to charge around 80% in just 30 minutes. For cellular connectivity it has an integrated 3G solution. The price of this Ultrabook is still not declared 

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iPad 2 Receives Battery Update

The memory of the public is pretty weak and that is evident each time a new device with all the new technology incorporation is released in the market. The seem to forget the predecessor almost instantaneously, no matter how long they have been fans of the same. It just becomes an obsolete piece of junk for them. Well, the creators of these devices still treasure them and they do try their best to do something for the once glorified devices that they had created, but are now being treated as old and incompetent. A clear example of this is the Apple iPad 2 that has been in the limelight till it was shown the door by its own successor, that is the New iPad, which is the third generation of the iPad. The iPad2 receives battery update and no one is really talking about it, because they are busy cheering the New iPad.

While the iPad is fading out of the minds of the people, the creators of this little wonder are doing their bit and they have actually updated this device with a new and improved battery which has clearly enhanced the efficiency of this tablet PC.

The company has slashed the prices of this tablet, in the recent past, and that was a clear indication, that there was something new that was ready to be launched.

What people did not really know was that the company had made certain amendments with respect to the hardware of the iPad2 and it is now functioning better than ever. The best part is that this little enhancement may actually make the iPad2 a much better choice that its own successor.

People have been invading shops in a bit a bid to lay their hands on the New iPad and there have been long lines of people just waiting for shops to open, the day the New iPad was made available in the markets. Also, as the prices of the iPad2 have been slashed and the WiFi version of the same with a memory capacity of 16GB is now available for Rs.24,500. In case you go in for the WiFi and 3G version of the iPad2 then you will have to dish out a sum of Rs.32900 for the 16GB model.

The iPad2 with the lower prices have been given a new epithet, not by Apple but by the online stores that are selling them and they are now called the iPad2.4 as these ones are different from the ones that were first introduced by the company and their rates have been slashed, as well.

Here is a list of the features and specification of the iPad 2.4, as it is being called by some online retail stores.

A 32nm LP Soc has replaced the 45nm SoC that the iPad2 had when it was first launched. This may sound like Greek to you in case you are not a hardware professional. Well, in plain terms it just means that the battery of the  iPad2.4 provides the user with 2 hours extra as compared to the previous version and that surely is a lot. When the performance of the iPad 2.4 was compared with that of the New iPad, the iPad 2.4’s efficiency outmatched it.

Other features remain the same, and that is good enough. You can only imagine what these 2 extra hours of power back up mean and that too for a tablet that has had its rates slashed.

Now, the question arises about the identification of this iPad 2.4. Does it look any different from the original iPad2? The answer is, no. Both the tablets have an identical appearance. In such a case, how will you differentiate between the two? Well, you will get to know that, when you actually use the tablet.

The original iPad2 is running on the iOS 5 and that is the latest operating system from the house of Apple. Well, not anymore as the iPad 2.4 actually runs on the iOS 5.1 which means that there are certain changes and enhancements, which are miniscule that have been made to the iOS. So the only way to get to know which iPad you are holding is by actually using it.

The New iPad has created waves, like all the other Apple products, and that was expected. But, what remains to be seen is whether the iPad2.4 turns out to be a better monarch than it’s younger brother. The iPad receives battery update is a clear indication that Apple will not let its products be lost in the light of the new ones that have been launched by them.

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X11 - World's Lightest Notebook from Gigabyte

Taiwan based computer hardware manufacturer Gigabyte Technology best known for its motherboards recently announced three brand new powerful notebooks that is "X11" the Ultra Lightweight 11.6-inch notebook, "U2422" 14-inch notebook and "U2440" 14-inch notebook. 

 

Gigabyte - X11

The "X11" is a Ultra Lightweight 11.6-inch and 2.15 pounds notebook made of carbon fibre. This light and durable notebook is 0.3 cm thin and 1.65 cm thick. The notebook comes with Windows 7 operating system, 128 GB Solid state drive, single USB 3.0 port, Bluetooth v4.0 and LED backlit display. The company plans to launch the product in July and it will cost around $1,299.

 

Gigabyte - U2422

The "U2422" is a 14-inch notebook weighs around 3.46 pounds and it has a 3rd generation Intel Core processor and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M or NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M graphics card. This notebook comes with LED backlit keyboard, 1600 x 900 screen resolution and THX TruStudio Pro sound technology. The company plans to make the lauch on June and this notebook comes in the price tag of around $999-$1,299.

 

Gigabyte - U2440

The last one is the "U2440". It is a 14-inch display notebook with 3rd generation Intel Core processor and NVIDIA GeForce 630M graphics card. The notebook comes with  1 TB hard drive, THX audio, USB 3.0, HDMI 1.4 out, and Bluetooth and this price of the notebook is around $699 and it will launch in June. 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310 to be released in India

The Samsung Galaxy Tabs have been a huge success in the Indian markets and Samsung has understood the needs of the Indian customers and are continuing to produce devices that fulfill the needs and expectations of the customers and not be delicate darlings when it comes to maintenance. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310 to be released in India this month and that sounds like great news to the users of the presently available Galaxy tabs as this one is going to prove to be a great upgrade.

If you are using any of the Galaxy tabs that are available in the Indian market, I’m sure that you have heard of the Samsung Galaxy 2 310 that was unveiled at the Samsung Forum 2012, but has not been released in India, till now. Well, you just need to wait for a week or two more as the company has announced that they will be releasing the tablet device in the coming few weeks. As, the tablet was unveiled a while back and there have been no major updates about it in the recent past, I’m assuming that you need a quick refresh on the features and specifications of the device.

Features and Specifications of the Galaxy Tab 2 310

This tablet is powered by a 1GHZ dual core processor that is sure to be better than the ones that were present in the predecessors of this tablet. Also, there is 1GB internal storage capacity and that seems to be good enough for the tablet.
Coming to the display of the tablet, it is packed with a 7 inch display which means that this tablet belongs to the “small display” brigade. It is based on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system and that is the USP of this tablet as the operating system will ensure that the user has the time of his life while using this tablet. The apps and the features that come along with this operating system are truly unmatched and the combination of the hardware components and the software ensure that the user gets all the tasks done without even feeling it.
The other general features of the device include a 3MP rear facing camera and a front facing VGA one that is for the purpose of making video calls and it does its job quite well.
For connectivity, the device has the HSPA+ 21MBPS, WiFi Direct and the USB 2.0 port present and that is good enough, given that the device is 3G enabled.
The company claims that this is the first of their tablets that has been integrated with the All share Play service, which is basically a cloud based service that has been developed by Samsung. This feature clearly indicates that Samsung is all set to lock horns with Apple’s iCloud in the near future.
The device can be used right out of the box as it comes preloaded with certain apps and there is the TouchWiz user interface that has been integrated as well, so you will not have any issues getting your tasks done as the interface is highly interactive and simple too.
The device will be available in the market in three variants on the basis of the memory capacity. There will be three versions present and they are the 8GB, 16GB and the 32GB version.
The company recently stated that they have scrapped their plans of launching the Galaxy Nexus, the first handset with the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in India and that has cause widespread disappointment among the Samsung fans in India. The launch of this device seems to be a consolation to this and it is left to be seem if the tablet is able to live up to the expectations of the customers or it sinks under the disappointment that has been created due to the Galaxy Nexus not being released.
As far as the price of this tablet is concerned, the company is tight lipped about it but we are expecting this device to be priced around 23 grand and that seems to be slightly on the higher end.
Whatever the case may be we are waiting in anticipation for this tablet as the new iPad has already been launched in India and we know that there is clearly no comparison between the two, a tussel between the products of these two companies is what everyone likes to see and also with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310 to be released this month, there is sure to be an increase in the takers of the Galaxy tab as this is sure to be priced lesser that the other ones in the family.

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How to Set Up a VPN Connection on the MAC OS X Lion Operating System

Apple introduce the first update to the MAC OS X operating system in July of 2011. Upgrading to OS X 10.7 Lion from the previous operating system version created some issues with VPN users, particularly those who utilized the Cisco VPN client to access university VPN servers. The Cisco VPN client that ran without issue on the previous version of OS X, became inoperable as the result of the MAC operating system upgrade.

Until a newer, compatible version of the Cisco VPN client is made available to users of OS X Lion, there is a workaround for setting up the VPN connection on a MAC. New laptop deals will now be shipped with the Lion OS. Following the same steps will configure the VPN clients for new laptops, as well as VPN clients produced by other manufacturers.

First, make sure any client software is installed on the MAC before starting the set up process. If using the Cisco client, make sure the client is installed prior to walking through the set-up steps. Some VPN servers will not require special software to access the VPN. Check with the institution's network administrator to see whether access to your institution's VPN requires a the installation of additional software. If software is needed, the institution will most likely provide the application free of charge.

Follow these steps to set up the VPN client to access an institution's VPN servers and establish a secure connection with the VPN server.

Step 1

Click the "Apple" icon located in the upper left corner of the desktop, and then click the "System Preferences" option. The System Preferences option is the fourth option listed when the Apple icon is clicked.

Step 2

Click the "Network" option in the "Internet and Wireless" category, and then click the "+" sign to expand the option.

Step 3

Click the "VPN" option as the "Interface." In the "VPN Type" input box, type "PPTP." Type the appropriate service name provided by the network administrator for the server into the "Service Name" input box. For example, if accessing the UCLA VPN, Type "UCLA VPN (PPTP)."

Step 4

Make sure the "Configuration" drop-down box has the "Default" option entered. If not, select "Default" from the "Configuration" drop-down menu.

Step 5

Type the IP address to the institutions' VPN server. For the UCLA VPN server, type "pptp.vpn.ucla.edu" This IP address is provided by the institution's network administrator.

Step 6

Type your network user name into the "Account Name" input box.

Step 7

Type your network user account password into the "Password" input box. Note: Only save the password if you are the only user of the computer you are configuring. Otherwise, leave the Password input box empty. Users will be required to enter the password each time the VPN connection is attempted.

Step 8

Check the option to "Show VPN Status in Menu Bar."

Step 9

Click the "Apply" button.

Step 10

Click the "Connect" button to test your newly configured VPN account. If configured correctly, and you have an Internet connection, you will be connected to the institution's VPN server.

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