Technology

How To

[How-to] Disable Chat Head on Facebook Messenger For Android

by Rohit Khurana • August 5, 2013

If you all remember Facebook had launched Facebook Home for Android and HTC First the Facebook dedicated phone which though resulted in a complete failure. The basic idea behind all this was to take Facebook experience to a new level with Cover Feed and Chat heads. Chat heads came to Facebook Messenger with the update to every Android device but Facebook Home which was the Facebook dedicated launcher which has Cover Feed was limited to some devices only.

Chat heads are the floating popup bubbles which has the contact’s display picture as the icon image and expands to full messenger on tapping. This looks very cool on the device giving a different experience to coversations. We think this really counts in innovation unleashing the power of Android and replacing notifications for Facebook Messages with chatheads. Facebook Messenger also overrides the default messaging app and can be used replacing it which adds on to its use case.

These popups can be irritating for some in the case when they receive so many notifications. Facebook does not force you to use this feature instead if you are not comfortable you always have the option to revert back to the original notifications. To get back the original notifications follow our guide below

Open Facebook Messenger application
Tap Menu key and select Settings > Notifications
Uncheck Chat Heads and you are back at your old notification style.

News

Google Announces Android Device Manager To Remotely Access Lost Or Stolen Android Devices

by Hans Gogia • August 3, 2013

Google yesterday on 2 August 2013 announced a security application called as Android Device Manager which shall be coming later this month. Android Device manager is just like Find My iPhone Service which remotely locates lost devices and allows to prevent any damage to the data on the lost phone.

Image Source: TechRadar

Alike Find My iPhone Application, Google Android Device Manager also maps the lost or stolen Android device in real time. This service would allow to ring your device so that the user can know if the device is in vicinity or else he/she also have the option to secretly wipe out data so that the information does not get into wrong hands. Sony Mobile had announced a similar service recently called as My Xperia which has similar features and it also uses Google account. My Xperia application started rolling for customers globally last month.

Still features like remote monitoring and remote locking have not been announced yet. We hope Google would roll out more features gradually as they complete developing. The service would work on Android 2.2 and above. An Android application for this service is also expected to be seen soon on the Google Play Store that would let you easily find and manage your devices.

How To

[How-to] Backup your SMS and Call Log to Gmail

by Rohit Khurana • August 3, 2013

Android as we know is owned by Google therefore it integrates Google services most effectively compared to any other mobile operating system. Android has the best Google Apps experience but when it comes to fragmentation you might not disagree with the complaints.

Image Source : The Mobile Indian

There are times when you have to factory reset your Android device, reason may be some performance issues or just to wipe out your data. Every operating system has this factory reset option which deletes every single trace of data on your device so you should backup important files before proceeding with the factory reset. Media content and Documents can be stored on cloud storage or external memory but what about Call logs and Text Messages?

Android being an open source operating system obviously has this capability which let users extract each and each part of their data from the device and save it accordingly. There are two ways to store your call log and messages : one is backup and save it as .xls which can be restored anytime on any device or backup to your Gmail which when accessed can restore it whenever the user wants. There is an application developed for each purpose and we have a step-by-step guide below to backup your sms and call log on Gmail which can taken as a reference.

Download SMS backup + application from the Play Store
Open the application and sign in with your Google Account
Tap on ‘Backup’ button on the screen
It might take sometime depending on the number of entries
Now your backup is ready and it can be viewed on Gmail under SMS and Call Log labels on mailbox.

Smartphone

Smart Namo Phablet Coming with 1.5GHz Turbo Boost And 2GB RAM for Rs. 21,111

by Hans Gogia • August 2, 2013

Namo Android devices named after the Gujarat cheif minister of India Narendra Modi abbreviated as NaMo. These Namo devices are a range of devices out of one which is Smart Namo Android Phablet.

Image source: Android Advices

Smart Namo Android Phablet sports a 6.5 inch Full HD Display of 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution and is powered by a 1.5GHz clocked Quad Core processor and 3100mAh battery. Along with 2GB of RAM, the phablet has 32GB of internal memory which can be further expanded via microSD card up to 32GB. This device features a 13 MP auto focus camera with LED Flash which is capable of 1080p Full HD video recording along with the front camera of 2MP.
This Namo device runs on Jellybean 4.2.1 Android mobile operating system which can be upgradable to Jellybean 4.2.2 Android OS in near future. This phablet also comes with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0, aGPS all of which is packed within 9.5mm of thickness and 230 grams weight.

Features

6.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD display
1.5 GHz quad-core MediaTek MTK6589T processor
Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean) (Upgradeable)
Dual SIM (3G + 3G) with Dual Standby
13 MP auto focus camera with LED Flash, 1080p Full HD video recording 2 MP front-facing camera
9.5mm thick and weighs 230 grams
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio 3G (HSDPA: 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA 5.76 Mbps),
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, aGPS
2GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB
3100mAh Li-ion-Polymer battery

Pricing and Availability

Smart Namo Android Phablet comes with the price tag of Rs. 21,111 along with the Free 32GB of Memory card. There is no information about the availability of the device yet but stay tuned we will keep you posted.

Comparison

Recently launched Namo devices is unlike any other budget smartphones in India which have already stagnated the market so what’s the point of something more. It basically is for the promotion of Gujarat Cheif Minister Narendra Modi as the elections are coming up which is pretty much understandable by everyone. This Smart Namo Phablet also uses MediaTek SoC alike every other budget smartphone in India. MediaTek has got so much from the smartphone manufacturers due to its low-cost and good performance which makes it the best option. This Smart Namo Phablet uses MT6589T which is the next generation chipsets which turbo boost. Now what we want to see is how well it performs because Rs. 21,111 for a 6.5 inch phablet is just touching its limits and who knows Namo might rise.

How To

[How-To] Turn Off Service Messages On Android

by Rohit Khurana • August 2, 2013

Service messages also known as Cell Broadcast Messages or Mobile Broadcast are a part of GSM standard. They are there on the mobile phones since mobile network has born. Cell Broadcast is designed for simultaneous delivery of messages to multiple users in a specified area. These are generally unwanted by the users because nowadays network providers use them to spam user’s inbox. They are usually pop up messages which have dialog box and tend to irritate users but no worries we heard you. Here is the step-by-step guide on how to turn off service messages on Android.

For Touchwiz:

Open Messages
Tap the Menu Key and select Settings.
Uncheck Push Messages.

For Stock Android:

Open Messages
Expand the Action Overlay Bar
Select Mobile Broadcasts
Expand the Action Overlay Bar again and select Settings
Uncheck all the options.

For HTC Sense:

Open Settings
Select Call
Select Other Call
Select Cell Broadcast and disable.

That’s it. Now all your push messages from the network operator shall be discontinued and you will not have to face those constantly irritating popups. In case of any questions leave us a comment below or contact us on our Facebook Page or Twitter handle @idigestindia.

Gadgets

LG Introduces The Smallest And Lightest Portable Photo Printer In India for Rs. 14,990

by Hans Gogia • August 1, 2013

LG Electronics on 30th July 2013 announced it’s smallest and portable LG PD233 Pocket Photo Printer in India. LG pocket photo printer is literally pocket sized and therefore prints pocket sizes pictures totally justifying it’s name. The photo printer is one of the smallest and lightest mobile phone printing devices ever developed that works well with both Android and iOS devices.

The pocket printer produces 5.1 x 7.6cm (2 x 3 inch) prints, perfect for sharing or displaying directly from the mobile device that too on the go. The mobile photo printer has inbuilt battery which powers the device and wireless technology which pairs up the with Android or iOS device and prints photographs effortlessly. The printer make use of inkless printing technology from Zink which does not need any ink cartridges. ZINK’s inkless paper system preserves images longer and produces less smearing.

The LG Pocket Photo Printer can also print QR codes on photographs which makes it easy to link any physical image with an online community by accessing the QR codes with any barcode scanning app. Printing photographs on the mobile printer is possible after downloading and installing the free LG Pocket photo app. The Pocket Photo App also includes templates and allows editing, decorating, re-coloring etc. to enhance pictures for any occasion for example the Pocket Photo App can be used to print customized birthday invitations, thank you cards, or even business cards with a personal QR code.

LG Pocket Photo Printer is available across LG stores for Rs.14,990/- starting today.

Smartphone

HTC One Mini Is Here– Is It A Good Choice? Lets Find Out!

by Rohit Khurana • July 31, 2013

Following the success of the HTC One, the Taiwanese company has shrunk its flagship device, in the form of the HTC One Mini. In a bid to prove that “bigger is not always better”, it’s HTC’s way of venturing into the miniature smartphone market. Since the launch of the Galaxy S4 Mini, what can this palm-sized Android contender offer in the mobile phone arena? Let’s find out.

Design

Keeping the premium aluminum build, the Mini was brought down to a handier size of 4.3-inch from the original’s 4.7-inch display. It’s 5mm slimmer and 20 grams lighter than its big brother. Perhaps, the only difference in the design is the white plastic band clad around its edge, which breaks up the aluminum embellishment at the top and bottom parts of its back. This provides an added protection on the device.