Saturday, 9 July 2016

17 iPhone Tricks to Make Your Life Easier


iPhone
There are several cool iPhone features which seem to be hidden beneath the surface which many seem to be unaware of them. They are some of the paramount iPhone hacks the user does not know and how one could locate them.

1. Charge your phone quicker with a single button press

There is a technique of speeding up the re-juicing procedure which is quite simple. This can be done by just going to Airplane mode and by knocking out all your Wi-Fi searching, data draining communication skills of the phone which takes the strain off your battery when it is being powered up. But if one is facing time constraint and looking to eke out every bit of juice then the extra 4% you would be adding in 30 minutes linked to the mains would be much of a difference.

2. Save seconds off with searches 

At times, getting where one requires to go on the internet is connected to speed and accuracy, a thing which tends to be missing when one is compelled to knock out type-heavy web addresses. In order to save on time, one could hold down the period icon while editing out an address to bring up a short-cut series of URL suffixes and there are several quick hits shortcuts which can be utilised.

3. Learn precisely what your phone knows about you 

Though it is disturbing, one iPhone tends to gather data on the user in the background, whether it is the app being used the most, how much data one may be churning through or where one may be. To get some insight, you could go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services > Frequent Locations. Here you will find where you have been as well as how long you have spent at each place.

4. Replace toolbox essential 

One may have filed away the Compass app together with the Stocks and Find Friends app in a folder - `Crap I can’t delete. You need to put it back since it has a secret second function which could be helpful with your DIY duties. On swiping left in the Compass app provides a very useful level, a digital bubble gauge which can check if the shelf is really in level.

5. Lock the focal point of your camera

It is a known fact that tapping the screen while taking a photo would be setting the point of focus of the camera and each time one moves the camera on picking a focal point, it tends to disappear. But not anymore, since instead of only tapping the screen you could press for a second or two till an `AF Locked’ box tends to pop up. You could now twist, turn and swing it around without losing the focus.

6. Creating custom vibrations

In customs one could select a contact of your choice and hit on `Edit’ where one will see a `vibration’ option. On selection of this, it would provide you with various options inclusive of the Create New Vibration tool. Making your custom-made buzz is now as easy as tapping the screen to the beat of one’s choice.

7. Correct Siri’s pronunciation 

Sometimes Siri may get the wrong pronunciation of people’s name. If Siri tends to get some words wrong you could tell it the correct pronunciation. It lets you check if it has got the right pronunciation

8. Close three apps simultaneously 

If one needs to close multiple applications in haste you could drag three fingers up on the multitasking menu to discard the clutter faster which means that the phone needs to be functioning faster in less time.

9. Set your music on timer 

If one enjoys listening to soothing background music while drifting off to sleep, you may possibly wake up at 3 am to some unwanted tunes and hence you could set your music to turn off on a timer. Going to the Clock app, you could slide along to the Timer option and under the `when time ends’ tag you could switch out the alarm opt for a `stop playing’ tag. When the time touches zero, this would turn off the tunes whether it is through Apple Music or Spotify.

10. Take a photo without touching your phone 

An old though a good iPhone hack could be using your volume control buttons in order to capture an image which would end in saving your meaty paw obstructing the screen while attempting to hit the touchscreen controls. However if one intends to be removed further from the photo capturing shutter controls you could hit the volume button on a pair of well-matched, connected headphones which would provide the same effect.

11. Save data allowance by limiting app access

If your 2GB data allowance tends to be getting low you don’t have to go back on your on-the-go Netflix viewing. On the contrary you could select which apps tends to get demoted to the Wi-Fi-only B list. You could go to Settings > Mobile Data wherein you could make the decision of one app a time.

12. Improve battery life 

Apple’s connected quick access for key data and services; Spotlight has been offering instant access to the latest breaking news, social updates and sports scores. However all this could be eating on your battery life, unless you turn off Spotlight features for some app for more life per charge. You could go to Settings > General > Spotlight Search and limit what could be pulling in data without your knowledge.

13. Improve your signal; know where to look for it

You could type #3001#12345#* in your iPhone’s dialler and hit call to launch the hidden Field Mode tool wherein the sub-surface menu tends to turn your bar chart-based signal indication into a more direct numerical based indication signifier

14. Use phone like an Etch-a-Sketch to erase

The latest iPhone actions could be erased by giving it a good shake. You could skip the unending backspace knocking with a firm handset shake though a pop-up will ensure that you want to delete before your typing is erased.

15. Find our precisely how long you have been waiting for a reply 

If one has been endlessly checking the phone for a text reply and wondering how long it has been since the message has been sent, there is an easy option of knowing details. You could swipe in from the right hand side of the screen in a messaging thread which indicates the exact delivery time for each message send and received.

16 Share your family tree with Siri

If referring parents by given name tends to make one feel awkward, you could teach Siri on what you could be chatting about. You could ask Siri to call your dad and the digital PA would ask who the father could be. When a contact has been assigned to the parental name, each time when asked for pops, you would be supported up by modest fuss-free calling.

17. Swipe right to retreat

Living without a dedicated back button for iPhone owning Android converts could be a complex adjustment to make. While the iPhone may not have a pervasive command, for putting things back, there seems to be easy way of heading in the wrong direction. Among the various apps from Safari to Mail, through Messages, swiping on the screen from left to right would send you back to the earlier page.

Google's "Project Bloks" is Like Legos, But For Code

Project Bloks

Project Bloks – Tangible Programming


An important 21st century skill of being able to code or comprehending the basics of how programming tends to really work seems to be getting more critical. The issue is that the code seems as abstract as things tend to get, which is the reason why Google’s leaping in a world with its new `Project Bloks’ of tangible programming. Project Bloks is an open hardware platform meant for developers, researchers and designers in the creation of physical programming experiences for children.

 The fact is to remove the technical obstacles for people and groups to enable them in creating a system of providing `new ways to teach computational thinking to kids. Google is of the belief that with more people having access to the same simple method, physical toys and products which teach kid on programming would come faster than before. The two types of Bloks are the `Base Boards – little square blocks that tend to pair with pucks. The pucks are little things like dials or switches which are simple and obvious that takes input from a programmer and the Base Board they tend to be on, translating this input into code.

Brain Board accumulates inputs from Pucks


Each setup also tends to have a `Brain Board that accumulates all the input from the different pucks as well as their Base Board and connects it to whatever the entire system seems to be controlling irrespective of it being a light or a remote control toy or a speaker or whatever. Project Bloks is said to be an open source party and developers all over can come up with their own pucks together with Brain Boards and devices which will work with them.

Though other smaller businesses could be struggling to get the developers on board, Google would not face much trouble in doing so. Project Bloks is in progress and is in active research.To inform the further development of the project, more researches have been conducted during summer on the opportunities for tangible programming as well as the Bloks platform.Users can sign up through the company’s website if interested in participating.

Brain Board Built on Raspberry Pi Zero


There is no doubt that Google would be assisting in bringing about more awareness to the growing trend of physical computing toys and most prominently introduce lots of children to the challenge and the joy of programming computers before they are old enough to even consider a line of code much less to write one. Bloks is basically like programming with block of Legos which begins with a puck that can have various forms. It is used to interact with an object.

 The puck tends to have instruction which may vary from `turn on/off, move left, jump, play music’. When one places the puck on the base board, it reads these instructions through a capacitive sensor. One could connect various base boards together most of which tend to end up attached to the brain board.

 The brain board are said to be built on a Raspberry Pi Zero, providing power as well as connectivity. According to the new Bloks website from Google, a modular system for tangible programming made of electronic boards and programmable puck that permits you to send instructions when connected together to the devices.


Thursday, 7 July 2016

Help Design the PowerEgg Drone and You could net Yourself a Cool $3,000

PowerEgg

PowerVision’s PowerEgg – Compact Portable Drone


PowerVision, UAV and drone specialist launched a latest design initiative – the PowerEgg Design Challenge to perceive who could design the best outer shell for its compact portable drone – the PowerEgg. The winner would get to see their design go into production as well as bag $3,000 as a prize.PowerVision Robotics is famous for its innovations in industrial robotics and the company now intends to enter the consumer marketplace. Having its headquarters in Beijing, PowerVision has revealed its egg-shaped aerial vehicle which would be easy to fly and very much portable owing to its exceptional design.

 PowerVision had chosen an oval shapefor its drone for aesthetic as well as functional motives. PowerVision CEO, Wally Zheng had stated that `we think the oval shape is not only clean and pure but also has structural and functional benefits. This simple yet vital design means that this is more than a flying robot but a work of art. PowerVision is on the lookout of giving graphic designers from across the world irrespective of them being student or an experienced professional, with the opportunity of creating the design which would embellish the recognisable folding egg design of the drone. The contest had been launched on June 22, 2016 and would be running all through July closing on August 7.

Special Chassis to Move Around& Transport


The PowerEgg was initially unveiled in February 2016 where the product of nearly two years’ worth of research and development tends to combine a 360°panoramic 4Kcamera on 3-axis gimbal, real-time HD video transmission up to 3000m together with advanced optical flow sensors for the purpose of easy indoor navigation. It is said that the arms, feet and rotors of the PowerEgg tends to fold back in the special chassis enabling it to move around and transport it with ease.

The winner of the contest would be receiving a $3,000 top prize together with royalties from the sale of PowerEgg consumer drone presenting their design. The second and third place winners would also be getting a special drone and royalties with a$1,500 and $1,000 prize respectively. Ten runner-up entrants would be receiving $200 Amazon gift voucher and $300 gift voucher for buying a PowerEgg through the PowerVision website.

Oval Chassis/Four Larger Propellers


Wally Zheng commented that `to celebrate the launch of the first consumer drone, PowerVision is excited to promote the creativity of users through this PowerEgg Design Contest and that they are looking forward to seeing the creative new designs.The egg shape sets the drone spaced out from the other four axis drones which adopt an x-shaped design. The drone comprises of an oval chassis having four larger propellers which collapse into the body of the device.
This mechanism enables the drone to double into the body of the device and the mechanism permits the drone to fold up into a compact shell thus making it easy to carry it along. When it is folded, the drone seems to be adequately small to fit in a standard backpack. The company intends to begin shipping in its new drone somewhere during the second quarter of 2016. The availability along with the pricing has not yet been disclosed.

Tuesday, 5 July 2016

Redshift SM: Electric Motorcycle Designed For Everyone

Redshift SM

RedShift SM  – No Carbon Dioxide Discharge


Marc Fenigstein, Alta co-founder and the CEO, has indicated that the Alta Motors’ battery powered RedShift SM is a good bike which does not discharge carbon dioxide and the company opted for electric power for performance. He stated that the purpose was to build a bike which would be faster than the ones already owned. With the application of 40 horsepower to a bike which tends to weigh around 275 pounds seems good for an 85 mph top speed though it would not be adequate to stand out in a market where superbikes tends to lead on with 200 horses accelerating at a speed of 60 mph in two seconds.

The RedShift SM that seems to look and drives like a 400-cc off-road endure machine comprises of subtler upside which it exposes not on the track but at the time of a ride around midday traffic in Manhattan. Alta had spent about 10 years on designing the bike for urban riding wherein it would take on commuter bikers varying from the budget conscious Suzuki TU250 and Kawasaki KLR to high Enders such as the MBW R1200GS. The benefits of RedShift SM consist of a narrow chassis which tends to slip with ease in the midst of traffic as well as a high seat for a view of errant taxis, device-distracted pedestrians together with other dangers

Instant Acceleration


The 5.8-k Wh battery pack seems to be good for an average range of 50 miles if intended to ride aggressively which is not much for a car. The RedShift SM tends to have instant acceleration due to the torquey electric motor and while the horsepower seems to be the main power for a lightweight bike, it is the 34 pound feet of torque which tends to matter. This seems adequate to leave cars and several other motorcycles behind at least for the first few blocks.

The RedShift SM priced at $15,000, seems small and is not cheap wherein for that price one could take away any number of larger and more powerful machines such as the BMW K1300s and Yamaha Super Tenere together with various stylish entry-level models inclusive of Triumph Street Twin, Ducati Monster 821 and Moto Guzzi V7. If one is on the look-out for an urban runabout, it takes the lead. The RedShift SM validates its price with specialization.

No Direct Consumer Sales


Unlike the other bikes, the RedShift SM tends to deliver an amazing amount of mechanical feedback, an awareness that one is on a complex machine and not a two wheeled application.On twisting the throttle, the motor tends to respond with subdued, clicking, crunching vibration before the power seems to be kicked in totally. It gives a feeling like someone seems to be feathering the clutch after moving into the first gear. However, there does not seem to be any clutch for operation, and no gears to choose.

The bikes would be shipped to dealers next year and not direct to consumer sales, BMW Motorcycles of SFwould be one among the first dealers. It would begin in California during Q2 before extending to the rest of the US later this year.

Monday, 4 July 2016

5 Things You Might Not Know About 6th Generation Intel Core Processors

Intel Core Processors

Skylake 6th Generation Intel Core Processor Officially Announced


The Skylake 6th Generation Intel Core processors have been officially announced by Intel at the IFA 2015 event in Berlin. Enhanced for Windows 10, the new 14nm chip has the potential of waking in around half a second and compared to PC from five years ago, they tend to deliver two and a half times the performance² and triple the battery life³. However there is more to the latest 6th Gen Intel Core processors than the iterative speed improvement.

1. They can power more than just laptops


The Skylake 6th Generation Intel Core processors can be utilised in diversity of designs inclusive of compact tablets, versatile 2-in-1 devices, hulking gaming towers, ultra-thin laptops sleek All in One systems together with mini PCs. The architecture of the chip tends to be adequately flexible to gauge up in power for mobile workstations as well as down for smaller, plug-and play gadgets such as the Compute Stick.

2. Support USB-C/Thunderbolt


The latest 6th Gen Intel Core processor also tends to support Thunderbolt 3/USB Type-C, enhancing bandwidth as well as connectivity speeds of around 40 Gbps, eight times faster than the prevailing USB 3.04standard. Moreover a do-it-all USB Type C connector tends to integrate DisplayPort, HDMI, USB, power and VGA functions.

3. Enables to unlock a PC with your face


Security is a big concern presently which is the reason why the 6thGen Intel Core processors are designed to function with RealSense camera technology of Intel. Utilising a RealSense camera with Windows Hello, one would be capable of using facial recognition in order to log in to one’s PC. Using RealSense with Intel’s True Key Technology would also remember passwords for the user.

4. Can handle 4K


In comparison to a 5 year old PC, a system upgrade established on the latest 6th Gen Intel Core processors could deliver around 2.6 times improved productivity performance5, 6and around 30 times enhanced graphics6, 7. Moreover, the 6th Gen Intel Coreprocessors can export 4K video for sharing up to 18 times quicker with dedicated hardware support for 4K playback. At the latest IDF 2015 event in San Francisco, Intel demonstrated this function with an immersive triple screen gaming rig running a VRX enhanced type of iRacing video game.

5. They enable you to go completely wireless


If your laptop seems to be running on battery power and connected to the Internet through Wi-Fi but one would prefer to plug the laptop powered by 5th Gen Intel Core processors into a TV, monitor or projector, then a cable would be needed. A device powered by the 6th Gen Intel Core processors would not require one since it is well-suited with Intel’s Wireless Display – WiDi technology from the start.

Skylake H processors have been trademarked as Core i3, i5 and i7 though they are designed for workstation or gaming-rig class presentation with 35- or 45- watt TDPs together with four cores. With one CPU, the Core i7-6830HK would power a new generation of overclockable laptops and for those wanting added mobile performance than a Core i7 could gather, Intel will be introducing the first set of mobile Xeon CPUs for the workstations.