Color Splash Studio Review

Jun 122012
 

While surfing the Internet, I noticed spot color pics appearing quite often. So I decided to give this kind of photography a try and headed to iTunes App Store to get some selective coloring apps. I’ve downloaded plenty of them, thanks god, there is a wide choice for less then 2-3 bucks. The one app I really liked is Color Splash Studio, and here’s why.

The user interface is quite simple and intuitive, and after playing around for 5 minutes you do understand how to get things right. The principle is simple: the app turns your pic into B&W, and you reveal original colors choosing the area with your finger.
Here are some screenshots of the app:

Here is my pic before editing:

That’s how it looks after changing background color (I should note that the app offers 3 options: grayscale, bluetone and sepia) and applying so called “dramatic effect”. Remember I did this all on iPhone :)

You can get the app from iTunes, where they offer a 60% discount – now only $0.99.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Delayed

May 312012
 

For those of you who are one of the millions who have pre-ordered their Samsung Galaxy S3, you may want to pay attention. Several versions of the third generation phone will be delayed due to manufacturing problems.

There was speculation overnight, when it became apparent that the mobile network Vodafone in the UK wouldn’t be able to deliver all of the S3 devices that have been ordered on time. And now Samsung have confirmed that this delay isn’t limited to the one network. Other retailers such as O2, Orange and T Mobile have confirmed that they too will be effected.

A Vodafone spokesperson said that while the customers who ordered the white version of the Samsung Galaxy S3 would get theirs on the day of launch, those who asked for the other colours aren’t so lucky. “we’ve been advised of shipping delays for the 32GB marble white and the 16 and 32GB pebble blue versions.”

O2 have also said near enough the same thing: “Samsung has said there is a worldwide shortage of blue Samsung Galaxy S3s so they will be available in extremely limited numbers.”

“In order to meet the highest internal quality standards and to provide the best quality Galaxy S3 to customers, a short supply of Pebble Blue versions is expected in some regions in the next 2-3 weeks,” Samsung said in a statement.

An estimated 9 million pre-orders have been put in for the Samsung Galaxy S3 worldwide, making it the most in demand phone of 2012 so far.

In the mean time the retailers have all sent messages of reassurance to their customers, stating that they are all working closely with Samsung to make sure each customer gets the phone they desired as soon as possible.

Nintendo 3DS Best Price

Oct 082011
 

The 3DS hasn’t exactly had a great year so far – from a price drop less than six months after launch (check the current price with the Nintendo 3DS Best Price Finder)to a sparse software line-up so far, things haven’t been great for Nintendo so far. However, that could be set to change with incredible software and new features the big N has got lined up for the rest of the year.

Software hasn’t been great selling points for the console so far – whilst there have been a few good titles including the fantastic Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars and of course the timeless Ocarina of Time 3D, many gamers, myself included, have been a bit disappointed with the choice of games to play.

That’s all set to change, however, with this winter’s line-up. With Super Mario 3D Land (Mario’s first truly 3D adventure), Sonic Generations (a chance to play various stages from the ‘hog’s 20 years), Mario Kart 7 (featuring brand new gliders and underwater sections) all on their way this year (not to mention some incredible titles including Kid Icarus: Uprising coming in 2012), the tide could be about to turn.

Add that to the system update scheduled for November which will include new StreetPass games (which allow you to meet the Miis belonging to fellow 3DS owners whilst out and about in town and play games with them), a new look eShop and 3D Video Recording, and you’ve got a potentially world-beating console, just like the DS family.

Will it hold up to the powerhouse that is the Vita though? Only time will tell…

Indestructible SD Cards by Memory Card Zoo

Sep 142011
 

I just got AWESOME 8GB SD Card from Memory Card Zoo, why is it awesome? Because the SD card I got is almost indestructible! At some point of time an accident will happen and you will drop the SD card either in water or even step on it!

Well if you do that with regular SD card, you probably are looking at lost pictures and videos but with the SD card from Memory Card Zoo your pictures and videos will be safe.

I performed these tests on SDHC card:

  • Dropped  the SD card in water (multiple times)
  • I step on it 10 times really hard
  • I placed magnet right next to it for 10-15 seconds

after all testing above,  I placed the card into my DSLR camera and I was able to view and take pictures with that same SD card.

I am really happy to have reliable SD card that can take some heavy beating because accidents like one I stated above do happen, and to lose pictures and videos due to those accidents it’s just worth getting bit more secured SD card.

If you do not want to lose  your pictures and videos, head over to Memory Card Zoo and grab MicroSD or SDHC card.

Here is the video of my test:

Seagate introduces GoFlex Turbo, packs it with USB3.0, Safetynet and more…

Aug 112011
 

Seagate has launched its latest hard disk drive (hdd) named the GoFlex Turbo. The hard disk drive is similar to the one’s launched earlier by Seagate except that this runs at 7200 rpm and along with that it is based on the latest USB 3.0.

The GoFlex Turbo being based on USB 3.0 is a major boon as it is 40 times faster than USB 2.0. Also, if your system lacks a USB 3.0 port, the device is backward compatible with USB 2.0 (but the performance in USB 2.0 is a little clumsy, even though it manages a speed of 30/40 MBPS  ). Even the rpm of 7200 is a welcome change over 5400 rpm.

With the present version, Seagate realizes that hard disk crashes can cause a nightmare and data recovery costs a fortune. So this time they are providing a free 2 year subscription to SafetyNet data recovery service along with the purchase of the hard drive.

“When our products are used as a backup to a primary system or even as supplemental storage, people should know that they can get a further layer of assurance that their data will be there when they need it.” was an assurance statement made by Seagate’s Vice President Patrick Connolly.

There are many positives about the device, like its compatibility with both Mac OS as well as Windows and that too without reformatting. Also the device contains multiple swappable adapters for various kinds of connectivity.

The pricing is a little steep as compared to its recently launched competitor Hitachi Touro. The device is available in two storage capacity; they are 500 GB and 750 GB. The 500 GB one will be available for 120$ and the 750 GB one for the 140$. Though the devices released 24 hours ago only and the price will start falling soon enough.

In depth, the hard drive is placed somewhere between GoFlex Slim and Satellite.  The hard drive is a combination of fast performance and great flexibility at your disposal. If the price is a little on the lower side which we are certain that it will happen which puts the device into the ‘buy’ category.

Google Plus opens up flood gates, 150 invites on each profile

Aug 112011
 

For all the Google Plus fans who were either craving to be a part of it or wanted to get all their friends in their circle, Google is finally taking steps to make your dream come true. In a welcome move by Google, Google made Google Plus ‘almost open’ to all.

Now each Google plus user is given 150 invites each, to invite each and every friend of his or her. With 150 invites at your disposal, you can almost get your whole facebook list transported. The kind of chain Google has planned to initiate, there will be a bulk of users on Google Plus now.

Google plus will see a much increased traffic from this point onwards. The website is no longer a beta version test site but instead has grown into a fully fledged social networking site. We can see a number of users migrating from facebook to Google plus. Also, the traffic will increase from now on, as new features are being made available.

There are two ways of inviting people to Google plus. The first one is by sending invites by mail, this was available before as well though the invites were limited. The second one is through a new invite page created by Google for its users which can be shared on any social networking platform such as Twitter, Facebook etc.

By maintaining the 150 limit, Google has given it a feel of still being limited. Though you have 150 invites and to consume up all of them will be one good task but generating more ways to send invites will be a cake walk from now.

With the present move, Google has made its latest social networking portal to be virtually open. With this move, Google plus does appear to be moving in the right direction.

BlackBerry App World 3.0 Beta – searching for apps at its best!

Aug 072011
 

Team App World at RIM have been working extremely hard over the last couple of weeks trying to come up with some improvements to their App World. Having said this, BlackBerry Beta Zone users will be able to enjoy an insight into the App World 3.0 which at first sight does seem to have some awesome features.

blackberry app world 3 beta

As you may observe from the screenshot above, the home screen has been redesigned completely and has made app browsing not only far interesting but much efficient as well. The addition of the search bar at the top makes app browsing a lot easier, allowing the user to sort by App Name, Price, Rating, Newest, Best Match, and Popular.

I’m sure all BB users will agree with me when I say that the featured carousel has always been the first place to look for awesome new apps, – the staff at RIM have expanded this in BlackBerry App World 3.0, making it easier to find what’s new and what’s hot. The list of best BlackBerry apps, games and themes will be updated on a monthly basis according to various sources.

The developers have kindly tweaked the app detail look and feel to give us the top selection criteria at a glance. They have made it possible for us to quickly swipe between app summaries, screenshots, and reviews – all in one screen, what else could we ask for? To top it all off, if we find an app we really like and want to tell our friends or loved ones, we can instantly share the app either on our Twitter® timeline, Facebook® wall, email, SMS, or a BBM™ Contact or Group.

Nevertheless, this is just a sneak peak to what one can expect in 3.0 – not to worry, subscribe at MWD and receive news on the features as soon as we review them!

So head over to the BlackBerry Beta Zone and sign up today to enjoy the new app world. Searching and downloading apps has never been so fun on a BlackBerry!

iOS 5 Beta 5 Released

Aug 062011
 

Apple has released iOS 5 Beta 5 (build 9A5288d) to developers, alongside with Xcode 4.2 Developer Preview 5, iTunes 10.5 Beta 5 and Apple TV Software beta 4.

Like iOS 5 Beta 4, Beta 5 is available as an over the air update at only 128MB. However, the new beta firmware is still downloadable from Apple’s Dev Center at 787 MB.

According to the Read Me file, one of the strange things about this update is that users must first erase all content and settings by choosing Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. However, according to MacRumors, some users have been able to upgrade fine without going through that process. BGR has posted the full release notes, which details some fixes and changes.

As always with any beta, it is recommended that you backup your device either via iTunes or iCloud prior to installing the new software.

MWD predicts that the public version of iOS 5 will most likely be released sometime early September.

 

Interesting Tech News on MWD and Other Tech Blogs (Take 1)

Aug 052011
 

TGIF!!! Right? Well, hold on a minute! I would like to share quick tech news, what we wrote on MWD and also what other tech blogs wrote interesting this week. This is something I might start doing, that is if you like it? Or you rather have Beer right now?

iOS 5 Beta 4 is out and so far we nailed 95% prediction of each date iOS 5 Beta was released. Our iOS 5 Final release date is still predicted as first week of September.

Google removed Labs? Nah! Really? … they also removed Google Toolbar for Firefox. Mah, they released G+ that’s all I care for now!

Now that it’s Friday, you might want to read this article by one of our editors blog called SheBytes (she does), she compiled a 30 list of apps for Grilling, how cool is that!!!

Not sure what to say about Mathew Epstain, a recent viral exposed guy who tries to get hired by Google. Techcrunch said “Google Please Hire this guy“. Honestly if you ask me, I would never hire this guy!! (Sorry Mathew, nothing PERSONAL). Reason is because the whole thing is played out nicely, and he promises a lot but there are no facts to prove that he is good at what he does, there are people with PHD and MBA who are far more experienced and are in line get job at Google. When I look at this whole plot from side, I think he paid A LOT of money to get noticed, I mean look at the video, look at the house he is representing,…you would think his mom and dad are millionaires. Spoiled kid with enthusiasm ? Sure!

Well that’s about it my friends, hope you like the links above, don’t forget to share before you grab one of those grilling apps and beer!

Happy Weekend folks!!!

Blackberry calls christmas early, launches five new Smartphones

Aug 052011
 

Research In Motion (RIM) has launched 5 new smartphones running on its new operating system ‘BlackBerry OS 7’. The new smartphones include three ‘Blackberry Torch’ models (two of which are complete touch phones) and two ‘Blackberry Bold’ models.

“This is the largest global launch of BlackBerry smartphones in our history,” was a statement made by RIM’s  president and co-CEO, Mike Lazardis. The phones bring along with them the good and the bad.

The good being that, the five new phones being launched will be coming out with many software and hardware improvements over the previous Blackberry models. The bad being, that despite the phone making drastic improvements, it is still not capable of competing with the growing Android and iOS market.

All the phones launched are somewhat high end and carry some good specs. All five of the devices have an improved processing speed with a 1.2GHz processor under the hood powering these devices. The smartphones have a high resolution display for quality viewing, and 768MB of RAM to maintain high speed of processing.

All the phones have a hefty on board memory of 8GB, which can be further extended up to 32 GB. Even a good camera of 5MP has been provided with features to support HD video recording, zoom and flash.

Standard connectivity features like WiFi and GPS are also provided. Integrated BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), Enterprise focus with the inclusion of both Documents To Go, as well as BlackBerry Balance are some of the other notable features of Blackberry’s new phones.

All the phones will now come with an improved browser that will provide users with a faster more fluid browsing experience (thanks to OS7). RIM has claimed its new OS to be 40 percent faster at browsing compared to OS6-based smartphones, and 100 percent faster than OS5 handsets.

Though the phones have made a significant leap, the phone is still incapable of competing with its major rivals like Apple inc. and other Android family smartphones. For example, new blackberry comes with a resolution 640×480 for 9810 and 800×480 for the Bold and Torch compared to 450×360 pixels on the previous Torch. But this is modest in front of Apple’s iPhone (960×640), Motorola Droid 3 (960×540), and the HTC Thunderbolt and Samsung Charge (800×480).

We will update you on the pricing and availability of these phones as soon as we receive an update on it.

The moment you have been waiting for is finally here – Skype has been launched for Apple iPad

Aug 032011
 

Best thing for Apple iPad users just happened. Skype has finally made its way to the Apple iPad. This announcement was made using twitter and also via a blog posting on the official company blog. Skype can now be downloaded from Apple’s app store.

Skype’s functioning on the iPad will be similar to Apple’s Face Time app. Skype will use iPad’s front camera for video calls. Though for the first generation of iPad, users can only receive calls and not make any but for one’s with the latest iPad you can do both.

Skype for the iPad sends and receives calls (including video calls) over either a Wi-Fi or 3G data connection which is a huge advantage over FaceTime which currently allows video chat via Wi-Fi only. Another major advantage of Skype over Face Time is that people from using other devices can now call people using the iPad whereas Face Time only allows calling between two iPad users.

Skype consists of two windows, a big one for looking at the person you’re chatting with and a smaller one for viewing yourself. Other standard features included are standard phone dialling and also an integrated text chat which can be used during a video chat and even otherwise.

The release has made yet another connection of Apple with Microsoft. Recently during a press conference, Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer promised after the acquisition of Skype by Microsoft, Skype will continue to work on Non Windows applications. Also 3G is expected to launch in Apple soon. There are reports which claim that along with the iOS 5 which will ship this September (presumably along with the new iPhone) 3G calling will be enabled.

Rumours for the application launch were on for quite a while now. Skype also ‘accidentally’ released a video on YouTube which was turned into private soon after its release. Even the application was launched on the Apple site on Monday night but then later on removed, citing the release to be a premature release.

Apple richer than the US government

Aug 022011
 

If the US government being under debt wasn’t baffling enough for you, news of a US based company having more money than the government might just do the trick. When the whole world is under a shock about the recent crisis in US economy, Apple Inc releases a casual report, reporting to have more money to spend than the US government.

On Thursday, the U.S Treasury had announced to the world that it has $73.768 billion in its cash bag. While Apple Inc., having a massive third quarter, casually reported of having $75.876 billion in its cash reserves (and other cash equivalents). Thanks to the Apple fans, the company is richer by 2 billion dollars from the US government.

Apparently, Apple seems to lead the race among other tech giants by a margin, though the comparison is just based on the amount of cash to spend on. Google which seemed to be minting money has just 39.1 billion (eh, courtesy: social networking). Microsoft used to be somewhere close but now its cash nest is around 40.2 billion and the commitment to Skype will cut it down shorter by another 8.5 Billion.

Apple’s success story re-started with the return of Steve Jobs in 1998, Apple launched the Mac and since then there was barely any looking back. The company has witnessed a tremendous rise of fortune with the launch of iPhone in 2007 and then following it up with a new version every year.

Though it is highly unlikely that the government will ask Apple for help but the tech giant has just enough money to bail out the US government. Apple is the second most valuable public company after Exxon.

Apple’s sales are unlikely to go down any soon and it has also the potential of becoming the most valued company. With the release of the new swanky Macbook Air and the Apple minis, the sale is already on the rise. With the release of the new iPhone coming September, the sales can be expected to touch a record high.

Dell Streak 10.1-inch Honeycomb powered tablet launched in China for $465

Jul 302011
 

The American company, Dell, has ditched its home country and has released its Dell Streak Pro 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet in China. This is the first time Dell is experimenting with Android and it has done it with style. The tablet is equipped with dual cameras – 2 megapixels (front facing) and another 5 megapixels on the rear. Along with it the tablet has a 1024 x 800 pixel resolution combined with a 10.1-inch screen, to give an impeccable display.

The tablet impresses with many other specs as well. The tablet is pretty responsive because of the 1 GB DDR2 RAM, a 1 GHZ processor and a NVIDIA Tegra 2 T20 chip.

The physical features are also equally impressive. The ‘Streak’ is having edge to edge glass and has aluminium brushed back. Also, the tablet is pretty portable with a weight of just 700 grams and is sleek enough with a thickness of just 12 millimetres i.e. 0.47 inches.

The streak is in competition with a line of already released tablets. The major one’s include Apple’s iPad2 and Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1, though even others exist but with the kind of specs, they barely pose a threat. The ‘Streak’ surely has the arsenal to take both these tablets heads on with a reply for every spec of the iPad2.

The tablet will hit the Chinese markets within a week. Chinese buyers can buy the 16GB WiFi enabled tablet for a price of ¥2,999, which will be $465. Along with this a cloud storage space of 2 GB is provided. The product will be tested in the Chinese country first and then when a proper review is generated will it be released in other markets.

Facebook for iPad released! Sort of

Jul 282011
 

The iPad has come a long way from it’s origin, an oversized iPod touch. Even the naysayers, predicting that this tablet was Apple’s downfall have quietly submitted to Steve Job’s will, starting to review iPad related gadgets, such as portable speakers, cases, and so on. Even Mark Zuckerberg has been converted, if these screens above are true. His comments that the iPad wasn’t connected enough to justify a Facebook app seem to have been redacted, with Facebook for iPad looming around the corner.

From data extracted in the iPhone app, it seems that the groundwork has already been laid for a update to come shortly. The interface has changed drastically, from the stale, iPhone inspired interface, with the four underlying interfaces. The iPad app features a side bar, rather than the group of icons underneath. Accessing different parts of Facebook can be done with a touch of a button, or with a flick of one’s wrist. Flipping the iPad horizontally results in Facebook chat activating, and enabling you to communicate with them easily. The photo section has become 150% more stalkerish, with the photo interface resembling the iPad’s own photo viewer.

Facebook is also updating the iPhone app, with the latest incarnation bringing back the ‘send’ button, after unintelligent people probably posted some things they shouldn’t have… ‘accidentally’. Skype for the iPad app hasn’t been commented on yet, perhaps that will be yet another ace that Mike Zuckerberg holds in his sleeve. Most of the coding is done in HTML 5, a small nod towards Steve Jobs, a proponent of the whole ‘HTML 5′ thing.

At the moment, you can have Facebook for iPad now, all you need is a jailbroken iPad, and to find a guide on how to do it, obviously. To find a guide on how to use Facebook for iPad, there’s a guide here.

iOS 5 Final Release and iPhone 5 Coming Soon

Jul 282011
 

iOS 5 Beta releases have been circling around for over 2 months now, I personally have it since iOS 5 Beta 1 came out. While doing some research I found out exact release dates when iOS 5 Betas will be released to developers and now that iOS 5 Beta 4 has been released, its time to talk about the final iOS 5 release.

ios 5 logo with iPhone 5

My predictions for iOS 5 release was spot on, except this last one I missed the release date by only 42 hours. That means according to my research and calculation iOS 5 final release should be coming out either last week in August or fist week in September, said that I think iPhone 5 will be released around that time as well.

Apple will probably start sending invites for the Apple event within next two weeks, in which will just say “you are invited to bla bla bla on this date, the MOTD of the event is going to be called bla bla bla”, I am so used to those PR invites that is not even Wowing me anymore.

Anyway, if you are looking for new phone and really cant decide whether you should wait for iPhone 5 or buy some other smartphone, than wait just this one month and your deciding factor will chose what you want to get, iPhone or Android or maybe even Symbian :)

 

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