APPS-Facebook testing free calls, voice messaging in Messenger App

Facebook is currently testing VoIP and voice messaging features for its Messenger app in select parts of the world. The social networking giant recently revealed that its Messenger app can now be used to make voice calls in Canada for free. Using a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection, Facebook users can now make free calls using the messenger service on iOS. The VoIP service is currently rolling out only to Canadian iPhone users, but if the tests go well, this feature could roll out on Facebook Messenger for Android for users globally as well. To make a call using this feature, users need to hit the ‘i’ button and then choose ‘Free Call.’ To try this out, users will only need to update their app and use a Wi-Fi connection or their...

Read more »

Posted in: APPS

GADGETS - TABLETS-Aakash 3 to come with faster processor, advanced memory

Rumours surrounding the Aakash 3 tablet have already begun doing the rounds. The tablet will reportedly come with a faster processor, support both Linux and Android operating systems and will have advanced memory, Deepak B Phatak, committee member and a professor in IIT Bombay's Department of Computer Science and Engineering, told The Times of India. The report states that the global tender for the tablet will be floated in February, and as many as 50 lakh units of Aakash 3 tablet will be rolled out in the next phase.  What's eye-grabbing here is that researchers and professors at IIT Bombay are working towards packing more apps and more open source software on the tablet. Phatak also hinted towards a SIM card...

Read more »

Posted in: GADGETS - TABLETS

How to: Install Windows 8 on a pen drive

This How to will demonstrate how you can install and run Windows 8 from a USB drive without disturbing your existing operating system on your PC. Windows 8, the latest edition to Microsoft's OS evolution is making big waves in the PC arena. We are sure that many of you are eagerly waiting to try out the new Windows 8 Preview on your PCs, to have a first look and glimpse of what Microsoft has in store for you with the new operating system. Installing Windows 8 on your PC, which already has Windows 7 or Windows XP installed can be quite a task—backing up data, clearing space for the new OS, reinstalling, and so on. However, before that, the pain of burning the downloaded ISO file on a DVD or on a USB pen drive to get the installation...

Read more »

Posted in: HOW-TO

How To: Download apps from Google Play directly to your PC

A utility to download Android apps from Google Play Store directly to your PC. We have been testing and reviewing a lot of Android phones and tablets in the recent past, and we definitely need to keep a few apps for benchmarking and other such information. In order to do the same, we initially need to set up wireless networking, punch in the credentials of the Google account, then search for the needed apps and download them. Downloading apps from the Google Play Store requires an account and hence the entire exercise. This is not only time consuming, but also painfully slow at times when the Internet connection is down or weak. In order to get things in the fast lane, we use an app to back up the apps and save them on...

Read more »

Posted in: HOW-TO

MOBILE, HTC,-Google Maps inaccessible on Windows Phone

The chasm between Google and Microsoft seems to have grown a little wider, and it seems Google has cut off Windows Phone users from Google Maps completely. Windows Phone users are complaining that trying to visit the web version of Google Maps redirected them instead to Google’s homepage.  While Google Maps was never officially built for or supported by the Windows Phone platform, prior to this complaint, the service was accessible to a certain degree. Users of Windows Phone 7 and 8 both seem to be facing this issue. Google released an explanation for the issue, saying that Google Maps rely on WebKit on mobile devices and Internet Explorer for Windows Phone does not utilise the rendering engine. In astatement to Gizmodo,...

Read more »

Posted in: HTC,MOBILE

HEALTH--US: Scientists solve mystery behind human itching

  New York: Scientists have discovered nerve cells that deal solely with itching sensations in humans, a breakthrough which can lead to effective treatments for pain relief. The new findings are also important because they provide a target for new gen-next anti-itch medications. According to a new study, certain nerve cells are specialised to detect itchy sensations, and those receptors don't detect painful sensations. The study helps resolve a long-standing debate over whether itchiness is just a weird form of pain, 'LiveScience' reported. Researchers have pinpointed the responsible nerve fibers, which could be silenced to develop better anti-itch treatments, said Ethan Lerner, a neuroscientist at Harvard University....

Read more »

Posted in: HEALTH