All About Smartphones

Twitter officially takes the wraps off its standalone video live-streaming app called Periscope. The app is already available for iOS and Android devices with as much as 100,000 users and the number is climbing really fast; this is of course due to the popularity of Twitter.  You will recall that Twitter bought the company in charge of Periscope about two weeks ago in other to compete with Meerkat, a recent video live-streaming app. Although Meerkat and Periscope may perform the same function in that they allow for the broadcast of live video event to remote viewers via a smartphone however, there are little differences in both apps with Periscope having a slight edge over Meerkat.   Periscope is very fluid and as far as live video streaming app go, Periscope is certainly the best.   Download Periscope for iOS and Android at their respective stores.  Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for more smartphone gist. ...

The fellas at Microsoft are constantly at work especially with the number of projects in the Android department.  The developers at Microsoft recently released an Android lock screen app that almost doubled as a second home screen. This android app is known as Pictureesque Lock Screen.  Picturesque Lock Screen feels almost like a second home screen. It features multiple screens that you scroll through and adds a Bing search bar, a customizable news feed, weather reports, device notifications, shortcuts to frequently used apps and settings toggles. It also pulls in the daily Bing homepage image to use as a background and lets you swipe through images from the past week to use.  Although the app may be carrying so much information on the lock screen for those that have loaded widget on their lock screen, it may still be useful in one way or the other. It will be suited mostly for those that want to quickly have access to their apps and informat...

There are too m any apps in the Google Play Store and it will be very impossible to keep abreast them all and yet new ones are constantly being added on a daily basis. However, we try to point your attention to good apps that may interest you. Here are few new apps that you may like going by general review and completely free. 1. Street Fighter Hero 2014 This is a 2D game that follows the classic arcade style game and just as the name suggest, you fight your way through the streets. Popular user review gives the 13MB size game 4 stars. You should try it out since it's lightweight and free then give us a feedback. 2. CSR Racing When it comes to racing games on smartphones, the number of names you can call aren't too much however CSR racing is one of those names that's in the list of worthy names. The game is a racing game with powerful graphics and cars. Stability is also very good and it's completely free. If you are in the mood for a car...

If you are having problem with posting those lovely selfies and images on Instagram and you are blaming your internet, then it should interest you that the problem isn't with your internet connection but with Instagram itself.  Guys over at Instagram have made a proclamation on Twitter stating that they recognize the issue which emanates from them and they are currently working on fixing it as shown in the image below.  Folks have already shown their displeasure at the inability to upload pictures on Instagram in a series of tweets on the Instagram Twitter handle.   In other not to be affected, try not to sign out of your Instagram on your smartphone as you may find it difficult to sign in again. As usual, you shall be updated when the issue is resolved for those experiencing difficulties in uploading photos on Instagram.  Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for more smartphone gist. 

When it comes to the choice of using maps navigation, Google Maps is still the number one followed perhaps by Nokia Here. However, with the latest update to Google Maps few days ago, Google added a very vital and important information to navigation that you won't find on any other competing navigation system.  The latest Google Maps update which is version 3.00 now gives you Turn by Turn navigation with lane guidance and quick access to route overview.  Sometimes one passes and exit because of staying on the wrong lane and have to proceed to the next exit which is quite unpleasant, having to spend more on gas and time consuming too. However, with lane guidance, you will be well prepared in advance an move to the proper lane before entering and exit. This way, navigation would be more efficient and precise.  Among other updates included in the new Google Map update is the ability to save offline maps to a custom list in case you are trave...

Procrastination is the act of postponing what one needs to be doing at a present time to a later time usually needlessly. Will all are guilty of procrastination at one point in time and the emergence of smartphones makes this even easy to do so don't act like you are a saint. However, there are certain apps on our smartphones that makes us even more guilty and this apps are outlined below. 1. Candy Crush Saga Mehn, this game which is available for PC Android and iOS devices and can be very addictive; if you one isn't careful, getting hooked is a piece of cake. Imagine getting to the lobby of a big company and the receptionist seemed so busy on the computer, people even queuing up only to find the lady trying to get pass stage number 35 in candy crush game through Facebook. Someone might get hurt.   We've seen this happen many times in different scenarios. Therefore, on our list, candy crush tops the list of highly addictive game that can help in pro...

Gameboy games can now be played on your iPhone and iPad with ease with the new GBA4iOS 2.0 Gameboy emulator. Earlier this week it was reported that a new emulator for gameboy will be released for iOS devices that wont required the need to jailbreak the iOS device. Yesterday 19th February, that emulator was released in the form of GBA4iOS 2.0 which is now available for installation. The GBA4iOS 2.0 emulator supports iPad, iOS 7 controller support and Dropbox integration and doesn't require any form of jailbreak. Using the new emulation, gamers can play ROMs for Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Colour and original game boy games without any hassles. Knowing how strict Apple can be with emulators, the creators have decided to allow interested persons to download the GBA4iOS 2.0 emulator from their website directly on the iOS device and NOT from the Apple App Store. If you're interested in playing your favorite Gameboy games on iOS, visit this link to download the emula...

One of the things that I like about BlackBerry Messenger is its useful emoticons. It's one of the best out there. Although during the days of yahoo messenger, its emoticons were great especially the rolling on the floor one which literally rolls when sent. So hilarious. Whatsapp emoticon could make you cry. Not so useful. BlackBerry emoticons are good since its introduction and have survived long enough for the introduction of new nice ones. To get things started, BlackBerry is asking all its fans to submit any idea of emoticons they have in mind. Anyone that interest BlackBerry most will be featured in their BBM app. So guys, what are you waiting for? Wear those thinking caps and put those suggestions out there by going to this link Suggestions are open till November 20th.  For me, I suggest one new emoticon which is the "middle finger". It's a start Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for more smartphone gists. ...

Facebook just released an update to their Messenger app which a totally new user interface (UI).  With the outburst if IM apps and the recent addition of BBM going cross platform, most messaging apps are frantically working hard to enhance user experience so as to keep away from losing users.  Whatsapp constant updates sees no end and Facebook is not ready to slow down either.  The new Facebook Messenger is very cool, with flat blue app icon and new interface. One new thing is that now you don't need to be friends with anybody in Facebook before you can chat. Once they have your phone number, chat can begin.  Consequently, this new Facebook Messenger is hooked to your address book. Also,  its now easier to figure out who's is online and who's not on this new Facebook Messenger.  The updates is already available for both Android and iPhone so you can quickly head over to the individual app store to get your download. ...

Apple announced the release of iTunes 11.1.3 today to correct certain abnormalies. The new update fixes an issue where the equalizer wasn't working as intended. Also, performance improvements and many other bug fixes were done for users switching views on really large iTunes library. An excerpt of the release note is presented  below; “This version of iTunes resolves an issue where the equalizer may not work as expected and improves performance when switching views in large iTunes libraries. This update also includes additional minor bug fixes. Note: If you are using OS X Mavericks, your book library can now be found in iBooks for Mac. For information on the  security content  of this update, please visit: support.apple.com/kb/HT1222 .” Download iTunes 11.1.3 here for Windows PC users Download iTunes 11.1.3 here for Mac PC users Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for all your smartphone gist and helps

BBM is definitely waxing strong on the Android and iOS devices. One cool feature of the Android OS is the widget feature in which you can place widgets on your home screen for fast Access to certain app features. Well, with BBM, entering directly into a conversation hasn't been any easier.  All you need do is go to the app widget section of your drawer to see the BBM widget. Click and hold the widget and place it on your home screen where there's space. Once this is done, you can jump into any conversation directly and can also see whose pings you received without even opening the app. I hope this tip was useful. Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for more smartphone tips and gist.

There are developers trying very hard pushing the boundaries and narrowing the the gap of what is possible and what is not. One of such developers are the makers of this Android app called Be-Bound: Save Your Data Plan which allows one to connect to the internet without a 3G network, WiFi or subscription to any Internet data. This app makes use of SMS connectivity protocol to connect you through the internet. You would be charged the standard SMS fee and a little Be-Miles coins everytime you make a request to the internet For network that gives unlimited SMS to their customers, it would be awesome to have such app but for those that don't the app may only be used at dire moments.  At first registration, you get a certain amount of Be-Miles for free to get you started. One of the key features of this app is that you can check your mails, twitter, Facebook etc, however, will it be cheaper in some countries where SMS rates are high and considering ...

Finally,  BBM has gone cross platform (Android, iOS and BlackBerry OS) for about a week now and million of Android devices are already pinging massively. Whatsapp on the other hand have been around cross platform for a longer period and with a lot of users. Alot of updates and refinement have been put into Whatsapp for Android and iPhone to give a very high user experience. BBM on the other hand will just start the update which will include BBM Channels and Voice in the near future. Now, for those that have both messaging apps on their devices, it won't be long before people start taking sides as to which of the two messaging apps they prefer. Putting the question to you folks,  which do you think it's better considering that BBM is just 1 week old cross platform? Drop your comments below and don't forget to like our Facebook page  and to join this conversation. Also follow us on Twitter for more smartphone gists.

Now you can customize every sound on your Android device. You can set the volume of ringtones, music, camera click-sounds etc with this little app which was done one of XDA developers programmers.  This app gives you total control over the volume and sound of all sound-enabled app. Android’s Sound Settings page does not allow for a great deal of customization. Currently on vanilla Android, you are able to adjust media volume, ring/notification volume, and alarm volume. As we all know, however, there are many other volumes that you are able to control in different places in the Android OS. Previously, adjusting these hidden volumes meant waiting for these sounds to take sound focus and adjusting the volume manually with the volume rocker. Now, there’s a better way, thanks to Ultimate Sound Control by XDA Senior Member  nagasgura . So what exactly can you do with Ultimate Sound Control? Well, the root-enabled application lives up to its na...

If you have been looking for where to download games, wall papers, etc for free especially those paid ones and you want to test them out before spending your hard earned money on them, then I will list 2 very reliable places you can get all these apps. The first place is www.pandaapp.com which have been existing for quite sometime now. Its one of those websites that have up to date apps and they are all free to download. You not only get to download Android or iOs apps, you can also download BlackBerry, Windows Phones and Symbian apps. So whether it is games, ringtones or wallpapers for your smartphone, pandaapp will serve you just fine. The second place which we all know is torrent sites and my favorite one is www.piratebay.sx followed by www.kat.ph Although torrent sites are blocked in some countries like UK, etc but however, its still the best place to get your downloads especially if you don't have a very fast internet connection. You can download your fil...

Instagram for Android will be getting a good update today. The update will bring some of the features which was rolled out to iOS users. Back in August, Instagram added the ability to automatically straighten photos on iOS, and today Android users are finally getting access to the feature: There are few things more distracting than a crooked horizon in a photo. We’re happy to announce that we’ve developed a brand new technology that brings you straight photos instantly. When you take a photo with the in-app camera, you can now tap the new Straighten icon and your photo will correct to be level—it’s that simple. The straightening tool also includes a slider so you can rotate and adjust any photo—including ones imported from your photo library—as much or as little as you’d like. The update also includes “new sound and data usage controls” for videos, but the update has yet to hit our devices so we’re not entirely sure what those consist of. The updated Andro...

Instagram was acquired by Facebook 17 months ago and although some were skeptical on what will come of the image sharing social platform. Most believe that Facebook will come with their advertising tactics to use the platform to generate income and it seem as though its about to really happen. Facebook is now talking of how they will mess up Instagram with ads. Yes, Facebook is now making move to start rolling out ads on the Instagram platform. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal this weekend, Instagram’s director of business operations Emily White talked about how Instagram was setting itself up to monetize. They company just announced that they had 150 million users, yet up until now, there’s still not a single ad in sight. But they’re coming. As director of business operations, the 35-year-old Ms. White effectively is the new chief operating officer of Instagram, the point person charged with turning a billion-dollar acquisition that has never made a c...

Samsung Galaxy S4 is still one of  the best smartphones ever. One of the reasons its so nice is because of the multitude of features this device has. One of them is air gesture which allows you to control your device just by swiping your hand over. This gesture is also used in accepting calls hand ending calls. Imagine you don't want to touch your phone when a call comes in, you just glide your hand over the phone and boom, the call is accepted.  Well, someone has been able to produce an app that will make virtually all Android users to be able to have the air glide features on their smartphone to accept incoming calls.  This app, by the name, Air Call-Accept, makes use of the proximity sensor located close to the front speaker of the device. Once a call comes in and you glide your hand over just as you would do for the S4, the call is automatically accepted. SO having a proximity sensor with your phone or tablet is the catch that makes the app work ...

Apple App Store offers more useful apps Than Google Play Store and the reason isn't far fetched.  While we live in an age where software and applications have become more relevant than ever, any smartphone maker that do not have a huge application base in its app store is doomed and would suffer in sales of its devices, this is especially glaring with BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices.  That being said, having huge applications present in the app store isn't only the factor that determines the high adoption of a mobile operating system. What is the point of having over one million apps and 70% are not really useful to mankind? Definitely no point and this why having the largest application in the store is not enough.  Considering Google Play Store and Apple App Store boasting of almost a million apps each in its app store, there's nothing that can't be installed on an Android & iOS device thereby making devices running these Operating Systems m...