Windows Phone 8.1 Update Review

 Though there is a overwhelming response for android and iphone, Windows phone has a special place in the mobile world. The cool look, effective touch, decent multitasking makes the Lumians feel happy for their phones. But on the down side, Lumia phones have a remark of supporting only few apps compared to that of android and iphone. Also, there are many issues to concern with the windows phone 8.0. So, Microsoft has came up with Windows 8.1 update. Addressing the shortcomings, windows 8.1 update has got many interesting features in it's hood that Lumians will be sure waiting for.

Microsoft has released the preview version of windows 8.1 update which is now available only for software developers. Later in coming months, it releases the phones with the updated version and existing Luminas can download it after few months. So, before directly experiencing  windows 8.1 update, it's better to know the cool features that it has got and the issues that it has addressed. Let me give a detailed review of Windows 8.1 update. So, here we go...

•  Cortana - a new virtual assistant

 The updated windows phone has got 'Cortana', a virtual assistant that serves you better than Apple iPhone Siri and Google Now. Taking the best features from them, Microsoft added it's extra features and made this virtual assistant. Cortana combines the Siri's personality and Google Now's knack. It anticipates what you need before you ask making you to feel much better than with Siri and Google Now.
The key differences between Cortana and Siri,Google Now includes,

• Cortana asks rather than assumes.
• It asks you follow-up questions.
• It lets you to set reminders in more ways.

• Action Center - cohesive and faster

Now, Lumians need not to hunt for the settings to adjust the brightness. Action Center is provided in windows 8.1 update as in android, iphone that lets you to get notifications from various apps by swiping from top of the screen. It took this much long time for Microsoft to include it whose lack has been a serious drawback in previous version that Lumians have been concerned with. But now, no more worries, Action Center also has 4 more buttons at the top for frequently used tools and settings. It lets you choose the four most frequently used options rather than picking up itself.

• Quiet Hours - stay calm

Windows 8.1 update has an interesting and useful feature that asks you to block any unwanted calls, texts and notifications for specific period of time. Otherwise you can simply turn on the feature  whenever you are in movie, concert or at some private parties. Rather than shutting down the phone completely, this feature will be more helpful which concerns for your privacy. Aslo, it allows you to set exceptions such as to receive calls only from family members etc.,. 

•   Keyboard swipes - no lifting, no tapping

As in most of the Android phones, now windows phones has also got the keyboard swipes with windows 8.1 update. Instead of tapping each key character seperately, you can just swipe on the keyboard. Without lifting your finger, now you can enjoy the effective touch of the windows phone which  helps in fast typing of the messages.

• WiFi Sense - sharing without a password

This feature surely makes windows phone unique and stand top above the android and iphone. It surpasses the iOS and android by letting you to connect with the WiFi-hotspots automatically. It logins, accepts terms and conditions and everything which needs your involvement.

WiFi Sense also lets you to share the home WiFi  connections without any password. From now on, you need not to feel for asking your friend's WiFi connection password, when you visit their home, your windows phone will be automatically get connected as long as you are on his/her contact list. But, on the flip side, you cannot connect an iPhone or android phone even a tablet or laptop that runs on windows OS.

• Universal Windows - one in all

Windows OS can be classified as two categories, one is the windows phone for smartphones and other is the windows that we use in tablets, laptops and pc's. They both are going to be united making windows universal and one windows for all. This has yet to be arrivied.

The other features include,

+  A battery saver that monitors which apps use the most power and removes them from running background.

+ Windows 8.1 update lets you to add the background to the start screen that adds more style to your phone.

+ Much improved Internet Explorer 11.

+ Data Sense that tell you how much data you are using and alloes you to set a limit.

+ Storage Sense, which makes it easy for you to free the memory by deleting unnecessary files.

Final Verdict

Windows phone 8.1 update makes the windows phone singular, unique and more powerful. In very near future, more apps will be supported by it. In simple words, windows 8.1 update is just preview of future in present.

But still, more has to come. It's just a beginning from Microsoft and now it can feel safe in the race and can expect more number of people to become Lumians. This update will sure make the existing Lumians happy and makes it's peers to start thinking to get on in the race. Though the game has not yet completed, Microsoft has proven that it can make the game more tougher than what Samsung and Apple are thinking.

Let me know your views on this article through the comments section below.

Read More

Greatest Quotes by Bill Gates

Bill Gates, man who needs no introduction is probably one of the strongest intellectual to be a drop out and later ruled(still) the world of technology with his great business and entrepreneur skills. Besides being a philanthropist, his quotes and sayings are eye-openers for many people which teaches life-lessons and about success. So, in this post let's have a glance at some of his greatest sayings and quotes.

It's fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.
This is true and must be practically followed by everyone. Celebration should not be the only part of any achievement, indeed you must pay attention towards other's advice and try to excel more in that field.

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.
Yes, only the customers who are not satisfied with your service can leave a suggestion/complaint that you have to take in a positive manner and make improvements to give the best service(products). Those suggestions from customers are the best sources of learning.

The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, its been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.
This quote shows his respect towards Steve Jobs(co-founder Apple). It is not only just about praising but also his humbleness to obey the truth that Steve has had profound impact on this world than him. Having healthy competition and good relationships will lead the company to acheive greater heights.

Measuring programming progress by lines of code is like measuring aircraft building progress by weight. 
It's true, one cannot judge a book by it's size. Only the content tells them whether or not it's worth-reading. Always believe that content is the KING.

Life is not fair-get used to it!!!  
No one can never expect what could happen in next minute. Life is totally unfair, we must get used to it. To be clear, we must get over it and face any situation. Life goes on come what may.

You will NOT make $90,000 a year right out of high school.
No one can become a overnight millionaire. It requires many struggles, lot of hardwork, dedication and passion to your work.

Don't compare yourself with anyone in this world...if you do so, you are insulting yourself. 
Judging your capabilities by comparing with others isn't a good thing to do so. As said by Abdul Kalam, everyone in this world has born fire, all we need is to just give the wings to that fire to excel in life.

These are just some of the quotes of Bill Gates which I feel inspiring. These aren't taught in any schools but are learnt from life-experiences. Do share your favourite quotes in the comments section below.

Read More

Windows 8 Tips & Tricks

Many versions of windows have been released, but windows 8 is bit different from previous releases. This difference includes stylish look, behaviour, and features. You may have felt at first glance that this operating system seems more difficult to customize than earlier versions of Windows. So, it's better to have known about some tweaks, tricks and hacks that can ease your work with this operating system. So, let's get started and explore the tweaks and tricks of windows 8....


Semantic Zoom feature:

Now you can view all the tiles in your start screen in just one eye-view. It means you need not to do lot of scrolling for reaching your desired app. The tweak is simple, if you are a touchscreen user, then squeeze the screen (as if zoom out in case of photos) with your two fingers. This semantic zoom feature is also available for mouse and keyboard users. Just hold 'ctrl' key and use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.


Categorize the tiles(apps):

Instead of having the tiles in scattered manner, it's easy to access the required app in no time if they are arranged in corresponding groups. This can be done by following this simple trick. First zoom out by using the semantic zoom feature as discussed  above or by clicking magnifying glass icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the start screen. Then you can drag and drop the new group (or any of the others) around. Right click within the block of tiles and you can give a name to the group.


Shutdown and Restart:

To shutdown the Windows 8 , just move the cursor to the bottom right corner of the screen. Now, click on the Settings icon (also you van do it by- just hold down the Windows key and press I) and you'll see a power button. Click this and choose 'Shut Down' or 'Restart' options.


Run two apps side-by-side:

In windows 8, you can run two apps side-by-side. You can pin any app to the left or right-hand side of the screen. Open an app and then press the Windows Key + .  to move that app to the right-hand side of the screen, press the same again to move it to the left-hand side, and pressing the same keys again will make it full screen. After pinning an app, any other app or program can be opened and loaded into the available(remaining) space on the screen.


Closing an app:

Though it seems easy, but it's hard to find close buttons in Windows 8. You can close an app by dragging it with your mouse (finger- for touchscreen users) from the top of the screen to the bottom of the screen. When you reach the bottom, it will disappear. Also, you can close apps via Alt + F4 and through the Task Manager.  


Picture Password:

Using a picture password is a cool way to protect your system. It relieves you from remembering password. Press the Windows key + I to get to the Charms. Now click on "Change PC settings" and go to the Users tab. Below "Sign-in options" there will be the "Create a picture password" button. Now choose any picture, and then define three gestures anywhere on the image. Your gestures can be circles, swipes and clicks. Don't forget the direction of each gesture which you have submitted. 


Login without username and password: 

You can disable the username and password log-in screen. This speeds up the login process.This can be done by opening the Run box (press the Windows key + R). Now type in "netplwiz" to access the User Accounts dialog box. Uncheck the box that says "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer." Click OK, and you will be asked to enter the username and password one last time for purpose of confirmation. Now you can login without username and password.

Related Reading: Windows 8 Keyboard Shortcuts.

Read More

Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts

It's better to know at least some of the Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts which can ease your work experience.So, this post insights into some of the Windows 8 shortcuts that are helpful and suggested to be memorised(if possible). Here they are..  

• Press the Windows key to open the start screen or to switch to the Desktop (if open) 
• Press the Windows key + C to open the Charms. 
• Press the Windows key + D to open the Windows Desktop. 
• Press the Windows key + E to open Explorer.
• Press the Windows key + F to open a file and folder search. 
• Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings.
• Press the Windows key + M to minimize everything present on the desktop. 
• Press the Windows key + O to lock the orientation on devices with an accelerometer. 
• Press the Windows key + Q to open a global search menu.
• Press the Windows key + R to prompt the Run command.
• Press the Windows key + W to open a search in your system settings to locate and change system properties.
• Press the Windows key + X to open the power user menu (quick access menu).
• Press the Windows key + Tab to open the list of currently running programs (or apps). 
• Press the Windows key + Print screen to create a screen shot (Note that this screen shot is automatically saved into your "My Pictures" folder). 
• Press the Windows key + Pause to open the system properties page.
• Press the Windows key + , to make all current windows transparent.
• Press the Windows key + . to pin and unpin Windows apps on the side of the screen. 

Hope most of the Windows8 keyboard shortcuts are enlisted. If you found any shortcut that seems helpful and is missing on the list, please share with us through the comments section below.

Read More

Windows 7 Tips & Tricks

No matter what the latest releases be, Windows 7 can possibly be ranked as one of the best OS so far because of its style and user friendly interface. However, if you're using Windows 7, then there may be lot of tricks which you may not know. So, today in this post I will discuss some tricks of Windows 7 which can deliver you high performance. So, here we go...


#1. 
 To scroll through the pinned applications in the taskbar without touching your mouse, simply hold down the Windows key, press T, and use the arrow keys or type T repeatedly.


#2.
 To start an application/program that is pinned to the taskbar, hold the Windows key and press the number(1-9) that corresponds with its location.


#3. 
Here is a simple windows 7 trick by which we can use windows 7 themes which aren’t made for us.
Just type C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT in the search box and press enter.  Here you can access folders of themes which are actually made for USA and Canada.


#4. 
To zoom in press windows key and + and to zoom out press windows key and -.


#5. 
To focus the icons of the system tray hold down the Windows key, press B.


#6. 
 Not only apps and documents, but also you can pin drive icons to the taskbar.
Right-click on the desktop, select New > Text File, and rename the file to drive.exe. Drag and drop this onto your taskbar, then delete the original file.
Right-click your new "drive.exe" taskbar button, then right-click its file name and select Properties. Change the contents of both the Target and Start In boxes to point at the drive or folder of your choice, perhaps click Change Icon to choose an appropriate drive icon, and you're done, that drive is pinned.


#7.
 If you want to store confidential files in a particular folder, and would like to keep them away from other network users, then don't worry it's made easy just right-click the folder, select Share With > Nobody, and they'll be made private, it can be only accessed by your user account only. 


#8.  
It you want to repair then press F8 as your PC starts, and you can see a Repair Your Computer option. Now you can choose any of the available recovery tools.


#9.  
If you are using Internet Explorer on Windows 7, then sometimes you may have experienced IE taking a while to start...this is because of add-ons. But now, IE8 has a solution. Click Tools > Manage Add-ons, check the Load Time in the right-hand column, and you'll immediately see which browser extensions are slowing you down.


#10. 
 If you want to create a new folder in Windows 7 Explorer, then just press Ctrl+Shift+N. This creates a new folder and type its name.


Let me know your suggestions if any through the comments section below.

Read More