Monday, 17 June 2013
How to Set a Panoramic Photo as a Live Wallpaper in iOS 7 on Your iPhone
Panoramic live wallpapers for the iPhone? If the first beta version of iOS 7 is indicative of the imminent public release of Apple's revamped mobile operating system, the answer is a resounding yes.
In the new iOS 7, you can capture a panoramic photo using the Camera app (just like you would in iOS 6), then set it as the wallpaper for your home or lock screen like you can on some Android devices.
How to Set Panoramic Photos as Live Wallpapers
To set a panoramic image as your live wallpaper, you'll need to first capture a panorama, if that wasn't obvious. Preferably of something pretty, like nature or something. Once you have your panorama, go to Settings -> Brightness & Wallpaper and tap on Choose Wallpaper.
Next, tap on Panoramas and choose the image you want to set as your live wallpaper. Don't do it from the Camera Roll—it won't work—even if the image is a panorama.
And that's it. Before you set the panorama live wallpaper, you can preview it to make sure it's to your liking.
After you press Set, you'll have a live panoramic wallpaper as your background on your iPhone. The image will pan around from side to side in the background whenever you switch between screens.
You can now get the most out of those 240-degree shots!
To see how it looks in action, check out the video at the top of this article.
More iOS 7 Tips Coming Soon!
This week we've been kicking the tires on iOS 7, Apple's latest OS for the iPhone and iPad. While there's a lot to like, there's also a lot to learn, so come back soon as we explore more of the new features and hidden tricks to mastering iOS 7.
5 Lessons We Can Learn From Children
Children possess brilliance in their simplicity. They may not know much about the world, but in some ways this is their biggest strength. Growing up greatly expands our views of the world, but there are some basic and healthy values that we can forget with age. Here are a few of them…
Lack of Fear
We are born fear only two things: falling and loud noises. All other fears are instilled in us by the people we grow up around. Some of these fears are legitimate and necessary for living in a modernized world, like being hit by a car. Others are completely unnecessary and serve only to hinder us from being everything we can be. Consider for a moment which of your fears actually protect you from harm and which are illogical.
No Social Boundaries
Until a child is told to “never talk to strangers!” they have no qualms about talking to random people. The “don’t talk to strangers” lesson seems to stick way past childhood which is a travesty! Strangers are wonderful and interesting people. Plus what is a friend before he/she is a friend but a stranger? I’ve written before about the oxymoron of social interaction but I even need a reminder sometimes. In short, why do we insist on making elevator rides supremely awkward? Who knows who you might meet or what you might learn by striking a small conversation with a stranger. Remember, we’re all human :)
Endless Curiosity & Wonder
When you’re a kid, any activity can be fun for hours and hours. Legos, playing ‘house,’ hide-and-go-seek and of course action figures were all sources of endless enjoyment. So what happened? As adults we can barely watch the same TV show for 30 minutes without looking for something better. During the last few days I’ve been attempting to re-live the wonder of childhood by viewing the world from a different perspective. I’ve found that if you really put forth the effort to find the beauty in small things (nature, architecture, art, the wonder of technology) it can be done! Take a second and look at something, really look at it! A basic example would the bark of a tree. If you can see the intricacy and beauty of the spirals of wood, you can apply that same perspective to bigger and even more fantastic things.
Unconditional Love
Children have no biases when it comes to love. If you smile at a child, he/she will beam a huge smile back at you for no reason other than your presence. Children do not love with expectation of something better in return, they just love. This is difficult to employ as adults but has some amazing benefits as I learned in my experiment with love. You can even love people that you would normally despise and it feels orgasmic in comparison. What’s more fun to do, smiling or frowning, punching or hugging? I think you get the idea.
It’s Okay to Play
It’s okay to be childish! Reaching a certain age does not mean we need to act that age all the time. Maturity is sometimes extremely overrated. Life shouldn’t be taken that seriously because do keep in mind, this is all transient and will all go up in smoke at some point. You might as well act like a kid sometimes and have fun living in the moment.
What other lessons can we learn from the very young?
A Little Visual Inspiration
Just some inspirational quotes put artfully over pictures (for the most part) that I found around the Internet. You might have heard some of these before but the majority are rather obscure, yet very intriguing. Check them out:
7 Journeys Into the Minds of Others
An Experiment in Empathy: 7 Journeys Into the Minds of Others
Humans are empathetic by nature. We can ’imagine’ how horrible/amazing it must be to be this person, or to go through that event. But often times our hubris and biases get in the way of our ability to truly experience empathy. So, I am going to present a few hypothetical scenarios in hopes that I can simulate an experience of pure empathy within you.
As a disclaimer, these perspectives do not accurately represent everyone in their respective stereotypes. They are put forth only as possibilities.
IMPORTANT: You have a part in this too! You must do your absolute best to drop all biases and prior ‘knowledge’ at this point, otherwise the exercise will be pointless. Try to take on the described personas as vividly as possible by visualizing the described circumstance as you read.
1) The Occupation
2) For Men…
You are a woman. You’ve grown up your entire life with poor role models in most movies, TV shows and books. Instead of watching those of your gender win wars, lead countries and save the day, you see your gender (on average) as the ‘prize’ for that hero character. Your role models in most TV shows and books have been women hopelessly dependent on finding love and overly worried about looks and clothing. This has certainly had an effect because most every woman you know mirrors this behavior. Anything else is considered unfeminine. Most guys like girls who dress up to look pretty because they’re used to the visual extremes of women in popular media. Even worse, many guys are threatened by a women smarter, more successful or stronger than them. Fitting in with those dumb girl stereotypes just makes things easier. Things are certainly changing for women, and have improved tremendously especially in previous decades, but you still have a long way to go.
No matter where you go, there is always a man keen on staring at your body. Not in an admiring way; more so in a lustful, licking-lips type of way. You know that this emphasis on sex is spurred by omnipresent sexual imagery and sexual repression, but that doesn’t make the feeling any less uncomfortable. Men seem to be more into sex than you are, but you’re not asexual either. You have desires too, but you must be careful not to act upon them too freely or you’ll be deemed a ‘slut’.
3) For Women…
You are a man. Despite what women may think, your sex drive is ever-present and overwhelming. You like to reference the story of a woman who was taking testosterone to recover from an injury, and she asked her doctor if he could the stop the constant stream of sexual thoughts into her mind. You don’t really think about sex every 3 seconds, but that’s not too far off. Ever since you were a kid you have been exposed to images of women as sex objects. Your father or uncle might have even made jokes about ‘the woman’s place in the kitchen’ or how men are ‘just plain better’ than women. Ever since you can remember, conversations with other guys have included phrases like ‘getting some pussy’ and ‘fuck that bitch’. It is cool to treat women poorly. Guys who are romantic and are in it for more than sex are ‘pussies’. This is what popular culture has taught you, and almost every guy you know. To make matters worse, sex is taboo in your society. Women are discouraged from given into their sexual desires too freely. So while your sex drive has been teased and heightened (you want what you can’t have, right?), that of women has been repressed. The result is frustration.
4) The Police
You are on the police force. You have spent the last 15 years striving do be a good cop, but have still heard ‘Fuck the police!’ and ‘Pig!’ more times than you can count. Blind hatred for you and brothers on the force comes from every direction. The ‘cops are evil’ theme in most movies isn’t helping either. You are routinely trained to believe that you are above other citizens because, well, legally you are. Many other policeman rejoice in that fact, so you’re constantly immersed in a superiority complex. Your mindset often comes to resemble ‘Me vs. Them’, which makes sense because the same mindset is held by most of the citizens you deal with on a daily basis.
To make matters worse, your partner and countless other friends on the force have been either injured or killed on the job in disputes with these same citizens. You, yourself, have often feared for your own safety because someone decided to act like a gangster after too many beers. When you shoot that person who was trying to hurt you, you are criticized for police brutality. They just don’t understand what it’s like to be shot at, what happens to the mind when a tremendous amount of adrenaline is released in the body. Man is capable of strange, illogical things when he is put under major stress.They don’t understand the transformation that happened to the younger you who went into the force to ‘protect and serve’; he has been conditioned to be wary of those same people he originally meant to help.
5) Your Parents
(If you’re a parent yourself, you can skip this one since you already know) 17 years ago you and your spouse jumped up and down with delight when the pregnancy test showed positive. The time had finally come to create a living, breathing human being who you could love and show the world to. After 9 months of choosing names, baby showers, stomach kicks and anticipation, your little darling was born. The first time they said ‘mama’ and ‘dada’ was only topped by the first time they told you ‘I love you’. For those first few years, you two are best friends. You spend every waking moment caring for them and loving them.
Then, as with anything, things change. Your child grows up, makes new friends, tries out new things as they attempt to figure out their place in this vast world. High school comes along and suddenly they aren’t your little baby anymore. But one thing hasn’t changed: how much you FUCKING love this child of yours. The love you have for even your parents and your spouse pales in comparison (this is why you laugh when your child says they are ‘in love’ for the first time because you know they could not possibly love another like you love them).
As your child and you grow further apart, you still want to know anything and everything about their life. It’s just like in the beginning stages of a relationship when you want to hear every detail about your lover’s day. If you’re lucky, your child indulges in your silly questions because they know you just love them and have a hard time connecting with them (a generation gap will do that to anyone). If you’re not lucky, they scoff at you and wish they had cooler parents… out loud. That hurts, but you still love them anyways. You always will, no matter what.
6) The ‘Enlightened’
You wake up every morning with a smile on your face. You know that today is going to be a fantastic day because you are in absolute acceptance of everything, even the things you previously would have made you very angry. Even the most bothersome of people only inspire feelings of intense love and compassion because you know that truly they are beings of love, covered in rough human shells.
Everyone that crosses your path parts in a state of wonder because of the illogical amount of love and attention you displayed towards them. It’s amazing how even the most hateful people react to unconditional love. It’s the curveball they never expected, and needed so desperately.
You used to feel above these ‘unenlightened’ people, but that left something to be desired. Soon you realized that the final step in your development was seeing everyone as equal despite the discrepancy in perspectives. Pity, you discovered, is far less transformative than love.
You’re not sure what is next for you in life, but you know that it’s worked out so far. You’re too busy enjoy the hell out of every single moment to think about the last or the next. You are in heaven on earth, and wish only to help other people see this place as you do.
7) The Leader
You were recently elected the leader of one of the most powerful countries in the world. You had pages of plans for how to change your country and the world once you got into office, but your position is different than you had imagined. Deals made under previous regimes, back-stage politics, constant international and internal pressure, confidential information which you weren’t aware of before being elected and the very system in which your position exists make your decisions impossibly more difficult than expected. Not to mention the eyes of the entire world are on you at all times.
Why do people think they understand your job? Average citizens wouldn’t argue with the decisions of an astrophysicist so why do they think they can comprehend arguably the most difficult job in the world? You tell yourself to be above the news critics and the polls, but they’re hard to ignore completely. It’s no wonder every person in your position leaves the office with more grey hair than when they entered.
iPad 5 – To Be Lighter, Thinner and More Compact?
What looks to be the back of an upcoming iPad edition leaked out, indicating a slightly altered rear camera placement. Now there are rumors about an upcoming high-res iPad Mini 2, as well as a thinneriPad 5 with smaller bezel, and each of those might look like the leaked prototype above, at least from the rear.
Meanwhile, cases for the alleged iPad 5 have shown up, confirming the rumors for a 15% thinner and a third lighter next generation Appletablet. The cases also reiterate the camera placement changes we actually see on the supposed prerelease unit, and the additional small opening indicates we might indeed have additional mic on the back for some spatial sound recording.
The other rumored specs are an A7 processor, 8 MP camera and an expected price of $500 for the 16 GB version as usual.
Meanwhile, cases for the alleged iPad 5 have shown up, confirming the rumors for a 15% thinner and a third lighter next generation Appletablet. The cases also reiterate the camera placement changes we actually see on the supposed prerelease unit, and the additional small opening indicates we might indeed have additional mic on the back for some spatial sound recording.
The other rumored specs are an A7 processor, 8 MP camera and an expected price of $500 for the 16 GB version as usual.
Alleged iPhone 5S motherboard leak shows up, A7 processor nowhere to be seen
After the rest of the components already leaked out, now it's time for the mother of all boards on an eventual iPhone 5S to show up. Sadly, the piece of silicon doesn't reveal any A7 stamp yet, which would mean Apple's rumored new processor will be present when the next iPhone generation hits the market, but at least the components are now an almost full set, the only thing left to appear is the camera.
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Netflix and Amazon ink DreamWorks and Disney content deals
Netflix and Amazon’s LOVEFiLM are each getting a burst of new content, its been announced, with DreamWorks and Disney each promising fresh on-demand titles for the cord-cutting favorites. On Netflix, a new deal with DreamWorks will see more than 300 hours of new programming based on existing and upcoming franchises such as Turbo added, while LOVEFiLM will get a mixture of new and classic titles like Dumbo, Ratatouille, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
LOVEFiLM subscribers will get the benefit of Amazon’s new deal first, with the Disney titles arriving on the service from today. Big name movies like Wall-E and Lady and the Tramp are including, though LOVEFiLM is yet to detail the full list of new content.
As for Netflix, that deal with DreamWorks will take a little longer to reach fruition. The first of the original shows will be hitting the on-demand service in 2014, where they’ll be available across all the countries where Netflix is available, including the US, Canada, Europe, and Latin America.
Talk of a DreamWorks/Netflix content deal began back in 2011, when the streaming provider confirmed it would be featuring shows from the studio. Turbo was the first franchise plowed for potential characters, with a cartoon called Turbo: F.A.S.T. (Fast Action Stunt Team) revealed.
Meanwhile, Netflix US and Latin America will get new DreamWorks Animation films from next year, beginning with The Croods. That’ll be followed by Turbo and Mr. Peabody and Sherman.
The two deals announced on the same day marks the latest battle in the ongoing on-demand content war between Netflix and Amazon. Earlier this month, Amazon snapped up a deal with Viacom after many kid-favorite shows like Dora the Explorer disappeared from the Netflix catalog, leading to vocal complaints from many parents. Research suggests that, while Netflix maintains its lead in TV content, Amazon and Hulu are fast catching up.
Killzone: Shadow Fall for PS4
Killzone: Shadow Fall was arguably the most impressive of the PlayStation 4 unveil demos earlier this year, and now developers Guerrilla Games have more of the succulent first-person gameplay to tease us with ahead of the next-gen console’s launch. The studio walked E3 2013 attendees through a 21-minute walkthrough – which you can see after the cut – to detail what the PS4 delivers in terms of visual enhancements over the PS3 and more.
The new walkthrough follows a roughly five minute tech demo Guerrilla Games released last month, along with a huge dossier explaining what had been done to cook up the original PS4 demo. Side by side withKillzone 3, the enhancements in figure resolution were clear, for instance.
However, it’s how the PlayStation 4 enables the extra detail that will likely get gamers excited in general. Guerrilla had already talked about how the console’s GPU marked a considerable step up from the previous-gen, with similar programming methods to the PS3 that now offload more processing onto the graphics cores from the CPU.
In fact, some of the graphics the developer showed at E3 earlier this month looked more like art renders than they did in-game play, though Guerrilla insists they’re legitimate characters.
Squeezing extra visual gloss out of scenes has been a key element for both Sony and Microsoft with each company’s new console, though they’ve gone about it in different ways. With the Xbox One, for instance, Microsoft offers game developers cloud rendering for less time-dependent graphics.
In fact, Microsoft claims that each Xbox One will get the equivalent of roughly three comparable consoles in its new Xbox LIVE cloud, which can be used to crunch light effects, more detailed backgrounds, and other elements. Sony hasn’t turned to the cloud in such a way, though the Killzone: Shadow Fallexamples we’ve seen so far suggest PS4 games won’t necessarily be left missing out.
VIA VG247
D-Link Gaming Router DGL-5500 promises up to 1300Mbps
It may look like Apple’s new Mac Pro 2013, but the D-Link Gaming Router DGL-5500 is actually hoping to hook up with the potent workstation, not to mention anything else supporting WiFi 802.11ac. Revealed at CES back in January, and now priced and dated for store shelves, the DGL-5500 is expected to go on sale on August 1 complete with up to 1,300 Mbps data rates.
That’s of course assuming you’re pairing the Gaming Router with something else blessed with the current fastest WiFi standard. Such devices are few and far between right now, though Apple’s updated MacBook Air did throw in 802.11ac while also tweaking battery life last week. Several Windows notebooks also support the higher-speed technology.
To achieve that sort of throughput – not that you should expect it in real-world conditions – D-Link has slotted in Qualcomm StreamBoost tech, which basically works to prioritize bandwidth depending on what the client is doing. So, activities like VoIP, streaming media on Netflix or Pandora, or multiplayer gaming, all jump to the front of the queue, over less lag-effected uses like browsing.
StreamBoost works automatically, picking out the clients that need prioritizing the most. However, there’s also support for manual selection, with a web-based interface to force better access for a particular device.
If you’ve not got 802.11ac, there are four gigabit ethernet ports and WiFi a/b/g/n. A USB port allows for drive or printer sharing.
Unsurprisingly, though, this sort of speed doesn’t come cheap. Expect to pay $199.99 for the D-Link Gaming Router, and then of course foot the bill for upgrading any non-802.11ac devices with new wireless adapters.
WordPress For Windows Phone Updated To v2.2 With Gallery Support
WordPress app for Windows Phone just got updated to v2.2 with new features and improvements. This v2.2 update adds support for gallery for self-hosted sites and also some improvements for WordPress.com push notifications, as well as fixes for crashes and other bugs.
It introduces gallery support for self-hosted sites running WordPress 3.5 or higher. It also resolves many of the outstanding issues and quirks that you have mentioned on the forums and on Twitter.Galleries are a great way to share pictures with your friends and followers. An image gallery will display thumbnails for all images attached to a particular post or page. Readers can tap or click any image to launch the gallery full-screen, displaying huge versions of your images.You can create a gallery straight from your device by attaching two or more pictures to a post or a page. You can even customize the appearance of a gallery by tapping the “gallery settings” button and choosing the best options for your site.You have great control over how the gallery will be displayed: as a thumbnail grid, or as a slideshow. Both gallery types offer a lot of options to choose, not limited to: random order, page or file attachment.
Download it here from Windows Phone Store for free.
Nex-gen Nexus 7 to Sport 1920×100 pixels Display
It looks like we won’t have to wait much longer until Google will launch the next generation Nexus 7, at least according to a Cnet report which cites IHS analyst Ricky Park.
The analyst has offered a few extra details related to the new Nexus 7, or Nexus 7 2, whatever you want to call it. The most interesting piece of information is the fact that Asus won’t be the manufacturer that will mass produce the tablet, instead Google has chosen Quanta, while the displays will be provided by Japan Display and AUO. AUO has been already mentioned in the previous rumors. It seems that the two display manufacturers will begin to ship the products for the Nexus 7 2 sometime on June or July.
In case the information will turn out to be true, it matches the rumors launched by Digi Times, publication who previously claimed that the next Nexus 7 will be released at some point in July, which would make perfect sense as the current Nexus 7 was also launched in July. Further, it seems that Google is not planning to compete with the budget-friendly tablets that will be launched soon by various companies, thus the new Nexus 7 will cost around $229, and we are talking about the 16 GB version.
Another detail that has previously mentioned is the fact that the device will have a resolution of 1920 x 1080, and a pixel density of 323 pixels per inch.
Another reason why we expect the next-gen Nexus 7 to be launched in the near future is the fact that it has been recently spotted in the FCC’s logs.
Stick around for more information about the Nexus 7 as we’ll provide it as soon as it’s available.
Instagram rumoured to announce video-sharing feature on June 20th
Facebook is holding some unknown media event on June 20th. Early thoughts were that the massive social networking site would unveil some sort of news reader app, but fresh rumours this morning have taken an entirely different direction.
According to sources at TechCrunch, Facebook will possibly bring video capabilities to photo-sharing service Instagram. This news echos a previous report that claimed Facebook was internally testing a video feature that gives users the ability to easily share 5 – 10 seconds videos. No other details are listed, but videos on Instagram would be a natural move and directly compete against Twitter’s Vine app (which allows only 6 second videos).
Instagram was snatched up by Facebook last year for $1 billion and currently has over 100 million users. The app is available on the iPhone and Android devices (plus can be side-loaded on BlackBerry).
Source: TechCrunch
Apple offer: Exchange your old tab for iPad, get upto Rs 11,000 off
Apple today announced a trade-in promotion offer that would give a minimum Rs 4,000 off if users exchanging their old tablets or notebook computer for Apple iPad.
After tasting immense success on its iPhone exchange offer, Apple has now announced a similar offer on its iPad tablets. According to an advertisement placed in news papers, Apple has officially announced a trade-in program for people buying Apple iPad in exchange of old tablets and laptops. One can exchange any tablet and get a maximum discount of Rs 11,000 and minimum of Rs 4,000 on any new Apple iPad.
The offer is valid on all models of the iPad Mini and the 16 GB model of iPad with Retina display. The tablet in exchange should not be older than two years.
Apple is offering Rs 4,000 cash back if one exchanges a Samsung Galaxy Tab 1, Galaxy Tab 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab 620, Samsung Galaxy Note N8000, Samsung Galaxy Tab 5100, Blackberry PlayBook, any Karbonn tablet and the iPad 1 WiFi.
You can also get Rs 5,500 for an iPad 1 3G+WiFi, Rs 7,000 for an iPad 2 WiFi, Rs 9,000 for an iPad 2 3G+WiFi, Rs 9,500 for an iPad 3 WiFi and Rs 11,500 for an iPad 3 WiFi+3G.
When Apple announced buyback scheme for Apple iPhone 4, its sales jumped fourfold in India. Since iPad Mini is the latest model of Apple, it looks like a better offer.
Toshiba to announce REZGA tablet
Toshiba is ready to show its new generation tablet - REZGA with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean running on it. This tablet is focused at those who love to take down notes using the stylus bundled with the tablet. As of now, there is no clarity on the availability or pricing of this tablet.
Toshiba's new REZGA AT703 tablet will feature a 10.1-inch LCD display with WQXGA (2560x1600) resolution natively. The display has been constructed using the Corning Gorilla Glass 2 technology. The tablet's display also supports stylus input using the TruNote app that also allows importing images.
The Toshiba tablet has an 1.8 GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 4 mobile chipset, 2 GB RAM and comes with 32 GB on-board storage space. There is a memory card slot to add more storage. It has an 8 megapixel camera at the rear for clicking images and recording videos. In the front of the tablet, there is a 1.2 megapixel camera for video call or self portrait.
Other features of this tablet include Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.0, and features a battery that offers 9.5 hours of run time. Toshiba also will bundle an 87 keys bearing Bluetooth keyboard along with the stylus. By default, the tablet runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update.
One novel aspect of this tablet is that it features Harmon/KARDON stereo speakers and microphone for better quality audio experience.
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