Razer releases Surround software for virtual 7.1 surround on stereo headphones

Any gamer knows that the sound in the game matters as much as the visuals. In fact, at times, it matters more, especially when the enemy may not be on the screen but you could still hear them. Normally, people use headphones while gaming but often the level of immersion from just two speakers leaves a lot to be desired and not everyone can afford to purchase a pair of surround sound headphones.

As a solution to this problem, Razer has released a new software for Windows PCs that let you enjoy the benefits of a surround sound headphones from any old pair of stereo headphones. It uses virtual surround sound (which is what most surround sound headphones use anyway) to recreate the experience of listening to a 7.1 channel system through just two speakers.

The software allows users to fine tune the sound to their liking and then the settings are saved not just on your own PC but also on the cloud, so if you happen to log in from another computer your settings are downloaded and synced automatically.

The best part is that the software is completely free to download. Razer, however, also gives you the option to pay if you want to and the money will be donated to Child’s Play charity.

You can download the Razer Surround software from the link below.

Source

Highest-ever Skype video call made from Mount Everest using an HTC One, for charity

Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, gets great reception. No really, it saw its first 3G video call in 2010, the first tweet in 2011 and now the first Skype video call in 2013. The feat was achieved by brit Daniel Hughes who is raising £1 million for the Comic Relief anti-poverty charity.

He wanted one million people to donate a single pound and decided to climb Everest to promote this charity.

It took him all of 2011 and 2012 to raise the funds needed for the climb, to train (Daniel’s mountaineering experience was limited), had an agreement with band Moby to use their music to promote his effort (and other related efforts).

Things came together when HTC became Daniel’s main sponsor. He also secured satellite company Inmarsat (curiously, HTC and Inmarsat were his first two sponsors).

The ascend started in May and Daniel was blogging and making Skype calls the entire way up. The summit was finally reached on May 19 when he put on the red clown nose (characteristic of the Comic Relief charity) and made a Skype video call to the BBC News, the highest Skype call on record at 8,848 meters above sea level, using HTC One and Skype for Android.

Source

Dropbox 2.3 update now available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

Dropbox has launched a minor update for its iOS app, bringing it to version 2.3. While not really substantial, the update brings some improvements as well as bug squashing for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

You can now share entire folders right from the application, as well as share single or multiple files at once, which is convenient. The company has also introduced gestures in the latest version of its app. You can share, move, delete or tag favorite files with a swipe on any file.

Usually, Dropbox is right on schedule updating its Android app soon after the iOS update, so Android users should expect to get an update sooner rather than later.

Follow the source link to get the latest Dropbox version.

Source | Via

Videocon A55HD with 5-inch display, Android 4.2 launched for Rs. 13,499

Videocon Mobiles has launched A55HD smartphone in the Indian market for Rs. 13,499. Videocon A55HD packs in 1.2GHz quad-core processor along with 1GB of RAM.

The latest flagship smartphone from Videocon deploys a 5-inch screen with a resolution of 720X1280 pixels. It has a pixel density of 295ppi. Videocon has adopted one-glass solution (OGS) technology for the display of this smartphone. Internally. the smartphone Videocon A55HD comes with 4GB internal storage, which can be expanded by up to 32GB with microSD card.

For camera, there is an 8-megapixel rear camera with auto focus and 3.2-megapixel front shooter. The rear camera of the smartphone is also capable of shooting up to 40 continuous shots in the burst mode.

Videocon A55HD is a dual-SIM smartphone with dual standby. It runs on Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean) and comes loaded with a 2,000mAh battery. Connectivity options on the smartphone include 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and GPS/A-GPS. Videocon A55HD also comes with 'Flip To Silent' and 'Face Detection' feature.

To entice the consumers, the company is offering free protective pouch along with this smartphone.

Commenting on the launch, Khalid Zamir, Head Product Planning and Development, Videocon Mobile Phones Division, said, "The launch of Videocon A55HD heralds a new milestone, as with this device we bring to our customers best-in-class technological innovations that we are offering at a compelling price. The A55HD brings the best of 'high definition' technology, processing speed, camera quality and many more features relevant to the upwardly mobile, technology savvy and brand-conscious user."

Videocon A55HD key specifications

• 5-inch display with 720X1280pixels and OGS technology
• 1.2GHz quad-core processor
• 1GB RAM
• 4GB of Internal storage, expandable by up to 32GB
• 8-megapixel rear camera with LED Flash
• 3.2-megapixel front-facing camera
• 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/aGPS
• 2,000mAh battery
• Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean)

Galaxy Note 3 might launch with a LCD panel in some markets

An interesting report has popped up on our radar, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 might pack a LCD display, ditching the Super AMOLED panel, for certain markets only.

Love Samsung’s Super AMOLED display? In love with the infinite contrast, true blacks and often over saturated but vibrant colors? Planning to buy the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to enjoy 5.7-inch of Full HD Super AMOLED goodness? Get ready for a some massive disappointment. Much like the regional treatment that the Galaxy S4 received with regard to the chipset powering the device (Snapdragon 600 in most, Exynos 5 Octa in others), the Galaxy Note 3 too will receive such differentiated treatment, but in the area of the display.

Korean publication ETNews reports that some regions might get a Galaxy Note 3 with a LCD display instead of Samsung’s trademark Super AMOLED panel. What’s that? I can hear the sound of crashing/breaking dreams… Ouch! The report says that the Super AMOLED panels of OLED variety are bearing very low yields, low enough to force Samsung to equip many of their phablet flagship units with a LCD panel instead. If this is true, we really do hope that the company goes for the new low-power consuming IGZO panel by Sharp, which is entirely likely given Samsung’s investments in Sharp. Let’s see what the Note 3 begins. Latest rumors put mass production of the device to begin in August. Here’s hoping for a late September launch.

Source: ETNews

Feel that? That’s purpose.

Facebook Creator Mark Zuckerberg Stays Grounded

Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg shows us that not all Billionaires need to live in Fancy Mansions and drive Prestige cars. We show you how the man himself lives and how modest you can be even if you are one of the youngest billionaire in the world.

Checkout Mark Zuckerberg’s House.

Mark Zuckerberg’s House

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly shelled out US$7 million for a 464 square metre Palo Alto mansion, just a 10-minute drive from Facebook’s new office space in Menlo Park.

Despite the hefty price tag, this is small change for Zuckerberg, whose fortune jumped 238 percent to US$13.5 billion in the past year with Facebook reportedly approaching US$4 billion in annual revenue. His new pad features privacy hedges, five bedrooms and five bathrooms and a banquet hall sized dining room, according to the US Real Estalker blog.

The hoodie-loving Mark Zuckerberg and his girlfriend Priscilla Chan lead a relatively low-key lifestyle and will remain in the Palo Alto neighbourhood of College Terrace rental until move-in time, which could be months away.

This house also has five bedrooms, but is around 353 square metres. It has three satellite dishes attached to the top.

In keeping with the modest theme, Zuckerberg’s girlfriend drives an Acura TSX, which is an entry-level luxury vehicle worth about US$30,000.

Before moving into the College Terrace, Mark Zuckerberg rented another relatively unusual Palo Alto property. This one only had four bedrooms. You would never know that this was Mark Zuckerberg’s house.

Perhaps Mark Zuckerberg is taking after fellow frugal billionaire Warren Buffet who still lives in the home he purchased for US$31,500 in 1958.

Mark Zuckerberg’s house shows you the type of guy he is, he does not let material things get the best of him, good on ya Zucks!

The Mind Of A Master – Bruce Lee

One of the best Martial Artists in the world,Bruce Lee lived and breathed his art.

We have a lot to learn from this legend about the discipline and focus that is needed to be a successful human being on this planet.

“Defeat is a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.” – Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee – Like Water

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough: we must do.” – Bruce Lee

Apples CEO Steve Jobs Shares His 12 Rules Of Success

Do what you love to do. Find your true passion. Do what you love to do and make a difference! The only way to  do great work is to love what you do.

Be different.   Think different. “Better be a pirate than to join the navy.”
Do your best. Do your best at every job. No sleep! Success generates more success. So be hungry for it. Hire good people with passion for excellence.

Make SWOT analysis. As soon as you join/start a company, make a list of strengths and weaknesses of yourself and your company on a piece of paper. Don’t hesitate in throwing bad apples out of the company.

Be entrepreneurial. Look for the next big thing. Find a set of ideas that need to be quickly and decisively acted upon and jump through that window. Sometimes the first step is the hardest one. Just take it! Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

Start small, think big. Don’t worry about too many things at once. Take a handful of simple things to begin with, and then progress to more complex ones. Think about not just tomorrow, but the future. “I want to put a ding in the universe,” reveal Steve Jobs his dream.

Strive to become a market leader. Own and control the primary technology in everything you do. If there’s a better technology available, use it no matter if anyone else is not using it. Be the first, and make it an industry standard.

Focus on the outcome. People judge you by your performance, so focus on the outcome. Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.Advertise. If they don’t know it, they won’t buy your product. Pay attention to design. “We made the buttons on the screen look so good you’ll want to lick them.” “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

Ask for feedback. Ask for feedback from people with diverse backgrounds. Each one will tell you one useful thing. If you’re at the top of the chain, sometimes people won’t give you honest feedback because they’re afraid. In this case, disguise yourself, or get feedback from other sources. Focus on those who will use your product – listen to your customers first.

Innovate. Innovation distinguishes a leader from a follower. Delegate, let other top executives do 50% of your routine work to be able to spend 50% your time on the new stuff. Say no to 1,000 things to make sure you don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much. Concentrate on really important creations and radical innovation. Hire people who want to make the best things in the world. You need a very product-oriented culture, even in a technology company. Lots of companies have tons of great engineers and smart people. But ultimately, there needs to be some gravitational force that pulls it all together.

Learn from failures. Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.

Learn continually. There’s always “one more thing” to learn! Cross-pollinate ideas with others both within and outside your company. Learn from customers, competitors and partners. If you partner with someone whom you don’t like, learn to like them – praise them and benefit from them. Learn to criticize your enemies openly, but honestly.

Apple hybrid port patent tips slimmer MacBooks sharing sockets

Apple could further slim its MacBook Air and Pro range by combining ports, a new patent application suggests, developing hybrid USB and SD card reader ports that save notebook space without sacrificing connectivity. The newly published patent, simply titled “combined input port“, describes a single connector that, thanks to offset pins inside, could work with both a regular USB plug or the contacts on a memory card, depending on which the user required at the time. However, the same arrangement could also be used for combining any other mixture of ports, such as Thunderbolt, Apple points out.

“A first set of contacts is positioned on the substrate at a first depth into the receiving aperture” Apple’s application explains, “and a second set of contacts is positioned on a first surface of the outer wall at a second depth into the receiving aperture.” In the image below, of the port in cross-section, a USB plug is inserted and makes contact with the first set of contacts.

However, in this second diagram from the patent application, an SD card is shown inserted into the hybrid connector instead. That is pushed further into the port, so that it can join with a second set of pins deeper inside.

Should Apple choose to commercialize the system, it would obviously place limits on what devices could be plugged in simultaneously. An SD card could not be read if, for instance, a USB modem or mouse was plugged in. However, with more and more peripherals being connected wirelessly, and Apple pushing Thunderbolt (and the newer Thunderbolt 2, initially only included on the new Mac Pro 2013) as its multi-purpose – and conveniently compact – way of linking up displays, external storage, and other devices, the relevance of distinct ports for memory cards and USB is arguably reducing.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen hybrid connectors, of course. Combined eSATA and USB were popular on notebooks at one point, offering the extra speed of the less-popular eSATA without sacrificing the more common, but slower, USB 2.0.

Apple has traditionally pushed the slimming of its notebooks, switching to unibody designs, ditching optical drives, and trimming the number of ports included in an attempt to reduce weight and thickness. However, the newest 2013 MacBook Air, which we reviewed earlier this month, is externally unchanged from its predecessor, with the biggest difference being the switch to Intel’s Haswell architecture inside.

VIA AppleInsider

Sony posts PS3 4.46 firmware update, instructions to fix consoles busted by 4.45

After the 4.45 firmware update knocked some PlayStation 3s out of commission last week, Sony has fulfilled its promise of a fixed version. 4.46 is now available to download, while a series of steps has been posted to the support site to walk users through updating any consoles that installed 4.45 and then failed to reboot. Additionally, for users that successfully installed 4.45 and later complained of NAT and "IP fragment issues," a post on the support forum confirms that has been fixed as well. Owners of frozen consoles will need a USB memory stick with at least 168MB of space, although certain older models can also use SD, Memory Stick or Compact Flash cards. There's still no word on exactly what went wrong, but for instructions on how to configure the flash storage and reboot into safe mode so you can start gaming again, just hit the source link below.

VIA: @PlayStation (Twitter)
SOURCE: PlayStation Support
MORE COVERAGE: IP Fragment

British Airways teams up with Designworks for electronic bag tags that nab info from your smartphone

Tired of ripping off those old luggage tags after a trip? Well, those could be a thing of the past if all goes according to plan -- at least when flying British Airways. The airline cooked up an electronic bag tag that looks to discard the paper version with the help of the folks at Designworks. Once passengers have checked in, they simply need to hover a smartphone over the tag to beam (via NFC, we'd surmise) bothflight info and the requisite barcode to the tag's display. The idea behind the whole thing isn't only to keep the paper-changing to a minimum, but to also save precious time at the check-in counter. A live trial of the tagging gadget is planned, so we'll soon be able to see if the concept stands up to baggage handlers.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

SOURCE: Designworks

Certified, the Certification Quiz App

  

Certified is now available on the Windows Phone Store and Windows Store!

Certified is a high-level quiz application. The intention is to help you get your certifications.

Certified comes with four topics:

• CompTIA A+
• CompTIA Network+
• CompTIA Security+
• W3C Web Development

It also comes with several other features, like stat tracking, sharing your scores through various social medias, and explanations for questions.

Certified is available for 2.49 on the Windows Phone Store and the Windows Store. Download today and get those certs!

How to Control Your Computer Remotely from Your HTC One or Other Android Device

With so many cloud storage services out there, many people are starting to keep their important documents online, especially when they know they'll need to view them when they're away from their computer.

That's all well and good, but I'm still human, and I forget things. Sometimes when I'm not home, I need to view a file that's located only on my computer, or I want start a large download so it'll be done by the time I do get home.

There are several apps that are workable solutions to this, but in thissoftModder guide, I'll be focusing on TeamViewer, a completely free way to gain remote access and control your computer via your HTC One or other Android device.

Step 1: Install TeamViewer on Your PC

Download and install TeamViewer from their website. It will work on Linux, Mac, and Windows. For this guide, I'll be demonstrating it on my Windows 8 computer.

Step 2: Set Up TeamViewer on Your PC

Once it's installed, open the program up and follow the setup instructions.

Choose "Install to control the computer later from remote" if you want to create a TeamViewer account, which lets you create nicknames and passwords for each of your computers, and "personal/non-commercial use" (which is free). On the next screen, click "Finish."

Step 3: Create Your TeamViewer Account

When the setup process is complete, open TeamViewer. If you want to create a TeamViewer account, it will ask you to name your computer and create a password, then log in or create your account.

For this tutorial, we'll use the 9-digit numeric ID, which I have blurred out in the screenshot above, and the 6-character alphanumeric password.

Step 4: Install TeamViewer on Your Android Device

Now, on your HTC One or other Android device, download the TeamViewer for Remote Control app from Google Play, then open it and read or skip the mini-tutorial.

Step 5: Set Up TeamViewer on Your Android Device

Type in the 9-digit ID number from your computer, the tap Remote Control. It'll prompt you for the 6-character password from your computer, so enter it, and tap OK.

Voilà! Now you can control your computer from anywhere.

It's quick enough to use over 3G, as long as you're not trying to stream media.

How to Change Siri's Voice from Female to Male in iOS 7 on Your iPhone

While there were many highlights during Apple's keynote address at WWDC this year, the new advancements to the sassy personal assistant Siri in iOS 7 were amongst the most talked about—and something I was eager to test drive myself.

Currently, there are ways to improve Siri in iOS 6, like making her play Spotify music or adding more commands, but those aren't easy tasks.

The new and improved Siri in iOS 7 comes with Twitter and Wikipedia search integration, the ability to adjust system settings, and many more cool features. Siri's overhaul comes at an opportune time, given the availability of more functional personal assistant apps on Android devices and Siri clones like Sara.

To go along with these new features, which are sure to raise the numbers of those using Siri, she also has one other big surprise—

She's gotten a sex change.

How to Change Siri's Voice from Female to Male

With the updated Siri, you can now change the gender of Siri's voice to either the original female or to the new male voice. To change Siri's voice in iOS 7, head over to:

• Settings -> General -> Siri -> Voice Gender

From there, you can change choose between either Male or Female.

Up until now, most countries either had to deal with a male (UK's Daniel) or female voice (Siri and Australia's Karen), but couldn't change to one or the other without resetting the region/language. This is the first time that the United States and other countries will have a native option to easily change the voice in the settings.