Skype Qik: Free Video messenger

The advancement of open source in software technology has led to have more affordable smartphones in the market.
The smartness in the smartphones is due to the under lying mobile operating system like Androis, iOS, Windows phone OS, Firefox OS, Tizen OS and many more.
Because od these smartphones the way of communication has really evolved extensively.
Now a days nobody is using SMS because WhatsApp and like application has replaced the stuff.
We can now share not only text messages but also video contents and images almost at free of cost.

Similar to all of the other messenger applications Skype has launched it's latest Skype Qik application that shares video messages free of cost.
As in other applications you just have to register your phone number and Qik will send your video messages instantly over your existing internet connection.
Probably this will replace the text messaging completely in future.
You can create a group of users and share all your videos throughout the day.

[Skype Qik video messenger]

Description of Skype Qik from Google Play Store:

Introducing Skype Qik (say "quick"), a free* video messenger made for capturing moments and sharing laughs throughout your day.
Set up a group and immediately start shooting and swapping videos.
Send something to crack your friends up, or show off a new dance move-whatever you want.
New messages are added to a chat that you can watch like a movie with a single tap.
Qik even lets you erase your video right out of the chat.**

Don't just send just text or photos.
Go full-video with Qik.

What can you do with Qik?

Create groups in a flash: grab a bunch of friends from your phone's address book and start a private chat.

Pre-record and send video clips (Qik Fliks): can't respond right away? Thumbs-ups, smileys and more, starring you.

Erase your message and it disappears from the conversation.**

Keep it fresh-messages are automatically erased from Qik after two weeks.

Start a conversation any time-no login, usernames, or passwords needed.

* Mobile data rates may apply.. We recommend using an unlimited data plan or WiFi connection.
** It may be possible for recipients to capture and save videos elsewhere before you delete them from Qik.

I have personally used this application on my Moto G and Nexus 4, on which it really works very fine and stole my heart.

Skype is known from so long for it's video conferencing over internet.
Even facebook is using skype for it's video chatting.

You can do even more with this application.
You just have to open up yourself to adapt new applications in the market, that's all.

Below are the download links for different OS platforms:
Skype Qik download link for iPhone
Skype Qik download link for Android
Skype Qik download link for Windows Phone



Cheers.
Have fun and stay tuned to get more updates and more such guides.

How to use a QR code to exchange information between devices

What is a QR code first???
A QR code is typically a machine-readable code consisting of an array of black and white squares, typically used for storing URLs or other information for reading by the camera on a smartphone.

How does a QR code look like???
A QR code looks similar to the below image.

So how these QR codes are helpful for you in your day to day life???
Say you have visited a website on your PC and you want to visit the same page on your mobile.
Here you can generate a QR code quickly for the particular webpage and read the QR code through a QR code reader on your phone and that's all.
How easy it is.

[QR code for http://www.infysim.org]

Say you have found an MP3 file on web and you want it to be on your phone.
Here what you can do is, just find out the download link for the MP3 file and generate a QR code for that MP3 file and use the QR code scanner application on your phone to read the QR code generated.

You can hide web links on such QR code images so that nobody will come to know what these QR code say (untill unless they don't know what a QR code is).

You can create a QR code for a Contact, a URL, A phone number, an SMS.

There are so many other stuffs that you can do with QR codes.

Lets see how to use it with pictorial demo.
I will take the example of this particular blog post which you are reading right now.

Identify the web link first.
In our case the web address of this page is what you want to convert, so here is the web address: QR_Code

Find out a free QR code generator website.
Althogh there are so many sites available but I will be using the following one:
www.the-qrcode-generator.com

You can see that you can use a Message, URL, a phone number to convert it into a QR code.

[www.the-qrcode-generator.com web interface]

Now download a QR code scanner on your phone.
I use bar code scanner application.
Below is the link:
Bar code scanner Android application

This is an Android application.
You can use similar alternatives for a Windows phone or an iPhone or any other phone.

Now open the bar code scanner application and try to read the QR code that I have generated for this particular page.

[QR code for this page]

You can see that the information behind the QR code will be visible to you on the bar code scanner application.

[Bar code scanner application screenshot]

Have fun and stay tuned to get more such updates and how to guides.

HTC One M8 Windows phone review, features, hardware specifications and price

HTC with it's innovation although is not leading the market but definitely has made it's own identity with hell lots of innovations.
In the highly android captured market recently HTC has launched the new HTC One M8 Windows phone.

Key Features of HTC One M8 Windows :

• 5 inch Full HD Super LCD3 display
• 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad core CPU
• Duo camera
• 2GB RAM
• Windows 8.1

[The all new HTC One M8 Windows]

Full hardware specifications :

DISPLAY:

- 5" Full HD Super LCD3 display
- Full HD display resolution (1920x1080)

CPU: 2.1 GHz Qualcomm 801 Quad-core

RAM: 2GB

STORAGE:

- 32 GB Internal memory
- Expansion card slot supports microSD memory card for up to 128GB

GRAPHICS: Adreno 330

CAMERA:

- HTC UltraPixel camera with BSI sensor and pixel size 2.0 um
- 5 MP front facing camera with BSI sensor

H/W and WIRELESS NETWORKING INTERFACE:

- micro-USB 2.0 port
- Bluetooth+ 4.0 with aptX enabled
- Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz)
- NFC enabled
- Support consumer infrared remote control

NETWORK FREQUENCY BAND and DATA SPEED:

- 2G/2.5G GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
- 3G WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz
- CDMA: 850/1900MHz
- HSPA+: upto 14.4mbps download speed
- 4G LTE: Bands 3,4,7,13

BATTERY: 2600 mAh Li-polymer

The look and appeal of the device:

With a dimension of 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35 mm (Height x Width x Thickness) definitely it is quite slim and it really looks great.
5 inch display is enough larger to deal with and the Full HD resolution the contents will look very decent and clear.
The look and design of this phone is really very much appealing and it really looks like a royal one.

And also with Windows 8.1 definitely this will be going to a different experience for all of us.

Camera details:

The Primary camera is HTC UltraPixel camera, BSI sensor, pixel size 2.0 um, sensor size 1/3”, f/2.0, 28mm lens with HTC ImageChip 2 technology.
Capable of 1080p Full HD video recording
The other camera out of the duo in the primary camera captures the depth information.

The front facing camera is a 5MP camera with BSI sensor.
Both the camera supports full HD video Recording(1920x1080)

Processing, performance and Benchmarking:

With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, 2.3GHz processor definitely your device will stay ahead for everything.
Nothing more to explain for this because this will never put you down at least for one more year till new processor comes.
And with the DDR2 2GB RAM your device will be capable of running multiple applications gracefully and fast enough.

Multimedia features:

VIDEO:

It is capable of playing 1080p resolution videos.
It supports the following playback Video codecs: 3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv (Windows Media Video 10), .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3)
It supports the following recording Video codec: MP4

AUDIO:

Following audio codecs supported by this device for playback: aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma (Windows Media Audio 10)
Following audio codecs supported by this device for recording: aac
The other major audio features include Dual front-facing stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers and Sense Voice

Sensors:

Accelerometer
Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor
Gyro sensor

Battery specifications:

- Embedded rechargeable Li-polymer battery
- Talk time: Up to 22 hours for 3G
- Standby time: Up to 528 hours for 3G

Reference links:

Official HTC One M8 Windows phone link


Stay tuned to get the latest information.

Xolo WIN Q900s: The first XOLO Windows phone

Where Android is ruling the market and made Blackberry almost disappear from the market, there Windows has bought Nokia and increased its sustainability in the market.
In the Samsung and iPhone dominated mobile phone market several Indian manufacturers like Xolo, Karbonn and Micromax has made their special position by targeting the lower market segment.

Of course Android is popular but to maintain the sustainability, mobile phone manufacturers must use other available OS like Tizen OS, or Firefox OS or Windows OS.
As I have already introduced the Micromax Canvas WIN: it's first ever Windows phone, few days back, on the other hand, Xolo is another Indian Phone manufacturer giant has announced it's latest ever Windows phone.

Before going into details let's have a look on some attractions of Xolo windows Q900s:

4.7" HD IPS 1.2 GHz Quad-core Qualcomm MSM8212 processor 8.0 MP PureCel camera 1GB RAM 1,800 mAh Lithium-polonium battery Windows 8.1

Brands like Xolo and Micromax brings you ultimate user experience at an affordable price and latest ever features.

Recently Xolo has announced it's first ever windows phone to keep itself ahead and keep it's consumers happy.
Few days back Micromax has announced it's first ever Windows phone and today Xolo has also shown that it is even not behind the race.

Xolo Q900s windows phone will be priced @ INR 11,999/- but you can prebook now from snapdeal.com @ INR 9,999/- but for the first 5000 units only.

On the other hand the Micromax Canvas WIN may cost you little bit less or the same and even you will find some options in NOKIA also at this price range.

So if you are interested in this phone or you want to change to Windows, then you can give a try to this.

Features, performance and Specifications :

4.7" inch display is quite larger and even handy to have it in your hands comfortably. The HD 1280x720 resolution with a 312ppi pixel density display will show the contents quite very well aligned.

While Micromax has packed SONY's Emor R sensor in it's first Windows phone, On the other side Xolo Q900S has an 8 MP primary camera with PureCel sensor. And even with the front facing 2.0 MP camera you can still stay closer to your loved ones by making video calls.

This phone packs a Qualcomm MSM8212 chipset clocked at 1.2 GHz. It has 1 GB of RAM installed, as in the Micromax Canvas WIN, Moto G, to run the applications that are installed in your phone. Although the internal storage is 8 GB, it can be increased by an external SD card up to 32GB.

Yes of course 1 GB RAM seems to be low but believe me it will work just smooth.
At this price segment if you consider Moto G or Micromax Canvas WIN or you take any other phone, which has the same RAM memory amount and that runs pretty cool.

Hardware specification Comparison of Xolo WIN Q900s with Canvas WIN & Moto G:

Device specification	Windows Q900s Specifications	Canvas WIN Specifications	Moto G Specifications
CPU	Quad-core 1.2 GHz	Quad-core 1.2 GHz	Quad-core 1.2 GHz
RAM	1GB	1GB	1GB
Display Size	4.7" HD IPS LCD display	5.0" IPS LCD display	5.0" IPS LCD display
Display Resolution	1280X720	1280X720	1280X720
Pixel Density	312 ppi	294 ppi	326 ppi
Camera resolution	8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels	8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels	5 MP, 2592x1944 pixels
Storage	8GB internal memory + Expandable upto 32GB	8GB internal memory + Expandable	16/32GB internal memory + Non-Expandable
Battery	1,800 mAh Li-Pol	2,000 mAh Li-Ion	2,070 Li-Ion

Yes of course it will be a good deal at this price but you can see that you have so many other options for the same price range with the features offered by any other brands.
If you will have a look closely then you will find that the Micromax Canvas W121 provides you almost the same hardware specifications.
On the other hand NOKIA lumia 930 & Moto G (Android OS) gives you a brand name with the similar hardware specifications and almost at the same price range.

So I suggest you to choose a phone from a brand which provides good services.

Stay tuned to get the latest information.

Micromax Canvas WIN: First ever Indian Windows phone

Where Android is ruling the market and made Blackberry almost disappear from the market, there Windows has bought Nokia and increased its sustainability in the market.
In the Samsung and iPhone dominated mobile phone market several Indian manufacturers like Xolo, Karbonn and Micromax has made their special position by targeting the lower market segment.

Of course Android is popular but to maintain the sustainability, mobile phone manufacturers must use other available OS like Tizen OS, or Firefox OS or Windows OS.
Firefox OS or Tizen OS may not be reliable at this moment but Windows OS has already made it's position in the market.

By keeping these things in mind, Micromax has forwarded such a step to keep itself ahead in this market in all dimensions by announcing it's first ever Windows phone.

Before going into details let's have a look on some attractions of Canvas WIN:

5.0" Full HD IPS 1.2 GHz Quad-core Qualcomm MSM8212 processor 8.0 MP Auto Focus camera 1GB RAM 2,000 mAh battery Windows 8.1

Brands like Sony, Samsung and LG definitely packs more feature but ultimately you have to pay much.
But brands like Xolo brings you ultimate user experience at an affordable price and latest ever features.

Of course they all target different segments in market and consumers.

Today Micromax has announced it's first ever windows phone to keep itself ahead and keep it's consumers happy.

Features, performance and Specifications :

5.0" inch display is quite larger and even handy to have it in your hands comfortably. The HD 1280x720 resolution display shows the contents quite very well aligned in the display.

It has an 8 Megapixels camera with auto focus feature and lighten by an LED flash. It offers 864x480 pixels video recording @ 30fps. And even with the front facing 1.3 MP camera you can still stay closer to your loved ones by making video calls.

As in a budget android phone it packs a Qualcomm MSM8212 Quad-core processor which is quite decent. Canvas WIN is installed with 1 GB of RAM which will give the user a really good multitasking experience. Although the internal storage is 8 GB, it can be increased by an external SD card up to 32GB.

Hardware specification Comparison of Canvas WIN with Moto G:

Device specification	Canvas WIN Specifications	Moto G Specifications
CPU	Quad-core 1.2 GHz	Quad-core 1.2 GHz
RAM	1GB	1GB
Display Size	5.0" IPS LCD display	4.5" IPS LCD display
Display Resolution	1280X720	1280X720
Pixel Density	294 ppi	326 ppi
Camera resolution	8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels	5 MP, 2592x1944 pixels
Storage	8GB internal memory + Expandable	16/32GB internal memory + Non-Expandable
Battery	2,000 mAh Li-Ion	2,070 Li-Ion

Wrapping up this post by saying that at this price point of view alongside other manufacturers like Nokia a Microsoft owned company, Micromax offers a very good deal to the consumers in the Windows phone category.

Stay tuned to get the latest information.