No More Silent Chrome Extensions Installs

Lets start with a question upfront. Did you update your Chrome yet? In case you are wondering we are taking an update of your Chrome to version 25. If not your are doing a favor to neither you nor your Chrome browser. Nee to know what you are missing? Read on.

Ever wondered where that extension came from to your chrome? As mentioned on the Chrome Blog, "Until now, it has been possible to silently install extensions into Chrome on Windows using the Windows registry mechanism for extension deployment. This feature was originally intended to allow users to opt-in to adding a useful extension to Chrome as a part of the installation of another application." But as is obvious, the feature was used in a wrong sense by quite a few third party programs to be able to install some extensions without any intimations or permission from the user. But now with the version 25 update of the Chrome browser, the extensions installed via the external extension deployment options will be disabled by default.

Now on the install of such silent extensions, your chrome menu will be badged. The menu will have options to take you through a click process where by you will be able to choose either to remove or disable the extension.

But as we know with Chrome developers, the intent is not only to prevent the future problems but also fix the ones that existed previously. So apart from the information on future installs of the silent extensions, this version update also has the feature that will disable all such extensions that may have been installed silently by any third party programs. There will be a one time notification for the users so they may take any actions ini case they want to.

Chrome just got better and more user friendly :). Agree ?

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Mentions in Blogger Posts

Remember sometime back when Google gave you an option to start using your Google+ profile on your blogger account. What that essentially meant was a way to promote your Google plus profile so gets linked with your blogger account and you could use it to display in the author' block widget on Blogger. But there was more to it that met the eye. How did we come to know about it? We saw this when we landed on our Blogger a couple days before:

We have been talking about Google' product merge policy. This, for whatever a small reason, can again fall in to that list. Now that you use your Google plus profile on your Blogger account, you could make mentions of people that are on Google plus in your posts. Not only people but pages too. The mentions can be done even if you are not in contact with the person or page being mentioned. And based on that account' notification settings, a notification will be sent to them once the post is published. And once you mention them, the post will be shared with them as you share the post on Google plus (this is if you have the share auto settings enabled).

As for how to, we are sure you don't need guidance on that. But still here is what Google has to say:
"To use this feature, just type "+" or "@" followed by the name or page. As you’re typing, you'll see a list of names appear below. You can click to select the person or page that you'd like to mention."

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ApnaCircle Search and New Recruiter Space

Besides the Facebook and Google taking their war to another level and the Twitter Instagram tussle, the Indian PSN ApnaCircle has advanced in producing some little but effective changes as far as the Members are concerned. There has been some good news for the recruiter's on the network with the new Recruiter's tool introduced on the site by the company. We take a quick look on the changes.

The search pages on the site have seen a makeover. They now display the search results in a more short profile view that is now characteristic all over the site. The page now also has a default quick view as well as the detailed view. Both of the views are shown in the below screen captures. Take a special note that the search pages now also return company page for the keyword matches, as is the case in our search in these screen captures.

Search (Quick View) : Default view

And here is the detailed view, as shown in the top right corner of the capture:

Search (Detailed View)

As you see this view has a bit more information on the Member' cards. You choose your view!!

Before we move on to the recruiter tool, there is a small change that we noticed on the profiles page in the skills area. It seems you are now able to suggest your contacts some skills that they should consider adding to their profiles. Look at the bottom section of the below screen capture:

OK, so as we said.. good news for all recruiters on +ApnaCircle . The company has released a new version of the recruiters tool that allows easy management of the talent available and as well as the contact response flow.
Create Projects and Watch Your Job Offers

Post, Search and Find. As Easy As This!!

Smooth Searching and Easy Access To Cart

One Click Access To The Talent Pool

Impressed? You will be more once you try the new tool. Got enough details? Now go ahead and get a start on the ApnaCircle Recruiter Tool.
And by the way, don't forget to have a look at the important links on the footer. Just to mention that the footer on this tool is different from the rest of the site.

And before we end the post, it seems the company has some goodies planned for its Members via a New Year Contest that seems to be up soon on the Facebook page. So you guys better keep an eye on that page and here is the official announcement from them:

Let us know what you think of the new features and more importantly on the new Recruiter's Tool. Merry Christmas to all of you !
[Recruiter section Image Courtesy: ApnaCircle Recruiter's Tool]

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Facebook Tests $1 Non-Contact Messages

Where does this one comes from? We are sure you will find this message ringing in quite a few ears who by now know about this new Facebook feature. We are more sure you will be thinking about this more n more once you know the feature. Facebook has started testing a feature that lets anyone message you for as low as $1. If you think that's ok, read carefully. When we say "anyone", it means people who are not in your contact list. Getting jitters now?

Facebook, we are sure didn't mean to create wrong flows. What they actually mean to do is this:
"If you want to send a message to someone you heard speak at an event but are not friends with, or if you want to message someone about a job opportunity, you can use this feature to reach their Inbox,"
"For the receiver, this test allows them to hear from people who have an important message to send them."

Obviously the intent is good. How well is this grasped is a different story altogether but is something that Facebook may suffer from. I mean yes people occasionally would like to receive messages from that pleasant someone they met at the party the other day, but then since when there have been restrictions on the web users. We are not pointing fingers but you get the point right? People may get on the receiving end and as of now we are not sure what Facebook plans to protect them. What we are putting here already seems to be in Facebook minds though and this is what they think about it:

"Several commentators and researchers have noted that imposing a financial cost on the sender may be the most effective way to discourage unwanted messages and facilitate delivery of messages that are relevant and useful."

Besides they think a limit is good way as well, so they decided this:
"This message routing feature is only for personal messages between individuals in the U.S. In this test, the number of messages a person can have routed from their Other folder to their Inbox will be limited to a maximum of one per week."

The test will evolve as per the company statements so we will keep an eye on what they do and how?

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Track Santa Through Maps and Apps

When it comes to creativity and surprises with benefits, Google leaves no stone unturned. This time the festival time of the year when kids and bigs are waiting for a call and present from Santa, the company has started a track Santa theme around the things. Starting from just 10 min from now (at the time of writing that is), which will be 2:am PST time, you can start tracking Santa' route; courtesy a tracker and some apps developed by the guys at Google.

Previously since 2004, the company was tracking Santa' route via Google Earth. This year however you will be able to track him as he travels across cities and boundaries on possibly the fastest airborne vehicle (his sleigh), both on Google Earth as well as Google Maps. How? Just visit google.com/santatracker. You will be able to see his position and stats right from 2:00am PST on Christmas Eve.

Apart from this, you could use the Chrome Extension or download the Android App especially built for the purpose. All this so you can keep up with wherever Santa may be right from your Smartphone's and tablets. And if you wish to keep an update on his route via any page streams or wall updates, here are the links you would want to keep an eye on:
Circle him on Google+
Like him on Facebook
Follow him on Twitter

And as a special gift you could always as Santa to call a dear friend and deliver your messages. Merry Christmas to all our Readers :)

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Viadeo Mobile App Marketing

In today's era when more and more people have gone smart with the hand held devices and prefer to be in contact with their network even while on the move, it becomes a compulsion that apart from the web version of their site the webmasters also focus on how they make the services available on these smartphones or the hand held devices in general. Not a surprise that Viadeo has been quite up to the mark (although they are still a bit slow on getting off the mark in a few mobile areas). Today we discuss their updates that are being released in the respective areas of the respective smartphones and a surprise on their website and video marketing.

The mobile detail section on their website has been updated in the recent time. The pages now give a more professional designed feel to the users. Besides the pages now have enough details and in a nice layout. Viadeo has an app for all major smartphones. Go to play store for the Viadeo Android App, or Apple app store for the Viadeo iOS app and Windows phone users have the Viadeo app for Windows as well as the Samsung Bada version is there too. And so the Blackberry users don't feel left out, here is the Viadeo Blackberry app.

If you want to get more details on each of the smartphone app, click on the 'Find out more' links that sit on the right side of the page in the first screen capture above(just below the QR
code on right top) or see the footer, where you will find the mobile section as you see on the screen capture on your left. The Android app has seen another update today on the play store and now sits on version 2.2.0 and as far as the app is concerned, it seems users are happy with the new layout on the news section and the fact that you can now store your Viadeo contacts to your phone address book. Any Russian users out there? Be happy as the app now supports your native language as well

And here is the surprise that we saw today on the Viadeo dashboard.

Looks nice? We agree!! The ad that you see on both sides of the screen relates to a YouTube promotional/marketing video. But we were sad to see that t disappeared once we refreshed the page. Here is a look to the good marketing and promotional video:

It's quite evident that the guys at Viadeo have been taking the mobile apps a bit too seriously. Good for the user but it also seems like they are missing a line of action. We hope you remember that Viadeo is also the parent of Indian based PSN ApnaCircle. So while the work related to the mobile apps have been great on one hand, there have been some points that have been missed which should have been easy to have been taken care of on the first hand. We compiled a list of what we found and think represent a lazy look on part of the brands.

• The mobile pages on the Viadeo site seems not to have been created for ApnaCircle. The moment you go to the ApnaCircle mobile pages, you see a mix of Viadeo and ApnaCircle. In fact the page title itself reads "Viadeo | Mobile".
• As far as we are aware, there are no mobile apps for ApnaCircle apart from iPhone and Blackberry. But the mobile pages detailed in above point and as well as in the footer, the site shows the site has a mobile app for Android, Bada etc and worse they lead to Viadeo apps for respective smartphones.
• Try opening www.apnacircle.com on your Android phone and you are redirected to the Android mobile page for the site that asks you to install the Android app fr ApnaCircle and tells you the features available. Click on the download link and it takes you to the Viadeo app on the play store. You got the point, right?

Hope someone from the company is listening to us on these questions and also that the fices are on their way soon. Users obviously won't like getting stuck on the line.

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YouTube Rewind : 2012 Trending Vids

2012 comes to an end and there is some nostalgia in the air as far as YouTube is concerned. YouTube yesterday launched YouTube Rewind, a channel devoted to the top trending videos that you have viewed on the video site for the year 2012.

As per YouTube this year online users have viewed around 4 billion hours of videos in a single month. They have said what percentage was owned by the smartphone users but still considering the number is so huge, it isn't a surprise there were trends across multiple categories. Kevin Allocca, YouTube trends manager said on the site' official blog that people have been using the platform quite creatively. The innovation has been extensive and the passions and interests have taken the culture to a different level. The same could be seen in the this year's trending videos showcased on the channel. 

Here are the top trends from India. And here is a tribute YouTube prepared for the top trending videos, and is this a surprise that Gangnam style was the top trending video with nearly 1 billion views.

This is what Kevin Allocca had to say on the blog post:

This year, Korean Pop music transcended boundaries and took the world by storm. Cover songs, parodies, and "do-it-yourself" music videos from all genres entertained us in countries near and far. And you participated in conversations at a global scale, uploading videos to share ideas on everything from nonprofit campaigns, to political satire, to new and surprising voices and talents. Plus, all over the world, you tuned in for the most up-to-date news footage of presidential elections, natural disasters and more.

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Google Maps for iPhone

Nearly 3 months after the embedded app for Google maps was given a farewell by Apple, Google decided it was time they gave the iOS users (only iPhone and not iPad) an early Christmas present. So if you own an iPhone and are planning a trip somewhere you haven't been and you feel a little edgy using the iPhone' version of map especially after what happened to motorists in Mildura; cheer up. The Santa Google is here with a native app of their Google maps version for the iPhone users. iPad version still no where in sight and no news as of now.

Before we move on if you are really excited about getting the app. We won't keep you waited, you can come back here after you get your Google maps app for the iPhone on iTunes. While it's been the news doing rounds since the iOS6 went without Google maps support, the point of main concern that is the voice navigation part which seemed like was the highlight point of why Apple thought to do away with search giant version of the maps and instead choose their own in house developed version has been included in this version of Google maps for iPhone. Head straight o iTunes page for more details on what the app brings for all the iPhone users. The app has been released yesterday for all users to use and is already sitting pretty with impressive and sigh-of-relief reviews on Apple store.

There are a few things that misses out on this version and we are surprised on their exclusion just as you would be. The list include; offline mode, biking directions and indoor maps. According to Daniel Graf, director of Google Maps for mobile, the team has built it from scratch and you could see it from the wonderful UI that greets you right from the word go. The Android version of the app was far better than the one we saw before iOS6 launch. Now it seems with this app the gap has been bridged and Apple users will have a chance to experience nearly all the features they would otherwise see on the web version of Google maps. This includes a vector based version of the maps with the 3D view of them. The turn by turn voice guided navigation has just provided the things that missed from the earlier versions and we are sure the users will love it.

Looking at the app it isn't a surprise Apple' CEO Tim Cook made a mention in his apology, telling the users to refer to Google maps web version on the browser till Apple is fixing the issues with the Apple maps. And Google isn't done yet, with the app they also released the Google Maps SDK for iOS so now iOS app developers can use it while developing their app for iPhone(s) and iPad(s). If the timing was right or it's just a coincident that the app comes just at a time when Apple is finding it tough with their version of maps, the giants will only know!!

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Instagram Pulls Twitter Support

At first when the support for Twitter cards was pulled off users might have had a hard a time figuring out what is happening with their Instagram shared photos. But then it became clear what the main step was behind this pull. As Twitter mentioned on their status update about the Instagram photo rendering issues; the support for displaying the photos from Instagram in a tweet has been pulled off by the Facebook owned company, suggesting the Facebook buyout is now getting hotter on the two services.

Twitter card is the support when you expand a tweet to see the details about the pics attached or some other type of information that may be accompanied with the tweet. Earlier when Instagram users shared their pics on Twitter, the photos showed up in the tweets through the Twitter card integration. This support went limited when photos were "being displayed using a pre-cards experience". The result was that the photos appeared cropped form the original part shared. No sooner than users started noticing the limitation, Instagram decided and it was then the time to disable the shared photo display.

So, now when users will share an image from Instagram, they will not see the Image within the tweet but rather some white space instead of the photo place. The shared photo will only be seen from the link that comes as part of the tweet. The link will take you to the Instagram' native site where you will have the original photo displayed. Instagram vs Twitter speculations have been the point to talk about since Facebook acquired Instagram so these kind of restrictions and pull of support were always on the cards.
[Image Credit: Twitter Blog]

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Google Plus Introduces Communities

Remember the groups that you created while you were still attending your academic sessions? Well if you do (and we are certain that almost everyone does), you remember how easy they made the discussions with your friends. Not long ago (although it feels like a century), people started introducing the concept of Groups/Forums to the online world where you could discuss the new chick in town and what not. Forums evolved and so did Groups and now we see another version of these that may more relate to the actual society we live in, a collection of like minded people on one familiar and common topic: Communities.

Google had groups, so did a few other leader in the business. The flaw was that these were never integrated that well in to the original product that they were supposed to support initially. The product that was the birth idea if these groups, was left stranded without much interaction. Google has now introduced Communities. A place on the social network (Google plus) which is for like minded people to discuss the common topics. The best part, unlike Google Groups; Google Communities are a part of Google plus and well integrated.

So while creating a particular circle for your daily soap chit chats may be a good idea but adding people to it is restricted to only your contacts. You now have option to create a Google Community for the same and people will find it on their own, join them and be part of your network. The posts within the communities stay protected and visible to only the members of the community. If you need to interact, you need to join. Simple.

You could search for an existing community or create a new one as per your interest. We joined an existing community for Bloggers: WeBloggers. So if you are a blogger, you are most welcome :)

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Apple Map Sends Motorist To Bush

No no, not the Bush you first thought. If that would have been the case Tim Cook, Apple' CEO should have been required to send an apology letter after what the in house maps app did to some motorists who were merely looking for a town location on the Maps that Apple created in house and used with the latest version of their smart-phone OS, iOS6.

After the deal broke with Google on the maps app that Goggle previously provided Apple with, the iPhone maker decided it was time to introduce a new app for maps that would serve the purpose instead of the Google maps that were shipped with Apple devices earlier. Little did they know things will take some nasty turns. It's being reported that Austrian police has warned people to not rely on the maps app served by their iPhone devices and rather use some other ways to look for the directions and routes. The warning was issued after it was found that Apple maps showed the Australian city of Mildura to be 40 miles away from the actual place that it is in the country. Referring the map quite a few motorists were left stranded in a place without water and food, some even for 24hrs. Several motorists had to be rescued by Mildura Police.

The police has been calling the issue as a "potentially-life-threatening" issue as the map showed the city which has a population of around 30K people to be in the middle of the Murray-Sunset National Park. Considering that the place had no water supply and the temperature could reach to a level of 46 degrees Celsius, it indeed is a serious issue. This is what the Mildura Police had to say on this:
"Some of the motorists located by police have been stranded for up to 24 hours without food or water and have walked long distances through dangerous terrain to get phone reception.
Police have contacted Apple in relation to the issue and hope the matter is rectified promptly to ensure the safety of motorists traveling to Mildura.
Anyone traveling to Mildura or other locations within Victoria should rely on other forms of mapping until this matter is rectified."

So What will it be for you; Google Maps or Apple' version ??

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Google Maps API Gets Better For Android

Google released a new version of the Google Maps API for Android app developers to take advantage of new features for their sites/pages or even their apps which may be using the Google Maps. The updated API which is now vector based (as opposed to pixel based earlier) will help its users to navigate quickly and that too on both 2D and 3D view. The tilting an rotating the maps with the use of gestures will be easier now as well.

While previously the search giant was the only go-to for all users for navigation and search on geo-locations, they now have competition in this area with Apple introducing its own map API to use in the current version of iOS. Apple introduced the maps which were vector based and seemed to be better than the then pixel based map version that Google supported. Taking a leaf from there, Google now has the new API version of Google maps which are vector based and will help with clear image displays when the user zooms in on a particular map display. This wasn't possible earlier with the display getting blur and even pixelated on zooming in.

The design has been improved to work better and be flexible as far as the bigger devices like the tablets are concerned(done using Android Fragments). And with the introduction of a new layer called "indoor maps" users will now be able to navigate through places like the airports or shopping malls. The new version of APIs which will support devices running on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and above seems to be now in line with the web version of the Google maps. Quite a few of the apps that are already using Google Maps, like Trulia and FlightTrack should soon be in line to use this new version and have the new features for their users.

Refer the official page for Google Maps Android API usage and information.

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Facebook Messenger Gets To Non-FB Users

SMS just turned 20. Considering everything is getting a makeover in terms of technology and features, it seems quite a few are thinking it's(SMS) getting old. The other Messengers like WhatsApp have gained a lot on top of the short messaging feature. Now Facebook has started with a tweak on its messenger app on Android that lets non-Facebook users to use the Messenger app and interact with their contacts without the use to create(or use) a Facebook account. All you need is a name and a number and you are off.

The access to use the Messenger app without the need to provide a Facebook account details is the first of its kind for the social media giant. The strategy behind the move is unclear but may be due to a couple of facts leading to the realization that web users around the world should be forced to use their FB credentials to use the app which is pretty much a standalone till now and seems like will stay that ways. The second reason (with high chances) that the social media giant are now looking at a good pace towards the messaging system. Facebook is already trying to buy WhatsApp, arguably the leader currently in the messaging services. If the deal gets realized Facebook will more or less walk as the leader in the messaging domain. If however, given the chances the deal doesn't get to Facebook, the social media giant will have a way to stand as a competitor.

Did FB delayed the relaxation in the feature on their Messenger product? Considering what they did with their Camera app besides buying Instagram they still are a bit early by their standards. But yes, like many will think we agree that they made the change (people will love) a little late. The feature has started to be rolled out on a few countries including India. The target for sure is getting more users on board but with a free usage strategy, so the kick is very right and powerful.

Will you start using the Facebook Messenger now that it's not asking you for a FB account and is free to use? How about a WhatsApp vs Facebook Messanger, which one do you prefer ?

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The Best Features of Android 4.2

The newest version of Jelly Bean (Android 4.2) didn't go well initially with the critics. With people citing the issues like the "December Bug" and problems with Bluetooth connectivity, there was a lot more missed than expected in the launch of this flavor version of Android OS. But as always Google and its Android Team made amends (seems like), by fixing the so important December miss and in the process giving the systems running this new version (Android 4.2.1) a speed/performance boost. None the less, we do a review of the best features that 4.2 comes to offer to the few devices that its shipped with and the ones that have started to get the OTA for this version.

Multi-User Access (On Tablets only)
We heard about this for some time now but the feature makes its first presence on the tablets and not on smart-phones. The smart-phones for now have been kept aside as far as multiple users usage is concerned.
For tablet users especially if your tablet is a shared device, this should come to you as a very welcome feature. Tablets on 4.2 are now able to have separate logins for separate users. Which means each user will have their own customized home screen on the device. Cool isn't it? The capability to switch users without a login logout cycle is cool too.

MiraCast
With this feature you can now share your videos playing on the smart-phone with your HDTV. This gets accomplished via a Wi-Fi connection where "Android 4.2 allows devices to enable wireless display". All you need to do is to connect a wireless display adapter to the HDMI port of your TV.

DayDream
Your smart-phone shouldn't be lying somewhere in the corner of your room when not in use. With Daydream you can use the device to display an album or some delightful information when the device is idle or is docked. And by the way, the information could well be "latest news from Google Currents".

Google Now : The place to be
The 20% project at Google, name Google Now has already been a hit since its launch. It has now got more smarter and displays information before you need it. So rather than you asking the app of what info you need, the app smartly decides on the piece of info that you may need at a particular time. For example, it will display today's weather before you start your day, or let you know when the next train will come while you are waiting at the platform. Start you day in a smarter way now !!

Photo Sphere
A photo sphere in the Android 4.2 camera lets you click a picture that covers more than the normal camera on all directions. Android team defines the feature as: "Up, down and all around you, it’s like no camera you’ve ever seen. With Android 4.2, snap pictures in every direction that come together into incredible, immersive photo spheres that put you right inside the scene. View your photo spheres right on your phone, share them on Google+ with your friends and family, or even add them to Google Maps for the world to see."

Gesture Keyboard
Okay so from now on there won't be any need to download a keyboard app that lets you swipe instead of tap the buttons. Android 4.2 camera now lets you gesture with your swipe to give away on what you want to type. "just glide your finger over the letters you want to type, and lift after each word. You don’t have to worry about spaces because they’re added automatically for you".
Android dictionary also gets more powerful and predictive and with improvements in the speech-to-text feature creating messages gets a lot easier.

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Now Pinch-to-Zoom on Android Gmail

May be easy to have missed features but Google just updated the Gmail app for Android with a few very handy and useful features that we were surprised took to 4.2 version of Android to be rolled out. These features were shipped with the current Jelly Bean (Android 4.2) version but now the Gmail Android app has been updated so users with 4.0 (ICS) and above and also use the features on their respective devices.

The Gmail app for Android version-ed at 4.2.1 was released yesterday in the Play Store, making it easier for the users to zoom the mails, archive and/or delete them with just a swipe and (most useful maybe) attach pictures and videos right from within the app. The features(especially the pinch-to-zoom) are not enabled by default and you will need to go to the General Settings for the app (and not the specific settings for a account that you use on the app) to enable them.

Mail Archiving and Deletion
The settings for this are at: Settings > General settings > Swiping conversation list if you prefer to delete from the inbox
All you need is start swiping your fingers either left of right on a particular mail item and they get archived (default setting). Option to undo the action is also available.

Pinch-To-Zoom and Mail Re-size
The mail re-size option comes in handy, especially when the mail gets rusty on the edges or you have some images in the mail. The app now gets smarter and the mail gets re-sized as per your device's screen. The attachments or any pics in the mail are also displayed in larger sizes.
Even after this if you want to zoom in the mail, just pinch the screen while viewing the mail and zoom it like you do a normal pic.
Again, both these settings are not enabled by default, just head over to Settings > General Settings to enable them manually.

Attach Pics and Videos in the app itself
This is the best one. So while we used to choose the share option from any photo app to attach the pics in an email, the app now lets you attach your pics and videos right from within the compose window.

Apart from these for the pics that come to you as an attachment, just tap on the thumbnail to open it while you are in the view mode to open the pic in larger form and then you can swipe through the pics like you normally do while viewing them in a gallery.

Love the updates?Or got any problem with it, share with us in the comments.

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Facebook Rolls Out Photo Sync

If you are already using Android phones, chances are you are already aware of the instant upload feature of Google Plus. Via this feature you are able to upload the photos taken from your handset directly to a private album marked as "Instant Upload" on your Google Plus account. The process is seamless and happens in the background without any interference from your side. The album is totally private and cannot be viewed unless of course you are the owner of the account. Once on the web you could choose to delete or share the photos you like as per your convenience and choice. Facebook has started to roll out the same feature on their Android and iOS devices app.

The details about the app feature are on their site for you to read in case you have any queries. For suing the feature, you will first need to enable it manually on the app. Chances are by now you should have the feature on your Android (and iOS) smart-phone. But if you haven't got it yet, you should have it sooner. To enable it manually just head over to the photos part of your account from your Android or iOS device and you should see a 3rd tab labelled, "Synced".

You could take a look at the settings of the feature to make sure they are what you need. Especially since the feature has a upload-on-cellular-connection feature which may not be a good option for everybody. As you see here the feature is by default turned off and you will manually need to enable it. Our best option is to upload on WiFi connection.

There is a size limit on the total photos that you can upload. The initial limit has been set at 2Gb so make sure you delete the photos that you may not want in the private album. Will the size be increased? Not work as of now from Facebook. On the sync timing Facebook mentioned that they will try to sync your phone gallery with your private album as soon as you take the photo but they will also take on the factors like your battery level in to account. As of the difference in the way(WiFi or Cellular) you choose to sync your photos on, Facebook has made it clear that the uploaded photos will be smaller in size (around 100K each) while using cellular network while using WiFi larger versions of your photos will be uploaded.

Do you think this is a threat to the Instant Upload feature that Google plus is already providing its users with?

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Samsung Launches Android Camera

Using a smartphone camera has its benefits. At least you are not required to carry two devices when you can do with one. But there are occasions you would need to have a actual camera, isn't it? Although certain people may not agree with smartphone vs actual camera thing ;)

Coming back to the camera topic. An actual camera is for every occasion and when the camera is an Android camera, that's an all added advantage. So after Nokia came up with the first ever Android powered camera, Samsung has now started selling an Android powered camera. The camera was launched last week and is now available in India also oat a price of Rs. 29,900.

 Nokia' Coolpix S800c which was launched with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) was launched late August this year. Samsung has launched their piece on Jelly Bean, the latest version of Android flavor. The camera first launched in Berlin around August is now available in India and UK as well and as per Samsung it is to be called the Galaxy Camera which would allow users to take outstanding pictures and share them on social network at the same time.

The Galaxy Camera which has a 3G/4G and WiFi connectivity will let users share their photos without the need to connect the camera with any laptop or computer as such. The camera features a 4.8 LCD all touch screen and a 21x optical zoom. The Android Jelly Bean version used in the camera is 4.1 and it features around 30 editing tools to help your editing skills. It has a 308ppi pixel density and has a 1.4GHz quad core processor embedded inside.

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Google Profiles Inside Play Store Reviews

If you ever gave a review on any app inside Play Store, don't bother looking up your name or anything besides it. The reason is the info box shown above that shows up now when you try to review an app in the market. Any previews reviews that your provided will be shown by the name,  "A Google User".

That's not all you are now forced to link your Google account with the reviews that you put on the Play Store for any app. Good thing we say, people should be able to know who said what. So from now on when you put a review on the Play Store your Google account name will show up besides the review and you may need to defend what you say ;)

This is another attempt of the product integration on part of Google and this is visible too, for your name now points to the Google plus profile. Anyone reading your review will be able to see a quick view of your Google plus profile, like this:

 Looks good?

So what' next? May be publishing your reviews with your circles besides posting them on the play store. Makes sense? Let us know your thoughts on this.
 

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