WhatsApp plans free calling in India

by Ziuby



WhatsApp Already enjoys a big customer base and wide variety of users.  It is pretty evident that the popularity and market penetration of this social media app is astounding considering the its short life cycle.

The team at WhatsApp have been busy with constant upadates every month or so to keep the users hooked in. Now they are targeting a new market with a very enticing new feature "Free Calling". WhatsApp are targeting India specifically with this cool new feature.. But the announcement seems to have been hastened due to the fact that another Indian messaging app Hike messenger had announced to make this available. Hike has already made it available to its around 35 million users in India and elsewhere and this is the reason that WhatsApp has been forced to make the announcement so hastily. So we must be thankful to Kevin Mittal for forcing the global messaging giant to act this fast.                 

 Although it seems that Hike has a pretty specific market and have been focusing only in their Local market , still they are giving a fight to the foreign companies significantly. There has been lots of things backing the WhatsApp people be it Facebook or be it the new Indian laws promoting healthy foreign investment. Amongst all this one thing is for sure the end user will surely benefit.

                                         

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Lollipop found , available sparingly !

by Ziuby

The most eagerly awaited and arguably the most ambitious release of Android OS version is finally out ! Lollipop has boasted about a complete new user experience and going by the recent report it doesn't disappoint Ref: A look into Android Lollipop . But there is one issue . According to a recent survey done only about 1 % of Android user have been able to upgrade to Lollipop. Which means just like the Bigfoot spotting stories the truth about user experience and quality of features can only be trusted through a leap of faith. Well taking for word a few reviews of a smaller group of users is a tall ask !                                    

The Google report said that Android 4.4 (KitKat) powers the biggest share of active Android gadgets: 39.7%. Jelly Bean, the code name for Android 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3, combined power 44.5% of the active Android devices. Ice Cream Sandwich, released in 2011, runs on 6.4% of the devices Google tracked, while Gingerbread (a 2010 build) powers 7.4% of the total devices. Of the total devices, Froyo (also released in 2010) is on 0.4%. On the other hand, the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 8 is on 69% of the company's handheld devices.

One can only hope that Lollipop will be available across plenty of devices just to keep the Android revolution on.

Ref:- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Google-Lollipop-on-less-than-2-Android-devices/articleshow/46108653.cms

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Whatsapp has its issues with Whatsapp plus

by Ziuby

Whatsapp is an instant messaging app for smartphones.In addition to text messaging, WhatsApp can be used to send images, video, and audio media messages. Locations can also be shared through the use of integrated mapping features.

Google has always warned users to download the apps from play store and not from outside. Now, WhatsApp has gone one step ahead of it and started to ban a particular app named WhatsApp Plus!
The company also announced that WhatsApp Plus is in no way related to WhatsApp and added that the app includes codes that are not supported by WhatsApp and it will not bear any responsibility if any user information gets leaked while using WhatsApp Plus.

The company stressed that there must be some reason why WhatsApp Plus is not present in the Google Play store and hence, users should respect that decision and try not to install the app from any outside source, as it affects their security. WhatsApp Plus is basically a third party app that has all the same features as WhatsApp, but has a cleaner design, different themes and other features available as well.

                                            
It seems a bit odd, but maybe WhatsApp’s parent company Facebook, is beginning to crack down on these third-party apps. WhatsApp is a very popular messaging service, and in developing countries, especially ones like India, it’s extremely popular.

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Guide to prototyping Android animations with Intel Animation Interpolator

by Ziuby

Modern user interface design has evolved dramatically in the last few years, with animation-rich interactions becoming the norm. On mobile devices, where screen space is at a premium and users expect ease of use, animations can greatly increase an application's appeal, fluidity, and even its usability, as they guide the user's attention to explain the mental models at work. Google's latest Material Design guidelines for Android place a heavy emphasis on the use of animations for this reason.

However, animations are difficult to visualize before they are implemented, and they can be time-consuming to implement for novice developers or non-programmers. The Intel® Animation Interpolator helps designers and developers prototype Android user interface animations. Intel Animation Interpolator animates a single graphical block on an Android device using one of these types of animation:

       

1. Translation: moves the block horizontally.
2. Opacity: fades the block in/out.
3. Scale: scales the block up/down on both the vertical and  horizontal axes.
4. Rotation: Rotates the block 270 degrees about its centre, alternating between clockwise  and counter      clockwise   directions.

5. The user can modify three parameters for each type of animation:

a. The duration of the animation (in milliseconds).

b. The interpolation to apply. The interpolation defines how the value of the property being animated (horizontal    position, opacity, scale, or rotation) changes over time. See below for more details.

c. The factor for the animation (may not be available for some types of animation). This modifies how the animation changes over its duration.

6. The interpolation itself is the key parameter, as this governs how the block appears over time: its position, opacity,    scale or rotation, depending on the type of animation selected.

It seems that Android  & Intel have given a new direction to the field of UI designing. I am sure as a user you can expect solutions that will be smart , innovative and something that will surely help to capture the
                                         

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Android Lollipop, what to expect ?

by Ziuby

Google recently released Android 5.0 Lollipop. It is one of the largest Android update to date. The updated version of the popular mobile operating system is slowly making its way to older devices. Lollipop update has been awaited by a wide audience of Android users and well the anticipation has been rewarded. Here take a look at 5 best features one can look forward to with the new Android update.

1. GUI Redesigned : First thing that you will notice with the Lollipop update is how clean and crisp the layout is now. Google's "Material Design" brings a cleaner, lighter look to the operating system. Display screens are now more responsive and encompasses a wide range of vivid colors that will surely help capture the attention.

2. Manage Battery Life : A cool new feature is a more customized interface to handle the consumption of battery. Google claim that with the new battery saver update one can extend usage by up-to 90 minutes. A new feature also calculates the approximate time it might take to charge your phone battery completely once connected to a charging point.

3. Customize Notification Updates : Another new feature added is a customized notification section. A android user can now set priority-wise notification based on the messages and calls from certain people or applications. Choose which alerts get through to your attention and which can be handled directly.

4. Security : One point of major focus is security. New devices come with encryption automatically turned on to help protect data on lost or stolen devices. SELinux enforcing for all applications means even better protection against vulnerabilities and malware. Use Android Smart Lock to secure your phone or tablet by pairing it with a trusted device like your wearable or even your car.

5. Better Performance : With the new Android Lollipop update comes a faster,smoother and more powerful computing experience. Lollipop implements ART, a completely new Android run-time. ART improves application performance and responsiveness. It helps to compact back-grounded apps and services so that you can do more at once.

Android has truly helped to take digital revolution to a completely new level. People now can do more things better and efficiently with Android powered devices. Lets just say that Google rarely disappoints its customers and with the Android Lollipop update, they are looking at yet another home run.

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