10 Useful Android Applications for travellers

 Luckily, there are many applications available on Android phones for travellers to use, which can really help to keep you safe and connected with other people. Many of these are also ideal for recording your adventures, so you can read them back at a later date.

Trip Journal

This is a handy application for keeping track of all your trips, so you never forget any of your experiences on your travels. It also enables you to share your updates with friends and use in conjunction with social networking sites. An ideal application for using to reminisce when you return from your adventure.

Google Maps

Google Maps is the perfect application to ensure you don’t get lost, which is ideal if you are in a completely new place. It will help you find your way around and even locate the nearest train stations, no matter where you are. Google Maps is very popular and has been around for quite some time now.

WordPress

If you enjoy blogging then WordPress is the ideal application to help you keep track of your adventures. You can record and update all your blogs to read over when you return from your travels, and even share with your friends as you go.

Flight Track

An excellent application to help you keep track of flights, so you have regular updates and don’t turn up to early or late for your flights. It also saves you having to keep logging into various websites for updates.

Facebook

Share updates on your adventures and be the envy of all your friends. Facebook also keeps you connected with others, so you don’t feel too home sick. You can post photos of your adventures and add the details of new people as you meet them along the way, so you don’t lose touch with anyone.

Twitter

As with Facebook, Twitter is a good way for keeping connected with friends and acquaintances, and you can also keep them posted on your adventures. It is also a good way of getting advice if you need it, and you may even find followers to meet up with along the way.

Skype

Keep loneliness at bay as you travel, and use this application to make calls with your friends, without the massive price tag! Sometimes text messages just aren’t enough, so this gives you a bit more one to one contact.

Google Translate

Very handy if you are travelling around the world, Google Translate allows you to translate different languages, and will also speak them so you know exactly how to pronounce them. This is handy even if you just want to discover where the nearest local pub is!

Google Goggles

Let Google be your eyes and ears with Google Goggles. This application will let you know about all the nearest famous landmarks, so you ensure you take in everything the country you are visiting has to offer.

If you are about to set off on a travelling adventure and would like to make use of some of these apps you can pick up an Android phone from Best Mobile Contracts. You can easily select a cheap phone or a rugged device well suited to outdoor environments that you may find yourself in while on your travels.

Top 10: Best Android Tablets

While smartphones nowadays definitely do more than what they could have back in the day, there’s still one factor that keeps them from being your gadget-of-all-trades for a lack of a better term. That would be it’s screen size. As much as these phones are incredibly powerful, there’s still no replacing the screen estate that tablets could provide. Heck most people nowadays would bring one instead of a laptop, especially with its portability and ease of use. So if you’re considering buying one, then you’re in luck as we’ll try to help you decide with this list of the topAndroid Tablets in the market today. Here they are in no particular order:

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Clearly, this tablet has its name rooted to those transforming robots of the 80′s, but they might have some merit in doing the name homage. As most would know, this upcoming tablet is the first one to have a quad-core processor running it with the Tegra 3 chipset inside. Read More.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

One of the probable reasons to choose an Android tablet is not getting an iPad 2. And as an alternative to the Apple device, the Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesn’t disappoint. Read More.

Sony Tablet S

Sony entered the tablet game a little late but that doesn’t mean that they won’t make any impact to the market. Here is the offering, simply named Tablet S and Sony has made sure that despite being late, you’d consider them when getting a tablet. Read More.

Motorola Xoom

The Motorola Xoom entered the tablet foray on a high note as it is the first one to come preloaded by the tablet-specific Honeycomb OS. It is also the first one to have a dual-core processor, so it is clearly ample for the applications and media of today’s consumer. Read More.

Toshiba AT100 / Thrive

While most of the tablets out in the market are going for the thinner, sleeker look, there are others that define the trend and tend to do the opposite. That’s what Toshiba’s Thrive does — at 15.7mm thick and weighing 771g — some might be turned off by the sheer bulk that this carries. Read More.

LG Optimus Pad

Contrary to rumors prior to its launch, the Optimus Pad didn’t have the 3D display that it was rumored to have. Instead, they gave a 3D camera. Now we know what you’re thinking — is it capable of shooting 3D video akin to the Hollywood flicks of today? Read More.

Acer Iconia Tab A500

So now we’re currently at the 7th tablet and if you haven’t noticed, there’s a marginal difference to most Android Honeycomb tablets out in the market today. In this tight and stiff competition, it’s quite hard to stand out among the rest. The question is, can the Iconia Tab A500 be iconic enough? Read More.

HTC Flyer

For the most part of this list, the 10.1-inch tablets dominate the scene. With that said, we have the HTC Flyer that comes in at 7 inches. Add to that the fact that it only has a single 1.5 GHz core and is running on Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread. So how will the Flyer compete with these in mind? Read More.

Archos 101 G9

Here’s a question… Why do people buy tablets? Is it for doing work-related stuff? Is it for all the social-networking extravaganza? Archos tries to answer that with their 101 G9 tablet. To answer the raised question — it’s all for mobile entertainment. Read More.

Amazon Kindle Fire

After months of speculation, Amazon finally enters the tablet game with their revamped-ebook-reader-now-tabletKindle Fire. What does it offer on the overly-crowded table? It doesn’t directly compete with most of the higher-end Android tablets or the iPad 2 at 7 inches. That same display also improves a lot from its predecessor by having a very bright display that runs on a 1 GHz dual-core processor at 8 GB of internal storage. As for the Android end, it runs on 2.3 Gingerbread but has Amazon’s own UI on top of it — a bit attractive over the vanilla version but is limited by having no access to the market. You could only get apps from Amazon’s own app store. If you really loved the kindle and a little tight on the budget, then the Kindle Fire might be for you.

• Dimensions: 190.5 x 119.3 x 11.4 mm, 412.8 g
• Display: 7.1″ LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors (1024 x 600)
• CPU: TI OMAP dual core at 1GHz, 3D OpenGL (ES 2.0)
• RAM: 512 MB
• OS:Android OS v2.3 (Gingerbread)
• Memory: 250 GB HDD memory, 8/16 GB storage, microSD
• Camera: 720p front camera with 720p encoding
• Connectivity: WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), USB 2.0
• Misc: HDMI output, Wireless Airplay, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Gyroscopic sensor

Top 10 Most Anticipated Gadgets of 2012

It’s that time of the year again, and we’re not talking about Christmas here. It is that time where the beginning of the new year means a whole new slew of gadgets to look forward to. Now, as far as 2011 is concerned, many were thrilled upon the news of the iPad 2 and many were also disappointed with the iPhone 4S not being the iPhone 5. For the other end of the spectrum, we got a slew of Android devices like the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Note, as well as the release of Ice Cream Sandwich to end the year. 2011 also saw the tie-up of Microsoft and Nokia to hopefully bring in new gadgets, as well as bring Nokia some hard-needed revenue. With all of these said, what could we expect in 2012, the year when the world’s supposed to end?

iPhone 5

Despite the iPhone 4S being a great device overall, the lack of physical changes, as well as the simple addition of “S” to the predecessor’s moniker made people skip this release. It is in this vein that many are really anticipating and eagerly waiting for an “actual” new iPhone. Speculations like the aluminum backing and a bigger 4 inch screen is making many excited. Will Apple actually make this wishful thinking a reality?

iPad 3

The iPad was a sure game-changer when it came out a couple of years ago. Then it just got a lot better when the iPad 2 got released during the first half of 2011. So how will they improve on this tried and tested device/concept with its third iteration? Add to that the fact that we lost Steve Jobs late in 2011, will there be chances that the iPad will go on a different route under a different direction? Well, everyone’s hoping for a quad-core processor to power this thing, making it the next best mobile gaming device. Again, another wishful thinking for the Apple fans?

Samsung Galaxy SIII

Ok, don’t get us wrong on this, but while the Galaxy Nexus is a nice phone in itself, it doesn’t have the vibe that the Galaxy S, or the SII had when they were released. Given that Samsung really got a lot with the SII, selling around 10 million copies of the phone, many are left to predict that they’ll continue the winning formula with the third installment of the Galaxy S series of phones – hopefully to catch up with Apple and it’s flagship device.

Xbox 720?

It’s been a while since the latest generation of gaming consoles were released and we believe that they’re nearing the end of their cycles. With that said, the loudest of all these rumored next-generation consoles is Microsoft’s Xbox 720. It’s a no brainer how they came up with that name but here’s the rumored specs for the console. It is said to have an 8-core processor, supports 3D, multiTV, live TV and webcam functionality (i.e. a built-in Kinect?). In any case, Microsoft is rumored to release the 360′s successor in 2012.

Nintendo Wii U

Being at a technological disadvantage against the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 didn’t stop the Wii from being a household name in gaming and entertainment overall. It’s focus on interactivity even forced the competition to release products similar to the Wii’s concept. So how will Nintendo up their game? Simple, just add a “U” to the Wii. Yeah, that name still makes us do weird reactions, but Nintendo is betting that the Wii U will once again dominate the gaming scene with the addition of a new controller with a built-in 6-inch touch screen among the other improvements they’ve placed in it. Nintendo is set to release the Wii U in March 2012 and until then, we can only speculate of how it will fare.

PlayStation Vita

Trying to forget the gadget that was the PSP Go, Sony is eyeing on the success that the PlayStation Vita will bring as much as the original had which sold almost 90 million units in its entirety. And this is one small beast never to be underestimated with its quad-core processor a front touch screen and a rear touch pad, two analog sticks and the socially-integrated UI that still is a lot of getting used to. And while the PSP Vita recently got a Japanese release in mid-December, those in the western hemisphere would have to wait until February to get their hands on this gaming device.

Quad-Core Mobile Phones/Tablets

With Nvidia introducing their Tegra 3 quad-core processor, gone are the days where desktops and high-end laptops were the only ones to get the quad-core treatment. ASUS immediately jumped on the gun with their Transformer Prime (despite being sued for the name) and placed the Tegra 3 chipset to power this device. This proved to be a great choice as the Transformer Prime was indeed a very fast tablet and this sets the precedence for more quad-core devices to come out of the market, hopefully in 2012. So yeah, mobile computing will really be a notch higher with these kinds of devices coming.

MacBook Pro + Retina Display

There’s no denying that any Apple device that has Retina Display in it gives out the most beautiful of screen visuals. And people are actually wishing that devices other than the iPhone be equipped with the same screen. Specifically, they wanted their MacBook Pros to have a resolution on par with the Retina Display or something at a resolution of 2880 x 1800. Now recent rumors were pointing to this feature and people are hoping that they’ll be gettng this one in 2012. But again, keep your grains of salt handy.

"UltraBooks"

You’re probably wondering, "What the heck are UltraBooks?" Well, take the concept of NetBooks and make them thinner yet powerful. Not much is known of how portable or how powerful these UltraBooks may be, but the leading manufacturers (i.e. ASUS, Acer, Samsung) are further making their devices thinner and at the same time, with the dawn of the more powerful mobile devices, it is possible to have these cheaper laptops on higher-end specifications.

Apple HD-TV

The list makes a full circle with another possible offering from Apple. This time, it is the expected release of their Apple HD-TV. Yep, it’s not just that small box that you’ve known Apple TV to be. This is an actual TV set, ranging from 15 to 19 inches that is bundled with iOS inside. Add to that, you can actually play games, run apps and integrate social networking sites as much as you do with your iPhone or iPad. So yeah, even in TV sets, Samsung and Apple are destined to be rivals.

SAMSUNG GALAXY YOUNG -GREAT ANDROID PHONE OF LOW COST

Samsung Galaxy Y is the young counterpart of the majestic Galaxy SII that
has specifically being designed to target the youth. A cheap android phone
full of exciting features.

Specifications:

            Computer Tips And Tricks 

Before proceeding, 

let’s take a look at the specifications of Galaxy Young GT-S5360

• Dimension:-

          104 x 58 x 11.5 mm  

• Weight:-

          97.5 g  

• Battery:-

          Talk time Up to 17 h, Stand-by Up to 850 h  

• OS:-

          Android OS, v2.3.5 (Gingerbread) 

• Memory:-

          160 MB built-in, microSD card (supports up to 32GB) 

• Processor:-

          832 MHz 

• Connectivity:-

         Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP, HS USB
         WLAN (Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n)
         GPRS, EDGE, 3G (HSDPA 7.2 Mbps)  

• Display Size :-

          240 x 320 pixels
          3.0 inches, Touch sensitive controls  

• Display  Colour:-

         TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors
         Multi-touch input method, TouchWiz UI  

• Operating Frequency:-

          GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 HSDPA 900 / 2100  

• Browser:-

          WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML  

• Colors:-

          Metallic Gray  

• Entertainment :-

        Stereo FM radio with RDS
        3.5mm audio jack
        MP4/WMV/H.264 player
       MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player
       YouTube
       Google Talk
       Image/video editor
       SNS integration
       Games (built-in + downloadable)  

• Camera:-

           2 MP, 1600×1200 pixels, Geo-tagging, Video (QVGA 15fps)  

• Other  Features:-

GPS + A-GPS support
Quickoffice document viewer/editor
Google Search
Maps
Gmail
Calendar
Picasa integration
Organizer
Predictive text input (Swype)  

• Ring Tones:-

          MP3  

• Messaging:-

SMS(threaded view)
MMS
Email
Push Email
Instant Messaging

• price:-

7000-7500 rs OR 1400-1500dol.

• Conclusion:Samsung has undoubtly targeted today’s youth with Galaxy Young.

         Computer Tips And Tricks
It is the best choice for young children looking for their first ever smartphone
and Galaxy Young will be the best choice considering it’s cheap price tag
of $150 only and an attractive operating system.

7 Reasons Why Tablets or Smartphones Cant Replace Laptops

There’s no doubt that tablets and smartphones are lighter , more portable and have a longer battery life than most laptops. But can a tablet PC or a Smartphone replace your laptop ? Here are seven reasons why they cant replace  laptops .

1. Absence of physical keyboard 

The virtual keyboards in tablets and smartphones might be better in size and sensitivity but doesn’t help much when you have to make large size documents or communicate through emails or to write an essay . One of the supposed options is a Bluetooth keyboard, but it is usually a hassle to find one that works with your device and works properly. Speech to text could become a solution eventually, but it is not ready to replace typing yet.

2. Absence of CD /DVD Drives 

Though there are portable storage devices like USB drives and SD cards but disk technology is very much alive and matters a lot when you are planning to store and read confidential data , therefore the presence of CD drive gives an extra point for laptops.

3. Limited ports 

All laptops has universally compatible USB ports, HDMI, Ethernet, SD memory card slots and other ports but smartphones and tablets do not have all such ports .

4. Limited friendly softwares

The tablets and smartphones come with an entirely different OS which is not known to everyone and it not compactable with the tools which we are mostly familiar with in our desktop.Therefore we have to go through a full learning process to understand the tools and techniques in our new mobile devices which consumes a lot of time.

5. Limited compatibility with other devices 

This is both a hardware and software problem. Android/iOS tablets do not usually have connectors necessary for cameras, printers, and other peripherials, and even if they did their software would not yet support it.Most of the tablets and smartphones are not compatible with all kinds of devices be it SD cards , USB drives and cameras .

6. Limited and costly storage 

Even the basic laptop comes with a storage capacity of 250GB whereas the most advanced tablets or smartphones come with only 64GB. To increase the storage capacity of tablet or smartphone you have to buy costly SD cards.

7. High Price 

A nicely featured tablet cost around $500 , while smartphone costs around $400 , while a nice laptop can be had for under  $500 . Tablets and smartphones do not yet offer the functionality of a laptop or netbook you can get for half the price.

samsung galaxy