Skinomi TechSkin - Best Screen Protector for Android Phones

I've installed a number of screen protectors on devices ranging from Palm T650, Windows Mobile, Sony Clie, Palm Treo, HTC Droid Incredible and now Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The screen protectors were of different qualities and grade but nothing seem to come close as Skinomi TechSkin. It seems to be specially made for the phone in quality and finish.

Skintomi screen protector fits like a glove on the screen with hardly any air bubbles annoyance you will find with other screen protectors and it doesn't take a long time to install either. 

Before you install, remove the battery and the cable, wipe the screen and spray your hands with the solution given in the package. I then sprayed both sides of the screen protector with the solution Skintomi provided and added them to the phone's screen and removed the liquid with the plastic scraper (which is included also). And let the phone dry for a few minutes and then it is ready for use. No more worries about accidental scratches. You can also watch the below video for how to install the screen protector.

It comes with a lifetime warranty also.

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Ad: Carlton Draught - Beer Chase

Funny commercial for Australia's Carlton Draught beer, the chase is only non-Hollywood chase type.

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ADELE portrait by RED using candles, fire and other materials

Nice art by artist named Red (Hong Yi), must have taken hours to do it.

"Artist and architect ohiseeRED has rendered portraits of her heroes and friends in materials as unlikely as socks, books and tea bags. 

Painting with flames though? Brilliant."

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How to Enable Two-Step Verification in Dropbox?

To enable Two-Step verification in Dropbox, which is similar to 2-Step verification in Google, follow these steps.

1. Go to Dropbox account and go to "Security" settings.

2. Under "My Devices" section, unlink all the devices you have currently. You can link it later after you follow these steps.

3. Under the same Dropbox "Security" settings, go to "Account Sign in" and enable Two-step verification.

4. Dropbox will provide a special barcode like the picture below to add this 2-Step verification. This step will help you add it to the Google Authenticator app. 

5. Download Google Authenticator app from either Google Play (Android link) or iTunes (iOS link). You can also use Amazon Authenticator app or Windows Phone 7 app.

6. Once you add the Dropbox account in Authenticator, it provide a time stamped six digit numbers, which you need to log on to your Dropbox account besides your password.

7.  Download the latest Dropbox version (you don't have to uninstall your previous installations):

Windows: http://dl-web.dropbox.com/u/17/Dropbox%201.5.12.exe

Mac OS X: http://dl-web.dropbox.com/u/17/Dropbox%201.5.12.dmg

Linux x86_64: http://dl-web.dropbox.com/u/17/dropbox-lnx.x86_64-1.5.12.tar.gz

Linux x86: http://dl-web.dropbox.com/u/17/dropbox-lnx.x86-1.5.12.tar.gz

8. After you run the installation and open Dropbox, you will find that after entering the password, you will be asked to enter a six digit number. 

9. Open the authenticator and enter the numbers in the Dropbox dialog box.

10. With these steps you have linked the device (computer, smartphone or tablets) to your Dropbox account. You should do the same for each device from steps 8 and 9.

The 2-step verification is a must have for both Dropbox as well as Google accounts. It is a minor convenience entering too many numbers but is worth it compared to a total breach of your files.

Via Digital Inspiration.

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Transfer Handwritten Notes from Notebook to iPad or iPhone

Do you have notebooks? If not, you should and write your thoughts, plans etc., it's a great habit to have. I use Google Docs as my notebook, once in a while I write on notebooks like Moleskine.

With this special custom made notebook from Moleskine, which allows Evernote to read and transfer the to iPad or iPhone, you can save all your notes for posterity. It costs between $23.95 to $29.95 and available on a pre-order basis at this Evernote Store link: 

"We’ve partnered with Moleskine to develop a new, limited edition Evernote Smart Notebook that’s designed specifically for the new Evernote iOS application.

Together, we created a gorgeous notebook that includes a number of special features that allow you to take your ideas off the written page and place them right into Evernote, where they’ll be searchable, organized and available forever."

However, Evernote has this feature only for iOS not Android, where phones have bigger screens and better processors.

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Funny Tumblr Blog about Dogs Sending Texts

Hilarious Tumblr blog about a dog sending text messages to his master. It is not going to happen in the real world but sure is funny. 

What is next cat sending text messages?

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Earn $5 gift card from Starbucks with 12 Star Dash Program

Join the "Starbucks 12 Star Dash" program and earn 12 stars with your Starbucks card between August 27, 2012 and September 9, 2012. Once you earn the 12 stars, Starbucks will mail you a $5 Gift Card. Make sure you register with your original email address associated with your Starbucks account.

From Aug 27th - Sept 9 - if you earn 12 Stars you'll receive a $5 egift card. You must register your email that is linked to your My Starbucks Reward card. 

Via Fatwallet.com.

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Amazing Ballpoint Pen Painting Portrait from Samuel Silva

Painters deceive us with photography-like painting and photographers deceive us with painting-like photos. This one is the former type.

"Nope, not a photograph. This is an amazing portrait drawn by 29-year-old Portugal-based attorney Samuel Silva (he says art is just his “hobby”) based on a photograph by Russian photographer Kristina Tararina. Silva’s medium of choice is standard Bic ballpoint pens on paper and this particular portrait uses eight different colors, taking some 30 hours to complete."

You can see more of Silva's paintings in Deviant Art. 

Via Thisiscolassal.com.

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Add Your Favorite Sports Teams Schedules in Google Calendar also Holiday Events

Previously, I added my favorite NBA, NFL teams in Google calendar, which kept me updated to their schedules without having to visit their main sites or search for their match times. Now, Google has added even more sports teams, Holidays, Birthdays, etc., to the list.


Overlaying public calendars in Google Calendar is a great way to keep up to date on everything from public holidays to your favorite sports teams. For example, with the most exciting months of baseball season just ahead, add any MLB team’s schedule to your personal Google Calendar so that you never forget about another important game. And if you’re traveling, the schedule will update to your time zone so you’re ready for the first pitch.

To add public calendars to your Google calendar, just click the down-arrow next to “other calendars” and select “Browse Interesting Calendars.” More at the Calendar help center: http://goo.gl/9fybe. via Google in Google+.


To add like the above soccer/football teams in Google Calendar, click "Settings" --> click the "Calendar" tab --> click the "Browse Interesting Calendars", you will see "Holidays", "Sports" and "More", click the one you like to have and subscribe to that list. For example, I have added Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United Football/Soccer teams to my calender by subscribing to their schedules as shown below.

From

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More Financial Times FT Press Management Books are Free in Amazon

More FT Press books for Management are free now in Amazon, download them before they are gone. The earlier sale is no longer available, only the following:

• Business and Competitive Analysis: Effective Application of New and Classic Methods ($71.99 now $0.00)

• If You Will Lead: Enduring Wisdom for 21st-Century Leaders ($18.99 now $0.00)

• The Financial Crisis in Perspective (Collection) ($71.99 now $0.00)

• Global Franchising Operations Management: Cases in International and Emerging Markets Operations (FT Press Operations Management) ($99.99 now $0.00)

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Smart app updates from Google Play Store for Android reduces Apps installation time considerably

The Smart app update is a good feature, it updates the Android apps with big file sizes very quickly. I updated the Bible app, Instagram and IMDB all three got updated in less than a minute just like the video above. 

"Normally, when an update to an application comes out, the Play Store downloads it in full, which with large apps and slow connections can get quite painful (think 50MB+ sizes). Smart app updates, announced at an I/O session in June, was the solution. When enabled, only the incremental difference (a.k.a. the delta) between the old and new apks would be sent over the wire, thereby saving huge amounts of data for both Google and Play Store users."

With Smart app updates the installing time is halved almost, without it we will have to reinstall the whole file again. It definitely saves time and our patience.

Update your Google Play store to have this new feature.

Via Android Police.

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Google adds Sound Search for Android

If you're using music finders apps like SoundHound or Shazam, then you'll like this new Sound Search Android App from Google. After you download and install this app from Media Fire via Droid-Life.com, you can create a widget for Sound Search as shown above. 

To find the name of the song, just keep the device close to the speaker or near to it and then hit the button in the widget. The app searches the file from the servers in Google and finds the song that is playing, giving an option to purchase from Google Play as shown below.

Currently it works in JellyBean, may or may not work in other Android OS.

Shazam and Soundhound have more features than Google's Sound Search but I like the simplicity, I just want to find the name of the song, the rest can be discovered later.
  i

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Get free $25 to donate in Kiva charities, no purchase necessary

Use this link to donate $25 to any group you like in Kiva for free. The loan amount will be returned over the course of one year, after which you can donate it to another group. So far I have donated more than 490 loans. It is amazing to see how a small amount can make a huge impact in people's lives.

http://www.kiva.org/invitedby/cgull 

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Four Financial Times Press Books worth hundreds of dollars available for free in Amazon

The following four FT Press Business books are available for free for a limited time in Amazon.


Turning Patterns Into Profits With Harmonic Trading $119.00



Financial Shock: Global Panic and Government Bailouts--How We Got Here and What Must Be Done to Fix It by Mark Zandi $19.99



Business Basics: The Skills You Need to Succeed (Collection) $88.99



Presentations in Action: 80 Memorable Presentation Lessons from the Masters $24.99

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Simple removal tool for Kaspersky Internet Security or Anti-Virus Software

I was uninstalling Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 to add the newer version, Kaspersky One Universal Security 2012, but for some reason it kept giving a 1922 error, which said the following: 

"Error 1922. Service Kaspersky Internet Security (AUP) could not be deleted. Verify that you have sufficient privileges to remove system services."

Even though I am the sole user, Kaspersky didn’t allow me to uninstall. After a searching a few sites, I found this easy solution, "Kaspersky Removal Tool (kavremover.exe)", which uninstalls as advertised.

After you download the tool, you will see a dialog box like the below and once you enter the code number, it finds the right version and uninstalls from the computer. The computer requires a restart after which you can install the newer version.

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Google Translate adds powerful OCR feature to translate instantly from pictures

           

Google Translate for Android added this Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature today, which was available previously in Google Goggles.

"With Google Translate you can:

• Translate text between 64 languages
• Translate by speaking the text instead of typing it (17 languages)
• Use camera to take a picture and brush text to translate (available on Android 2.3 and above).
• Listen to your translations spoken aloud (40 languages)
• Communicate with another person using speech-to-speech translation in Conversation Mode (ALPHA, 14 languages)
• Display translations in full screen mode to make it easier for others nearby to read
• Star your favorite translations for quick access even when you’re offline
• Access your translation history even when you’re offline
• Spell out the translation of non-Latin script languages (e.g. Chinese, Japanese, etc..) in Latin characters to read it phonetically (e.g. Pinyin, Romaji)
• View additional dictionary results for single words or short phrases
• Push the handwriting button and simply write what you want to translate

Translations between the following languages are supported:
Afrikaans, Albanian, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Basque, Belarusian, Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Esperanto, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, French, Galician, Georgian, German, Greek, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Latin, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Maltese, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Welsh, Yiddish"

To use this feature, click the Camera icon and focus on the words you want to translate. Once you take the picture, brush the letters you want to translate as shown above in the first picture. Google Translate then translates to the language you choose. You can either read or listen to the translated text. 

This will be great tool to have when visiting foreign countries and translate texts instantly.

Previously, I used Word Lens app, which does this OCR and translate languages instantly, but Word Lens costs $4.99 or more for each language. Compared to Word Lens, Google Translate does a whole lot more, with more features, more languages option plus it is free. This is another must have app for Android. 

The above feature is not available in iPad or iOS, but I am sure Google will make them available soon.

Here is a video in Vietnamese language but you can see how Google Translate works with the OCR feature.

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Photo of the Day: President chased by Little Girl in White House

Best photo released by the White House, President Obama chased by one of his staff's daughter.

President Barack Obama runs around his desk in the Oval Office with Sarah Froman, daughter of Nancy Goodman and Mike Froman, Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics, July 9, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Via Little Green Football.

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Will Starbucks Loyalty or Reward Cards work with Square?

We heard about the Square partnership with Starbucks, which is a great news for Square as well as for customers. Square is a great payment method for mobile phones without having to use credit or debit cards. Once you enable the Square app for your iOS or Android phones, then it is easy to use Square at a number of retail locations. With Starbucks addition, Square can be used at even more number of locations.

The only question was how will this affect those who already have loyalty or reward cards (Gold Membership), customers have with Starbucks. For now, we can't, it seems according to TechCrunch:

For those of you who currently use the Starbucks app to reap rewards, you may want to stick with it, as loyalty programs between Starbucks and Pay with Square will remain separate for the time being. 

In the future, Starbucks and Square will probably integrate those features together, so we don't have to use two apps for it.

Square already has rewards program option like the one shown below in their payment procedure, so most likely we can see this feature with Starbucks and Square very soon.

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How to take Screenshot or Screen Capture in Android Jelly Bean or Ice Cream Sandwich Versions

I took the above screenshot or screen grab from my Galaxy Nexus Android phone. There are lots of apps in Google Play that does this screen grab, some required rooting and others didn't require rooting, but in Jelly Bean and in Ice Cream Sandwich Android versions, there is a simple hack to take screenshots.

To do this, press the volume button down and press the power buttons at the same time. Hold them both briefly for a second or two and then release it at the same time. A screen image is created, which you can either store it in your phone or share it to other apps or sites such as Google+, Picasa etc.


Image via Andromedia.com.

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Free Kindle Book: Full Color Country Britain Travel Guide - Culture Vulture Britain: Best Cultural Experiences

Lonely Planet Britain country travel guide is free today in Amazon, normally costs $4.99.


Culture Vulture Britain: Best Cultural Experiences (Full Color Country Travel Guide): Lonely Planet: Amazon.com: Kindle Store

For more free Kindle eBooks click here, you will see both Top 100 Paid and Top 100 Free books side by side.

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Coffee Making with Hario 1-Cup V60 Pour Over

This is the way coffee should be made, it is like a work of art, it uses the special Hario 1-cup V60 available in Amazon. We can use either  cloth filters or paper filters to brew the coffee.


Recipe and Instruction for Hario 1-cup V60 Pour Over. If you want to make coffee like this at home, visit harioworld.com.au by Matt Perger - 2012 World Brewers Cup Champion

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Google Wallet now accepts all credit and debit cards

Now Google Wallet in Android phones accepts all credit and debit cards, before it accepted only Citibank Mastercard, only thing missing is the NFC signs in stores.


I just saw this earlier today in Galaxy Nexus with Jelly Bean OS when I was able to add my other cards, this will make our lives easier now.


“Since we released the first version of Google Wallet, the app that makes your phone your wallet, we’ve made it available on six phones from Sprint and Virgin Mobile, as well as the new Nexus 7 tablet. We’ve also partnered with more than 25 national retailers, and thanks to MasterCard PayPass, you can pay with your phone at more than 200,000 retail locations across the U.S.


Today we’re releasing a new, cloud-based version of the Google Wallet app that supports all credit and debit cards from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. Now, you can use any card when you shop in-store or online with Google Wallet. With the new version, you can also remotely disable your mobile wallet app from your Google Wallet account on the web.”


Via Android Blog.

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