android

Get Your Phone IMEI Number From The Web

IMEI(International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) is a 15 digit unique number, using which law enforcement authorities can track your phone with the help of network service providers. If you loose your phone and do not have access to your phone bill or the box, there is still a way to recover the IMEI number.

How to get IMEI number?
If you still have your phone, you can dial *#06# to get the 15 digit number. If you have already lost the phone, you can get it by logging into your google account – which you used in your phone to access Google Play Store. Now go to Google Settings. Click on Expand All or the android icon and you’ll get the IMEI number and other details of your phone.

Watch on YouTube.

What to do with IMEI number?
You can register an FIR(First Information Report) and ask service providers to either track the phone or block it, so that no one else can use their service on your phone.

Not Yet Getting OTA Update Notification: android

Many people get Nexus devices for the fact that, these are the devices which get latest android updates first. But these updates doesn’t reach to every Nexus device at the same time. Maybe Google rolls it out based on user location.

But sometimes your neighbor gets the update but not you 🙁

In such cases, need not worry, just follow these simple steps and get updates to your device with in few minutes:

Go to your phone settings -> apps

Here slide the options – Downloaded -Running – All

Under All, search for ‘Google Services Framework‘, click on it:

Here click on Clear data and Clear cache buttons.

Now Force stop the application by clicking on Force stop button at the top.

Restart the phone.

Once the phone is ON, check for the update notification. If it still doesn’t appear, follow the above procedure at least twice – by switching your phone to airplane mode.

Example:

I could (OTA – Over The Air)update my Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 to KitKat 4.4.3 using above mentioned method and I was successful in 2 attempts – took me around 2 minutes.

Related Read: Best Flip Cover / Case For Nexus 5

Nexus 7 Gets KitKat

Google has officially started rolling out android 4.4 i.e., KitKat to various devices.

HTC One Google Edition and Nexus 7 gets the latest android updates.

Nexus 7 (first generation Tablet) got Android 4.4 and the download size is 185.3 MB

Updates to officially listed Sony and Samsung smart phones will follow in coming days/weeks ..

Here is what the notification message I got on my Nexus 7 tab says
This software update will upgrade your Nexus 7 to Android 4.4, KitKat, which adds a number of new features and improves performance. When you can’t find the right words, express yourself with some of the hundreds of colorful emoji in the Google Keyboard. Print documents and photos right from your Nexus 7 on any Google Cloud Print or HP ePrint printer. To find our more, visit http://www.android.com/versions/kit-kat-4-4/index.html

Procedure To Update
Turn on your WiFi or Data connection. Go to your phone/tab settings. Scroll down to get About Phone or About tablet menu item. Click on it. Now select System updates.

Over all it looks and feels good. Feels like the navigation has become smooth, but can’t confirm it till I use it for some more days.

Nexus 5 and KitKat Treat: Live!

After all these drama and PR games of specs/image leaks, the curtains have been finally pulled! LG made Nexus 5 has been announced along with much awaited android flavor – KitKat (Don’t be frustrated, if you didn’t win any contests here and there 😛 )

On FlipKart: Nexus 5 (32 GB)

Some KitKat’s Sweetness

A smarter caller ID: Whenever you get a call from a phone number not in your contacts, your phone will look for matches from businesses with a local listing on Google Maps.

All your messages in the same place Never miss a message, no matter how your friend sends it. With the new Hangouts app, all of your SMS and MMS messages are together in the same app, alongside your other conversations and video calls. And with the new Hangouts, you can even share your location and send animated GIFs.

Emoji everywhere Emoji are colorful Japanese characters, which are now available as emoticons in your Google keyboard.

HDR+ photography HDR+ mode on Nexus 5 automatically snaps a rapid burst of photos and combines them to give you the best possible single shot. Daytime pictures are vivid with clean shadows, and nighttime photos are sharp with less noise.

Nexus 5
Watch this video before you read boring text 😛

..well to be brutally honest, this video dint impress me as much

But Nexus 5 device in itself is so well designed, it grabbed my attention much before I watched these videos.

Nexus 5 Specs
Nexus 5 comes with 4.8 oz and 8.59mm thin.
Display: 4.95” 1920×1080 display (445 ppi). Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
Operating System: Android 4.4, KitKat.

Processor:
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 800, 2.26GHz
GPU: Adreno 330, 450MHz

Camera: 1.3MP front facing and 8MP rear facing with Optical Image Stabilization.

Dimension: 69.17×137.84×8.59 mm, 4.59 ounces (130g)
Battery:(under test environment)
2300 mAh
Talk time up to 17 hours*
Standby time up to 300 hours†
Internet use time up to 8.5 hours on Wi-Fi, up to 7 hours on LTE‡
Wireless Charging built-in

Audio: Built-in speaker. 3.5mm stereo audio connector

Wireless:
Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4G/5G) 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
NFC (Android Beam)
Bluetooth 4.0

Networks:
2G/3G/4G LTE

North America:
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
CDMA: Band Class: 0/1/10
WCDMA: Bands: 1/2/4/5/6/8/19
LTE: Bands: 1/2/4/5/17/19/25/26/41

Rest of World:
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
WCDMA: Bands: 1/2/4/5/6/8
LTE: Bands: 1/3/5/7/8/20

Memory:
You can Choose 16GB or 32GB internal storage (actual formatted capacity will be less)
2GB RAM

Ports and Connectors:
microUSB
SlimPort™ enabled
3.5mm stereo audio jack
Dual microphones
Ceramic power and volume buttons

Sensors:
GPS
Gyroscope
Accelerometer
Compass
Proximity/Ambient Light
Pressure
Hall

Device Color: White and Black

Price:
For 16GB variant $349
For 32GB variant $399

Nexus 5 Price In India
Nexus 5 – 16 GB – Rs. 28, 999
Nexus 5 – 32 GB – Rs. 32, 999

These devices are officially unlocked and are not bound to any contracts.

My Views On Nexus 5

Camera
It’s an awesome device. But you may think, these days smartphones are shipping with 32 MP camera’s and Nexus 5 is stuck with 8 MP!, well clarity of pictures don’t just depend on Mega Pixel rates, so lets wait with the new additional camera features Nexus 5 is shipping with. I’m sure, they’ve taken much care about video recording and photo capturing, as it has been highly emphasized in promo videos. The new HDR+ fixes all your shaky captures!

Sensors
It also comes with cool sensors. We could play around and create wonderful applications for devices running KitKat.

Speed
2GB RAM in a smart phone is awesome. Not long ago we had only 256 MB of RAM in our desktop computers 😛 – good old days. So we could expect this smart phone to be a faster device.
Also not to forget: CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 800, 2.26GHz and GPU: Adreno 330, 450MHz

..talking about the speed – According to Sundar Pichai, head of Android, apps have been fine-tuned to use less computing power, with new android KitKat. Also, Google wants KitKat to be compatible with even the low end(hardware wise) android devices. Application developers could build application that would run based on the memory the device has. This way, Google is aiming to bring android KitKat to all the android enabled devices. But providing upgrade to these devices are left to device manufacturers. This way, Google wants to bring uniform user experience for all android device users.

Nexus Devices
If you follow our blog, you might already know that, I love android devices. Recently I bought Nexus 7 (first generation tablet) and I’m still loving it. It’s really an amazing device.

As always, one of the biggest advantage of Nexus devices is that it gets the new versions of android( updates ) sooner than any other devices. That being said, Nexus 4, Nexus 7(both 2012 and 2013 models), and Nexus 10 will be getting KitKat i.e., android 4.4 in coming weeks.

You can order Nexus 5 from FlipKart: Nexus 5 (32 GB)

Got My Nexus 7, and I’m Loving it!

jelly_bean
On social media and other online forums people wait for Nexus device owners to reveal their first hand experience of new android versions. I always wanted to own one, due to the fact that I love android operating system and want to feel the new version changes as soon as possible. But like many of us, I too couldn’t afford to keep buying new devices which release with the release of new android versions. When Nexus 7 tablet PC was released, I was keen to purchase one, but to my disappointment it wasn’t available in India(Play Store) yet.

Some Features
1.2MP front primary camera
7-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen
1280 x 800 pixels resolution
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (upgradeable) operating system
1.2GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad core processor
16GB internal memory
4325mAH battery
NFC (Android Beam)
Wi-Fi Enabled
1 GB of RAM
Manufactured by Asus with 1 year warranty for device

Google Nexus 7 Tablet In India
As always before purchasing Nexus 7 – 16GB WiFi Tablet, I did read some of the reviews and many had told that it’s an awesome device, but the sound quality isn’t good and WiFi signal is always low compared to their other devices. I’m not a big fan of music, I listen to it maybe 15 to 30 minutes max – but as far as my experience with the device, sound quality is awesome and WiFi strength matches that of my Sony Xperia Arc.

I especially love the display and the smoothness – due to the presence of 1.2GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad core processor and 1 GB RAM. No lagging what-so-ever! Gaming freaks would surely fall in love with Nexus 7.

Nexus 7 (2013 model)
New Nexus 7 2nd generation tab is better than this in specs, but again, for Rs. 9000 it’s a steal. I’m totally in love.

My Needs
I wanted this device badly, so that I could read a lot of ebooks, but after getting it in my hands, I’ve started loving music even more, a little bit of games and more time for social networks.

Seriously, social networking and reading on Nexus 7 is far better than doing it on my Dell Studio XPS

Cons:
Nexus7-charger-usb-connector
It should have got a better charger port and a better connector wire: sharp edges might damage the screen. And the Nexus 7 16 GB variant doesn’t have support for 3G – but we can root it and make use of USB sticks to access internet on the go, without WiFi. Other essentials like, tablet case, ear phone etc has to be purchased separately. But for Rs 9k, it’s still a great deal 🙂

Best Tablet and Best Price
I was looking for an alternative as the price of Nexus 7 was high when it was released. But later Amazon started selling it for lot less and the 16GB WiFi only model got out of stock soon. Later FlipKart started selling it for lot lesser – I grabbed it immediately!

Pros
Superb display.
Long battery life.
No lag while playing games and using applications.
..and lot of amazing features as listed at the beginning of this article

Note: FlipKart is running 10% cash back offer for a limited period. If you take advantage of this, you would get Nexus 7(WiFi only) 16GB model for Rs 9000
Know more on our forum

Once you have Nexus 7, its safe to get a case to protect it from accidental damage. Look at this official Nexus 7 Case

android updates: The Best Part!

I like the fact that, Nexus devices are among the first to get new version android updates. I updated my device immediately to android 4.3 and am eagerly waiting to experience android KitKat – version 4.4

Official AdSense For Android App: Google Play

Google has finally come up with an official Adsense App for its own Android platform. This version of the app supports android smartphones. Shortly Google will be releasing v2 which will support tablets, Nexus devices, HTC One and high-end popular devices.

The Google AdSense app provides an easy way to access key data from your AdSense account. Access reporting features anywhere, directly from your mobile phone. The first version of the app gives you access to: the key earnings information, top custom and URL channels, ad units and sites reports, payment alerts.

We can set the earning report to autorefresh, along with its refresh rate/interval inside the app settings.

There are many third-party adsense apps on play store / Google Play, that lets you add widget, so that you could see your earnings and notifications instantly. I’m sure Google will offer widgets and more useful features with its upcoming version.

Till then, try Google AdSense App

How-To Update android OS On Sony Ericsson Xperia

I’m using Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc to illustrate android os updating procedure.

Goto phone settings -> About Phone -> Software update -> Update; It informs you to install update via your computer!

Now goto your computer install software(pc suites) and try it; once again it shows some connection error messages and other frustrating error messages 🙁

So does your Sony Xperia doesn’t support os updation? It certainly does.

Install some fashing software; follow some procedure; after that you can directly update your phone OS at settings -> About Phone -> Software update -> Update; via wi-fi or 3G.

PART 2: Once you are done with PART 1. Goto your phone settings -> About Phone -> Software update.
Now hit update. It may show error connecting to the network for some time.
In such situation, switch off and switch on your Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc.
Repeat the process, and hit “Update” button.
Once the update starts, relax and sit back. It will take some 15min to download. After that it will show a message that your mobile can not be used(even to make emergency calls) while its installing the updates.
Click Ok. and relax again. It will take some 20 to 30 min to install the updates.
Phone will be switched off and switched on. You need not interfear until its completely installed.
Once the installation is complete: Again goto settings -> About Phone -> Software update. and click on “Update”.
It will search for updates and in my case it installed some more new updates once again. So check it.

Technotip proudly introduces a tech forum and to the glory of it’s launch, we have written Updating android OS: Sony Ericsson Xperia post on the forum.

Feel free to participate and share your expertise on the forum.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Review: Cons

I purchased Xperia Arc on June 01, 2011 on my birthday. And to remind you, Samsung Gallexy S2 wasn’t released yet, and I knew it would cost more than Xperia Arc!

There are many other better smart phones available already in the market for the same price. I took this for Rs. 26650 in the month of June 2011. So I still think, it’s not a bad deal.

Cons of Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc:
1. It sucks..as it does not have a front camera 🙁 Hence you can’t enjoy video calling. What an idea sur ji! 3G ka satyanas.

2. Charging port. Its damn problematic. The charger pin is like fork and if you slightly miss while plugging, it will straightly strike on your mobile screen and cause big deep scratches.(It has already happened with me 🙁 )

3. If you decide to take off your memory card for some reason, you have to switch off the phone, remove the phone battery and then the memory card. Dude its 2011, make it fast.

4. If you disconnect your wifi, while some applications using the net is still ON, the phone freeze’s for some time, and a message pops up and asks if it has to force shutdown the app or wait till it recovers the shock!

5. It doesn’t have fake calling, like that of Samsung Monti!

6. The pouch which comes along with the phone is neat, but WTF it doesn’t have a locking system. I mean, the phone immediately slides out of the cover and falls off. No protection at all. So this nice cover is of no use, we have to take new pouch if you don’t want your phone to fall off.

7. Speakers: Sony Ericson speakers are so popular for its quality. But the battery dies in less than 8hrs.

8. Battery Backup: If used with wifi, it lasts for about 12 – 14hrs. But I once used the phone to chat with my friends for 12hrs and the battery lasted for 12hrs. Very bad.
It has got a huge battery, so thought they would have improvised it. Better luck next time.

9. Bluetooth automatically sets to invisible mode. Have to make it “Discoverable” each time. And in the beginning people may think that the phone has soon Bluetooth connectivity issues.

10. Biggest of all…. it takes a lot of time to boot. What boot time you may guess of a smart phone ? 10 seconds, 20, ok 30 ?
Well Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc takes almost 3 minutes to boot.

11. Phone freezes even when you are chatting with multiple friends and you switch between messages very fast: And well, that may be because I’m too faster than the mobile processor.

12. You can’t send sms’es to multiple contact at once. And believe me, it’s really a smart phone.

13. No 1080p HD recording.

14. And I personally didn’t like timescape app.

15. The camera click button in the side is very small. You can’t even properly hold it and press.

16. The charger wire and the USB cable(which is same: 2 in 1) is too short. We need to have a chair or table to place the phone while charging and while using as a USB device.

17. Doesn’t have a built in voice recorder..thank god we have some apps which does it. But again, inbuilt voice recorder could have been cool.

18. The charger and USB slot in the phone is too small and is very tight, so we can’t unplug the wire so easily. Over time, this slot is prone to damage quickly.

19. On the home screen we can pinch the screen to see the overview. But in the overview mode, the time stops updating!! We need to exit the overview mode inorder to see the proper time again(if we don’t have the time displayed in the upper top right corner).

20. You can’t take screen shot directly on your device(without connecting it to a PC) without rooting the phone. update: Hope this is solved with OS upgrade.

21. Threaded messaging(SMS) is cool, but once you have a lot of messages in the thread, it takes a lot of time to open and sometimes freezes and asks if it has to force close it 🙁

22. There is no quick spot to know what apps are running in the background.
This list will grow as and when I find some faults with the device..

So should you not buy this phone ? Well, don’t come to that conclusion yet. But yes, there are already a lot of better smart phones in the market, so you surly have a lot of alternatives. But Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc isn’t that bad too. Please subscriber to read the Pros of the phone…soon to be published on this blog 😉

For more photos, videos and specs info: Gifted Myself: Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc!