Android Releases New Find My Phone Device Manager

If you have updated your Google apps recently, you may have noticed that there is a new feature on the settings called Android Device Manager. This allows your phone to be remotely accessed via the internet to locate your phone if you have lost it or had it stolen. It is a long awaited feature for Android users and the service available at the moment is pretty primitive.

For example, I tried it just now and the device manager could not find my phone. The feature to ring your phone is also quite handy. If you dropped your phone in your house somewhere but you left the phone on silent, usually this would be the end of your treasure hunt. However, with this feature, it turns your ringer to loud and rings your phone until you press any key on your mobile to stop it.

To access your control panel, go to www.google.com/android/devicemanager.

Phone Clock wrong, Lagging Behind Lockscreen Clock

I know it sounds crazy but it has happened quite a few times to me already. I wake up at about 8am realising my alarm clock did not go off. It turns out that my phone clock is reading 6:24am! What is weird is that the lockscreen time is correct but the phone clock is wrong. I tried to look up google to see who else has this problem and I can't really seem too many reports of this. Leave a comment if you found this happens to your Galaxy Nexus as well. If you have a solution, I'm all ears.

Heaps You Aren't Doing with Google Now

I came across this reddit recently which shows all the commands you can use with Google Now. To access Google now, swipe up from the middle of the bottom of the phone, then say GOOGLE.

• Text <contact name> <message> — Sends a text message to the person in your contact list.

• Email <contact name> <message> — Sends an email to the person in your contact list. Can be natural language, “Email John and tell him I’m heading home.”
• Note to self <a note> — Will email a recording and the text of your note to your Gmail account.
• Remind me to <task name> at <time> — Will add an alarm with the task name at the time requested. Only works with time, not dates.
• Set alarm for <time> — Will add an alarm via the stock clock app or give you option of using 3rd party app if one is installed.
• When was <name> born? — Searches for the birthdate of a famous person and reads it back.
• When did <name> die? — Searches for the date that a famous person died and reads it back.
• What is <object>? — Searches and reads back information about the item.
• Define <word> — Searches and reads back a definition.
• Show pictures of <item> — Shows pictures of requested item
• Stock <company> — Shows and reads the stock details for a company.
• What is the stock price of <company>? — Shows and reads the stock details for a company.
• Who is the CEO of <company>? — Reads the name and shows his/her picture.
• Tell me show times for the <movie> — Pulls up movie listings for your local theater.
• Play <name of song> or <name of artist> — Shows a list of installed music players and plays either your song or a song from the artist. Asking for both the song and artist does not work.
• Who directed <movie name>? — Reads back the name of the director and shows his/her picture..
• What movie was <actor/actress name> in? — Reads back a short list of movies and shows his/her picture.
• When was <movie name> released? — Reads back the date a movie was released with a picture of the movie.
• Browse to <website> — Shows a screenshot of the website and then opens it in Chrome. Needs the tldr like .com or .net.
• Open <website> — Shows a screenshot of the website and then opens it in Chrome. Needs the tldr like .com or .net.
• Where is the closest <storename>? — Shows location on a map with an option to get directions via Google Maps.
• Directions to <place name> –Shows location on a map with an option to get directions via Google Maps.
• Navigate to <place name> –Shows location on a map with an option to get turn-by-turn directions via Google Maps.
• Nearest <place> — Shows location on a map with an option to get directions via Google Maps.
• What time is it in <city/state/country>? – Reads back the local time in the location.
• What is the date in <city/state/country>? – Reads back the date in the location.
• What language is spoken in ? – Reads back the language in the location.
• What is the currency of <country>? – Reads back the currency with the conversion to USD.
• What is the National Anthem of <country>? — Reads back the National Anthem in the location.
• What is the capital of ? — Reads back the capital’s name in the location.
• What is the state bird of <state>? — Reads back the bird name in the location.
• What is the population of <city/state/country> ? — Shows the population statistics of a location.
• What does <country>’s flag look like? – Shows an image of the flag.
• Does the <team name> play today? — Reads back the game time and opponent.
• How tall is <sports star>? — Reads back his/her height and shows picture.
• How much does weigh?– Reads back his/her weight and shows picture.
• When is the <sporting event>? — Reads back the event date and time, if applicable.
• When is the next baseball game? — Will show search results with the MLB schedule for the day at the top. May work for other sports when they are in season.
• Baseball schedule — Will show search results with the MLB schedule for the day at the top. May work for other sports when they are in season. • When is daylight savings? — Reads back the local date and time when daylight savings begins and ends. .
• When does <season> start? — Reads back the local time that the season (spring, summer, fall, winter) will start.
• When is <sundown>? — Reads back the local time that the sun will set.
• When is <sunrise>? — Reads back the local time that the sun will rise.
• When is <holiday>? — Reads back the local date and time of the holiday.
• What time zone is <state/country> in? – Reads back the time zone of the state/country.
• What is the weather <today/ tomorrow/ specific day>? — Reads back and displays local weather information for specified day.
• What is the weather <today/ tomorrow/ specific day> in <location>? — Reads back and displays local weather information for that location on the specified day.
• Do I need an umbrella <today/ tomorrow/ specific day>? – Responds yes or no about rain and displays local weather information for the specified day.
• Do I need an umbrella <today/ tomorrow/ specific day>in <location>? – Responds yes or no about rain and displays weather information for that location on the specified day.
• Do I need a jacket <today/ tomorrow/ specific day>? – Reads back the temperature and displays local weather information for the specified day.
• Do I need a jacket <today/ tomorrow/ specific day>in <location>? — Reads back the temperature and displays weather information for that location on the specified day.
• What is <math problem>? — Shows the answer with a calculator. You can ask “What is 1500 + 279?” or “What is the square root of 925?”
• What is <conversion>? — Shows the answer with an option to open the online converter. You can ask “What is 5 inches in centimeters?” or “What is 87 degrees Fahrenheit in Celsius?”
• What is <currency conversion>? –Reads back and shows the answer with an option to open the online converter at the bottom of the screen. You can say “What is 10 Euros in US Dollars?” • What is <phenomenon/law/principle/theorem eg- Brownian motion/Kepler's third law/Archimedes principle/Pythagoras theorem > • What is the atomic number/atomic mass/atomic radius/boling point/melting point of <element>?
• What is the molar mass of <compound>?
• What are the coordinates of <place eg- Marianas trench>?
• Who is the author of <book/document eg- LOTR/constitution>?
• Cast of <movie/TV show>?
• Birth place of <famous person>?
• Who is the architect of <monument eg-eiffel tower>?
• Who invented <invention eg-diesel engine/periodic table/alternating current>?
• <company/institute/organization eg - IBM/MIT/UN> founded? (shows foundation date and place(if applicable)) / when was <> founded? (only date) / where was <> founded (only place)
• Who founded <company/institute eg - BMW/Stanford U>? • How long is < River/Bridge>?
• What is the value of <constant eg- pi/e/gravitational constant/planck's constant>?
• What is the diameter/radius/mass of <planet/sun/earth/moon>? • What is the circumference/density of <planet>?
• What is the gravity of <planet/moon>?
• What is the temperature of the sun?
• What is the atmosphere of <planet>?
• Escape velocity of <planet>?
• How far is the nearest star?/How far is Alpha Centauri?
• How far/large is the milky way galaxy? Number of stars in milky way galaxy?
• Do I need my raincoat <today/tomorrow/this week>?
• How far is <place> from <place>? (not a card but driving directions and distance)
• Independence day of <country eg - Brazil/India>
• When will <movie name> release?/ What is the release date of <movie name> ?

Galaxy Nexus 4.2.1 on the way to Australia

Vodafone has yesterday announced that the Galaxy Nexus will be receiving a software update in the near future. The firmware version 4.2.1 brings speed increases to the phone, Gesture Typing, New Cards for Google Now, Talkback Screen reader and HDR mode for the camera.

5 Reasons Why We Love Whatsapp

It was one of the biggest reasons why I switched to android  when Nokia did not have one little app called Whatsapp. Things have changed since then with Nokia even coming out with a phone which has a dedicated hard key for Whatsapp. And here are some reasons why we love whatsapp.

1. FREE sms - you can message people for free! And you don't even need to have a mobile phone number when you are in another country to access whatsapp. You can just use any internet source or a data sim card. 
2. Easy to share pics From within Whatsapp you can immediately take a photo and have it uploaded to your friends in a Whatsapp conversation. This also goes for screenshots and photos that you have already taken 
3. Easy to share location  It's so easy to send to someone your location just by pressing on the ATTACH and then choosing LOCATION. Within seconds, whoever you are talking to will be able to find you and even use Google Maps to navigate to your location. 
4. Easy to access from Home screen You can hold down on a conversation and within two seconds, you are given the option of adding the conversation as a shortcut on your home screen. This saves the effort of going into Whatsapp and then selecting the conversation that you would like to start. In fact, you could have a screen full of Whatsapp conversations that you would like to resume. 
5. Easy to email conversations and images Let's say a group of you went to a wedding. A whatsapp group is created for the wedding and the conversation is hillarious and the photos shared were great. After the event, you can just hold down on the conversation and then select Email Conversation. Everything in the conversation including the photos etc will be emailled to whoever you choose to be archived for future reference in your email.

Have you noticed Google Talk which has now changed to Hangouts is slowly becoming more like Whatsapp? 

Yes You Can Plug Your Thumb Drive into the Galaxy Nexus

Get yourself Micro USB Male to Female OTG Data Charging Adapter Cable and download a program called Nexus Media Importer which will cost around $5 and you will be able to plug your USB thumb drive into your phone and view images / videos / music off it and copy files across.

Projecting your Nexus onto any HDMI TV Screen

If you are like me, a mobile phone that calls is just not enough. Here's a device that only costs $7 from DealExtreme or Ebay to display your Galaxy Nexus onto any TV or monitor that has a HDMI port. The Micro USB To HDMI MHL Adapter needs a power source to be plugged into it on the side and as soon as you plug your TV in, you will see your phone's screen on your TV! 

So what is the result? Here's one of the many YouTube videos showing a Galaxy Nexus connected to a TV