Remotely Access and Control another Computer with Chrome Remote Desktop

Remotely Access and Control another Computer with Chrome Remote Desktop

Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:30 AM PST

It is not possible for anyone to travel with their own personal computer all the time and if it is a desktop then you can’t even imagine doing this. For some or the other reasons, it becomes necessary for us to log back into our own system and if you can’t be present at your system then at that occasion comes Remote Sharing handy.
There are lots of methods which one can make use of to remotely access and control a computer, most require installing some software in both the systems. I came across this handy Chrome extension called Chrome Remote Desktop that can help you do the same thing and that too easily and without installing any other special remote sharing software.

All you need to do is just install this extension into your own computer as well as the computer to be accessed (you might need the assistance of someone at the other end). When you are done doing this, you just need to login into Chrome with your google address.

Now you are all set for the remote sharing and control of the remote computer. Start the app, which will now provide you with an Access Code. You need to provide this code to the person assisting you on the other end, entering which into the same app there, will connect you remotely to the other computer. Now you have two options either to share your computer or remotely control the other computer (the options which you will see on the app itself).

This is all, you are now connected! You can remotely control the other system, view files, run apps or just let your system be controlled. The advantage of using this extension is that it is very easy to operate and doesn’t require any third party software (since most users use Chrome today on their machines).
P.S.: The speed of the connection also depends upon your network speed. If you want to try it out for yourself, then the download link is below.
Download Chrome Remote Desktop

Android 4.0: Tracking Ice Cream Sandwich's Availability on Smartphones

Last week HTC published a list of phones that will receive an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, along with approximate launch dates and a projected completion date of late August 2012. This is not a very encouraging prospect considering Google officially introduced ICS last October. Also because Android's next major revision codenamed “Jelly Bean” will be close to release by then (slated for Q3/12).
But this is not an issue with HTC phones exclusively. In fact, Ice Cream Sandwich is more the exception rather than the rule on Android devices across the board. There’s a total of four smartphones shipping with the OS preloaded, just over a dozen with upgrades available, and more than 30 on the “coming soon” list (also: see a list of Android 4.0 ICS highlights).

Phones shipping with ICS

Your choices here are limited to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which was released in December in partnership with Google and features an unskinned version of Android 4.0, and the HTC One lineup comprising the One S on T-Mobile, One X on AT&T, and Evo 4G LTE on Sprint. These are soon to be joined by the Samsung Galaxy S III, which is expected to launch globally soon, including all four major carriers in the US.

Phones with ICS upgrades rolling out now

These smartphones are already being upgraded to Android 4.0. If you own one of these and are still waiting for the update to come through, keep in mind that they’re being rolled out over a period of several weeks.

HTC	Samsung	Sony
83 Sensation	91 Galaxy S II (unlocked, Canada)	81 Xperia Ray
84 Sensation XE	79 Galaxy S II LTE (unlocked, Canada)	80 Xperia arc S
82 Sensation 4G (T-Mo, Bell, Virgin Ca.)	83 Galaxy Note (unlocked)	Xperia neo V
71 Vivid (AT&T)	71 Nexus S 4G (Sprint)	71 Xperia arc
82 Velocity (Australia)	84 Nexus S (unlocked)	77 Xperia neo
78 Amaze 4G (T-Mobile)
Raider 4G (Bell Canada)

Phones with ICS updates "coming soon"

Not all phone manufacturers are offering specific details as to when each of their devices are getting upgraded to Android 4.0. Motorola is only listing them by quarter, while HTC recently provided a two-month release window, and Sony is being a little more specific with the next round of updates starting this week and continuing throughout June into the third quarter. Samsung is not giving out any dates whatsoever.

HTC

Smartphone model	Timeframe	Device release date
Sensation XL	May-June	May 19, 2011
EVO 4G+	May-June	June 2011
Rezound	June-July	November 14, 2011
EVO 3D	June-July	June 24, 2011
EVO Design 4G	June-July	October 23, 2011
Desire S	June-July	March 8, 2011
Incredible S	June-July	February 26, 2011
Rhyme	June-July	September 29, 2011
Thunderbolt	July-August	March 17, 2011
Desire HD	July-August	October 20, 2010
DROID Incredible 2	TBD	April 28, 2011

HTC notes that due to localization, testing, and partner approvals, updates do not roll out to all devices at the same time. For devices on a wide variety of carriers and in many countries, rollouts can take up to 45 days from the initial update to reach everyone. You can manually check for updates by going to Settings>About>Software Updates if you are not prompted to update automatically.
The upgrade to Android 4.0 will include Sense 3.6, not Sense 4, since some aspects of Sense 4 require dedicated hardware, which is not available on all devices.

Motorola

Smartphone model	Timeframe	Device release date
Droid Razr (USA, Asia Pacific, Canada, China, EMEA, Japan, Korea & LATAM)	Q2 2012	November 11, 2011
Droid Razr Maxx (USA)	Q2 2012	January 26, 2011
Atrix 2 (Asia-Pacific, LATAM, USA, and selected other markets)	Q3 2012	October 16, 2011
Atrix 4G (USA)	Q3 2012	February 22, 2011
Droid 4 (USA)	Q3 2012	February 10, 2011
Droid Bionic (USA)	Q3 2012	September 8, 2011
Photon 4G (USA)	Q4 2012	July 31, 2011
Atrix / Atrix 4G (Asia Pacific, EMEA and LATAM)	TBD	--
Electrify (USA)	TBD	September 22, 2011
Photon 4G (Japan)	TBD	--

To date, the only Motorola device that has been upgraded to Android 4.0 is the WiFi-only XOOM (and only the versions in the US or Canada). The company outlined their 4-step updating process back in December and plans to start rolling out a few of those “soon”. Regarding the selection of phones that qualify for updates and the ones that don’t, Motorola has this to say: “Obviously we want the new release to improve our devices. If we determine that can’t be done—well then, we’re not able to upgrade that particular device.”

Samsung

Smartphone model	Timeframe	Device release date
Galaxy S II (AT&T, T-Mobile)	TBD	April 28, 2011
Galaxy S II Skyrocket (AT&T)	TBD	November 6, 2011
Galaxy Note (AT&T)	TBD	October 28, 2011
Captivate Glide (AT&T)	TBD	November 21, 2011
Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch (Sprint)	TBD	September 16, 2011
Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G (T-Mobile)	TBD	March 21, 2012

Samsung has been at the forefront of the move from 2.3 to 4.0, rolling Ice Cream Sandwich out to a number of unlocked devices, including the hugely popular Galaxy S II. Unfortunately, updates to branded devices tend to get held up in carrier-specific testing so a lot of users with subsidized phones are still waiting their turn. Making matters worst neither Samsung nor carriers are sharing a timeframe for the update.

Sony

Smartphone model	Timeframe	Device release date
Xperia mini	Week of May 28	August 2011
Xperia mini pro	Week of May 28	August 9, 2011
Xperia pro	Week of May 28	October 18, 2011
Xperia active	Week of May 28	October 1, 2011
Sony Ericsson Live	Week of May 28	Q4 2011
Xperia S	End of June	March 1, 2012
Xperia P	End of June	Unreleased
Xperia U	Q3 2012	May 7, 2012
Xperia sola	TBD	May 7, 2012
Xperia ion	TBD	March 1, 2012

Sony has been pretty forthcoming about its Ice Cream Sandwich rollout and so far they’ve mostly kept true to their planned upgrade schedule. Just recently they started rolling out updates for two of their 2011 devices and more should follow throughout the week and over the next month. Notably, the Xperia Play will be the only Xperia phone from last year’s lineup not getting the update, as Sony cited stability and consistency issues.
Sony is rolling out Android 4.0.4 to its devices while remaining on kernel 2.6.32 — technically, ICS should feature Kernel 3.0.X+. It’s unclear if this will result in any issues or missing features. A developer for Sony Ericsson had previously said that it takes a lot of testing and validation to make a new kernel stable, so they decided to keep the tried and tested 2.6.32 kernel to release ICS as quickly as possible.

Why all the fuss about having the latest version?

If there’s one lesson to learn here is that you should buy a phone that makes you happy today, not one that promises new features with an update that may or may not appear. Granted, that’s a valid advice for any consumer electronic purchase, but Android serves as the perfect example for it.
That said, it’s not unreasonable to want your one-year-old phone to be able to get the latest software update, especially when you know it’s technically capable of running it. There are many new features to be gained in the transition from Gingerbread to Ice Cream Sandwich. Here are a few of the most noteworthy:

• UI Improvements: Android 4.0 is based on a new look and feel, the Holo theme, which offers a more consistent experience throughout the OS and makes it easier for users to find those common buttons and actions. There’s also a new “Roboto” font that’s easier on the eye and has a more modern feel.
• Multitasking, Widgets, and Folders: There’s a new Recent Apps button that lets users jump from one task to another, and a side-swiping gesture to get rid of apps you’re no longer using. Users can also resize widgets to their liking and drag and drop icons on top of each other to create folders.
• Contacts and sharing: ICS ditches the old Android 2.3 contact list for one that shows richer profile information, including large profile picture, phone numbers, addresses, and a button for connecting on integrated social networks. There’s also a new NFC peer-to-peer sharing feature that allows users with NFC-capable devices to share apps, contacts, music, videos by touching one phone to another.
• Improved speed and full hardware acceleration: Tests have shown significant performance improvements in Android 4.0 when it comes to handling graphics and using the web browser.
• Data usage manager: Android 4.0 allows users to monitor total data usage by network type and application, as well as set limits on those data-hungry apps so you don’t incur in expensive overage fees.
• Various other new features and enhancements: You can access the camera and notifications without unlocking your device first, there’s a new face-unlock feature, Wi-Fi direct support to share files between compatible devices, improvements to the camera and video apps, and more.

Lastly, it’s also worth noting that the lack of timely updates exacerbates Android’s fragmentation problem, which makes it that much harder for developers to QA apps. If you’ve ever wondered why you run into bugs and other unexplained behaviors on Android but not on iOS, well, fragmentation probably played a part on it.

5 Android apps that should be on every smartphone

5 Android apps that should be on every smartphone

I may be hard on Google for the mess that it has created with Android Honeycomb tablets, but on the smartphone front Android is still going strong. That is with good reason, Android phones are as good as anything on the market, and made even better with the right apps installed. No matter if you are a fan of HTC Sense phones with its attractive UI, Samsung TouchWiz phones, or stock Android phones, there are five apps that should be installed on every Android phone to make them better. 

 

LauncherPro. The Android launcher is attractive but very basic in design and function, and LauncherPro takes any Android phone to the next level. This alternative launcher adds a customizable dock bar for launching apps, but that is only a fraction of the functionality it brings to the home screen. Speaking of home screens, LauncherPro brings a totally revamped home screen environment, with a new app drawer for launching apps included. The app also makes a suite of home screen widgets available that can be added as desired to install a raft of new functionality on the home screens as desired. These widgets can be customized to the heart's desire, and are skinnable to make them look just right. The Gmail widget alone is worth the price of LauncherPro. There are other alternative launchers but none match LauncherPro for features. You must have the Pro version to unlock all the features including the widgets. $3.49

Beautiful Widgets. The strength of Android is the ability to make the interface very personal, and Beautiful Widgets is the daddy of them all. The app installs a bunch of home screen widgets of varying sizes that make it a breeze to tailor the look and feel of the screens to the user's personal taste. The widgets include HTC Sense look-alikes for those who like the clock and weather screens on those devices, but that's just for starters. There are hundreds of clock, weather and battery meter skins for download within Beautiful Widgets that can make the phone screen look any way you want. The various widgets can be combined in any number of ways to fit your style. There is even a live wallpaper that changes the screen background to match the time of day and local weather conditions. €1.99.

Amazon MP3. This free app has morphed from a simple way to get free music on Android phones into a full-fledged cloud music playing system. The free MP3 of the day is still there, along with easy access to cheap album deals in the Amazon music store, but with the launch of the Cloud Drive the Amazon MP3 app has evolved into a must-have for Android phone owners. Once you upload your music library to the Amazon Cloud, streaming it to any Android device (and computer) is a simple tap on the screen. Purchased (and free) music is automatically put into your Cloud Drive for instant access on the phone. The app also plays music store locally on the phone for those not into the whole cloud thing. Free.

 

 Dolphin Browser HD. The web browsers installed on Android phones are pretty good, but they don't hold a candle to the Dolphin Browser HD. This browser is as fast as can be for rendering web pages in perfect form, and has a unique touch system for improved web browsing. The bookmark system is as sophisticated as that on any desktop browser, yet is as easy to operate as tapping on the screen. Dolphin also has a plug-in system that adds tons of functionality to the browser as desired. There is a configurable gesture system in Dolphin that lets you trigger actions by drawing on the screen with a fingertip, a tremendously useful feature. There is a free version that is ad-supported in the settings menus, or a $4.99 version without ads.

Multicon Widget. Phone screens can only hold so much information due to the small size, and sometimes you need to put more icons for apps than will fit. The free Multicon widget lets you put up to 4 app icons in the space normally occupied by one, which greatly extends the screen real estate. The four icon slots are not restricted to apps, you can put shortcuts for actions and special functions like Wi-Fi toggle in the slots. This is the most useful widget for a free app.
These five Android apps add incredible value to the smartphone, but they are not the only good apps in the Android Market. What are your must-have apps for Android?

 

Top 10 features in Microsoft Office 2013

Top 10 features in Microsoft Office 2013

Microsoft Corp. unveiled the customer preview of the new Microsoft Office that features an intuitive design that works with touch, stylus, mouse or keyboard across new Windows devices, including tablets.

"We are taking bold steps at Microsoft," Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft said at the press conference in San Francisco. "The new, modern Office will deliver unparalleled productivity and flexibility for both consumers and business customers. It is a cloud service and will fully light-up when paired with Windows 8."

Here's our list of top 10 features that the new Office has to offer.

1) Touch everywhere - The new Office responds to touch as naturally as it does to keyboard and mouse. One can swipe their finger across the screen or pinch and zoom to read documents and presentations.

2) Inking - Use a stylus to create content, take notes and access features. Handwrite email responses and convert them automatically to text. Stylus can also be used as a laser pointer when presenting. One can also add colour to their content and erase mistakes with ease.

3) Apps - OneNote and Lync represent the first new Windows 8 style applications for Office. These applications are designed to deliver touch-first experiences on a tablet. A new radial menu in OneNote makes it easy to access features with finger.

4) SkyDrive - Office saves documents to SkyDrive by default, which means content is always available across all devices tablet, PC and phone. Documents are also available offline and sync on reconnecting.

5) New subscription services - The new Office is available as a cloud-based subscription service, which means consumers will automatically get future upgrades in addition to exciting cloud services including Skype world minutes and extra SkyDrive storage. Subscribers receive multiple installs for everyone in the family and across their devices.

6) Stay connected - Follow people, teams, documents and sites in SharePoint. View and embed pictures, videos and Office content in activity feeds to stay current and updated.

7) Skype - The new Office comes with Skype, which gives 60 minutes of Skype world minutes every month. Integrate Skype contacts into Lync and call or instant message anyone on Skype.

8) Reading, markup - The Read Mode in Word provides a modern and easy-to-navigate reading experience that automatically adjusts for large and small screens. Zoom in and out of content, stream videos within documents, view revision marks and use touch to turn pages.

9) Digital note-taking - Digital note taking helps keep notes handy in the cloud and across multiple devices with OneNote. One can take notes with touch, pen or keyboard, or use them together and switch easily back and forth.

10) Meetings - PowerPoint features a new Presenter View that privately shows your current and upcoming slides, presentation time, and speaker notes in a single glance. While presenting, one can zoom, mark up and navigate slides with touch and stylus. Lync includes multiparty HD video with presentations, shared OneNote notebooks and a virtual whiteboard for collaborative brainstorming

 

5 Android features that we wish Apple brought to iOS

5 Android features that we wish Apple brought to iOS

There's plenty to love about Apple's mobile OS. While it may not be the dominant smartphone OS anymore, iOS gets a lot of things right. The UI may not have changed much over the last 5 years but, even now, the attention to detail and sophistication beats the pants out of Android.

However, there are plenty of things that iOS can learn from Google's OS. We won't talk about things that we believe are unlikely to come - even Adobe has given up on Flash for mobile devices, and we don't think iOS will ever get file-handling capabilities, so, no, sharing files over Bluetooth won't get a mention.

Here are five features that we would love to see in the next iOS update.

1. Smart updates
Google recently flipped the switch on smart updates and we are already in love with the feature. With smart updates enabled, the next time your favourite app receives an update, your Android device will download only those parts of the app that have changed since the version you have on your device.

While this may not make much of a difference for small apps, this is a huge time (and bandwidth) saver for large apps like games. We would love to see this feature on iOS before the next time we have to update our copy of Infinity Blade II.

2. Install to device
One of the most convenient features in the Android world is, while downloading an app from Google Play website, having the ability to specify which device you want it installed on. Just select the device on the Google Play page of that app, and, boom, the app gets installed on that device. What seemed like science fiction a few years back has been around on Android for a while.

Sure, iOS lets you automatically download purchases on all devices via iCloud, but it's an all or nothing kind of approach. Either you enable download purchases automatically and see all your apps getting downloaded, or you leave it disabled and rely on syncing every time you want to install an app that you just downloaded via iTunes.

3. Smarter notifications
Apple has 'borrowed' Android-style notifications, but Google has stepped up the notifications game with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The latest Android version brings interactive notifications that, for example, include a callback button within a missed call notifications. Pretty neat. Expandable notifications are like having mini-apps sitting in your notifications bar. Hope Cupertino is taking notes.

4. Google Now
Apple was the first to the personal assistant game with Siri. While it is a great idea, it could be, as Google Now has shown, so much more.

While Apple's virtual assistant puts the user firmly in control, responding to your day-to-day and the not-so-mundane queries, Google Now takes a different approach. Google Now gets you just the "right information at just the right time", and the best part is all this happens automatically.

If you have an appointment at a specific location, Google Now tells you when to start your journey so you reach there in time. It gives you weather information before you start your day. Again, all this happens without you having to "ask" for information. "It just works", a phrase that Apple loves to use to describe its products, could well be used for Google Now.

We doubt Google would port much of this functionality to its iOS app given it'll be a great incentive for people to use Android instead of iOS. It is up to Apple to step up its game and add Google Now-like functionality to iPhone and iPad.

5. Pattern unlock
This one may be down to patent wars (there are some reports that Google has filed/ been granted a patent on Pattern unlock), but we sincerely wish we could unlock our iOS devices with a pattern, like our Android counterparts. It's more than just cool, it's a pretty handy way to unlock a device.