head-up-loaded
How-To Guides
Taking screenshots on your android device
Feb 11th
Android versions less than 4.0 don’t natively allow screen capture ability. You have 2 options to do it on your android phone/tablet:
1. Root your phone and then install apps like Screenshot and Screenshot It. I personally am not interested in rooting my phone right now. I’m scared to do it.
OR
2. Install Android SDK and Java Development Kit. Use the Dalvik Debug Monitor to capture screenshots. This method is messy and does not let you capture screens on the move.
Some phones like Samsung galaxy and Sony Xperia (updated to 2.3.4) allow you to capture screens natively.
For Galaxy phones:
Press the back button and hold, then press the home button to take the screenshot.
For Xperia phones which have been updated to 2.3.4 can capture screens by long pressing the power button and selecting screen capture on the touch screen.
Related articles
- Android 2.3.4 Update for Xperia™ SmartPhones (mrpant.com)
- Instagram Coming Soon To Android – Screenshot Leaked? (theappwhisperer.com)
- Galaxy Note: How to take Screenshots (mobilityupdate.com)
Manage and Hide desktop icons efficiently
Nov 22nd
Even after years of polishing the Windows user interface, I think Microsoft has never been able to deliver a quick way to organize/manage the clutter that builds up on your desktop. A long time back I covered a review of the BumpTop 3D desktop which was under testing at that time. It had an amazing concept rolling, but the software package (free) couldn’t deliver exactly what users would find easy for daily use. It wasn’t very intuitive in the first place. A new version of it is available and I’m yet to try it. I’ll review it when I’m done with an exhaustive test.
Fences on the other hand, a free utility by Stardock corporation is something I have found very promising all along. A perfect example of a one-trick pony application. The charm of a clean and light user interface that blends into the default Windows desktop is very pleasing. It divides your icons into separate fences (boxes). These fences can be moved, resized and arranged independently. Giving you the power to manage the icons in a very efficient manner. The color of these fences, their transparency and labels for each of them can be changed from the right click menu. You can also have icons outside these fences which arrange dynamically when you try to overlap them with a fence. On the whole the application is pretty easy to use and configure for daily desktop use.
Another great feature of this utility, I find very useful is the ‘quick hide icons‘ option. It is this can hide all your icons with a single button on your keyboard or a double click in an empty space on your desktop. Exceptions can be added in the configuration pop out. If you are using Windows and are constantly troubled by the mess on your desktop I’d suggest you install it right away. Search no more.
[FENCES]
Tag someone with a different name on Facebook
Nov 18th
A little trick with the Open Graph ID on Facebook lets you tag anyone with a different name/word. To do this you’ll have to figure out the Open Graph ID of the person you want to be tagged. Most of the pages who do not have a custom username have their IDs in the URL of that page. See the address bar when you have the page opened.
1. Find the Number. If it isn’t there, skip to Step 2
2. If you don’t find the number there just add the “Graph.” before the URL and press enter. If done on a correct page you’ll get a page which will have the ID of that person.
3. Use this code to tag:
@@[0:[186995576381:0: Your Text Goes Here]]
Replace the number with the person/page you want to be tagged with the word. The text to be displayed can be changed to anything.
TIP: For a Blank Status use:
@[0: ]
Reblogged from [TUTKIUN]
Backdoor Trick to Enable Facebook Timeline (If you haven’t done it yet!)
Nov 14th
How to enable FB Timeline for your profile (if you haven’t done it yet!) in just 8 simple steps.
1. Search for the “developer” app in the search bar above. Make sure before doing this you have a phone number confirmed. You can check this by going to Account settings>Mobile.
2. Allow the app to access basic information from your account.
3. Click on the “Create new app” button. Top right.
4. Use a unique app name and app namespace. Tick I agree.Click continue and type in the captcha.
5. Click on “Open graph” in the left side bar.
6. Fill in the blanks in the following page and click “get started” button.
7. Click on the “save changes” button at the bottom of the next pages. No need to edit any content. Click on “finish” at last.
8. Now go to your profile and see a new box that says “enable timeline” Enjoy 
The video here shows the steps:
Related articles
- Facebook Announces Timelines and Improvements to Open Graph (hubspot.com)
- Backdoor to the New Facebook – Timeline (cayobuay.com)
Android 2.3.4 Update for Xperia™ SmartPhones
Nov 14th
Sony Ericsson (may be just Sony now after Sony bought Ericsson out of the joint venture) rolled out an Android 2.3.4 update for all the Xperia™ smartphones last month. The updates were said to be globally available for Xperia™ Arc, Play, Neo, Mini, Mini Pro, Pro, Ray, Active, Neo V, Arc S and the Live with Walkman phones during the last week of October. But I could update my Mini Pro only a few days back using the updated Sony Ericsson PC Companion software for PC (India). The update went on pretty smoothly. The PC Companion was careful enough to even mention the longer-than-usual booting time after the update to save me from a panic attack. All the personal data – photos, music, apps, setting, contacts remained untouched.
The update comes with some impressive features, but I’ll still miss the HTC’s internet pass-through (lets you connect to the broadband by hooking up your phone to your PC with a USB cable). The new features are:
1. Gtalk with video chat. This is for the phones having a front facing camera (obviously). The Xperia™ Mini will miss this.
2. Facebook integration with the OS got enhanced thanks to the ‘Facebook inside Xperia™ functionality‘ Eg: now you can see the number of notifications you have in the lock screen.
3. The touchpad now has a TouchPal Keyboard like input cooked into it (much better than the app). It makes typing without sliding out the keyboard much easier, especially for small screen Xperia™ smartphones like Mini and Mini Pro and fat fingers. I found it very practical, polished and useful, it was not included just for the sake of adding a new feature.
4. The camera now has a sweep panorama (just like the ice cream sandwich version) feature. It lets you capture wide panoramas by just holding the camera button and sweeping across your phone. Also, 3D panorama is something new that lets you stitch a 3D panorama of a place for viewing it on a 3D screen.
5. The big feature everyone had been waiting for is finally here. A native screenshot ability without rooting your android comes with the 2.3.4 update. A screenshot option adds to the long press the power button menu. It is so powerful that it lets you capture the screenshot of even the lock screen (just saying).
I’m pretty sure they must have included couple of performance updates in the background as well. I have to say the over all the update impressed me.
Related articles
- Sony Ericsson Android 2.3.4 updates rolling out globally (intomobile.com)
- Sony Ericsson’s upcoming Xperia Arc HD leaks in new photos (thenextweb.com)
- Leak: First images of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD, codename Nozomi, hit the net (intomobile.com)
