10 Top Tricks of Google Chromecast

10 Top Tricks of Chromecast

Got yourself a super-cheap streaming dongle from Google? Or thinking about picking one up? Here are 10 lesser-known tricks and tips that you can use to get more from your Chromecast and unlock some of its hidden potential.

1. Get the Chromecast wallpaper

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If you like the impressive photo slideshow that appears when your Chromecast dongle is waiting for an app to connect, you'll be interested to know you can view it as a Web page as well (to find the link to the actual JPEGs you'll need to view the page source and follow the URL from there). Alternatively you can pick them up from a couple of collections kindly put together on the Web for other users to download and install.

2. Stream local files

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You can cast browser tabs with the Google Cast extension, and Chrome can play local files, which means you can cast local files if they're in a format that Chrome can work with (such as .mp3s and .mp4s). It may not work perfectly, especially with higher quality videos or less powerful laptops, but it's a good option to have available. Use Ctrl+O or Cmd+O to open a local file in Chrome, then use the Google Cast extension as normal.

3. Change streaming quality

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Choose the Options link from the Google Cast extension drop-down, and you can configure the streaming quality that's used when you send a tab across to the Chromecast. If you've got oodles of bandwidth to work with then set it to Extreme; if there's a lot of activity on your local network and you're experiencing problems, give the Standard option a try. For most users the default High option should suffice.

4. Share party playlists

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QCast Music is a free app from the Google Play Store that ties into your Google Play Music All Access account (with support for other subscription services coming soon). You can cast party playlists to your television set and then let your guests vote on whether a particular song can be kept or removed. The party host gets the final say, in case you want to force your favorite band on everyone.

5. Cast your desktop

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The ability to cast your entire desktop is now an option within the Google Cast extension. Click the extension button, then the small downward arrow to find the setting. There's also the option to restrict the casting to audio only, which is helpful if you're just listening to music. Pick Cast entire screen to send your whole desktop to the Chromecast dongle, though be prepared to encounter a few bugs along the way as it's developed.

6. Stream movies from Google Drive

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If you've taken advantage of Google Drive's drop in storage prices and are keeping some movies there, you can Chromecast them in several different ways (such as the one in tip 2). The most straightforward methods are to use are apps such as the premium version of AllCast or the Android L-ready LocalCast. Alternatively, you can try a media server solution such asBubbleUPnP Server, though the setup is slightly more involved.

7. Find what's on your Chromecast

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This isn't a feature that's available yet, but it's on the way so we're going to include it. If you were paying attention during the Google I/O Keynote this year then you'll know the Chromecast home screen is being updated to show a user-defined gallery of photos. When this update arrives, you'll be able to ask your phone "what's on my Chromecast" to get Google-powered information about where a photo was taken or what it depicts.

8. Mirror your Android device

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In the last couple of weeks the Android Chromecast app has been updated to allow the dongle to mirror the display of your phone or tablet. You'll need a one of the following devices: Nexus 4, 5, 7 (second generation), 10, Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5, Note 3 and 10, HTC One M7, LG G2, G3 and G Pro 2. Run the app, and the Cast Screen option appears the menu. As you change from landscape to portrait mode on your device, the cast changes too.

9. Find compatible apps

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Google maintains its own site where Chromecast-compatible apps are listed. Check back on a regular basis—and pay attention to the New tab—to be the first to know when your favorite app gets the upgrade. Recent additions to the list include WatchESPN and PBS Kids. Don't worry if you forget to bookmark Google's list, though; if any major apps are added to the list then we'llusually let you know about it.

10. Factory reset your Chromecast

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If you're giving away or trying to troubleshoot your Chromecast then a factory reset might be in order. To do this, press and hold the button on your device for 25-30 seconds until it reboots. Alternatively, go into the Chromecast app, select the dongle and then pick Factory reset Chromecast from the settings menu. The same option can be found in the Windows or Mac setup app that you can find at www.google.com/chromecast/setup.

Thanks to Chrome Watching and Google Operating System for tipping us off to some of the tricks mentioned in this list. Have any others you'd like to share? Leave them below!

(via: David Nield, Gizmodo)

Amazon giving away $220 worth of Android apps for free

Amazon giving away $220 worth of Android apps for free

Amazon hasn’t had the best year when it comes to its smartphone and tablet offerings. The company’s launch of the Fire Phone is probably one of its worse flops in history, and the recent update to its tablet lineup went under the radar. Still, that doesn’t mean the company isn’t famous for building mindshare through some crazy tactics, and today Amazon is at it again.

Amazon is currently giving away 40 Android applications that are worth a crazy $220 combined. Some of these apps are great, others aren’t, but the simple idea of being able to get them for free is great no matter how you look at it. The list includes:

– Five Nights at Freddy’s
– Plex
– Terraria
– Sonic The Hedgehog 2
– Farming Simulator 14
– My Alarm Clock
– Angry Birds Space HD (Fire Edition)
– Construction Simulator 2014
– Fleksy Keyboard
– Wolfram|Alpha
– Worms 3
– Tetris
– Age of Zombies: Season 2
– Photo Transfer App
– Endomondo Sports Tracker Pro
– Root Explorer
– To-Fu Fury
– Ultimate Guitar Tabs and Tools
– iReal Pro – Music Book and Play Along
– TuneIn Radio Pro
– PicShop – Photo Eitor
– Mirroring360 – AirPlay Receiver
– djay 2
– Just 6 Weeks
– Quell Reflect
– Splash top Remote Desktop
– Angry Birds Space (Ad-free)
– Calculator Pro
– RPG Soul Historica
– ShutterFolio
– Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (8th edition)
– Jump Desktop (RDP and VNC)
– InstaWeather Pro
– ColorSplash FX
– Cogs
– ElectroDroid Pro
– InstaPlace
– Anomaly Warzone Earth HD
– Paper Train Reloaded – Ad Free
– The Muscular System Manual: The Skeletal Muscles of the Human Body

Amazon wasn’t clear how long this deal would last, so we’d highly recommend you download as much as you can today. Just remember that these apps will require you to have the Amazon App Store, or another option will be to side load.

Source: Amazon
Via: Pocketnow

Update: New Year Free Apps

XBMC (Now Kodi)

XBMC (Now Kodi)

XBMC, one of the favorite media center suites, has officially been renamed Kodi with the release of version 14 (codenamed "Helix"). The new version contains a ton of long-awaited bug fixes and speed improvements, as well as a few small feature improvements for add-ons and keyboards.

• This version isn't a huge overhaul of the program, but it does contain a number of welcome fixes, including:
• Fixes for the AirPlay issues that have existed since iOS 7 (finally!)
• Compatibility with more codecs such as h.265 and VP9
• Speed improvements in library scanning
• UPnP compatibility improvements with servers like PlayOn and MediaBrowser
• Improvements in audio playback on all operating systems
• Improvements to DXVA plalyback on Windows
• Hardware playback improvements on the Android version (shown above)

This version also adds different software keyboard layouts, and the ability to prevent certain add-ons from updating automatically. Check out the full blog post below for more info on the new update.

Download

To download, please visit official download page.

• * Official Kodi 14.0 downloads

Kodi 14.0 Helix Unwinds | Kodi Blog

(via lifehacker)

OnePlus One India Review

OnePlus One review

OnePlus One (OPO), the phone which claims to pack premium features for a budget price was a bit late to arrive in India.
''Phone of Dreams'' was the headline Time magazine had given to its review of OPO and went on to say ''It's hard to imagine a better phone for Android geeks. Too bad you can't get one."

Packing

OPO comes with a packing befitting for a premium device. In India the company is also supplying the customers with a charger along with the data cable. The cable has the OPO signature.
Looks and hardware

When I saw the phone for the first time and took it up with my hands, I was a bit disappointed. 'Is it a premium device everybody and their dog have been praising?' was the thought that crossed my mind. As time went by with the phone in my hand, the device grew on me with its functionality and its deceptively austere looks.
As far as built is concerned, the phone is a polycarbonate affair and does not have an all metal or glass built quality. A metal built may have given a more reassuring feel. But unlike the all-metal devices, it doesn't feel like heavy lump in your pocket either.

The review device had a sandstone grey rear panel, which is removable and has good grip. (Different skins are available for purchase.)

It gets its muscle power from Qualcomm© Snapdragon™ 801 processor with 2.5GHz Quad-core CPUs, 3 GB LP-DDR3, 1866MHz (Galaxy S5 has 2GB of RAM).

The weight is distributed in such a way that I didn't feel that I was holding a 162gram device was in my hand.
There is nothing to attract unwanted attention towards the device. It looks at once austere and classy. All in all, if the word 'premium' means something to show off for a user, then this is not the handset for him as it is more Spartan or unassuming in outward appearances. May be we can say, OPO redefines the word ''premium''.

The screen

The 5.5 inches Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) Gorilla Glass 3 screen with 441 ppi (even iPhone 6 Plus has 401 ppi) is quite sharp and offers very good viewing angles. The clear pictures, video and along with crisp text displayed on it spoke volumes about its quality. Whenever the screen was tested in direct sunlight with auto brightness on, the screen was quite legible.
Software and performance

Cyanogen Inc has made OPO 's Android ROM, which means the phone is running on CyanogenMod, an open source firmware for mobile devices based on the Android OS. It offers more features than the official firmware by Google. On stock Android phones there are some Google apps that the user cannot uninstall. Because of software patent issues, CyanogenMod includes only basic Android apps like Browser and Email, but does not include apps like Gmail, YouTube and the Android Market.
The user can install or uninstall them separately. Like iOS security features, Privacy Guard blocks other apps from accessing the user's data. (Recent reports have said that Cyanogen will not support OPO as it has inked a pact with Micromax. More on it can found here: http://bit.ly/12SJEOW)

As far as performance, is concerned, there was no noticeable lag. The phone call clarity was very good.
Here are some gestures supported by the phone at lock screen. Just double tapping on the glass brings the screen to life. Drawing 'O' switches on the camera and drawing 'V' brings on the torchlight function.

Camera

In the camera department the phone is no pushover. The phone's main camera uses Sony's Exmor IMX214 CMOS 13 MP sensor which has f2 aperture. (iPhone 6 Plus gathers less light at f2.2 aperture.) Unlike regular phone cameras that use five lenses, the OPO uses six lenses to correct distortion at the edges of the frame. There is also an option to shoot RAW images! (The recorded files will be in DNG format.) 

The camera took very good pictures for a cell phone snapper both in bright sunlight and indoors garbing plenty of details. There is no reason why a user with good hand holding techniques should not get decent results which will not be on par with the competition. It has twin-LED flash to aid night or lowlight shooting.

The 5MP front camera, or selfie shooter, was no squelch either.

The phone also shoots 4K videos! Yes, that is right! For Rs 22K you can have a 4K recording device too. But what I fail to understand is why the native apps were unable to playback the 4K video. Most PCs and players are also ill equipped to play it. In addition, the phone also records slow-motion video at 120 fps with a 720p resolution!
Battery life

The 3100 mAh battery inside the phone can withstand heavy daily use. Moderate users will be able to get two days of battery life.
Conclusion

If the initial impressions are anything to go by, this is a desirable device for anyone who is willing to spend Rs 22,000 to Rs 40,000 on a mobile phone. Let us hope that OPO honours its commitments on after-sale service in India. The company offers service through HCL. It is not known whether every HCL branch is equipped to do the service or it just collects the phone and sends to a service centre set up for OPO. Since the volume is sales is set to be very low, the service seems to be a tricky area. Sure, the customers will be hoping that their device doesn't develop a flaw to take it for service. All in all, it was a refreshing relief to see a classy device that steers clear of both the gaudy and also the me-too handsets . With a few caveats like service and looks, the phone comes highly recommended for anyone who loves to play on a slightly muted phablet.

The 64GB variant is available in Amazon.in for just under Rs 22,000 through the the "invite system".

via: (Leons George)

YouTube Gets A Built-In GIF Creator

YouTube is now quietly rolling out its own GIF maker.

It doesn’t seem to be enabled on all videos just yet, but it’s definitely there for some. Take, for example, pretty much any video from PBS’ Idea Channel (as spotted first by Andy Baio). Click to one of their videos, hit the share button, and GIF away.

GIF creation through the tool is quite simple: tap the share button, set your start/end points, set any captions you might want, and create away. The tool is super fast, and YouTube hosts the GIFs themselves.

Need to make a GIF now, but YouTube’s new tool isn’t enabled on your oh-so-GIFable video yet? Don’t forget this trick, which turns pretty much any YouTube video into a GIF with just a quick URL tweak.

(Source: Techcrunch)

Category Tags for Google Keep in Chrome

Category Tags for Google Keep 

If you’re a frequent user of Google Keep and have accumulated a notable number of notes and lists, you’ll find that it takes a bit of work to sort through them. Luckily, a Google Chrome extension called Categories for Google Keep will make this task easier for you. This free extension allows you to assign a category for each note color provided by Keep.

To start adding categories, you’ll need to install the extension from the Chrome Web Store.

Once done, a new tab will confirm installation of the extension. You may close this and access your Google Keep account on a new tab.

When you reach your Keep dashboard, click on the Menu icon to open the left pane. Click on “Customize Categories”.

Read more : Make Tech Easier

Chromecast App Version 1.9.6 Adds Material Design UI, Beta Screen Casting For All 4.4.2+ Devices

Chromecast App Version 1.9.6 Adds Material Design UI, Beta Screen Casting For All 4.4.2+ Devices

Welcome to Google Update Wednesday, everyone, where you never know quite what you're going to get. The Wheel of Fate has given us a Chromecast update this week, and it's a doozy. A brand new user interface matches the rest of Google's various Material Design apps, more or less. But even more interesting is that the Chromecast app now allows screen casting (where your phone or tablet's screen output appears on your television) for all devices.

 

Well, sort of. You'll need Android 4.4.2 or better to accomplish this, and even then, Google is making sure you know that those phones and tablets not officially supported by the extremely slow screen casting rollout might not have the best experience. To activate screen casting, just tap the slide-out menu inside the Chromecast app itself (sorry, no icon in the quick settings menu) then tap the new "Cast screen" item. After acknowledging Google's beta warning, you're ready to go.

Chromecast, now with guest mode

Chromecast, now with guest mode

You’re having friends over and before you know it, a battle has ensued in your living room over who can show the funniest YouTube video. Now, it’s even easier for your friends to cast to your TV without first having to connect to your WiFi. With the new guest mode feature, anyone with an Android device can cast to your TV as long as they’re in the same room.

To set up guest mode for your Chromecast, open the Chromecast app on your Android phone or tablet and select “Devices” from the navigation drawer. Choose your Chromecast device, tap the “Guest mode” setting and then turn the slider to “on.”

This update is rolling out starting today. Just make sure your Chromecast app is up to date on your Android phone or tablet. To learn more about this feature, visit chromecast.com/guestmode.


See it in action:

Via: (Chrome Blog)

Access Secret Signal Strength Stats on iOS

Access Secret Signal Strength Stats on iOS

If you don't feel like the little dot indicators in iOS are useful in judging your cell signal, you can get to a hidden menu to get more information by simply dialing a phone number. Redmond Pie explains:

Step 1: Dial *3001#12345#* on your iPhone then press Call.

Step 2: You'll now enter Field Test mode. You'll notice a signal strength indicator on the upper left hand corner of your screen. You can toggle between signal strength bars and a number by simply taping on it. At this point, press the home button to exit the app or if you would like the feature to be permanent, continue on. Don't worry, the process is completely reversible.

Step 3: Hold down on the Power button until you see the 'slide to power off' bar. Do not power off the device.

Step 4: Press down on the Home button until the app closes and you return to your home screen.

That's it. Even when restarting the iPhone, the signal strength can be toggled between bars and numbers. The closer your number is to zero, the stronger your signal is.

Unless you're a cellular wiz, then the menu itself probably isn't that useful, but it's still nice to know it's there.
Load Up Apple's Hidden Wi-Fi Diagnostics Tool



Tucked away inside OS X is hidden Wi-Fi Diagnostics Tool that can help you fix problems with your network. Loading it up is pretty easy:
Option-Click the Wi-Fi symbol in your menu bar.
Select "Open Wireless Diagnostics"

That's it. The app will open up and you can check out a ton of stats about your network.

(via: lifehacker)

Open Hidden Menu Options with the Shift and Right-Click Shortcut

Open Hidden Menu Options with the Shift and Right-Click Shortcut

Right-clicking on a file or folder brings up a context-sensitive menu, but sometimes that menu doesn't show all your options. Hold down the Shift key when you right-click to find hidden but useful commands like copying a file path or expanding the Send To options.

We briefly mentioned the Shift + Right-click shortcut in our previous master list of Windows 7 shortcuts, but here's a closer look at all the neat tricks the Shift key turns up when combined with right-clicking in Windows Explorer or the Desktop.
Expand the Send To menu



The typical Send To menu includes a handful of items like the Desktop (as a shortcut), your Documents folder, a zipped folder, and an email recipient.



If you hold down the Shift key, you get many more options, including the Desktop (as a folder location), your Dropbox folder (if you have Dropbox installed), your Favorites folder, Pictures folder, and other commonly used locations.

Keep holding down the Shift key when you select one of these options to actually movethe file to a new location; otherwise the Send To command will copy it.

If you want to add more items to the Send To menu, we can type
[code]shell:sendto[/code]
into the location bar and then drag frequently-used shortcuts (like your web server) to that folder.
Copy as Path



The "Copy as path" option only shows up in a folder's or file's right-click context menu when you hold down the Shift key. As you've probably guessed, this command copies to the clipboard the complete path of the folder or file. This is handy if you need to share a link to a network file or reference file locations.
Pin to Start Menu

Another self-explanatory hidden menu option, this command puts links to often-used files right on Windows' Start Menu.
Open in a New Process



Hold down the Shift key while right-clicking on a folder in Windows Explorer and you'll get a "Open in a new process" menu option. You probably don't need to use this option unless you have frequent crashing problems or are troubleshooting, but what this does is open a separate process for that object (i.e., a new instance of the object in a different part of your computer's memory). So if Firefox is crashing a lot, for example, you can open it in a new process and if the first instance crashes your second instance won't be affected.
Open a Command Window



A quick way to get to the command prompt in Windows is to hold down the Shift key and right-click on the Desktop or in Windows Explorer (when no files are selected).

So those are some secret menu options you can unlock with just the Shift key.

(Melanie Pinola, via: lifehacker) 

New Blogger Widget: Contact form -- Change Style -&- Install in a Static Page

 Blogger introduced a new widget. It is about a contact form that you can add to your blog easily. It is very basic, because - at least for now, does not permit incorporating files or send anything other than plain text.

The contact form for Blogger has the following features:

• Field for the user name
• Field for email
• Field for the message (textarea)
• Submit Button

Screenshot

 The design is simple and the text colors inherit the section where you add it. At the moment, this widget has no configuration options and is not available for dynamic views.

How to Add Contact Form to Blogger (via: helplogger)