Printing Power! Save the Environment, One Printer Page at a Time

Materials and Equipment

• Computer with an Internet connection and word processing software
• Volunteer who is familiar with the computer on which you are working
• Lab notebook
• Graph paper

Experimental Procedure

Experimenting with Printing

1. Turn on your computer and connect to the Internet. If you need help connecting to the Internet, ask your volunteer for help.
2. Think of something that is mostly text, not a lot of pictures, that you would be interested in printing out. For example, some stories to read, some articles about your favorite sport, or a guide on how to beat a video game level you’re stuck on. Have your volunteer help you find what you’re looking for online. If you can't think of anything to print, try one of these:
1. www.cubbi.org/disney/scripts/index.html: This website contains the full-length text scripts for several Disney movies. Choose your favorite one.
2. constitutionus.com: This website contains a text version of the most important legal document in the United States, the Constitution.
3. Once you’ve found the text online that you’re interested in printing, you’ll need to copy it into a document in your word processor.
1. With your volunteer’s help, open up the word processing program on your computer.
2. Go back to the text you want to copy from the Internet and put your cursor at the beginning of the text. Click and drag your mouse until you get to the end of the text you want to copy.
3. Click on the Edit menu at the top of the screen on your Internet browser and click on Copy. Another way to do this is to press the "Control" key (Ctrl) and the "C" key at the same time on your keyboard.
4. Paste the selection into the word processor document, either by right-clicking your mouse and selecting Paste, or by holding down the "Ctrl" and "V" keyboard buttons at the same time.
5. Once the text is pasted into your word processor document, choose the Save as option from the File menu in your word processing program to save the document somewhere on your computer. Be sure you know where you are saving it.
4. In your lab notebook, write down the number of pages the document takes up. If you are using Microsoft Word® as your word processor, the page size is noted at the bottom left of the document in the gray bar (such as 4/5, which means you are currently looking at page 4, but there are 5 pages). The current number of pages is the size of the document before you start experimenting. If you were to print the document out, this is how many pages would print.
   1. Make sure that your document is at least 10 pages long. If it isn't, then either go back to step one and choose a new document, or find additional text (like another story) to add to this document.
5. Now change the font size of the document and see how this changes the number of pages in the document. Note: Each time you change the font size of the document, remember to save the document under a new name somewhere on your computer (such as "Science Project_Font Size 10). Again, be sure you know where you are saving it. To change the font size in Microsoft Word, do the following:
1. Click on Select All under Edit on the tool bar. Then click on Format on the tool bar and choose Font. You now can change the font size.
2. Write the font size in your lab notebook and the number of pages the document now has after you've changed to the new font size.
3. Change the font size two more times and continue to write down in your lab notebook how changing the font size changes the total number of pages in the document.
4. One thing to keep in mind is that the font shouldn't be too small, or you won't be able to easily read the printed document.
6. Now you will experiment with the print options. Use the document that is easiest to read, but still takes up fewest pages, from the above step.
1. Note: If you are using a newer version of Microsoft Word, you can Preview the document after making changes to the print options, but before printing. If you are working with an older version, you will just have to estimate the number of pages you will get after you make the following changes. If you are using different word processing software, have an adult help you find out how to make changes to the print options and preview, if you can, or estimate how many pages will be in the document after you've made the following changes.
7. One printing option available on Microsoft Word is to print two pages of your document on a single sheet of paper (on one side). If you are using different word processing software, ask an adult to help you find out how to print two pages on one side of a single sheet of paper.
1. Click on Print under File on the tool bar and change to this option by selecting Layout. In the Pages per Sheet field, choose 2. Now click on Preview.How many sheets of paper are used when you make the change?
2. If you are working with an older version of Word, you can click on the option to print two pages per sheet, but you might not be able to preview the document. In this case, estimate how many sheets would be used if you were to print out the document.
3. Write down Two Pages per Sheet in your lab notebook and record how many pages the document is now.
4. Save this new document somewhere on your computer under a new name. Be sure you know where you are saving it.
8. An option available on certain printers is to print double-sided documents. Start with the document that you saved in the previous step—the one with two pages on one side. Printing double-sided means that instead of just printing on one side of a sheet of paper, the printer can print on both sides of a piece of paper, like you see in a book. Choose the option to print double-sided. Your document should now have two pages per side and four pages per sheet.
9. If your printer can't print double-sided, you can trick it into doing so by choosing the correct print option. To print double-sided in Microsoft Word, do the following steps:
1. Click on Printunder File on the tool bar. Choose Paper Handling, and then where it asks Pages to Print, choose Odd only. In older versions of Word, you can directly choose to print the odd pages first in the Print window.
2. Once you are done printing the odd pages, go back and print out the even pages. On the first odd page, flip it around, feed it into the printer and then print the first even page. On the second odd page, flip it around and print the second even page. Continue until the entire document is printed.
10. Since you are not yet printing out the document, estimate how many sheets of paper you would need to print your document in this double-sided way. Write down Double-sided Printing in your lab notebook. Next to it, write down your estimation of how many sheets of paper you would use to print double-sided.

Reviewing Your Data

1. Now make a bar graph showing the results of your experiment. You can make a graph by hand, or use a website like Create a Graph.
1. Label the x-axis Printing Changes. On the x-axis, make the following labels: Original Document, Font Size Change, Two Pages Per Sheet, andDouble-sided Printing.
2. Label the y-axis Number of Printed Pages.
3. For each change on the x-axis, make a bar for the number of pages in the document.
2. Do you see a difference in how many pages your document is after making all of these changes? Do you think that making changes in how we all print documents could save paper?

Variations

• Does changing the document's margins help reduce the document size? Try it and find out.
• Show your final document to a family member or friend. Can he or she easily read the document? If not, then you might have to go back and make some changes in your experiment to make it readable, like changing the font size. Is there a limit to reducing the number of pages in a document by changing the font size?
• If you're interested in other ways to spare resources and save money and natural resources around the house, try the Science Buddies project Spare a Watt, Save a Lot.
• Have you ever tried to print out a page directly from the Internet and found that most of what you printed is advertisements that you don’t want? Determine if free software, like the demo available from PrintWhatYouLike.com can help you save paper when printing directly from the Internet.

10 Awesome Science Experiments your Teachers Forgot to Show You!

If you are a science teacher who wants to find cool things to show the students, these are some great ideas.  If you crave more inspiration, there’s a website called Science Toys that’s a great resource for demonstrating scientific principles using everyday household products.

1. Lenz’s Law in action. Watch what happens when you drop a magnet down an aluminum tube. It’s oddly relaxing to watch. Then, if you liked that, it’s even slightly slower through a copper tube.

2. This mesmerizing trick only requires milk, food coloring, and dish soap.

3. Supersaturation. This was one of the few things I found intriguing in my very boring, general chemistry class.

4. Rubin’s Tube. A real life fire visualizer that reacts to music.

5. Centrifugal force. As long as it’s in a fast enough circular motion, the water and the cup don’t fall down on the experimenter’s head.  Maybe someone who spins poi should experiment with these. Then maybe one can mix water-poi with fire-poi…

6. Cymatics: Visual Vibrations. This just requires a speaker, an amplifier, a signal generator (computer) and some sand.

7. Homopolar motor demonstrates the Lorentz force.

8. Crush cans using the power of air pressure. Vigorously boil a small amount of water in a can and upturn it in a bucket of cold water.

9. Non-Newtonian fluid.  Simply mix cornstarch and water.  The key is to add just enough water so that the cornstarch and water mix will flow very, very slowly.  It will feel very trippy when you try to touch it or play with it.

10. Create a cloud in a bottle.  All you need is a bicycle pump, water, rubbing alcohol and a bottle. I love this one because it ties in with meteorology and requires a bicycling pump.

Was that cool or what?!  Which one of these were your favorite? Do you remember any science demonstrations that really made an impression on you when you were in class? Please share your thoughts!

Apple's iPad loses share to Samsung in China

 
China's best-selling tablet computer iPad saw its shipments drastically halved as Apple Inc's Android competitors, mainly Samsung, grabbed the lucrative market.
Shipments of the tablet in China between April and June were down from about 3.04 million in the first quarter of the year to 1.48 million units in the second quarter, with its market share in the country shrinking from 49 per cent to 28 per cent during the same period, according to statistics from International Data Corp, a global market intelligence firm.
Apple's product is still No 1 in terms of market share in China's tablet computer sector but rapidly increasing sales numbers from rivals have led to a more challenging market for it, China Daily reported today.
"The market share of Android-based tablets, such as Samsung, is growing rapidly because there is a much bigger user base that is already familiar with the system because of the smartphones they use," the report quoted Dickie Chang, a Hong Kong-based analyst with researcher IDC as saying.
Chang said Samsung Group took second place in China's tablet computer market in the second quarter with its share surging to 11 per cent from 6 per cent a quarter earlier.
China's Lenovo Group Ltd was third with shipments of its tablet computers more than doubling from the quarter earlier, taking 8 per cent of market share in the same period.
However, Chang said with the launch of the new iPad 5 this autumn, predicted by insiders, sales of Apple's tablet are expected to rise.
"I think Apple intentionally reduced the shipment of iPads in the second quarter. They need to protect the interest of those who just bought the iPad 4. Because with the arrival of the new iPad, the price of the older generation will fall dramatically," he said, adding no one wants to spend a lot of money on an iPad but find its price shrinking overnight because a new one has arrived.

10 Upcoming Technology That May Change The World

We have seen great leaps in digital technology in past the past five years. Smartphones, cloud computing, multi-touch tablets, these are all innovations that revolutionized the way we live and work. However, believe it or not, we are just getting started. Technology will get even better. In the future, we could live like how people in science fiction movies did.

(Image Source: YouTube)

Today’s post is about 10 upcoming, real-life products that is set to revolutionize the world as we know it. Get ready to control the desktop and slice Ninja fruits with your eyes. Get ready to print your own creative physical product. Get ready to dive into the virtual world, and interact with them. Come unfold the future with us.

Read Also: 20 Futuristic Concept Gadgets That Really Inspire

1. Google Glass

Augmented Reality has already gotten into our life in the forms of simulated experiment and education app, but Google is taking it several steps higher with Google Glass. Theoretically, with Google Glass, you are able to view social media feeds, text, Google Maps, as well as navigate with GPS and take photos. You will also get the latest updates while you are on the ground.

(Image Source: YouTube)

It’s truly what we called vision, and it’s absolutely possible given the fact that the Google’s co-founder, Sergey Brin has demo’ed the glass with skydivers and creatives. Currently the device is only available to some developers with the price tag of $1500, but expect other tech companies trying it out and building an affordable consumer version.

2. Form 1

Just as the term suggests, 3D printing is the technology that could forge your digital design into a solid real-life product. It’s nothing new for the advanced mechanical industry, but a personal 3D printer is definitely a revolutionary idea.
Everybody can create their own physical product based on their custom design, and no approval needed from any giant manufacturer! Even the James Bond’s Aston Martin which was crashed in the movie was a 3D printed product!

(Image Source: Kickstarter)

Form 1 is one such personal 3D printer which can be yours at just $2799. It may sound like a high price but to have the luxury of getting producing your own prototypes, that’s a reaonable price.
Imagine a future where every individual professional has the capability to mass produce their own creative physical products without limitation. This is the future where personal productivity and creativity are maximized.

3. Oculus Rift

Virtual Reality gaming is here in the form of Oculus Rift. This history-defining 3D headset lets you mentally feel that you are actually inside a video game. In the Rift’s virtual world, you could turn your head around with ultra-low latency to view the world in high resolution display.
There are premium products in the market that can do the same, but Rift wants you to enjoy the experience at only $300, and the package even comes as a development kit. This is the beginning of the revolution for next-generation gaming.

(Image Source: Kickstarter)

The timing is perfect as the world is currently bombarded with the virtual reality topic that could also be attributed to Sword Art Online, the anime series featuring the characters playing games in an entirely virtual world. While we’re getting there, it could take a few more years to reach that level of realism. Oculus Rift is our first step.

4. Leap Motion

Multi-touch desktop is a (miserably) failed product due to the fact that hands could get very tired with prolonged use, but Leap Motion wants to challenge this dark area again with a more advanced idea. It lets you control the desktop with fingers, but without touching the screen.

(Image Source: Leap Motion)

It’s not your typical motion sensor, as Leap Motion allows you to scroll the web page, zoom in the map and photos, sign documentss and even play a first person shooter game with only hand and finger movements. The smooth reaction is the most crucial key point here. More importantly, you can own this future with just $70, a price of a premium PS3 game title!
If this device could completely work with Oculus Rift to simulate a real-time gaming experience, gaming is going to get a major make-over.

5. Eye Tribe

Eye tracking has been actively discussed by technology enthusiasts throughout these years, but it’s really challenging to implement. But Eye Tribe actually did this. They successfully created the technology to allow you to control your tablet, play flight simulator, and even slice fruits in Fruit Ninja only with your eye movements.

(Image Source: Eye Tribe)

It’s basically taking the common eye-tracking technology and combining it with a front-facing camera plus some serious computer-vision algorithm, and voila, fruit slicing done with the eyes! A live demo was done in LeWeb this year and we may actually be able to see it in in action in mobile devices in 2013.
Currently the company is still seeking partnership to bring this sci-fi tech into the consumer market but you and I know that this product is simply too awesome to fail.

6. SmartThings

The current problem that most devices have is that they function as a standalone being, and it require effort for tech competitors to actually partner with each other and build products that can truly connect with each other. SmartThings is here to make your every device, digital or non-digital, connect together and benefit you.

(Image Source: Kickstarter)

With SmartThings you can get your smoke alarms, humidity, pressure and vibration sensors to detect changes in your house and alert you through your smartphone! Imagine the possibilities with this.
You could track who’s been inside your house, turn on the lights while you’re entering a room, shut windows and doors when you leave the house, all with the help of something that only costs $500! Feel like a tech lord in your castle with this marvel.

7. Firefox OS

iOS and Android are great, but they each have their own rules and policies that certainly inhibit the creative efforts of developers. Mozilla has since decided to build a new mobile operating system from scratch, one that will focus on true openness, freedom and user choice. It’s Firefox OS.
Firefox OS is built on Gonk, Gecko and Gaia software layers – for the rest of us, it means it is built on open source, and it carries web technologies such as HTML5 and CSS3.

(Image Source: Mozilla)

Developers can create and debut web apps without the blockade of requirements set by app stores, and users could even customize the OS based on their needs. Currently the OS has made its debut on Android-compatible phones, and the impression so far, is great.
You can use the OS to do essential tasks you do on iOS or Android: calling friends, browsing web, taking photos, playing games, they are all possible on Firefox OS, set to rock the smartphone market.

8. Project Fiona

Meet the first generation of the gaming tablet. Razer’s Project Fiona is a serious gaming tablet built for hardcore gaming. Once it’s out, it will be the frontier for the future tablets, as tech companies might want to build their own tablets, dedicated towards gaming, but for now Fiona is the only possible one that will debut in 2013.

(Image Source: Razer™)

This beast features next generation Intel® Core i7 processor geared to render all your favorite PC games, all at the palm of your hands. Crowned as the best gaming accessories manufacturer, Razer clearly knows how to build user experience straight into the tablet, and that means 3-axis gyro, magnetometer, accelerometer and full-screen user interface supporting multi-touch. My body and soul are ready.

9. Parallella

Parallella is going to change the way that computers are made, and Adapteva offers you chance to join in on this revolution. Simply put, it’s a supercomputer for everyone. Basically, an energy-efficient computer built for processing complex software simultaneously and effectively. Real-time object tracking, holographic heads-up display, speech recognition will become even stronger and smarter with Parallella.

(Image Source: YouTube)

The project has been successfully funded so far, with an estimated delivery date of February 2013. For a mini supercomputer, the price seems really promising since it’s magically $99! It’s not recommended for the non-programmer and non-Linux user, but the kit is loaded with development software to create your personal projects.
I never thought the future of computing could be kick-started with just $99, which is made possible using crowdfunding platforms.

10. Google Driverless Car

I could still remember the day I watch the iRobot as a teen, and being skeptical about my brother’s statement that one day, the driverless car will become reality. And it’s now a reality, made possible by… a search engine company, Google.
While the data source is still a secret recipe, the Google driverless car is powered by artificial intelligence that utilizes the input from the video cameras inside the car, a sensor on the vehicle’s top, and some radar and position sensors attached to different positions of the car. Sounds like a lot of effort to mimic the human intelligence in a car, but so far the system has successfully driven 1609 kilometres without human commands!

(Image Source: Wikipedia)

“You can count on one hand the number of years it will take before ordinary people can experience this.” Google co-founder, Sergey Brin said. However, innovation is an achievement, consumerization is the headache, as Google currently face the challenge to forge the system into an affordable gem that every worker with an average salary could benefit from.

Firefox OS Smartphone Making Impact

Viva la Firefox! Mozilla will announce today in the Spain and Poland markets the release of the first Firefox OS smartphones, states Computerworld.

ZTE will will be the first manufacturer to release the highly anticipated phone in Spain for about $90 American dollars.

Alcatel One Touch Fire is coming as well, announced Laptop. These two devices will be the first to make a splash in the mobile industry for Mozilla. The dynamics of the features make it a challenge for other mid-range smartphones, especially from Samsung.

Mozilla discussed some of the features from their blog this morning:

• Built in social media features
• HERE Maps for not only driving directions, but walking directions
• The Firefox Web browser
• Firefox Marketplace for apps

These features are a nice addition to the specs of the phones:

• ZTE – 3.5 inch HVGA screen, Snapdragon processor and 3.2 megapixel camera
• Alcatel – 3.5 inch HGVA screen, rear camera with 3.2 megapixels and 256MB of RAM memory

As you can see from the specs, the Firefox OS is not intended to play in the big league with iPhone 5, Galaxy S4 or HTC One. The phone, states the LA Times is intended for entry level to mid-level users.

So, what makes the distinction and appeal of the Firefox OS smartphones? Mozilla prides itself on an open systems approach and they carry that into the mobile market. LA Times quotes Telefonica’s CEO Jose Maria Alvarez Palette as stating,

Consumers should not be locked to any one system but have the choice to consume the content they want and the flexibility to be able to take it with them when they change devices

This is a rare approach, that many other manufacturers and OS companies have blocked from users, making the these new additions raise in the ranks of choice.

While there is not word yet if the Firefox OS capable phones will be merging overseas into America, there is hope they will.

This can create backlash for favorite companies like Microsoft and Apple who are not as open system compatible as some consumers wished they were.

Get the fastest Internet connection ever

A powerful utility to combine multiple Internet connections into a mammoth broadband pipeline.

It has always been a geek’s dream to have the fastest Internet connection ever, and we bet you would desire the same too. Almost all those who are hooked on to the Internet to surf, download or entertain themselves would definitely be owning an broadband connection at home. It could be via a telecom service provider, your local cable guy or 4G wireless Internet providers. Some even own 3G USB Internet dongles for their work and entertainment while being outdoors. Most smartphone users today also opt for 3G Internet services on their phones and tablets. All these connections can be individually used on your PCs, laptops and handhelds efficiently.  Download, set up and activate the utility Though you can connect them all together on a single PC and access the Internet, the Internet speed will be only drawn from the last connected network, leaving the others unused. For instance, you have four different Internet connection sources A, B, C and D.  Your PC will access Internet from A when it is connected. The moment you initiate a connection from B, the PC will divert all network connections via B, leaving A unused. The same happens when C is initiated; A and B are unused and it applies the same to D. The operating system is not smart enough and does not know that there are multiple Internet networks. It needs help, but is unable to do so. In Linux, it is possible to do so by tweaking the kernel, adding some modules and running some scripts that will tell the operating system about the various active Internet connections and balance the network load accordingly. On Windows, it is not possible and a third-party utility is required.  Single connection speed Clubbing all your available Internet connections into one single mammoth pipeline was not possible until Connectify, a well known software development company which developed Connectify hotspot, a virtual software router for Windows, stepped in. It kickstarted a campaign to help collect funds for the project and achieved it. It finally came up with Connectify Dispatch, a utility to connect to multiple Internet connections for combined speed and reliability. Using this utility, you can now connect all your available Internet connections – be it from a DSL modem, a wired cable connection, a wireless router, a tethered mobile phone or a USB Internet dongle – into a single mega broadband connection. Read ahead to know how you can do it in four simple steps. All adapters active and associated with Dispatch Step 1: Download Connectify Dispatch and install it. It is not a free utility and there are no demo versions available. The utility costs Rs 5,114 for a lifetime license, which includes the HotSpot Pro utility as a bundle. Optionally, you can opt for a one year license for Rs 4,023, but we recommend the lifetime offer, which is reasonably cheaper than this one. Once installed, activate the utility and you can see it running, but not active, in the system tray.  System tray showing adapters activated and deactivated Speed using a single Internet connection only All Internet connections combined as a single large bandwidth Step 2: individually set up and test all your Internet connections on the PC. Install the USB dongles, tethered phone, wireless network, Ethernet cable Internet, or whatever sources you may have. Ensure they are working and all connected to the PC.  Using only three connections Step 3: Double-click on the Connectify icon in the system tray to pull up the Dispatch user interface. Here you see the Dispatch utility, which is not started as yet. There is a graph available to know the bandwidth of all your available connection’s, and the overall bandwidth speed. Also, you will see the number of active adapters (Internet connections) in the lower half. Other icons available are Hotspot (to start the Wi-Fi hotspot) and Settings (to tweak a few changes).  Step 4: Connect, enable or start all your Internet connections. Once all are active, hit the ‘Start Dispatch’ button on the Dispatch window and you are ready to cruise the Internet highway by utilising all the Internet connections simultaneously. The Dispatch utility will automatically combine all the Internet connections together, analyse each one of them and route the Internet traffic accordingly whenever and wherever necessary. You can check the download speeds by downloading some large file, video or torrent. You will definitely notice a difference. Assign individual applications to select particular Internet routes How we tested 1. Internet connection A – Tikona Wireless 4G broadband via Ethernet – 2 Mbps speed. 2. Internet connection B – Tata Photon Plus 3G USB internet dongle – Speeds up to 3.1 Mbps. 3. Internet connection C – Tata Photon Plus 3G USB internet dongle – Speeds up to 3.1 Mbps. 4. Internet connection D – Tata Photon Plus 3G USB internet dongle – Speeds up to 3.1 Mbps. Set bandwidth limitations for each Internet connection The setup was done on a Lenovo laptop and was conducted inside a house in the suburbs of Mumbai. The testing was done at night around 1 AM when we could obtain maximum speeds and minimum interferences from any other networks in the surroundings. As we all know, the USB 3G Internet dongles claim maximum speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps, but this entirely depends from area to area. In our case, the maximum Internet speeds we acquired was between 800 Kbps to 1.5 Mbps at any given time. The Tikona connection was stable at around 2 Mbps. In all, estimating the USB dongles gave us around 1.2 Mbps speeds and the Tikona Wireless giving us around 2 Mbps speeds, clubbing them together, the speeds we acquired was a little more than 6 Mbps.  Override the default DNS Testing and using the Connectify Dispatch for a few hours, we definitely state that the utility works and can benefit those who are looking for higher broadband speeds. BitTorrent is designed to make use of many network sockets simultaneously, which makes it a perfect application for Connectivity Dispatch.  Select adapters to act as Primary connections or stay as backups Other options possible with Dispatch You can further tweak the Dispatch utility to benefit your work. You can set up individual applications to use particular Internet connections to balance the load manually too. In this way, for example, you can download multiple files from Hotfile, Rapidshare, Mediafire and other similar file hosting websites that have IP-based time limitations to download the next file. It can also benefit those who want to download particular files faster than others, such as torrents can be on a faster bandwidth while smaller files can use the slower Internet connections.  Start Hotspot with a combined speed and share it to other devices You can also use Dispatch to balance the load as per your will. You can set it to keep particular Internet connections as standby or backup connections in case any one of them fails. Other options available are to use DNS servers other than the ISP provides you. You can use Google or OpenDNS to your advantage. You can also meter individual connections to limit the Internet usage so that you don't exceed the download limits according to your plans. This can be done on daily, weekly or monthly rules according to your download plans. Lastly, you can set Dispatch to draw the bandwidth from the available connections that have the best latency and reliability.  An Android phone using Hotspot over Wi-Fi with full combined speed Finally, if you have bought the Dispatch + Hotspot utility together (Rs 5,114), you can start up HotSpot and share this combined mega-Internet pipeline to all other computers and devices on the network wirelessly or using a router. Connectify Dispatch is a very powerful utility that can benefit small and large business environments too. Take for example, a large organisation that provides most of the employees with a USB Internet dongle for use when they are travelling. When they are not travelling, the Internet connection is wasted as they are lying unused and the office Internet connection is used at work. By using these dongles on a PC installed with Dispatch, the entire bandwidth can come in handy for the entire office to have a faster Internet connection. Other areas where Dispatch can come in very handy is for video chat, online high-definition and 3D video entertainment, distributed or cloud gaming, online backups and data sync servers, remote desktop sharing, and a few others.

10 Unpopular apps that are incredibly useful

Apps are available dime a dozen; just surf the web and you will find numerous articles listing out the best apps. However, there are several brilliant apps that don't make it to these lists. In our list, we have picked such apps that aren't the ones you will find in the hoards of “TOP 10” lists on the web, but are really handy and useful.

Apps are available dime a dozen; just surf the web and you will find numerous articles listing out the best apps. However, there are several brilliant apps that don't make it to these lists. In our list, we have picked such apps that aren't the ones you will find in the hoards of  “TOP 10” lists on the web, but are really handy and useful. AirDroid – Android Wireless file management across your desktop and smartphone In case you haven't heard of AirDroid, let us tell you that it is an extremely useful wireless management app for Android users. Though we wished it was available for other platforms too, you can always hunt for similar alternatives. AirDroid lets you manage your Android smartphone as well as tablet from any web browser, provided it’s on the same Wi-Fi network. So, managing and syncing files such as music, videos, movies etc. from your desktop and mobile Android device is a breeze, negating the need for wires. Once you download the free app, just enter the passcode and you can begin transferring contents – it is that simple. µTorrent – Android Download torrents on the go  µTorrent needs no introduction. It also has a handy app for mobile platforms, which is as convenient as its desktop version. However, you don't see it in most of the “Top 10 Apps” lists. This torrent app discovers torrents and downloads them to the smartphone or tablet. It also lets you subscribe to RSS feeds, play content and more. The app is free and simple to use. There are no speed limits or size limits on mobile downloads. However, it is suggested that you don't run your torrent downloads on mobile data and opt for Wi-Fi instead. If you still prefer downlading torrents on your computer, then the µTorrent Remote app will let you access your downloads on your home computer while you are on-the-go. It is available for Android, iOS, Windows Phone News Hunt – Android, BlackBerry, iOS,  Symbian Don't need to hunt down news This app aims at bringing your daily dose of news. Firstly, it is localised with over 30 leading Indian newspapers and several local languages including Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, and more. While almost all of the leading newspapers have their individual apps, News Hunt lets you access several of them together on one platform.Though this free app is supported by advertisements, the ad placement is not annoying and won’t hinder your reading experience. The UI is slick and the homepage displays the list of all the newspapers and news sites supported by the app, segregated depending upon the language. Traffic Monitor – Android,  BlackBerry,  iOS, Keeps an eye on your mobile data usage This app may not be as popular as 3G Watch Dog or Onavo, but it is really good at keeping a tab on the mobile data traffic. Moreover, it is accompanied by a speedometer and task manager. It is capable of keeping a track of the data that you consume via Wi-Fi and cellular network. It measures the download and upload throughput and displays a traffic summary for the current day, week and month. Moreover, it also offers statistics per application with history for current and last day as well as current and last month. Traffic Monitor Plus adds SMS counter and phone call counter. Both these versions are free to download. App Lock II Widget Pro – Android Lock your apps from unauthorised access If you have business or personal apps that you wouldn't like a guest to access, then this App Lock II widget is simply great. Once someone tries to access your protected app, it will throw a fake crash error that misleads a guest user into thinking that your app has a glitch. This way, it stops the guest from accessing your app in a natural way, but it can be easily unlocked by the owner. There is a password protector with a secret input method. This is a premium app, which costs Rs. 186, and you can use the trial version before purchasing it.

How To: Download apps from Google Play directly to your PC

A utility to download Android apps from Google Play Store directly to your PC.

We have been testing and reviewing a lot of Android phones and tablets in the recent past, and we definitely need to keep a few apps for benchmarking and other such information. In order to do the same, we initially need to set up wireless networking, punch in the credentials of the Google account, then search for the needed apps and download them. Downloading apps from the Google Play Store requires an account and hence the entire exercise. This is not only time consuming, but also painfully slow at times when the Internet connection is down or weak. In order to get things in the fast lane, we use an app to back up the apps and save them on the PC. On the other hand, as we all know, most apps keep being updated by their developers and tracking the updates is not possible if we do not have the Google account setup on the Android device. This means doing the same thing all over again and hitting the 'Update App' button every time we have to test a new device.  Real APK Leecher Many others who constantly do ROM installations and updates on their Android devices would also like to keep a backup of the apps. Installing apps directly from the SD card not only saves downloading time, but also helps you save money by using the Internet on 3G connections. You can save apps to the SD card using third-party apps such as File Expert, Titanium Backup, App Monster and other such utilities, but they only save the currently installed apps. So then, what about new updates for the apps? Updating the app is only possible after installing it and then running the Play Store to check for any updates.   Set up the utility In order to overcome this obstacle, we found a Windows-based utility on the XDA forums, developed by the ‘Codeimba.com’ team from Vietnam, called ‘Real APK Leecher’. The software is a JAVA-based utility, which connects to the Internet and the Google Play Store online. The utility needs to be filled with the details of your Google account and the Device ID of your phone in the options. Once the necessary details are filled, it can be used to search and download apps from the Play Store. You can also specify a folder where you have existing apps stored so that they can be scanned and checked for any updates. The apps and updates can be downloaded to a folder of your choice. Read ahead for a walk through on how to get the app and set it up on your PC. Get your Device ID Download the Real APK Leecher utility from here. Download the archived ZIP file and unzip the contacts to a folder on your desktop. Now open the folder and run the file ‘Real APK Leecher.exe’. Since you would be running the utility for the first time, the options (Configuration window) will be shown. In this window, you will need to give in the details of your valid Google email address, the password to the email account and the Device ID. The device ID will be available on your phone itself; you need to extract it using a simple code on the phone dialler. Start the dialler on your phone and punch in the below mentioned code:                                          *#*#8255#*#* The details of this procedure are also provided in the same window where these details need to be fed in the utility.  If you are using a tablet, the phone dialler will not be available. You can download an app called ‘DeviceID’ to get the details of your tablet. These settings need to be done only once, unless you change the phone, tablet or Google account. Further, you have the choice of showing the number of records between 10 to 30 apps on the page while searching for apps. Next, choose the language and country, leave the SIM Operator Number as empty (default) and enter the location to save the downloaded apps along with the location for the folder where your apps are already downloaded and need updates. After these settings are done, you can click on the Save button and the utility will start.    Search for the app you want to download Set the download location Download the app Note: If you make any mistake in the settings, especially with the email address, password and device ID, the utility will not work as it will give you an error in logging into your account. Double-check your settings if you get any errors. Now that the utility has started, you can search for the app using its vendor name, package name or custom name in the search bar. Depending on the choice you made earlier, the number of searched apps will be listed in the window below. To download the app, simply click on it once to highlight the entire field, then right-click on the line and select the download option. Note: The searched apps will have both free and paid versions showing up and you can only download free versions. If the app is a paid version, you will not be able to download it, as there are no options for payment through this utility. You can hit the Google Play link to go to the Play Store and do the necessary payments there. If you have already paid for the app earlier, then you can download the app without this extra step.  Check for app updates on your PC To check for updates for your already downloaded apps, you can right-click on any app in the list and click on the ‘Scan Existing Folder’ option. The utility will then ask you one more time if you want to scan the folder you previously entered in the options or any other folder on your PC. Click on OK and the utility will scan every app in the specified folder and list the entire content of that folder. Each app will be listed with icons, which will specify if there is an update available for any of the apps. The icon with the exclamatory mark in a triangle is the one with updates available. Next, right-click on the app and click on the download option. Apps that are not available on the Play Store or are pirated will show up with a question mark, whereas the ones with the green check mark are apps that have no updates.  Existing app updates are shown with exclamatory mark symbols You can also use this utility to download apps that are not available in your country by changing the SIM Operator Number in the options field. Apps that have carrier restrictions can be faked to get the apps downloaded. To do this on your phone itself, you need to have a rooted phone and market enabler app. Using this utility, you can do it without any hitch. The SIM Operator Number (SON) for various mobile carriers around the world can be availed from here. The SON is a combination of the MCC and MNC numbers. SON = MCC + MNC. For example, Vodafone IN Mumbai has MMC number 404 and MNC number 20, which makes the SON 40420. Enter this number in the SON field in the options window.  Disclaimer: Try this utility at your own risk. This utility and tutorial is for educational purposes only. We do not take any responsibility for misuse of this app. Please read the T&C for Google Play before downloading the apps.