Tag: android

Hexlock: A free All-in-One App locker for Android by liquidum

It seems that the prevalence of technology has held on to the entire world of mankind. Undoubtedly it is creditable for the globalisation where the majority of people count on modern technology. For instance, the mobile phone has become the necessity of not an only amateur to renowned businessman but also the habitual need of all the people who use mobile gadgets to store valuable assets like bank info, private messages, videos, photos etc. Indeed, the misuse of our private information can afflict our career and personal life following this, we ought to adopt safety majors to inflict unwanted trouble and certainly there are lots of app lockers available on the play store as well as lock option given by the android. While sometimes we may have to hand over our device to someone by unlocking it thereby we must pick and choose the an : appropriate app to secure our sensitive catalogue. Here I’m referring to HEXLOCK a free app locker which has unique features that dramatically protects your privacy by setting a pin. Pattern or fingerprint.

Of course, Hexlock is a 100% free app locker that secures app with a password to prevent unauthorised access. Users can create up to six unique profiles to cover every situation each with a different colour and logo. These at Work, Home, Cafe, Party, Parental, and School and activate them automatically when connected to a known Wi-Fi. Additionally, you can customise your profile name as suitable to you as well as their colour combination and icon and you may set different apps to be locked under that profile. It also comprises a new feature called Media Vault that lets users protect their photos and videos in a locked private file.

Obviously, it may be annoying to keep a password on your phone every time when you unlock it. However, Hexlock manages to ease this problem by setting up fascinating features of locking individual app. In fact, we all have different scenarios in our life where we want certain apps to be accessible or not accessible for instance when you have to give your phone to kids or young relatives you won’t have to worry about important folders being deleted or buying games without your knowledge and cherry on top the app cannot be uninstalled by other if someone steals your phone. Fairly, it falls in with the protection of social network, for example, you can lend your device to anyone without being worried that they will check your facebook, WhatsApp etc.

Admittedly, another remarkable speciality of this app locker includes Self-active hallmark which automatically activates when connected to the selected network. Besides, the profile automatically deactivates when using a different browser or while switching off to wifi network from mobile data and vice versa. On the other hand, the persistent notification to unlock not only every app but also while reading something for a longer time may really be irritating to some people.

Overall, Hexlock stands out impressive due to its peculiar features of individual app locking system which are certainly applicable for all android users to keep up their privacy. Indeed, it is a surplus of beautiful design, customizable profiles with the possibility of locking app by pin, pattern or fingerprint.

Download Hexlock for Android

July 2, 2016
RocketVPN: A free Android & iOS exclusive VPN app by liquidum

VPN and other internet anonymity tools have become a norm after witnessing the activists and social benefactors, highlighting the government/private organisations responsible for breaching the user privacy. Edward Snowden and Wikileaks Top Secret documents made it clear that privacy is just a hoax as it was brought to the spotlight that our own government is monitoring online user activity and phone calls. Using VPN or similar tools to encrypt our important data while accessing the internet on the public network has become a necessity. Well, this article is not about how we ended up like this, but to discuss one such anonymity tool called RocketVPN.

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Rocket VPN is a free app (in-app purchase required for unlimited data) for Android that encrypts your data, unblocks geographically restricted content and keeps you anonymous for a safer, better browsing experience. RocketVPN is particularly designed to encrypt Android and iOS smartphone’s network, which is a good thing and a tradeoff for some. It is nice to have an app specially designed for major smartphone platform as it will integrate with it flawlessly, however, for power users who prefer “One plan for all” would be disappointed.

RocketVPN is an application developed by renowned developer liquidum, dedicated to designing, developing and marketing innovative utility apps for the mobile market, including The Cleaner, Rocket VPN, Hemlock and Battery Time for Android and Presto! and Fast for iOS. Liquidum’s apps are distributed through the Google Play Store and Apple App Store and have been downloaded over 30 million times.

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RocketVPN like any other VPN is capable of securing the network from intruders and data snooping while lifting the restriction imposed by the ISP (Internet Service Provider) or websites. The popularity of the app can be determined by the fact that it has already been downloaded up to 5 Million times on Google Play Store.

The two main features of a VPN that make it a powerful tool of privacy: Firstly, Your data is encrypted, meaning that you can browse the Internet over unsecured Wi-Fi networks (like at Starbucks) without worrying, or you can rest assured that your ISP isn’t spying on your Web activities.

Secondly, you can bypass geo-restrictions. Americans can access the UK-only BBC iPlayer, Indians can access US-only services like Netflix, and so on. Not only can your location not be tracked, but the contents of your data can’t be either. This will really help you browse the Web anonymously.

During our test, we noticed some drop in overall speed but it is evitable for any VPN network depending on the location of the server you choose.

The minimalistic material UI and interactive environment do the trick while still holding some pleasant animations. However, it does not offer unlimited free data usage. You’ll have to buy the subscription starting at $2.99/month or $29.99/year if you are expecting to exceed 500MB monthly data limit.

Download RocketVPN for Android

Download RocketVPN for iOS

June 24, 2016
Transform your old PC into an Android Smartphone with Remix OS

If you’re looking for a way to drag your old vintage PC to 2016 then you’re in luck. Remember Jide’s Remix OS that was announced at CES this year? Well, the developer’s at Jide has just launched the 32-bit version of Remix OS, an addition to the 64-bit OS released earlier. Usually, the older systems have very low CPU power and Ram, restricting them to run any heavy applications or latest OS, including any version of Linux distros. The 32-bit Remix OS has been purposely built to breathe new life into these aging systems.

The fully features multi-window Android OS has every basic feature one would need to perform productive work, or even play some high-end games. Everything works perfectly well with a very neat and beautiful design, resembling the latest Windows 10 OS. The start button is located at the left corner of the taskbar which is situated at the bottom of the screen. Overall, the Remix OS gives a very clean experience while adding some very powerful features to Android OS.

The good thing about Jide’s approach is that the OS can be integrated into the system while still supporting all the Core Android features. That means access to the Google Play Store is inevitable, but with apps that can be resized, moved around, and flipped from one to another, in the same way, you might in Windows or Mac OS X.

Installation is a breeze. You simply need to download the setup file, run the program to write the OS to USB, making it easily bootable from BIOS. From there you can install it on your computer, just like you’d install any other OS.

Once installed you can treat your computer as a fully functional Android smartphone with amazing features that Remix OS has baked on top of the Android core.

February 1, 2016
BlueStacks – The best Android emulator for Windows

Android emulators have been around for a while now and BlueStacks has always led the pack with its easy installation process, simple and intuitive interface and high performance. For those who are not aware what an Android emulator is; it is a simple application that can be easily downloaded and installed on your computer. Android emulators are available for Windows and Mac operating systems.

Once installed, an Android emulator functions as a platform allowing searching, downloading, installation and operating Android apps on your Windows or Mac personal computer. The interface of an Android emulator is similar to an Android device thereby enabling you to convert your PC into a fully functional Android device.

Android emulators have several practical applications. They allow you to operate an Android app on the bigger screen of your PC as compared to your Android mobile phone or tablet. You also do not have to invest in an Android phone simply because you want to play a game or use an application. Therefore, cost efficiency is another important benefit of using an Android emulator. If you have a Windows PC, you can simply install an Android emulator and further install the Android apps or games you want instead of buying an Android phone.

You can also enjoy your favourite Android games on a much larger screen and use the keyboard and mouse of your computer as gaming controllers. Android emulators have several benefits as they allow easy cross platform access to Android apps.

There have been several Android emulators that have been released over the years and quite a few of them are pretty efficient. BlueStacks however still rules over the rest and it continues to hold its position as the best Android emulator around even for Windows 10 platform.

BlueStacks is the most popular emulator and app player due to the convenience of use and several unique features. The BlueStacks application has a very simple and easy installation process. It has an offline installer as well as a split online installer. Once the installation process is complete, users can easily download Android APK files of their favourite apps and games from sources such as Google Play Store and install them on their computer. It is a simple double click installation process. The installed apps and games can be accessed through the BlueStacks menu that has an architecture similar to an Android operating system.

However, BlueStacks is a power guzzling application and requires significant RAM and processing power. You need to ensure that you have sufficient system resources to install and run BlueStacks. Even with sufficient RAM and processing power, running BlueStacks on your computer slows it down and you may find it difficult to concurrently use other software.

Despite this, BlueStacks gives a simple and easy access to Android apps on your Windows PC. If you have recently upgraded to Windows 10 and want to access Android apps on it, you can download the executable file of BlueStacks from its website for free and start using it right away.

Download Bluestacks for Windows

August 26, 2015
10 things an Android fan would say about Your iPhone

Yesterday I posted up an article listing 10 things you’d expect to hear from an Apple fan about Android devices. Today I thought Id turn the tables and list the kind of things the Android user base would say about iPhones.

The software has no customization options

Android users seem to constantly praise the amount of customization options available to them, whilst the iPhone in comparison is left with very little flexibility in this area. It’s very true that Android has always been the more customizable operating system, but sometimes having a single, solid design is much easier and quicker, especially when you just want something to work for the sake of functionality.

iPhones are too expensive

Brand new iPhones are expensive – there is no denying that. If you were to look at the top high-end Android smartphones the pricing wouldn’t be that different. Manufacturers like Samsung often sell their latest flagship Android smartphones for very similar prices to new iPhones. If you want to pay less for a smartphone, then you’re going to be sacrificing on quality somewhere. With that being said, it is practically impossible to get a cheap iPhone unless you buy second hand.

There’s no variety – they all look the same

Because of the huge number of manufacturers working to produce Android smartphones, there is always a huge variety of new smartphones on the market every year. Compare it to the iPhone ecosystem and you’ll notice that Apple has a lot less to offer in comparison. Sometimes simplicity is the best way to be though. This year we’re expecting to see the iPhone 6S, the 6S Plus and the 6C and that’s more than enough variety for some people.

Only being able to install from the iTunes App store sucks

On Android, you can install apps from the internet, whilst non-jailbroken iPhones can only have their apps installed from the iTunes store. Yes, iPhone users may be missing out on some applications, but being limited to the iTunes store offers a great degree of security. iOS applications have to go through a screening process before they even get uploaded to the app store.

Having no microSD storage must be a pain

Being able to add extra storage on the fly via a microSD storage card does sound like a nice commodity but in 2015 finding a flagship Android smartphone with this feature is becoming harder to do. More manufacturers are dropping microSD compatibility to make room for more internal hardware, and to make up for that, internal storage is usually increased to up to 128GB. 128GB is more than enough storage for most smartphone users.

iPhones have worse internal hardware

Comparing the iPhone 6’s specs with the Galaxy S5’s specs on paper will make it sound like the S5 is far superior to the iPhone 6.

The iPhone 6 comes with a Dual-core 1.4 GHz processor and 1GB of RAM whilst the S5 comes with a quad-core 2.5GHz processor and 2GB of RAM. It’s clear to see which one sounds better, but performance tests show that both devices perform equally well. This is mainly to do with how the operating system is compiled on iPhones – iOS has been optimized a lot more.

iPhones have smaller batteries

Here’s another area where the paper stats are different to real life results. The iPhone 6 has a 1,810mAh battery whilst the Galaxy S5 has a 2,800mAh battery. Does this mean the S5 has a considerably longer battery life? Perhaps, but it’s not as huge as the numbers would make you think. Less powerful hardware means less of a strain on battery life.

Personalizing your iPhone is practically impossible

Making your own iPhone truly feel like your own, the personal device is apparently impossible as far as some Android owners are concerned. With iOS 8, you can install your own keyboard, set up different personal settings and if you want to take it a step further, jailbreaking your iPhone opens up new opportunities for personalization.

Apple Maps is terrible

Well … Okay, this is true. Apple Maps just doesn’t quite cut it. Fortunately, Google Maps can be picked up on iOS too – it’s certainly not exclusive to Android devices.

iPhones Break Easily

It’s not that iPhones break easily, but it could be argued that they break easier. If you’re going to be dropping your caseless smartphone from head height anytime soon, you may want to stick to an Android phone. I’ll leave the video to do the talking.

Image credit: Samsung.com; Devianart, Bleson

August 18, 2015
10 things an Apple fan would say about Your Android

There’s a certain bitter rivalry between iPhone and Android fans – so much so that getting an iPhone user and an Android user in the same room together alone is probably a bad idea. Below I’ll be listing 10 of the kind of things you’d expect to hear from an Apple fan in regards to your Android smartphone.

Android is Too Complicated

Apple seems to pride itself on it’s simplicity and the iOS operating system is supposed to be easy to use, easy to adapt to and super straight forward. If you were to compare an old Android operating system like Gingerbread to iOS then this argument would certainly be valid, but Android has become a much better OS since.

In fact even Samsung’s TouchWiz, one of the most bloated Android UX’s to date now looks super clean and it’s fairly straight forward to get used to.

iTunes is Better than Google Play

iTunes used to be the place to get music, games apps and more entertainment but it’s now rivalled with the Play Store which also provides great deals on apps, games, eBooks, movies, music and more.

Which one is truly better now only comes down to personal preference.

iOS Gets More Apps

For the most part, this is something that has remained true for most of Android’s life. Even now, when app market share has never been more even, apps like Fallout Shelter and Telltale Games story titles are getting released to iOS months before the Android versions.

iOS Gets Quicker Updates

Once again, this is something that iOS does take a winning point for. iOS usually gets a yearly update and iPhones can be updated as soon as the update is available. For Android, the update rollout process is very complicated and lengthy as the update gets pushed from Google, to the manufacturers and then to the network carriers.

iPhone is a Better Brand

This is hardly a point worth arguing about but you may hear it being brought up every now and again. Some iOS fans have a sense of pride when using Apple’s products, but it’s hard to call it the better brand. Apple is certainly known worldwide, but so is Samsung, especially thanks to their recent marketing efforts that have cost them billions.

iPhones are Safer (Viruses, Malware)

It is possible to get malware, adware and dodgy apps on your Android smartphone, mostly because Android’s app screening process is a lot simpler than Apple’s. Apps on the iTunes app store must be checked out and tested before going live.

The trouble is that iPhones aren’t without their vulnerabilities though. In fact, recently a text message was discovered that could shut down the recipient’s iPhone remotely. Something similar has been found for Android recently too, so it’s clear that both operating systems have their security flaws.

Each New iPhone is Significantly Better than Last Year’s

Whilst all manufacturers point out how their new smartphones are significantly better than last year’s model, Apple seems to do an extra special job at convincing Apple fans how important this all is. Mentions of 40% performance increases and 20% extra battery capacity are usually thrown around near a new iPhone launch, but the same stuff happens on Android.

The iPhone Camera is Amazing

For a long time, the iPhone was the smartphone camera king, but this is no longer so true. Android manufacturers are now being very competitive with their camera offering and, as a result, most Android flagships like the Galaxy S6 and the LG G4 produce results that can rank up against the iPhone 6’s camera.

iPhones have Retina (or Retina HD) Displays

A retina display is the term Apple has adopted to explain the high resolutions on their iOS devices. Recently Apple has adopted the Retina HD term, which has an even higher resolution than the standard retina.

Whilst a retina HD display is quite decent, it doesn’t actually compare very well to Android flagships. In fact, most Androids have far superior screen resolution. For example, the iPhone 6 pixel density is 326 pixels per inch, whilst the LG G4 has a pixel density of 538 ppi and the S6 has a pixel density of 577 ppi.

Siri is Amazing

Apple fans just can’t get enough of Siri. Videos get posted online all the time about various interactions with the personal assistant and it just seems that Siri makes every Apple fan’s day better. Personal assistants on other mobile operating systems may not seem as ‘cool’ or personal as Siri, but they’re still great at helping people out with everyday tasks.

Image credit: Apple.com

August 16, 2015