10 apps to cut down your phone bill

With Internet-enabled phones, it has become easier to stay in touch with people at all times. With plenty of apps that offer text, audio or video-based options to stay connected, it can be difficult to pick ones that stand out from the crowd. 

Here is a list of some popular free calling applications in no particular order:

1) Skype
Skype was perhaps the pioneer in this space and continues to be used by a large number of people. The app lets you do text, voice and video chats. It also enables users to do group calls and call landlines and mobile phones at a cost.

Available for : Android , ios, windows ,blackberry ,windows phone ,mac

2) We Chat

WeChat is available across varied mobile platforms. The app offers features like Live Chat, Group chat, Video calling and push-to-talk. This app also comes with a 'Shake' feature to help you find new friends. To use this feature, all you have to do is shake your phone and the app will help you connect with other people, who are shaking their mobile at that time.

3) WhatsApp

WhatsApp is perhaps the most well know application in the list, outside of Skype, and has become the proffered alternate to SMS for millions across the globe.

4) Hike

Hike is a desi app that offers a feature-set very similar to WhatsApp, though it offers additional features like sending SMS to non-Hike users, walkie-talkie mode and more.

5)LINE 

Line is another popular app that offers features similar to those in the list, including voice chat, stickers, and more.

6)Nimbuzz 

lets you send free messages and call other Nimbuzz users. This app has started offering 'NimbuzzOut' service, which is a low cost Pay-As-You-Go option to make calls to other mobiles and landlines numbers across the World.

7)VIBER

With the help of Viber, users can make free calls, send free texts and share location and setting. For using Viber, you don't need to create a separate username, as your mobile number doubles up as your ID. After you have installed the Viber app, it syncs your mobile contact list, automatically detecting which contacts area already using Viber, similar to WhatsApp.

8)Fring

Fring is also a free application that enables you to make free calls. The group calling feature helps you to talk simultaneously with up to 4 participants. Just like Skype, Fring can also be used to make calls to regular phones around the world at an additional cost.

9)Tango

Tango is another nifty application that lets you make free calls. This app also comes with a "Push-to-Talk" feature, which helps in turning your smartphone into a walkie-talkie..

10)Google Hangouts

Google offers a free video chat service Google+ Hangouts. It lets you make free video calls that can be one-on-one or and group chats (maximum ten people at a time). This app is available for all Android smartphones running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) or higher. In case of iOS, the devices should be running on iOS 6 or later.

See also : How to reset your android device, Top android puzzle games ,5 Must have messenger apps on your device 

Samsung apes Apple, announces next Galaxy flagship will feature 64-bit chip

Looks like smartphones are all set to go 64-bit. After Apple's unveiling of the iPhone 5s, which is considered to be the first smartphone based on a 64-bit architecture chip, South Korean electronics giant Samsung has also said that its next smartphone will be powered by a 64-bit chip.
 
Samsung's mobile business chief Shin Jong-kyun told Korea Times that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy-branded smartphones will come with 64-bit processing capability.
 
"Not in the shortest time. But yes, our next smartphones will have 64-bit processing functionality," Shin said.
 
The Apple iPhone 5s is the first mobile phone with an ARM chip that has 64-bit support. According to Apple the chip has 64-bit desktop-class architecture, a modern instruction set, 2x general-purpose registers, 2x floating point registers, and over 1 billion transistors.  

In desktop computing, a 64-bit processor can perform certain tasks at double the speed of a 32-bit one as it can address more volatile memory or RAM. A 32-bit CPU is limited to only 4GB RAM, so a 64-bit CPU addresses that limit. However, Apple has not shed any light on the amount of RAM inside the iPhone 5s (it usually does not), though it's improbable that it comes with more than 4GB. Overall, whether the move to 64-bits has any real world benefits at the moment is questionable. While Apple has said that the processor is twice as fast as the iPhone 5 and up to 40 times faster than the first iPhone, the move to 64-bit is likely only a small component in that, and undoubtedly there are several other improvements underneath.
 
The report talks about how Samsung is all geared up to take on Apple in the Chinese market, where it has a much larger market share compared to the Cupertino giant. However, with the launch of the new iPhones, Apple has increased its focus on China by including it in the first phase of the iPhones' release. Apple has also reportedly gained approval to offer the device with China's largest carrier, China Mobile which uses its proprietary 3G network.

The new iPhones also support a wider range of 4G LTE bands, making them an attractive proposition for Chinese customers. However, contrary to rumours, Apple's new iPhone 5c is not a low-cost offering which might go against Apple as the Chinese market is price conscious and Samsung and Chinese players like Lenovo and Xiaomi, offer a bigger range of smartphones across different price points.
 
The Korea Times report also cites Samsung officials as saying that Chinese authorities had recently authorised Samsung to integrate time-division duplexing (TDD) LTE technology on the company's future devices and that Samsung plans to release mobile devices that support both TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE in China ahead of previous schedules

Galaxy Note 3 specifications

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is the first device ever to feature 3GB of RAM. With it, Samsung makes the jump to 1080p full HD displays on phablets and it adopts a new textured back. The Note 3 features a larger than before 5.7” 1080p Super AMOLED display, but it retains a more compact profile. There is a 13-megapixel camera with improved flash, and of course an all new S Pen with improved functionality.

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
	4G Network	LTE
	SIM	Micro-SIM
	Announced	2013, September
	Status	Coming soon. Exp. release 2013, September

BODY	Dimensions	151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm (5.95 x 3.12 x 0.33 in)
	Weight	168 g (5.93 oz)
		- S Pen stylus

DISPLAY	Type	Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.7 inches (~386 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

MEMORY	Card slot	microSD, up to 64 GB
	Internal	32/64 GB storage, 3 GB RAM

DATA	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA; LTE, Cat4, 50 Mbps UL, 150 Mbps DL
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, LE, EDR
	NFC	Yes
	Infrared port	Yes
	USB	Yes, microUSB v3.0 (MHL 2), USB Host

CAMERA	Primary	13 MP, 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
	Features	Dual Shot, Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization, panorama, HDR
	Video	Yes, 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps (LTE model)/ 1080p (3G model)
	Secondary	Yes, 2 MP, 1080p@30fps

FEATURES	OS	Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean)
	Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
	CPU	Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 (LTE model)/ Quad-core 1.9 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7 (3G model)
	GPU	Adreno 330 (LTE model)
	Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, temperature, humidity, gesture
	Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
	Browser	HTML5
	Radio	TBC
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	Black, White, Pink
		- S-Voice natural language commands and dictation - Air gestures - SNS integration - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - Dropbox (50 GB storage) - TV-out (via MHL A/V link) - MP4/DivX/XviD/WMV/H.264/H.263 player - MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player - Organizer - Image/video editor - Document editor (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF) - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa - Voice memo/dial/commands - Predictive text input (Swype)

BATTERY		Li-Ion 3200 mAh battery
	Stand-by
	Talk time

Also See : iPhone 5c specifications

Samsung India begins pre-bookings for Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear

Samsung has started taking pre-orders for its new Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear devices on the official e-store. Like other Samsung devices in the past, Samsung is asking for INR 2,000 as the pre-booking amount and the users will be able to pay for the rest once the devices are available and priced.

As the new Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch works only with Note 3 and Note 10.1 (2014) devices at the moment, Samsung is selling it bundled with Note 3 smartphone and not separately. Consumers can either book Note 3 as a single device or Note 3 with Galaxy Gear, only these two options are available.

The pre-booking section seem to have been made live pre-maturely as a lot of details are missing from the pre-booking listings including the terms and conditions. We would suggest you to wait for a day or two before pre-booking these devices.

To remind you, Samsung is hosting a press event in New Delhi on September 17 to officially launch both the devices in the Indian market, they will however go on sale a week later, beginning September 25.

Google Maps for Android update brings faster navigation and more

Google has released a new application update for its Maps on Android. The update, which is a staged roll-out, improves the navigation experience and brings better hotel search results.

• Faster access to navigation, complete with route and traffic overview
• Improved hotel search results with sponsored rates and booking links
• Tips and Tricks available in the side menu
• Bug fixes

iPhone 5C sales begin for Apple and allies

Apple and its business partners began taking orders on Friday for its iphone5 c, the lower-end of two smartphone mode introduced earlier this week, but not without some hiccups

Preorders were set tobegin at 12:01 on Friday, but Apple's online stores weren't usable until 12:12 a.m. Customers might have had better luck with T-Mobile in Germany and O2 in the United Kingdom, which began presales just after midnight PT.

In the United States, the online stores of AT&T and T-Mobile were taking orders, too, thoughSPrint and Verizon Wireless still showed only information pages at 12:20 a.m., but by 12:56 a.m., they both had begun selling the new iPhones, too.

With five colors to choose from, as well as 16GB and 32GB models, inventory management becomes more complex in the iPhone 5C era. Sprint said it would ship iPhone 5C models within two weeks -- except for yellow ones, which would ship within three weeks.

iPhone 5c up for pre-orders in nine countries including US, UK and China

iPhone 5c is now up for pre-orders in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore and China. It's worth pointing out that it's the first time that China is in the first batch of countries getting the iPhone.


iphone 5c is also available for pre-order on websites of carriers that have tied-up with Apple in the above mentioned countries. It's also the first time that the iPhone will be available through Japanese carrier NTTDocomo.


The iPhone 5c is available in five colours including White, Red, Yellow, Blue and Green, and in two storage variants, 16GB and 32GB. While the 16GB version of the carrier-unlocked iPhone is priced at $549 (approx. Rs. 35,000) the 32GB variant costs $649 (approx. Rs. 41,386).

iPhone 5c goes up for pre-order! See the prices here

Pre-orders have now opened up for the iPhone 5c, which you can grab from either Apple’s own online 

store or from your favorite phone network.

 Plans  include both 3G and 4G, as you’ll be able to upgrade to the network’s faster speeds for free when they arrive.


 A 16GB iPhone 5c will cost you £49 upfront, while the the Ultimate Internet 1000 plan gifts you all-you-

can-eat data, 1000 any network minutes and 5000 texts for £39 each month for 24 months, 

undercutting both Vodafone and O2.