Featured Application Review - QuickPic

(-Yathish MJ)

If there's always been one stock app that most of the people are obsessed with, it's the gallery. For those users who are dissatisfied with the native image browser on their Android gadget, QuickPic is just meant for them.

INTERFACE:

Instead of the slick pictures which the stock gallery app gives you, QuickPic has a very simple interface, with not much of bells or whistles. As its name states it displays images quickly without any hassle. QuickPic's clear photo displays and sorting categories makes viewing experience a lot smoother, quicker, and more enjoyable. It provides smooth experience which one witnesses in iPhone.

The images are grouped in the main opening window by category, including camera files(DCIM), downloads, Whatsapp images, received files, UC downloads and images from other programs. Each category also has preview images to show the user which photos are in the grouping. You can include or exclude the specified folders to make more efficient scanning.

The user can change the overview of the albums by changing the view mode to stack, grid, list and explorer.

It also has a camera button for easy access of camera.

QuickPic also allows them to be uploaded to social media. The share button gives you easy access to the sharing world. You can share images via whatsapp, email, Bluetooth and many other photo editing apps.

[DISCLAIMER: This application was exploited on a Motorola Atrix 2, Nexus 7, and all available features were used for the testing period of 15 days (more in this case).

Also all pictures are screenshots presented by the developer in the Google Play Store.

The Writer or the The Company 'Do Not' own any of the images uploaded for this article ]

FUNCTIONALITY:

The albums as well as the images can be sorted by name, date and by path, whichever the user wishes to.

A Click on each group, gets you the insight of the album where thumbnails are displayed. Individual photos can be viewed by clicking on them. The main menu provides options like sort, add, and show hidden. Long pressing on a gallery from the main menu gives you the option to see a slideshow, hide the gallery, exclude it, delete it, link to desktop or rename it. You also can see the exact location of the gallery from the main menu. You can hide any album by just long pressing on it and selecting the option “hide album”(with or without password). After which any hidden album cannot be viewed in any other gallery- application . Similarly Long pressing on an image gives you the options to edit, delete, rename, copy to and see its details. The same applies to batch of images. Editing, of course is basic level.

Once you have opened a picture, the scrolling is like butter from a left or right swipe, and a double tap will give you not just one but two levels of zoom. A third tap will give you back your original size pic. There's also pinch-to-zoom.

It has a basic photo editing capability. Photo editing apps like aviary, snapseed etc. can be availed directly from the app using edit options. One can also set the images as one’s Whatsapp profile pic, make contact pic, and as wallpaper.

GREAT FEATURES:

It has the ability to rotate photos which most image browsers fail to provide. For devices with low internal memory, this app is a boon. Not to forget it can display animated-GIFs unlike other apps. For me the coolest thing about this app is its size (which is too less when compared to the apps of these kind) without compromising the need of every user. QuickPic interface works in landscape if you have automatic rotation enabled.

CONCLUSION:

It is a wonderful replacement to many of the lazy gallery browsers which are spread out in Play store. Also QuickPic is available for free in the Android Market. The best part about this app is the speed and its size which is obtained by optimizing the graphics. QuickPic aims to be the ultimate gallery replacement when compared to the stock gallery app. It is free and no ads with great overall performance.

Review Score: 4.3/5

QuickPic : Download 

You can contact us through Social media : Facebook , Twitter.

Yathish MJ for SahRckrTech Weekly.

Check out the same uploads on SahRckrTech.wordpress.com

Editor Recommendation:

DicePlayer : Download (For those video's which QuickPic cannot play! Review will be posted soon.)

May I Help You? - Google Now

(Praful Chandra, @prafulchandra58

-Sahil Satishkumar, @SahRckr )

Mobile operating systems have evolved exponentially in the recent years. Apart from basic operations consumers now tend to use more often ," intelligent personal assistant " as described by wikipedia. One such option being Google Now. And NO its not a Siri-killer, other competition being newly announced, Cortana.

There is more than what we think its going on around us, the mobile operating system has developed so much that we can do the work sitting at a place without even stretching a muscle. Likewise there Google Now, and now everyone is aware of Apple iPhone's siri which is user friendly and performs all voice commands and we don't even have to type or search for a particular application in the phone!                                                                                                                                               

Try saying: "What's the weather like?" and you will be presented with a weather card of the city (according to the GPS location provided).

[DISCLAIMER: This application was exploited on a Nexus 7, and all available feature were used for the testing period of 15 days (more in this case). ]

Let's get to the to the part when Google now goes technical!

Accessibility is very easy, Say OK Google on the homescreen of Google Experience Launcher, or hit the quicksearch bar or swipe up home button.

Layout mimalistic and features . . . . . Infinite.

Google Now is one of the best feature what Android has to offer. To those of you who've tasted many flavours of Android are familiar with Google Search. Google Now, to it's roots is Google Search with added functionality!

-Most familiar feature, Cards:  These are information sets presented neatly in cards, which also contain predictive search results (elaborated later) or some may be from the emails which may have dropped in your associated mail account. There are various types of cards, ranging from conversion cards, birthday notifier cards, special cards, shipment shipped cards (works in India) and more, Also these are expanding regularly. Google had introduced more and more cards.

-Awesome voice recognition feature: No more you can complain that your Indian-accent English isn't recognised by certain software. This is a fun feature where you need not type what you desire Google Now to do, instead just speak out loud. If recognised correct (most probable event) does the job for you. If the command is Anything from sending mail, dail contact, sms contact, start camera and many more. However features not supported are, Hardware controls. You cannot ask Google Now, "Turn off wifi" , "Scan for nearby bluetooth devices" to do those for you. For a better part, its not supported.

There are some fun commands you would like to see, demonstrated here.

-Predictive search results : Here's the part where Google now is different than it's counterparts. Simply put this is where you find search results ready, waiting for you to be used, of contents you were searching on the web using Google Chrome (on PC/Handheld device).

A small advice to people who use Google Now,

-Use it a lot, I mean for everything. Even the smallest search ever. Google now learns more about you and presents better and useful cards day after day.

-Never search for embarassing things on Google, while you are logged in (Use incognito mode , or simply logout). Specially if your device is accessed by many folks around you.

That's it for (Google) Now, do let us know what do you feel about the this review? Do you wish a Killer-Card that is not featured on Google Now? Please Leave your comments below!

You can contact us through Social media : Facebook , Twitter.

Praful Chandra and Sahil Satishkumar for SahRckrTech Weekly 

Check out the same uploads on SahRckrTech.wordpress.com

Google Now : Download 

Personal Recommendation:

Google Experience Launcher/ Google Now Launcher : Download 

Eclipse of the QWERTY

Eclipse of the QWERTY

(-Sahil Satishkumar, @sahrckr)

QWERTY, the most familiar keyboard layout in the English language. As most of us are familiar that this layout was invented just to prevent a 130 year old problem when typists were used to destroying the key-press of the nostalgic Typewriter. If I were to ask , Something like, "How many of you have typed in a DVORAK keyboard?". Well I wouldn't expect nor blame anyone for not using efficent keyboard, As most of the computer keyboard manufacturer's worldwide don't manufacture this layout.  Any rerrangement of a regular qwerty to DVORAK isn't that easy ( Keys J/F don't normally like to exchange their spots with other keys. )

Well that was a small "Hi-Hello" episode to the computer keyboard. Now let's move on to the evolution of this layout. Being the most popular layout, it was obvious for it to enter new segments. Gaming Consoles, PDA's, Portable Media Players, DVD player interface, and obviously our favourite smartphones. Most of you people must have seen or owned one, BlackBerry? ( I've destroyed one, BB 9300 ). With qwerty keypad on smartphones I mean the physical keyboard. My history with qwerty phones are 4 such phones. Nokia C3-00, Samsung Ch@t 335 (It's still breathing around, in some corner), Samsung Galaxy Y Pro Duos, and lastly BlackBerry 9300. I didn't have complaints with any regarding the keyboards whatsoever. I will still not mind using any one of them as my daily-driver any day, More over after using so many qwerty phones. My current phone and tab (Lenovo A516, Google Nexus 7) have this layout primarily, but then even after using some of the best keyboards available. The tactile feedback, the comfortablity, or thumb exercise , or any of those feelings cannot be replaced by a soft on screen keyboard.

I really wish there was an Android Smartphone running on KitKat, with a snapdragon 801 chipset, a topping of Adreno 330 GPU, 2k camera, High Res (*unbreakable) Display and camera, and atleast a Slider qwerty/candybar qwerty designed phone. All the manufacturers like HTC, LG, Samsung, Google (Nexus and Play Edition Line up) are missing out a huge marketshare. Currently the only Android phone that has a qwerty is LG Optimus pro C660, other options being Nokia Asha 210,205 and other ones running on the old outdated OS. There are lot of migrators from the BB users that have been flushed to the Android/Apple/Windows market. Wish there was an easy qwerty alternative in each market such that they don't have a huge learning curve ahead to understand the OS + Get used to the not so familiar On-Screen keyboard.

Kudos to Steve Jobs who changed the way we see smartphones these days.

Do comment about what do you feel about the end of an era , end of the qwerty layout. You can contact me through Facebook , Twitter.

Sahil Satishkumar for SahRckrTech Weekly.

Personal Recommendations :

-Google Keyboard : Download (aptoide link, Writer/Blog not responsible for any harm that may be caused to your device by this download)

(Google Keyboard has DVORAK (and more) layout(s) too.

Keyboard & Input methods >Google Keyboard > Advanced Settings > Custom input styles > Add Style ,Choose language and layout)

-Hacker's Keyboard : Download