How to Reduce the size of images?

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A few years ago, I asked my friend to email me the photos he took on the weekend we were hanging out with our friends. He called to tell me that the photos are taking too long to attach to the email.

It was 2009, not the time when we had services like Google Photos, but email still wasn’t the only choice to send photos to someone. Anyway, it wasn’t the problem, probably everyone I knew used emails to send photos and other stuff.

Thank God there are easy solutions like Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive to make our lives easy, plus these is no need to reduce the sizes of our photos when services like Google Photos are offering unlimited storage.

But there are still some scenarios where reducing the size of images makes sense, like when you are posting photos on Social Networks and using a slower connection, you could end up being in a similar situation as of my friend in 2009.

[easy-tweet tweet=”Wanna know How to Reduce the size of images? Check this out ➔ http://tippr.in/1PTosir” user=”Techtippr” hashtags=”techtips”]

I’ll tell you what I told him, few ways to reduce the size of your photos so that you can send them on slow connections, and if you are using the mobile data plan, it will be better o first reduce the size of photos before sending them using your data connection.

Usually, the size of photos taken from Mobile Phones are 2MB to 4MB, this depends on the Camera of your Mobile. You can reduce it to make the images come down to somewhere between 100-500KB from 2048-4096KB image doing to 10 images. It will be a huge saving on Data alone.

Reducing the Image Size on Desktop

If you are using a PC, there are few options you can use. First one it Paint, which is available in every Windows PC.

ResizeImagesPaint1Launch the Paint App, then open the image, you will see that the image opens in a very large canvas, and it probably 4x the resolution of your Laptop/Desktop screen.

ResizeImagesPaint2You will find ‘resize’ option on the top left area (shown in the image), click on it and select the Pixels, it would be somewhere between 2000 to 4000 in number, make it 1000 and click on.

ResizeImagesPaint3You will notice the image is small and is visible entirely. Save the image (preferably in .jpeg format to make it even smaller in size)

Reducing the image size using web

There are a number of websites that offer image compression feature, but then again you will have to upload the image first, which fails the point of reducing the image in the first place.

ReduceImageSizePickmoneyBut there are web apps like PickMonkey and Pixlr Editor that do not upload the entire image and you can still make changes.

ImageResizePixlrEditorThe process of resizing the images is pretty much the same like the Paint app, you have to resize them to 1000px and save them back to your PC.

Reducing Image Size on Mobile Phone

Now, most of them time, you might be using your phone to click and send photos from your mobile phone. As we mentioned above, the size can range from 2000-5000KB.

You might want to know how to resize the images on Mobile phone before sending them via WhatsApp or any other app or Sharing them on Facebook.

ReduceImageSizeAndroidAppI have been using an app called Reduce Photos Size from last few years and does the job pretty well. You can either take a photo right from the app, or open a photo, resize it and then share it wherever you want.

There is a similar app available for iPhone as well, it’s called Simple Resize. The apps work pretty much like the one we discussed above. You can select the preset resolutions and share the photos via any app you do.

ReduceImageSize_SimpleResizeThe be it Android or iPhone, you just have to add one more step prior to sharing your photos and you can save huge on Data if you share a lot of photos using your Mobile Data, plus you won’t have to sit and see if it went through your slow connection, because it will be sent every single time.

I hope you like this guide about reducing the image size on different devices. Make sure you share this article with others and keep coming back for more helpful guides on technology.

6 Best Note Taking Apps for the iPad

Today, many of us find ourselves carrying the iPad more than we do a notepad. To effectively transition and to always take your notes even when a notepad is not around the following tools will help you do this without paying a single cent for them.

Note taking apps for the iPad are immense with a huge number solely designed for iPad users.

Microsoft OneNote

OneNoteiPad

This is a top note taking free iPad app that makes sharing of notes across every device you own where Microsoft office has been installed easier.

Think of a physical notebook incorporated into the digital world making the creation of a new note either for a new job, class or research the easiest thing. OneNote also makes the importation of images, PDFs, documents, among others possible.

Evernote

EvernoteiPad

When it comes to taking notes on an iPad, computer or any other smart mobile device, Evernote will always be mentioned. The iPad Evernote app is free to use and makes the creation of notes seamlessly on the go, including sharing the important information among all the devices you own.

[easy-tweet tweet=”Check out these 6 Best Note Taking Apps for your iPad ” user=”Techtippr”]

Inserting tables, audio notes, lists and pictures right on the page is a very simple process. Professional individuals, students and others who use PDFs most of the time are given the ability to write notes, mark and even highlight at the top of the documents as happens on a real book.

Penultimate

PenultimateiPad

This free note taking app for iPad users brings back the paper experience you are used to in note taking and digitizes it.

You only need to use a stylus or finger to start taking notes right away on a digital platform, enjoying the real note taking experiencing you are used to. It’s one of the coolest note taking apps downloaded by millions.

Paper by FiftyThree

PaperNotesiPad

One of the free apps close to Penultimate but seeks to give iPad users an artistic experience when it comes to writing.

Those who love drawing diagrams a lot or sketching a couple of ideas to use at work or class will find this app the best. It comes with lots of input methods to use that replicate such styles as pencils, paint brushes and pens we are used to. There is also a pencil specifically designed for use with the app for those who want a unique experience.

SimpleNote

SimpleNoteiPad

Another unique free note taking app for iPad users; if you would like to keep your notes clean this app is worth your time.

It makes it easy to not only read notes, but also sort and add if the need be on a white background and clear black texts. The app is the easiest to use among many complex note taking apps true to its simple nature.

TurboNote

TubroNoteiPad

Anyone who likes sticky notes will find this app’s digital experience the best. Digitalized sticky notes make note taking easy before you upload them onto Google Drive so that access across every device you own is possible as far as you can login into a Google account whether on a PC, iPhone or iPad.

You can also lock your critical notes using TouchID or your passcode to keep your information safe from snooping eyes.

Also Read: Using the iPad Mini as a Primary Computer

Writer: A Beautiful Offline Text Editor App for Chrome

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Writer is a beautiful and minimalistic Text Editor app for Google Chrome which you will love to use. The app very much feels like a native app, even when you run it on Windows or Mac OS.

I have found it a few days ago and have started using it for everything from Taking notes to writing down parts of a post.

Writer Color Scheme

It takes its design inspiration from the Android’s Material Design, which was implemented in Android 5.0.

You have the ability to change colours of the top ribbon, apart from making it black or light black (default colour) you can make it Blue, Blue Grey, Green, Grey, Indigo, Red, Pink, Purple, Teal.

There is also a ‘Night Mode’ which makes the entire app back, it feels better to write on a black screen when you turn on the full-screen mode.

WriterChromeApp01

When I started using the HP Chromebook 14 as my primary machine while I was on the go, I started relying more on Chrome apps, and thank God there are some great Chrome apps that help you get your work done.

I used the Chromebook mainly for writing and there were two apps I was using the most, the Google Docs and the Writebox, which is a very simple tool that can Run in full screen mode and there are few options to change the font and colours etc.

Even though I am now using a MacBook Air while I am on the go and there is also a heavy duty Windows 10 Desktop in my home office where I spend the most of my time, I still work mostly with the Chrome apps because of the workflow lets me do my work on any OS.

Prior to using the Writer app,  I used this code (data:text/html, <html contenteditable>) to make any tab as a text editor. And it works nicely. But the problem with it is that nothing is saved when you restart your browser, everything is gone.

WriterChromeApp

Finally, there is a text editor, which is both beautiful and usable (runs offline). Though there is no Dropbox or Google Drive integration, you still can save your text in the desired folder in Dropbox or Google Drive (if you have them installed on your Computer).

We might see that integrated right into the app like it is in Writebox, but for now, it still becomes more usable than any other text editor app that is in Chrome Web Store

Install Writer from Chrome Web Store

Also check out another great Chrome app for writers called Calmly.

A Detailed Guide on How to Buy a Printer

It’s not possible to just arrive at the electronic store and have the best printer pushed into your arms. You must at least know what to look for and why you should choose one and not the other.

For instance, buying an Epson printer off display may seem like a good deal, but when you can’t find the Epson ink cartridges for that specific model anywhere, you may start to think differently.

Cartridge and toner availability is also by no means the only thing that must be considered when making your printer selection.

Choosing the printer that will serve you well is not a joke considering all the different makes, specs and printing technologies you have to rummage through. Here is a quick guide on buying a printer today.

Dots Per Inch (Resolution)

printer_buyingguide

As you search for a printer pay attention to the Dots-Per-Inch feature or resolution. However, since the printing technology has changed so much, this feature is soon becoming obsolete.

In case you are looking into simple printing of drafts such as lists, 150 DPI is fine while sharp logos and fonts can be printed desirably with 300 DPI. You can ignore DPI in case you are not printing images since lower resolution printers give quality report, brochure and letter printing.

Price

Cost of a printer is a very critical feature considering the buying price is only the beginning; feeding and caring for the printer could easily exceed the purchasing price.

The important thing is comparing printers and its consumables, from the ink and toner, paper and other extras such as USB cables, output bins and larger input trays.

Connectivity

Universal Serial Bus or USB has become a very important feature of virtually every electronic gadget, including printers. Ensure the printer you want to buy has a 2.0 USB port and if it is for work group related printing it’s able to print across a network perhaps through RJ-45 connection, Ethernet cables, Wi-Fi or infrared for better mobility or even other features such as cloud printing.

Printing Speed

This is naturally measured in pages per minute (PPM) although character per minute printing speed also exists or images per minute in case you are looking for a photo printer.

In contrast with laser printers, Ink jet ones are slower. Pay attention to the printer specifications where the draft pages per minute (DPPM) might be indicated on the printer’s box that manufacturers usually indicate to inflate the printing speed for printers with a low PPM.

In such a case, half the pages per minute rating provided and you will arrive at the best possible top quality printing.

Compatibility

Sometimes the Operating System to a printer is a problem, particularly for Linux and Mac users with Windows users having the least issues.

If you want to print from your Tablet or Smartphone, find compatible printers with your device or OS type. For instance, iOS device users need to find printers that are largely AirPlay compatible.

Android users should find Cloud Print from Google handy in connecting their mobile gadgets with computers enabled for cloud printing and stand-alone printing machines.

Multi-function printing

printer_buyingguide_01

Sometimes you need a printer that offers a lot of features in a single body. This includes combining a printer with a scanner, perhaps to have a copy machine at work or home.

You can also go with one that combines these, including phone and fax service capability. While all these features in a single printer will definitely come in handy, failure of a single component will affect the entire printer.

Choosing the printer that will serve you well is not a joke considering all the different makes, specs and printing technologies you have to rummage through. Here is a quick guide on buying a printer today.

Read Next: How to Make Your iPad More Usable

Facebook Brings More Buttons to Express Your Affection Towards a Status Update

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A few days ago at a Q&A Session, Mark Zuckerberg told that Facebook will soon be giving the long awaited ‘Dislike’ button so that you can use instead of simply not liking it, because, well, sometimes you want to let someone know you dislike them.

I actually was shocked to see many blogs taking the ‘Dislike’ button seriously because it was confirmed by the CEO of Facebook himself.

But today, Mark Zuckerberg shared the video showcasing the other options apart from the ‘Like’ button.

Today we’re launching a test of Reactions — a more expressive Like button.

The Like button has been a part of Facebook for a long time. Billions of Likes are made every day, and Liking things is a simple way to express yourself.

For many years though, people have asked us to add a “dislike” button. Not every moment is a good moment, and sometimes you just want a way to express empathy. These are important moments where you need the power to share more than ever, and a Like might not be the best way to express yourself.

At a recent Townhall Q&A, I shared with our community that we’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the best way to give you better options for expressing yourself, while keeping the experience simple and respectful. Today we’re starting to test this.

Reactions gives you new ways to express love, awe, humor and sadness. It’s not a dislike button, but it does give you the power to easily express sorrow and empathy — in addition to delight and warmth. You’ll be able to express these reactions by long pressing or hovering over the Like button.

We’re starting to test Reactions in Ireland and Spain and will learn from this before we bring the experience to everyone. We hope you like this – or can better express how you’re feeling!

Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday, October 8, 2015

And there is no sign of the ‘Dislike’ Button.
Here is what he has to say about it

For many years though, people have asked us to add a “dislike” button. Not every moment is a good moment, and sometimes you just want a way to express empathy. These are important moments where you need the power to share more than ever, and a Like might not be the best way to express yourself.

While some people might be disappointed by not getting a dislike button, because, none of the existing emoticons express they hate the post.

Reactions gives you new ways to express love, awe, humor and sadness. It’s not a dislike button, but it does give you the power to easily express sorrow and empathy — in addition to delight and warmth. You’ll be able to express these reactions by long pressing or hovering over the Like button.

Well, I think all the Reactions as cool and there is actually no need for a Dislike buttons. You can simply ignore the post and carry on with your own life. (or unfollow the person, so that his updates won’t be visible to you anymore).

Currently, it has been made available to only Ireland and Spain for the purpose of testing and will be rolled out to everyone eventually.

So, you are excited to use them? do you feel the reason of these ‘Reactions’ on a Facebook post?

Read Next: That Viral Video You saw on FB is Stolen from YouTube 

Facebook Pages are Filling up Your Newsfeed with Videos Stolen from YouTube

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Updated in 2021

Almost every thing written in this article in 2015 stands to in 2021. Only difference, YouTube is not the only source of living video to put on Facebook.

With Tiktok becoming famous with their short vertical video format, every platform, including YouTube, is focusing on bringing short Vitthal content on their platform.

And Facebook once again becomes a place where a lot of content is lifted from Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and TikTok.

Original Article beyond this line


You may have seen the rise in sharing of videos on Facebook. And now they even started playing them automatically in your news feed. It’s all part of Facebook’s plan to take on Google’s video-sharing website YouTube.

Every day, I come across at least five videos in my newsfeed that I’ve already watched on some other page, and even those pages are not the original creators of the video.

FreeboootinhVideo02

For example, here is a video Shared by a page called ‘The Virgin Morning Show’  lifted from another Facebook page called ‘ZOO Magazine’ and mentions it in the description (probably because the video has a watermark that says the name). It’s a plain description, and no link leads you to the Page.

But when I searched for the Page’ ZOO Magazine’ manually, I found that the Page is pretty popular with over 2 million page likes, and they are a page of a Magazine that shares pictures of Hot girls (and that could be a little NSFW).

FreeboootinhVideo04

And it seems even the ‘ZOO Magazine’ Page is also not the original creator of the video, it’s a compilation of relevant short clips stitched into one, but I think it has been lifted from somewhere. Because several videos are shared by the Page that is not even remotely related to what the Page is all about, i.e., Hot girls.

A video shared just five days ago has reached over 1 Million views. And there is a video that has been viewed over 129 Million times in just 45 days.

The videos are all probably stolen from Random YouTube Channels, and the reach of these stolen videos on Facebook is crazy. A video shared just five days ago has reached over 1 Million views. And there is a video that has been viewed over 129 Million times in just 45 days.

FreeboootinhVideo03

Had the video generated this many views on YouTube, it would have made approx.  $100,000, give or take a few thousand dollars. 1, Which means the original creators are losing money because of this, and It’s not a small amount to lose in just 45 days.

Why are they stealing other people’s content when they can share it?

Using the share button is the right way to share the content. It makes the content stay on the creator’s Page, and its name is displayed to everyone viewing it. It also helps their Page get exposure and grow.

This is precisely what these Facebook pages want, they want to grow faster, and because downloading a video from Facebook is more accessible than making one,  they do it. It’s the more accessible, faster way to get content for the Page and grow the Page.

Facebook claims that it now serves over 4 Billion Videos views per day, which means thousands of videos are viewed in large numbers. Most of them are stolen from one place or the other.

Another YouTube video that I watched 8 yeard ago, being sotel by several Facebook Pages and getting millions of views. Pisses me off to the extreme level.
Another YouTube video that I watched 8 yeard ago, being stolen by several Facebook Pages and getting millions of views. Pisses me off to the extreme level.

And this is not going to stop, at least not shortly, with over 1 Billion people using Facebook every day, confirming that there are more people to reach. Because Facebook is so obsessed with getting ahead of YouTube in Videos, these publishers want to gain followers by being the first ones to share videos, even if they are stolen.

Because ordinary people like you and me never care about it, we want entertainment, we click on the video and share it with our friends, no one knows (or wants to know) if the content belongs to the page sharing.

People familiar with Piracy know it is illegal to download a song from the Internet without paying for it. But some of them think it’s not illegal to download something if it’s available for free.

The free videos also make money by ads, and in this case, the ads played before you watch YouTube videos. And when you are playing these videos on Facebook, you are not going to watch them on YouTube, which means no one will see the ads, and the original creators will not be paid for the hard work they did in creating the videos.

This is worse than downloading a song illegally, at least you are keeping the song to yourself, and the pieces are produced from Major Music labels with multiple streams of revenue.

But, when someone downloads the freely available content and publishes it under their name (without a proper link to the original work) is a more significant theft than downloading a song. It’s Piracy 2.0.

And this is exactly what is happening on Facebook. Most of the videos that land in your newsfeed are stolen.

Also Read: you will also save some data bandwidth

How can you help the original creators?

YouTube publishers like Destin are well aware of this practice and have even coined a name for it, it’s called Freebooting. They have been actively telling everyone about it. They want users to help them by reporting the stolen content by Facebook Pages that do not give proper credit to the original creator (a link back is the bare minimum).

Here is a Infographic to help you figure out if the content you are viewing on Facebook is stolen or not.

[su_expand height=”300″]HelpStopFreebooting[/su_expand]

You can go ahead and disable the Auto Play of the videos in Facebook. This will save you from getting distracted by a moving photo, (you will also save some data bandwidth).

If you come across any video by a page that is different from the content shared in the video, you can →

★ Go to its Page and see if the Page indulges in Freebooting, meaning it has more such videos with no relevance to Page’s topic.

★ Go to YouTube and search for the title of the video you came across on Facebook. Most of the time, they even keep the video titles the same.

★ If you find a YouTube video, grab its link and share it on Facebook, people can still watch YouTube videos inside Facebook.

You find the content on YouTube doesn’t guarantee the original creator uploads it. Still, the chances are meager compared to Facebook, the ocean of stolen videos, which is becoming more significant with time.

How to Make Your iPad More Usable

Are you the person who bought the iPad to get their stuff done on the go. Sure, there was an iPhone, but who doesn’t love the bigger screen. It can seriously boost up your productivity levels.

If you have transitioned into an iPad you would like to make it more useful. Here are ways of making your iPad more usable.

Use a Screen Protector but Carefully

Clearly, a screen protector is a very useful accessory. You can use it to ensure your display is not scratched, particularly for those who might want to sell their gadget one day. However, remember a screen protector sometimes affects the screen’s finish particularly if anti-reflecting type of coating is being used.

A Case is Important

Those who have no idea the iPad’s aluminium rear, especially iPad Mini’s, is one of the easiest to scratch. In case you use your tablet a lot outdoors or in an environment where rough scratches are a reality, investing in a suitable, stylish and useful case is important. The smart cover that comes with most iPads is not enough to protect your device effectively; only the back or front of the tablet will be covered as the sides are left open. Find a case that covers the device all round.

Also Read: Check out the best Android Apps for Writers

Turn off the Annoying Keyboard Clicks

Those who use public transport probably hear the annoying keyboard clicks from other iPad users and hate it. Rather than be part of the statistics turn off the clack taps that come with the use of your virtual keyboard. Simply turn it off by going to the Settings of your iPad into the Sounds section and use the slider to do it easily.

Work inside Multiple Apps

To load a game or app fast while at the same time running other apps and doing other tasks is not hard anymore with the iPad. Multitasking is real and makes the use of the tablet a wonderful experience. Go to the Home button and double tap to activate the multitasking menu at the screen’s bottom with app icons. Flicking from left to the right gets you to a screen to easily control the brightness, volume and even music playback. The app can be used no matter what you are doing on the device.

Are you a Chromebook User? These Apps are Helping me Make the Most of Chromebook

Take a Screenshot for Reference

You can take a quick screenshot on your iPad by pressing the Home button simultaneously with the power button before releasing them at the same time. Immediately white screen flashes will occur meaning screenshots have been taken and saved on the image gallery of the iPad as an image.

Get Your Important Files from Your PC

If you are concerned about accessing your files on your laptop or desktop in case you are always on your iPad, think about ensuring all your data has been saved in the cloud. There are so many apps to help you do this such as Dropbox.

Access to the internet

Any iPad user wants to be connected to the internet whether on the move, at the office or home. If free Wi-Fi is not accessible where you are, make your iPad more accessible by considering purchasing unlimited data plans for your Smartphone and tethering through a person hotspot for yourself. You can then use both devices without the need to buy extra data for each of them.

Read Next: Using iPad Mini as a Primary Computer and How Effecient it is

How to Save Mobile Data While Browsing on Your Mobile

Smartphones have improved our mobile web experience so much over the years. We can consume high-quality content on the go, but that requires a lot of data to load these fully loaded web pages, even on mobile phones.

Though Internet access has increased a lot in last few years, we still have expensive data plans, and they cost a bomb in few countries.

Here are few ways you can minimize the data usage on your phone without sacrificing much on the quality.

Use Opera Max

Opera Max

Opera has always been about offering innovative features, and it’s data compression feature has been there since ages. That is one of the reasons Opera Mobile is the second most popular browser in Countries like India¹.

Opera has now launched a new data management app called Opera Max, which can cut your data usage to half.

How does it work

When Opera Max is installed and enabled on your Android Phone, you can then consume content from any app, the data will be compressed in the background without you having to worry about the data.

OperaMax_Usage

Opera Max helps you watch videos without buffering by compressing it without loss in the quality.

Not just the YouTube, but any type of media (Audio, Video or Image) gets compressed almost by 50%. So, if you browse Instagram or Facebook, or may even have the Auto Play videos enabled in Facebook, you won’t get shocked after looking at your data usage.

➤  Install Opera Max from Play Store

Turn off Auto Updates & Auto Downloads

Disable_Download_on_MobileData

There are several services in Android that are just looking an active Internet connection and start their operations as soon as they get one. Better would be to turn it off.

[easy-tweet tweet=”You can save 50% of your mobile data using this simple tip” user=”Techtippr”]

For example, You can disable the auto download of images in WhatsApp when you are on a mobile connection. This will save a lot of data if you are in a lot of groups who solve business it to forward funny MEMES

These MEMES might be very less in size (less than 50kb) but few dozen of them will add up to a healthy number. So you might want to avoid.

Look for similar options in different apps and turn them off.

If you are enabling Hotspot for others

DisbleDownload_on_Wifi

Make sure you (ask others who use your Hotspot) turn off Auto Updates of Apps in the Play Store and Auto download Media files (Video, Audio & Images) in WhatsApp because other devices will treat your Data Connection as Wi-Fi and can suck all your data quickly.

How to Stop the Videos from Playing Automatically in Facebook

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facebook auto play

Facebook has always been making changes to their website to keep its users engaged and say inside. And the recent attempt of doing this is to make Native videos play automatically when you scroll through yours newsfeed. (Native videos means the videos that are being directly uploaded to the Facebook), These videos play automatically without any sound (you can watch it with audio when you click on it).

Though the videos do not load completely but the fact that they auto play, will surely increase your data usage, and that’s pretty costly in some countries.

So you might want to turn the ‘Auto Play’ off so that you can save some bandwidth, to pay the other utility bills.

Turn Off the Video Auto Play

Facebook Auto PlayYou need to go to the Video tab found under the settings of your account. Click here if you are logged in), Change it to ‘Off’ from ‘Default’ in the second option.

If you want to turn off the  Video ‘Auto Play’ on the mobile apps. Info is below ➜

To adjust the auto-play settings on your Android phone or tablet:

  • Open the Facebook app
  • Tap ☰
  • Scroll down and tap App Settings
  • Tap Video Auto-play
  • Choose an option

To adjust the auto-play settings on your iPhone or iPad:

  • Open the Facebook app
  • Tap ☰
  • Scroll down and tap Settings
  • Tap Videos > Autoplay
  • Choose an option

7 Apps to Learn a Foreign Language Faster

One of the best investments is a foreign language, particularly if you live in a multicultural setup, travel often, learning foreign language grammar or just for the sake of challenging yourself. Sometimes your career might require foreign language proficiency.

Rather than use online translation sources all the time, including apps on your Smartphone that might not work wherever you are, there are a number of apps you can use to learn a foreign language and faster while at it.

Duolingo

DuoLingo

You might not have all the time to learn a foreign language and progressing at your own time is important. This app lets you use its wonderful user interface that is easy to use and bright. After a few simple phrases at the beginning, move towards a little complex grammar. The important thing is the help you receive along the way on every step you make; efforts are praised and mistakes pointed out in an app available for Android, iOS and online users.

App Store | Play Store

Babbel

Babbel

This app lets you learn a foreign language through the completion of phrases and repeating them. You also have lots of diverse languages applications to choose from, such as Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch and French, among others. The app allows you to benchmark and monitor your progress through a unique custom goal arrangement.

App Store | Play Store

Memrise

Memrise

Memrise takes a unique approach that begins rather slowly to learn a foreign language. You’re guided across the language’s alphabet until you get it through straightforward visual aids. Remembering every lesson will be so easy. The app, available both for Android and iOS users, also comes with a quality support network that even sends follow-up emails to make it easy to learn and remember the lessons.

App Store | Play Store

Busuu

Busuu

A unique language learning app with a busy user community behind it, you also get a chance to learn and even write a dozen languages. You are also provided access to a native speaker community to not only speak with but also listen to them to comprehend and internalise the foreign language better. After a lesson you will engage in recorded conversations, listen and give a response.

App Store | Play Store

[easy-tweet tweet=”Learn Foreign Languages with the help of these awesome apps http://tippr.in/1MFU8qg ” user=”Techtippr” hashtags=”Learning”]

HelloTalk_LearnLanguageFast

This app is available for Android and iOS users. You only need the entry level of the language you want to learn and find a person to speak with. As you type in the language you are fluent in or your native tongue, the stranger also types his/hers. You can then hold and tap to either pronounce or translate a phrase or sentence.

App Store | App Store

MindSnacks

MindStacks]

What about learning a foreign language while being entertained in the easiest games to play? That’s what this app does. The over 10 different lessons are made in the form of easy to play exciting and fun games. Colourful puzzles are arranged as per your proficiency level and you have to solve them.

App Store

How To Pronounce (Web Only)

HTP

This web app helps you pronounce better. All you need is a sentence and word and after typing it, you can know the pronunciation in the language of your choice. While the app doesn’t go beyond pronunciation into learning about phrases, you can use it to complement other foreign language learning apps.

How to Charge Your Smartphone Faster? A Guide to Fast Charging

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Updated in August 2021

6 years after writing this, adding update information to this article.

Which charging Technology has come a long way in the last few years. We now have quick charge 4.0, charges that can charge smartphone batteries in less than 1 hour.

It could have been less than 1 hour but, the batteries of the smartphone have also increased.

We have reached to a point where we literally have to carry just one charger for all our devices. Check out this article that lists a few chargers you can purchase that will charge everything.


Smartphones are becoming an important part of our lives, and they will continue to interrupt be more important. With us building more dependence on our phones, we simply cannot afford our smartphones to go off or die out of battery.

Thanks for the phones that provide bigger batteries, that can fill enough juice to power our devices for a longer period of time. But, these big batteries take forever to charge, okay, not forever, but they still take a lot of time.

Before we dig deeper into the topic, let’s point out some basic tips you should remember that can affect the time taken to charge your phone.

Some Basic Tips on Charging Your Phone Faster

Do not use your phone while it is charging, when you are using your phone while it is charging you are consuming more power and he slows down the charging process.
Your phone gets heated up a lot when you do some resource-intensive tasks while it is charging, and this affects badly on the life of the battery.

Phones, when turned off, charge faster. in case if you haven’t noticed, the phones charge faster when they are switched off because they do not consume any power at all. If you can’t do that, putting your phone on Airplane mode also helps a bit.

Always use the original USB cable, these cables carry charge from a charger to your phone, the quality ones have less leakage of the charge in the way. And a cheaper one can waste a lot of it, the longer the cable, the more leakage it has.

If you lose your original USB cable, do not buy those cheaper ones just because they look the same. For a price like $4-5, you can get the original ones so there is really no need of the cheaper ones here.

There is more to it, which we will talk about in little detail, each getting a sub-heading of their own.

Dependency on the Power Outlet

Now that we’ve talked about the basic stuff, like, not using the phone and always using the original USB cable. it doesn’t mean that an Original USB cable will give your phone the best charge possible.

For example, if you plug it into a USB port of your PC or Laptop, you are not going to get the optimal charge, because the USB port deliver less power than Wall chargers.

Even in USB, there are variations of the power supply, for example, USB 1.0 and USB 2.0 is capable of delivering up to 0.5A. The USB 3.0 gives just the double, up to 1A.

Wall chargers, on the other hand, offer far more power than the USB ports on Computers. There are fast chargers which can give a charge of as much as 2.4A.

Usually, the mobile phone manufacturers have set a limit as to how much of power the phone can take, this is actually meant to protect your phones from getting damaged from high power.

Thanks to the fast charging technologies like Quick Charge by Qualcomm, we can charge our smarthpones faster in a controlled manner.

Introduction to Quick Charge

Quick Charge is a technology created by Qualcomm for devices that are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Processors.

The technology lets a mobile phone’s battery fill more charge in less time when it’s empty, making it charge faster.

In laboratory tests using a 3300mAh battery1, a Quick Charge 2.0 enabled device went from 0% to 60% charge in 30 minutes, while a device without Quick Charge 2.0 using a conventional (5 volt, 1 amp) charger achieved just a 12% gain in the same 30 minutes. A device with Quick Charge 1.0 managed a 30% charge in that time period.

Qualcomm has introduced Quick Charge 3.0, which provides even more fast charging, it claims that Quick Charge 3.0 can charge a phone (with 3300mAh battery) from 0 to 80% in 35 Minutes.

Recommended Third-Party Chargers

Usually, you will get a fast charger with your phone if it supports fast charging, but there are many third-party chargers you can buy to get faster charging done or merely as a replacement for the original charger you get with your phone. You might be able to get more charge pushed to your phone.

UltraPro Link charger I bought delivers 2.4A of power which is far more than what most mobile phones can take. Which brings us to another point that the phone also has to support fast charging.

Qualcomm recommends few chargers that support Quick Charge and has been tested also. These are, Motorola Turbo Charger,  Tronsmart Quick Charge 2.0

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Fast Charging Differs from Phone to Phone

As of now, there are only the Flagship phones from Mobile manufacturing companies support the ‘Quick Charge’. But more and more phones are getting this very important feature.

To charge your phone faster, you don’t necessarily need to have this Quick Charge feature (though it will be helpful). it all depends on the limit your phone manufacturer has set on the phone, and it may take more charge than the shipped charger supplies to it.

Your phone, without the ‘Quick Charge’ support, might be able to get more charge than its charger supplies to it. So, you might want to try out chargers that deliver 2A or more charges.

Potential Downsides of Fast Charging

While everyone would love to charge their phones faster, there are few things you should know that come as a side-effect of changing your phones faster, then make an educated decision whether you want fast charging or not.

One of the things is, it affects the battery, fast charging produces a lot of heat and heat is not good for the battery.

*Quick Charge, minimizes the chances of decreasing the lifespan of the battery.

Another thing is that most of us have this habit of putting our phones on charge at night time and find them fully charged by the morning. With fast charger charging your phones much faster, you will be keeping your phone on charge for long even after it is fully charged.

*Though the smartphones are smart enough to understand it has been charged fully and cut the power source to keep the battery from overcharging, but it still doesn’t feel right to leave your phone on charge.

In any case, when the batteries are given more charge they can handle, the batteries get swollen, or may even explode.

So, it is recommended to use only the chargers that have been tested, use original USB cables and see if your phone really supports fast charging.

You May Consider Keeping a Power Bank

There are other ways to keep your phones filled with juice they require to run your life.

Buy Power Banks, they are quite helpful when you are always on the move, you can charge your phone even when you don’t get a power outlet available.

Some Power banks are designed as phone cases, which makes it extremely convenient to carry and look nice as well.

If you are looking for more reasonable power bank, you can buy power banks from Xiaomi or OnePlus.

WhatsApp Web has a Security Flaw which Lets A Hacker Hijack Any Computer

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If you are a WhatsApp Web user then you should be aware of this security flaw in the WhatsApp web that will make your PC venerable to attacks by Hackers. Let us talk about it in detail.

WhatsApp has recently crossed over 900 Million monthly active users, our of which, over 200 Million use WhatsApp Web to send and receive messages from friends and family.  But is has a flaw that can let users install viruses and malware using a few line of codes that can be sent inside the vCard (A feature that is used to exchange contact details).

WhatsApp web users can currently send and receive text, image, audio, location and contact (vCard).

WhatsApp Web Security FlawHackers can hide the codes inside the vCard and when it is opened on a PC, it can get activated letting Hackers install anything to a PC remotely.

Opening the vCard on Mobile won’t affect as the architecture doesn’t support installation from a .BAT file.

Here is how it works

ALSO READ: How the Hackers Can Hack Gmail’s Two Factor Authentication

In order to attack a person, the Hackers only need the phone number that is associated with WhatsApp, and the user needs to be using WhatsApp Web.

The Hackers sends a vCard which looks just like any other vCard, containing a phone number,  one would share.

When the user opens the vCard, the .BAT file gets activated and runs in the background, making the PC available to the Hacker for exploitation. Once the Hacker gets access to the PC, he can do following things.

The Hacker takes control of the Computer system and asks for a Ransom to leave the system.

[easy-tweet tweet=”Do you use WhatsApp for Web? Your PC might be at Risk http://tippr.in/1hZPc1K” user=”Techtippr”]

Monitor the user’s activity on the Computer that leaves to many more hacks like Passwords of Email and Back accounts.

This vulnerability was found by Oded Vanunu from Check Point Security Research who explained in a blog post how it works.

WhatsApp has been notified of the issue and they have rolled out an update to fix the issue, so if you are a WhatsApp Web user who uses a version before V0.1.4481, we strongly advice you do update your app.

ALSO READ: How to Remove Adware and Spyware that Hijack Your Browser

How to Remove Adware and Spyware that Hijack Your Browser

When you turn to the Internet, looking for something, the last thing you want to see is, Ads popping up in your Facebook.

It’s true that Advertisement makes it possible for webmasters and blogger to publish the information for free. But then there are publishers use shady Ad Networks that run ads for spyware and third party browser Add-Ons that will make your browsing life hell.

Most of these publishers are banned by Legit Ad Networks like AdSense because they all host content that are pirated/stolen from official websites, it could be songs, movies or software for which you will have to pay if you decide to download from the official websites.

Most of the people don’t want to pay and these websites make it easy for them to download, little do the users know that they would end up paying more than what the actual content would have cost. By ‘cost’ I do not mean money.

This is how any download page looks on a website that offers downloads. Pretty misleading isn’t it?

misleading downloads

There are many download buttons on the page, but only one will lead you to the link with the file you want to download, all others will download other things. The above page is from a website that offers downloads of Free software or the trial versions of them.

So, image how the pages with pirate content would look, if a person is not too familiar with this Internet and Computer thing, he will end up download something else that will inject more aggressive ads on the pages you would visit.

[easy-tweet tweet=”Is Your Browser Hijacked by Third Party Adware? Here is how to fix it” user=”Techtippr”]

The ads would look as if the Publishers has put them on the website, but in reality, it’s the  Adware you download the other day which is not putting ads all over your browser.

There are different types of Adware you need to be aware of, these are.

➜ Third Party Browser Toolbars

➜ Third Party Browser Extensions/Add-ons

➜ Spyware install as a normal software in your PC

So, when you see pages like these, where even a normal website would look like this, these are the potential places you should look for the culprit. We will discuss each of them below in detail.

Ads-by-Max-AdBlock
Image Credit

How to remove Third Party Toolbars or Add-ons from Browser

Different browser ac differently, like in Google Chrome, it is extensions where Add-ons are placed when you add them (deliberately or otherwise).

You can go to More tools- Extensions and  where you can view all the extensions added, find the unusual ones that seem the culprit, if you are not sure then remove all one by one (you can always add them from the Chrome Website)

Chrome ExtensionsYou can also look for the any suspicious addition to the Search engine in Google Chrome. (Open Settings in Google Chrome) Most of the spyware hijack the search engine making you use another search engine when you use the address bar to make a search (by default its Google.com)

Internet Explorer Add-ons

Same goes for the Internet Explorer though we highly recommend you to switch to Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as Microsoft itself has been moving their focus and attention to a newer Browser called Microsoft Edge.

How to Remove Spyware from your PC

If you still find those ads after removing all the suspicions elements from your browser then your next step should be to inspect all the apps/software installed on your PC. You can do so by going to the Programs and Features section in Control Panel where you can see all the programs installed on your PC.

Copy paste this in File Explorer Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features

RemoveAdd Programs Microsoft

Look for the suspicious one, the one that was not there last time you check, or it has no icon or maybe very less in size (few MBs).

If you are still not unsure, just pick the names of the ones you do not recognize and Google them (you may use your Mobile phone for search) Google will let you about that, if it’s the culprit, will find pages that talk about their experience. Remove it.

Reset your browsers and restart your PC, try browsing few pages. The problem should get solved by now.

Use the comment form below to discuss your issues, regarding PCs hijacked by spyware and Add-ons

Not Just Windows 10, Windows 7 and 8 are Also Tracking You Now, Here is How to Stop Them

In’s been just over a month since Windows 10 has been launched and it’s already been installl on millions of PCs around the world.

But few people noticed (and were not happy with it too) that Microsoft has tools inside the Windows 10 that is trackign the activity of users in the name of making their computing experience better, however in reality, it will benefit Microsoft in targetting users to promote their (and their partner’s products) to the users.

And that is the point that is stopping them from installing Windows 10 to their devices.

But now, it turns out that Windows 10 is not the only OS that is tracking the user’s activities. Other OS like Windows 7 and 8 have got updates that track the users activities.

Updates in question are →

3068708 → Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry

3022345 → Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry (This update has been replaced by the 3068708 update)

3075249 → Update that adds telemetry points to consent.exe in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7

3080149 → Update for customer experience and diagnostic telemetry.

Sounds scary? it isn’t actually, everyone from Google to Facebook to Yahoo tracks you to understand you better and show you the ads you might actually be interested in, but then again, it’s totally your choice whether or not they should be allowed to target you and you should definitely be given a choice no matter what.

How to stop Windows 7 and 8 from Tracking you

The best thing would be to avoice these updates and not install them at all, as you already know the updates in question, you can choose not to install them.

Uninstall Updates

If you have already installed them, you can still uninstall them manually by going to the Windows Update section from Control Panel and choose these updates to remove by right clicking on each of them one by one.

Control Panel ➤ Programs ➤ Programs and Featurs ➤ Installed Updates 

If is possible that the update may get downloaded and installed again if you have chosen Automatic Updates to the Update settings, so you need to block these updates from appearing again.

You can block the updates after unstalling them, loacte the updates in the list of available updates and hide the updates by rightcliking on it and selecting ‘hide update’

How to Set Different Scroll Preference for Mouse and Trackpad in Mac

Working on the Mac OS has been a refreshing experience for me after using only Windows for years, Chromebooks helped a lot to rely less on the native apps.

I recently bought a Macbook Air that I used as my travel work machine, it’s very lightweight to carry around and gives me enough battery power that I can forget about carrying the charger when I am taking my Macbook to the cafe for longer writing sessions.

We all know how productive we become when we use a Mouse instead of the touchpad, I mean, writing is okay, but when you have to work in different windows and have to do a lit of editing or formatting then a mouse really helps.

But using a Mouse on Mac seems a bit odd, why? I mean it is because of the way apple wants us to use it. the Mouse works just the opposite of what we are used to on Windows or on any other OS.

Scroll Preference

Apple calls it ‘Natural scroll’ which works just like a touchscreen, where, when you slide your fingers upwards, the screen also goes up, swipe down and the screen goes down, but when you connect a Mouse to your Mac, this behaviour is just odd.

And when you uncheck the ‘natural scroll’ the mouse start working the way we want but then the touchpad is working odd. And there is no way to set different preferences for mouse and touchpad.

Scroll Preferences

Even though Apple has given separate check boxes for enabling ‘natural scroll’ in both Touchpad and Mouse preferences, but they both are linked to each others, which means if you uncheck it for the Mouse, it also gets unchecked for the Touchpad as well.

I use different machines for different purpose, and even when I forced myself for using the ‘natural scroll’ for the mouse, it creates problems when I was using my Windows Desktop for work.

I searched for a solution and found that there are many others who face the same issue as mine. I was surprised to find forum posts dated 2011, which means Apple still hasn’t fixed this, maybe they do not think of it as a problem which should be addressed, and if they haven’t addressed it in 5 years, I don’t hope they will come up with it in near future.

Here is a comment on one of the forum posts that I like so much that I am quoting it in this article –

I don’t want to change a decades-old habit with the mouse, just because Apple changed their idea of how a trackpad should work. I embrace the trackpad change because it makes sense to anyone who uses an iPhone or iPad (and I use both) but I’m not willing to rewire my brain’s way of using the mouse.)

The ‘natural scroll’ feels natural on the touchpad, but the Mouse scroll has to be reverse it is how it has worked. Users should be given a choice, especially in a world of multiple platforms

Thankfully, there is an app to fix this issue.

srshot

Scroll Reverser is the app that will let you set an independent scrolling preference for the Mouse.

Download and Install Scroll Reverser and check the ‘Reserve Scrolling’, ‘Reverse Vertical’, and ‘Reverse Mouse’ options and you are good to go. Also make sure you set it to run as the system starts to let it run in the background.

Let’s hope that Apple will release this and will put an option to select your preference for the mouse independently if not reverse scroll it by default.

How to Post GIF Animations to Facebook That Play in the Newsfeed

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GIF Animations are getting popular day by day, we are talking about the 3-5 second soundless videos playing in the loop, mostly showing a reaction which many of us can relate to. They are perfect to express yourself online. They are Emoticons 2.0. And finally they are on Facebook.

I don’t know why it took so long Facebook to embrace the power of GIFs, but at least they are here, you can now post GIFs on Facebook so that they start playing inside the Newsfeed of your Friends, just like it does on Google Plus or Twitter.

But it is still tricky to get them to work. You cannot simply upload a GIF like you post other Images, and they start playing in the newsfeed. They will not.

Posting GIF on Facebook

To make them play inside the newsfeed, you need to host them on any other websites, it could be your own blog or other social networking sites like Google Plus or Tumblr where the GIF Animations work.

All you have to do is, take the direct URL of the GIF and post it on your Facebook. You can remove the link after it loads and then post it.

PostingGIF to FB

Try it out

You can try it yourself to see it in action, right-click on the GIF animation below and copy the image URL, then post on your Facebook timeline.

ShareGIFonFB
Copy this link

You can create your own GIFs as well, don’t worry we have a complete guide for you. Check it out.