For those who love iPhone Puzzle games you will find almost an endless supply in the Appstore. Puzzle games are great for casual gamers and I have singled 3 which are the best in the Appstore.

1. Doodle Fit by Gamelion Studios:

Doodle Fit is a game in which you must fit different shaped blocks so that it matches the large outlined shape on your screen. The game will start out very easily by giving you shapes such as a square and rectangle but as you progress you the shapes become more difficult such as insects and letters. There are a total of over 100 different shapes that are divided into 4 levels and the game offers hints for those who need a little extra help. Doodle Fit features amazing chalkboard graphics and upbeat music and is available for only $.99

Also Check out:

2. Slice it! by Com2uS:

In this game you must try to slice equal sized shapes into the required number of pieces. Each of the sliced pieces will be graded by accuracy and if there is a large difference between the sizes then you will have to redo the level. You will be given 1-5 stars for perfect cuts or a 5 stars which will give you a hint. These hints can be used in the later levels when you are stuck and there might be many of these occasions in the 60 levels available. Slice it! features a nice paper background with fun music and is only available for $.99

3. Cut the rope by ZeptoLab.

In this game there is a rope that is dangling with candy. You must cut the rope in the right place while dodging different obstacles such as spiders or air guns so that the candy lands in the monster’s mouth. The rope will bounce around realistically and features a fantastic physics engine. Cut the rope has some really cute graphics and has 100 brain boggling puzzles for only $.99!

Do let us know your favorite iPhone puzzle game?

Internet

Useful Free Youtube video to MP3 Converter Tools

February 14, 2013 Hammad 2 Comments

There are many free and paid Youtube video to MP3 Converter, which you can use to convert Youtube Videos into mp3. Personally, I use this feature at times when I want to download Youtube videos to be on my desktop or iPhone in audio format.

Most of these free Youtube video-audio converter site convert videos into mp3 in a while and you can also set the bitarte. Though, if video is in low quality, you might not get good quality converted video. So, I suggest you to convert only HD or HQ youtube videos into mp3.

In past, we have covered some tools (e.g Video2Mp3, ConvertMeMp3) which can help users convert different YouTube videos into Mp3 files. Many people including me prefer to download YouTube videos in Mp3 format so that they can be saved in portable mp3 players and occupy less space in your computer as well.

Today, we have gathered a list of few online tools (other than the ones mentioned above) which can help users convert YouTube videos into Mp3 and other files formats.

Dummies Guide to Facetime on iPhone and iPod Touch

February 13, 2013 Rajat 47 Comments

Facetime is one of the best free feature of iOS device. The best thing about Facetime free video calling service is, it’s available on all Apple devices. Be it, Mac, iPhone, iPad or any other iOS device with camera on it. First time user might get confused with how to use FaceTime, and in this guide I will exactly be talking about the same. This guide will answer all your queries regarding Facetime on iOS devices, right from activation to making calls.

Facetime is one of the most talked about features of iPhone 4. Yesterday, we posted some pictures from our first impressions of Facetime on iPhone 4 as Harsh and I tried a Facetime conversation. We were totally amazed by the quality of audio and video.

Facetime is also very intuitive and easy to use. In fact we are Facetime Ninjas now, in less than thirty minutes of video calling. Here’s how you can get started and most of other related queries answered.

How to Activate Facetime on your iPhone:

Though this guide is written for iPhone4, but if you are using any other version of iPhone/iPad, Facetime activation method remains the same.

Go to Settings > Phone > Facetime > On. The iPhone will automatically send an SMS(international for non US users) and within 10 seconds your Facetime will be active.

This only needs to be done once per sim card, and that too is automatic. No registration or user id required. Like Apple says, Facetime works out of the box.

Once the “Waiting for Activation” message goes away you are good to go. Please note that you will not be able to see the SMS sent for activation through your Messages app. If you have trouble activating Facetime, wait for our post which talks about activation issues for unofficial carriers.

iPod Touch users go to Settings > Facetime to confirm and verify your email address that will be used to receive calls. If unverified, follow instructions sent to email to get started.

Charges for using Fcaetime

No. We were not charged for our Facetime calls. It’s free for video calls between iPhone 4 and iPod touch devices. Both devices need to be connected to a wifi network with internet access(not necessarily same network).

How to start a Facetime video call

There has been a lot of doubt as to how the Facetime call is authenticated. Harsh and I tried the email address method yesterday but that failed and here’s why.

Facetime uses two ways to identify people – Phone number or email address. And the the type of device determines which one will be used.

When calling an iPhone 4: Use the phone number of the person you are calling.
When calling an iPod touch (4th generation): Use the email address designated for FaceTime of the person you are calling.

Please note that you need iOS 4.1 to make calls or receive them from users on iPod Touch.

How to Make a Facetime Call

There are two ways of initiating a Facetime call. You could make a phone call just the way you normally do and then once you are there on the call click on Facetime. If your friend accepts the Facetime request call, voice call will end and you will no more be charged for voice.

Another way is directly making a Facetime call. Go to your contacts page and tap Facetime. Choose a method of identification(phone or email). Your friend will receive a notification if he’s on wifi. If he accepts you are good to go.

On iPod touch, there is an additional Facetime app. You can use it to call any of your contacts or through the contacts app like mentioned above.

Can I switch Cameras

The Facetime call starts with your front camera. You can switch to the rear camera and back by clicking on the button in lower right corner.

Some other features of Facetime you might want to know:

Muting Facetime

The Mute button will only prevent your audio from going through. Your video will still be visible to the other person.

Landscape Support

Just rotate the iPhone to switch to this mode.

Moving the preview window

The small window which shows your own Face can be moved around by dragging if it obstructs your view in the default position.

Do something else and get back to Facetime again?

If you need to check another app while you are on Facetime, no problem. Just hit home button and do your work. Your video will freeze on last frame and audio chat can still be continued. Once you click on the green bar similar to the one you get with voice calls, your video chat will be resumed.

Last Tip for Facetime Users:

You can also add Facetime to your Favorites list and start a Facetime call right from there. Facetime calls will also feature in your Recent Calls history.

Conclusion

So, that’s all we have gathered so far about Facetime. It’s been a great experience so far for us. Rumors are afloat that Facetime might soon come to iPads, Macs and Windows PCs too. We are really looking forward to that.

I hope this detailed Facetime usage guide will help you to start using this useful free service. In upcoming article, we will also be talking about iMessage, but for now why don’t you go ahead and try making a Facetime call to other iOS user in your contact list.

Internet

Video2mp3: Download Videos in mp3 Format

February 12, 2013 vinayaknagri

We have already shared list of Websites to download Youtube videos, and today I will be featuring another online Youtube downloading tool, which is created for one specific purpose. This is the site many people have demanded for. Lets imagine the scene when you’d need this site. You want to see a video of some song. You search for that song on YouTube. You get the link, you see the video and you didn’t like the video but you loved the song. Now, you want to keep the song and leave the video. How to do that? In that case, Video2mp3 comes to your rescue. Using this site, you can simply convert a Youtube video into mp3 format, and then download it in .mp3 format. It also offers extensions or add-ons for three browsers – Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple Safari.

How to use Video2mp3 to download Youtube Videos into .mp3 format

So, Video2mp3 is a free video to MP3 Converter and allows you to convert and download a video to MP3 file online. There are many plus points that boasts this service and makes it more and more usable. This site requires no sign up which has made the conversion process fast and more useful. This service is totally free. Let me tell you how to download mp3 from a video with this useful site.

Go to Video2mp3
Enter the URL of any valid video page
Click on “Convert”.

Wait for at least a minute.

That’s it. This site grabs the video file and extracts the audio as a downloadable mp3. Time would be taken according to the size of the file. The conversion process will be done as fast as it can be.

Video2mp3 is fast, secure and a reliable site to convert videos into an mp3 format. It is definitely a must try and you cannot miss this one if you want to convert any video into mp3 format. Just give it a try and I assure you that you will like it.

Link

So, what do you think of this useful site? Are you going to use it? How was the post? Do comment.

Google

Tips For Avoiding Gmail Data Loss

February 12, 2013 grublev

If you use Google Apps for business, then Gmail may be an important part of your everyday activities. Your Gmail inbox can include communications from your coworkers, employees, superiors and even business associates from around the world. Gmail is convenient because you can access it from multiple locations and all your company’s employees can access email from the same interface, even if you use POP or IMAP to route messages from your company’s domain name to your Gmail account.

It’s a good idea to get to know the features and limitations of Gmail, especially if you use Google’s server space as your sole method to backup your emails. For instance, Gmail does allow you to restore Gmail emails that you have deleted that currently reside in your trash folder, which can help you to save effort and face if you accidentally delete messages, but sometimes data becomes permanently lost to you. Knowing what situations cause this can help you to prevent data- and message-loss that can have a high cost.

Prevent Gmail data loss by knowing it’s limitations and Features

30-Day Trash Limit

According to Google, messages can only remain in your trash box for up to 30 days after you have added them. Thus, if you think you may need to restore Gmail messages, you should keep the messages in your inbox rather than moving them to your trash folder.

Permanently Deleted Email

Once you click the button to permanently empty your trash folder, the data that was in it becomes lost forever. Google itself will not be able to retrieve this information for you. Take care not to accidentally click this button if there is any data that you might want to keep in your trash folder.

Archive, Don’t Delete

Prior to Gmail, users like yourself didn’t have many options besides simply saving emails that you might need sometime in the future or deleting them. However, Google has included the ability to archive messages and data with their mail service. This will remove messages from your inbox without placing them in your trash folder. Archiving messages is a great way to keep them but also keep them out of the way, if you’re not sure if you might need to use that data again. You can still search through the messages with Gmail’s search feature.

Remember to Back Up Your Data

A recent study on google apps data loss by Backupify evaluated the reasons why businesses lose data and found that 63% of occurrences are due to user error. While Gmail itself does make it easier to retrieve deleted messages than many services or programs, you might want to consider other alternatives. For example, one of the Google Apps for business users is a vault service that allows you to create a data backup from Google services like chat and mail to make it easier to organize and find data during times of litigation. Third-party programs like Backupify help you to back up one or more Gmail accounts and save that data to a separate, secure online archive. When the information is important, backing up is also important. Also read, Gmail apps FAQ’s

Bonus tip: Do enable Gmail 2 step authentication to ensure safety of your account. You can find details here.

Accidents do happen, even if you’re comfortable using Gmail. It’s good to be prepared for potential viruses, user errors, glitches or unauthorized access to your Gmail, all of which can result in permanent data loss. Being able to recover that information with a few clicks certainly brings peace of mind.

iPhone

How Much Data Does a FaceTime Call Use?

February 12, 2013 Rajat

So what did we find out?

Now that we have made FaceTime an integral part of how we communicate, we decided to find out how much data it is consuming. This is important for a lot of users who may not be on an unlimited data plan be it 3G or wi-fi. Keeping an eye on how much data Facetime is using, will make sure you never cross your data limit, and don’t get over billed for the usage.

Here are iOS apps that you can use to calculate data usage used by apps on your Smartphone or iPad:

For those living under a rock, here are some FaceTime related articles:

Dummies Guide to Facetime on iPhone 4 and iPod Touch

Facetime Data usage test:

Facetime is free, and works best when you are using high speed internet connection (Wi-fi, 3G, 4G). We made a FaceTime call from our iPhone 6 (over 3G) The results for the test call are as follows:

Call Duration: 10 minutes
Data Sent: 14.6 MB
Data Received: 15.1
Total Data (Sum of above) : 29.7 for ten minutes

We can conclude from the above that FaceTime is using approximately three megabytes per minute. So, an hour long conversation would involve around 180MB of data. A similar test conducted by 9to5Mac yielded the same results. Though, this result may vary depending upon which version of iOS device you are using. So, when you are choosing a wi-fi plan at home go for unlimited connections to avoid huge data charges. Similarly, make sure you consider data charges on all the networks before you choose a 3G connection from the upcoming providers in India.

iPhone

Top Cydia Repos That You Should Use

February 4, 2013 Harsh Agrawal

Lot of people don’t know what to do once they’ve Jailbroken their iOS device, they don’t know where to find all the cool stuff. Of course it’s all available in Cydia’s Sections tab, but that’s just too much to search from. In such cases, it is necessary to add certain repositories, repo as we know it, to Cydia wherein you can get all the benefits of having a Jailbroken iOS device.

Now, the difficult part is that there are many repos to chose from, and you can go on adding them and almost all of them have similar content. Here I’ll be writing about the top cydia repos that you can add to get the most out of your Jailbroken iOS device and enjoy all those free and premiumr apps. Also I’ll be telling you how to add repos to Cydia later on in the post.

Top 5 Cydia Repos and Sources

Cydia usually comes with ModMyi, Telesphoreo Tangelo and the BigBoss Repos, so I’m not going to count those. These Cydia repos are updated for iOS 6.1.1, and after Evasi0n jailbreak, you can add them manually.

iPhoneCake Repo

If you’re a game freak, and want access to many gaming titles then this is the repo for you. It has games such as Need for Speed, Asphalt, FIFA and much more.

You can add iPhoneCake repo to Cydia from Manage>Sources>Edit>Add:

http://cydia.iphonecake.com

Sinful iPhone Repo

Another repo that contains a lot of themes and apps to customize your jailbroken iOS device. The collection is not as large as that of BigBoss Repo, but it has some good apps and themes that will make your iOS device even better.

To add Sinful iPhone Repo go to Cydia>Manage>Sources>Edit>Add:

http://sinfuliphonerepo.com

iSpazio Repo

The iSpazio repository is mainly an italian one, but it has many international apps, themes, wallpapers and games as well. It’s good to have this on your list of top 5 repos and enjoy awesome customization of your iOS device.

To add iSpazio Repo to Cydia go to Manage>Sources>Edit>Add:

http://ispaziorepository.com

iModZone Repo

Last, but not the least, the iModZone repo, for all your crazy theming and wallpaper needs. Browse through the repo once it’s installed to see what I mean by crazy themes and wallpapers.

To add iModZone Repo to Cydia go to Manage>Sources>Edit>Add:

http://cydia.imodzone.net

That’s the Top 5 repos that I would suggest you to add in Cydia. Now if you don’t know how to add a repo in Cydia, then follow these steps.

How to add repo to Cydia:

Enter Cydia, and then go over to the Manage tab.

Now select Sources and tap on Edit>Add(on the top left corner).

A dialogue box will appear where you’ll have to enter the required repo address. Enter one of the address from the above list and it’ll be automatically added to your Sources.

Now to browse through the repos, enter Source and then browse, install, preview as many apps, themes, ringtones, wallpapers as you want.

Cloud Canvas: Online HTML5 Image Creator and Editor

February 2, 2013 Harsh Agrawal

Ever wondered you could use MS Paint online? CloudCanvas is a web app which gives you this opportunity with a lot of extra features which MS Paint will take a long time acquiring. CloudCanvas is a HTML 5 based digital art and design tool which works from within the browser without having to install any additional plugins. All you need is a modern HTML 5 browser and you’re ready to start with CloudCanvas.

CloudCanvas has a powerful set of tools for art creation and designing just about everything you might think of. It has all the basic elements of bitmap graphics such as paint, brushes, and textures. For vector designing it has tools like drawing primitive shapes (ellipses, rectangles, circles, curves etc.).

Also with CloudCanvas you can work with layers and graphics filters such as blur, drop shadows, bevel etc. Also it allows page layouts depending on how you want the art to be published later on.

CloudCanvas has a simple user Interface (UI) and after signing up, one can immediately launch CloudCanvas. The great thing about CloudCanvas is that you can also open native PC graphics files and edit them in CloudCanvas. Also, you can import local files and work on them while away from your host PC using the Import Local feature of CloudCanvas.

If you’re an art designing fan have previous experience of using any design software (even as simple as MS Paint), then CloudCanvas is a great way to get started online.

Read: HTML5 Test for Mobile Browsers

Check out CloudCanvas

Mac Applications

5 Must Have Free Applications For Mac Users

February 1, 2013 Harsh Agrawal

This post is specifically aimed at first time Mac users and at others who have been looking for some free and open source softwares to make their daily tasks easier. Not only do the softwares listed here come free of cost, they also do their work as well as their paid counterparts.

Here I’m listing down free apps for Mac, which will help you to get more done in less time.

Few must have apps for Mac:

Adium – for IM/Chat

A free instant messaging App, Adium will let you connect to AIM, MSN, Jabber, Yahoo, Gtalk among various others. This is the best IM client I have ever used on any platform. Adium sets a great example of how good open source products can get.

Cyberduck – for FTP/SFTP

Cyberduck is the perfect tool for all your FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, Cloud Files, Google Docs, Amazon S3 file browsing needs. In fact I even use it for SSHing into the iPhone when I need access to its file system. It supports Bonjour service and makes tasks easier. And the magical OS X integration doesn’t stop just there. It extends to Spotlight and Keychain as well.

Handbrake – for Video Conversion

Handbrake is the must have tool for all video converting needs. This is one tool which provides for both first time users as well as custom settings for advanced users. It makes use of your Mac’s resources pretty well and provides for very fast and good quality videos. I use it very frequently for converting Videos for the iPhone and the iPod Touch.

Transmission – Torrent Downloader

Who can live without a torrent downloader. Before I came across this, I had very bad experiences with the other applications. uTorrent on Mac, as most of you know, isn’t up to the mark yet. So, here’s the very simple yet powerful torrent downloader, Transmission for you. It has a scheduler which actually works to keep a control over bandwidth consumed during peak hours. Lastly, its very lightweight and comes free.

Colloquy – Best IRC client

Here’s a very advanced IRC, SILC & ILB client for Mac OS X. It is very intuitive and provides for all the necessary features one would ask from an IRC client. The interface is clean and along with the iPhone app you can stay connected on the go by setting bouncers for yourself. Download Colloquy here.

If you are a mac user you might like to read:

11 reasons why I love mac and why you should too

For the five needs specified above, these are not only the free solutions but also one of the best available. If you like them do leave us word and subscribe to our feeds. Also, if you wanted to know about other applications for a specific purpose you can ask us via comments.

iPhone Applications

3 Free Cydia Apps to Change iPhone’s Carrier Name

January 28, 2013 Rajat 1 Comment

When you see a custom name instead of the operator’s name on anyone’s iPhone or screenshots on the internet, you might have wondered how do they do this. This tutorial will show you three free cydia apps that can change iPhone’s carrier name. Now you can change it to any fake carrier name or even your own name. We have tested these to work on the latest versions of iOS including iOS 6.1.1.

1. Fake Operator

This application does not have any icon for itself. You need to configure it through the settings app on your iPhone.

While it does not need a reboot or respring to change iPhone’s carrier name, you do need to quit Settings for the changes to take effect. Works perfectly with iOS 4.3.1+

It can be downloaded for free via Cydia. Since, it is hosted on the BigBoss repo no need to add any new repo to Cydia. Just search for Fake Operator using the search tab.

2. FakeCarrier

This app is similar to Fake Operator in functionality. It does have its own icon but that’s not why I like this the most. The good part is that you do not have to quit the app for the changes to be effective. Just type fake carrier name and tap on set to apply it. I have tested FakeCarrier to work on the latest iOS version 4.3.1 on iPhone 4.

Again no extra Repo needs to be added as it is hosted on BigBoss repo. Just go to Cydia and search for FakeCarrier.

3. MakeItMine

MakeItMine is an app by Erica Sadun. Since, this app hasn’t been updated in a while it does not work for iOS version 4.2 and later. Also, it requires you to respring iPhone for changes to take effect. Even though respring feature is included, it is inconvenient compared to the previous two apps.

You can install MakeItMine from the ModMyI repo, which is a default repo in Cydia.

Do let us know, which is your favorite fake carrier application for iPhone and what did you finally change the carrier name to?

CallingAllGeeks

3 iPhone Puzzle Games That Test Your IQ