Tag Archives: Guide

Apple

Dummies Guide to Facetime on iPhone and iPod Touch

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facetime1.png 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.

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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.
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  • 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.

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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

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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.
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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.

Tips and Tricks

How-to Remotely Control uTorrent From Anywhere

One can’t deny that managing uTorrent downloads and browsing the internet together can be nerve-cracking sometimes. Also if you’re not anywhere near your computer and you wanted queue something important for download it would be helpful if you could control uTorrent from anywhere.

Also Read:

When I write anywhere, I literally mean anywhere you have access to internet. If you visit the uTorrent page you can see something listed as labs, this is where you’ll find what you’re looking for.

What I’m about to explain here will help you to manage your downloads, list new downloads, pause, stop or delete them. This is still in its Alpha Stage but it works fine gives errors very rarely. This tool is the exact same uTorrent Client with something new known as web remote access, which lets you control the uTorrent Client from anywhere. So below is the procedure, do follow:

  • First you’ll need to go visit the uTorrent Project Falcon page and download the latest Alpha version which is similar to the normal version so installing it shouldn’t be a problem.

  • Once the download is completed you’ll see a new layout for the uTorrent Client and next to the Settings button you can see a new button labelled as uTorrent Web Preferences, click on that.

  • A new Dialog box will open up and now you’ll have to check the Enable uTorrent Web Remote Access and enter a desired Username and Password and hit Apply.

  • Yeah, and that’s pretty much it. Simple isn’t it? Now to access your uTorrent Client from anywhere you need a device that can connect to the internet preferably a GPRS, Wi-Fi enabled phone, Laptop or another Desktop that can connect to the internet.
  • To control uTorrent Remotely you’ll need to go to the following website via your internet capable device: https://web.utorrent.com
  • Once you visit that site, you’ll be asked for a Username and Password(same as you created earlier).

  • After this you’ll be taken to the web based uTorrent Client, which is pretty neat and lets you do almost all the tasks such as add, remove, stop and manage all the downloads running at your home from anywhere.

That’s it folks!! Now you can control your torrents from any mobile device, laptops etc that connects to the internet from anywhere.

Enjoy using this and let us know if you know of any other such useful tools?

Apple

When to buy an Apple Mac, iPod, Mac Mini or iPhone?

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Customers often find themselves in a fix when they go out to buy any hardware. Whenever, we spend some money on a new gadget we try our best to future proof ourselves by making sure we are buying the latest and the best available piece of hardware out there. It would be very disappointing if an updated model was released just a week after. This guide will help you solve this problem for Apple products.
Continue reading When to buy an Apple Mac, iPod, Mac Mini or iPhone? →

Hardware

How To Select Best External Hard Disk

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We mentioned external Hard Drives last when we told you about useful gadgets for all the bloggers. An external hard disk has really become a necessity for most of us irrespective of our profession. The necessity arises either out of need for more space or the peace of mind when you have a backed up copy of all your important data and those photos you don’t wish to lose. This post will guide you on the process of choosing an external HDD(hard disk drive) that’s perfect for your needs.

Continue reading How To Select Best External Hard Disk →