Get Android L Style Notifications on Your Android Device with Floatify app

One of the most interesting features of Android L demos in Google I/O 2014 is the newly designed notifications, where a notification floats on top of everything else on your screen and you can either swipe it to dismiss it or tap it to respond. You will also be able to interact with them.

If you’re one of those who can’t wait till Android L becomes available or your device is not getting the Android L update, there’s an app called Floatify that can give you a preview of what it will be like.

Floatify is a new Android app that brings the same Android L style notifications to your Android device. You don’t need to root your phone to get the new notification system. The only requirement is the device must be running on Android 4.3+ or above because the older versions don’t support the floating feature.

Once installed and enabled, when you receive a notification, a summary appears on the lock screen. You can tap on it to see the full notification, or swipe to dismiss. You can also add bulk actions, like dismiss all notifications, to your home screen, to make life easier.

The app let you customize the style of notification, like where the pop-up will appear, animation, background, etc. You can also change the notification background color, size, position, opacity, text, icons, and more.

If you find notifications annoying when you’re playing a game or watching a video, there’s a ‘Smart Blacklist’ option that lets you disable notifications for selected apps. These notifications will reappear as soon as you close that app.

This app has both free and paid versions. The paid version will unlock all features like Smooth animations, Unlimited text filter words, Quiet hours, Wake screen on notification, Custom timeoutsettings for popup, Privacy settings for apps, Icon pack support, Backup & restore functionality, and much more.

If you want to enjoy the new Android L style notifications on your device, then Floatify is the best app for you.

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Turn Your Android Phone Into a Portable Scanner With CamScanner App

These days you can use your Android phone to do just about anything and scanning documents is no exception. With the phone’s built-in camera, you can easily scan any documents by photo shooting.

While taking a photo of your document may suffice for most, but it doesn’t offer OCR (Optical Character Recognition) capabilities which converts scanned paper documents, or images into editable and searchable data in accessible formats like PDF file. And therefore, you need the help of a third-party app which can scan an image into a PDF file.

One of the most popular mobile document scanning apps is Camscanner. It is a powerful android app that enables you to scan and digitize documents, images, and anything you want using your mobile phone camera. Simply take a picture of any paper documents, and the CamScanner can auto-crop image, enhance image quality and create a PDF file.

You can change the scan quality and brightness to export the best possible result. The scanned documents can be shared via Email, uploaded to Cloud, and printed via Internet. You can also manage them by tagging or searching.

CamScanner is available in Free and Paid version. The free version watermarks your scans and has advertising in the app. The paid version removes the watermarks and advertising.

There is also a tablet friendly version of this application, called CamScanner HD, which turns your Android tablet to a portable scanner. It supports tablet with Android version 3.x and higher.

Other CamScanner features:

• Advanced Document Editing
  Make annotations on documents with a full set of editing tools. Also adding customized watermarks are made available to mark your own documents.
• Collaborate on Documents
  Want to get feedback on your documents? Invite friends or colleagues to collaborate on documents. They can view, comment and exchange ideas on documents in groups.
• Secure Important Documents
  If you want to protect confidential contents, you can set passcode for viewing important documents; also, while sending document download link, you can set password to protect others from seeing it.
• Quick Search
  When you have plenty of documents, you can use Tags to categorize and easily find them. In addition, OCR for Search helps you find texts inside image and notes. Just enter one keyword, you can quickly find the document you want.
• Sync across Platforms
  Sign up to sync documents on the go. Just sign in with your smartphone, tablet or computer (visit CamScanner website), and you can view, edit and share any document.

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How to Password Protect Your New Google Play App to Prevent Unwanted Purchases

Google Play Store, or previously known as the Android Market, is the official app store for Android device that contains both free and paid applications. If you have linked up your credit card or Google Wallet to your Google play then you can easily purchase apps or in-app purchases within no time. But this might be a downside if your children gets hang of your phone and purchases any applications without your knowledge.

Fortunately, Google has a hidden setting to enable password protection and prevent accidental or unwanted purchases from the Google Play Store.

Previously, the app could only be set to require the password after a 30-minute window expired. But after being sued by a mother in New York whose child spent $65.95 in in-app purchases from an Android game without her permission, Google has pushed out an update to the Play Store that prompts for a password every time a purchase or in-app purchase is made.

So here is how to configure the new feature. Please note that you need to have Google Play Store version 4.6.16 or above for that. If you do not have it yet, you can update it by tapping the Build version in the app’s Settings.

• Open the Play Store app.
• Tap the Play Store icon -> Settings.

• Under “User controls” section, you’ll find the “require password for purchases” option which is set to 30 minutes by default.

• Tap on the option, and select “For all purchases through Google Play on this device”.
• Enter your password when prompted
• That’s it!
Now, whenever anyone tries to purchase an app, book or movie from your Google Play Store, they’ll need to enter this password. This also includes in-app purchases as well.

If you want to turn off password protection on your device, just follow the same steps above but this time choose ‘Never’ in the “require password for purchases” option.

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How to Lock Individual Apps on Android Using Smart App Protector

Android does offer various types of screen locks such as password, PIN, pattern, etc, that enables you to lock your phone so that no one can access to your personal data. But the downside is that there’s no built-in ability to lock individual apps. As we all know that there are only a few apps like gallery, mail, and messaging that require protection as they hold sensitive data.

If you don’t want to use the screen lock that come with your device because you find it annoying to have to type it in every time you unlock the phone. But still want to make sure that important apps on your device are secure, then you can use an Android app called Smart App Protector to lock any apps that you don’t want others to access.

Smart App Protector is one of the highly rated Android apps in the Google Play store that lets you lock individual apps using a password, pattern or gesture. The app also allows you to set multiple passwords for different apps. Now let’s see how to lock and protect individual apps on Android using Smart App Protector.

Setting up Smart App Protector

To get started, download and install Smart App Protector that is available for free on the Google Play Store. Once installed, run the app. At first launch, your password will be set to 7777 by default. Enter this password to access the app’s main page. You can change the password or lock type through Password and Pattern Settings. After configuring it, you can start adding applications that you want to password protect. To add an app, open the App Lock tab and then tap ‘+’ button. A list of installed apps will be displayed. Select apps that you want to protect from the App list and tap the ‘Add’ button.

Now whenever someone opens any of these protected apps, they will have to provide the correct password.

You can also set up password reset in case you forget your password. To do so, go to the app’s default settings menu then scroll down to see an option called Lock Initialization. Tap on it and select the type of authentication you want. For example, you can choose ‘Question and Answer’. So if you forget your password, and you enter the incorrect password for more than five times, the lock initialization menu will pop-up for you. It will then ask you for the security question you configured in the app. After providing the correct answer the password will be restored to 7777 and you can configure a new one from the app.

Smart app protector not only provides locks for the installed apps but also for incoming calls, outgoing calls, Wi-Fi, mobile data, and much more. The interesting feature of the app is that it can capture photo of intruder who trying get access to your device and failed attempts to unlock it.

If you’re looking for a great app locker then you should give Smart app protector a try. It’s by far one of the best app lockers that comes with a ton of security features. Apart from the basic locking features, the app also provides many additional security features. These include lock screen timeouts, lock screen rotation, and lock screen customization. You can also set lock time so that the phone can only activate at a certain time and remote lock by SMS keyword

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8 Best Free Apps for Your Android Wear Device

The long-awaited Android Wear is finally here with a wide range of wearable devices running the new platform. While the devices were just launched two months ago, but a number of Android app developers have been updated their apps with Android Wear support.

These apps range from ones that improve personal productivity to something more personable, allowing you to track your spending and manage your money. Now, let’s see some of the bestfree apps for Google’s Android Wear.

1. Wear Mini Launcher
   Wear Mini Launcher is the first Launcher app for Android Wear. It displays an app drawer with all the apps installed on your smartwatch that lets you quickly launch apps by simply tapping the respective icons. If you have a lot of apps installed, this can make it easier for you to find the app you’re looking for.
   To use the app, you need to install it on your smartphone. While the smartwatch is still connected with your phone, open the app on your smartwatch to launch the app grid for the first time. Swiping right to the top left side of your smartwatch will open the app drawer where you will be able to see all the apps that are installed in your wearable.

2. IFTTT
   IFTTT, short for If This Then That, is one of the best Android Wear apps available in the market today. The app allows you to set rules to perform a specific function if an event happens. For example, you can tell it to send your phone a text message when you receive an email from your significant other, or automatically uploading photos to Dropbox that you post to Instagram. Of course, there are dozens of other things you can do with it which is what makes it so powerful.

3. Wear Aware – Phone Finder
   Wear Aware – Phone Finder is a very useful tool for your Android wear watch that can help you locate your phone when it’s out of sight.
   With Phone Finder, your smartwatch will start vibrating and buzzing on your wrist when you’ve accidentally left your phone behind. It also allows you to activate an alarm on the phone so you can locate it easier. It’s great for those times when you’ve lost it and do not remember where you put it.

4. RunKeeper – GPS Track Run Walk
   By default, Android Wear has integrated step-counting support but Runkeeper takes that a step further by offering more detailed stats. It provides at-a-glance run tracking info right on your wrist – the travel distances and detailed progress and stats during and after the run.
   You can also start tracking a run with just a voice action, and even see the calories you’ve burned.
   
5. Evernote for Android Wear
   Evernote is a powerful note-taking app that’s now compatible with Android Wear devices. With Evernote for Android Wear, you can create a note with simple voice commands or view a note from your watch.
   You can also check off to-dos by tapping your smartwatch, as well as add new checklists by speaking the to-do name. You can even search for a specific note right on your watch using voice commands, and you get automatic alerts on your watch when you set a calendar event in Evernote.

6. Level Money
   Level Money is a personal finance app that can help small business owners track their spending and manage their money. The app shows you your last transaction as well as how much spendable money you have left in your budget.
   You can also set a daily spending limit which you update every time you make a purchase. This will helps you stick to a strict budget.
   To get started, just link your bank account or credit cards to the Android smartphone app. The app will automatically track your income, savings and recurring bills, then show you your “spendable” cash, so you know how much you can buy that month, week or day. Level Money also links to Android Wear devices so you can view your spendable balance and transaction right from your wrist.

7. Lyft
   Lyft is an awesome app that lets people call for a ride from their Android phone, and now from the watch. With this app, you can get a cab to one of your saved locations without having to use your phone. Just simply ask the app to ‘call me a car’ and a Lyft driver will be on your way. The app will send you notification about timing and approaching drivers. If you’re looking for a quick ride, then this might be helpful to you.
   However, this service is currently only available in most major U.S. cities (check the full list here). So if you are living outside the US then this is not the right app for you.

8. Duolingo
   Duolingo is the best app to learn a new language, and the app is now compatible with Android Wear. It will help Android Wear’s user to recognize if the words are pronounced properly and help you improve your language skills.
   This app uses voice, multiple choice and text translation in order to help users learn new languages in small and interactive lessons. It’s totally free and contains numerous exercises for each course. Duolingo currently offers courses for 31 languages including English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Portuguese. For anyone who wants to learn a new language, Duolingo is the best free app to download on your android wear watch.

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Two Simple Methods to Factory Reset Your Android Wear Watch

There are many different reasons why you might want to factory reset your Android Wearsmartwatch. For example, you might want to sell the watch and make sure all your personal data is removed from the device beforehand or just feeling like a fresh start or free up space. Whatever the reasons, you can easily restore your Android Wear watch to its out-of-box state. Here are two simple methods to perform a factory reset on an Android Wear device.

Please note that performing this action will erase all data stored on your smartwatch such as notifications and cards, fitness data, third-party apps, system settings and preferences. However, the smartphone counterpart will be unaffected. After the reset you’ll need to re-pair the watch with your smartphone again.

Method #1: Reset with Touch Display

1. Tap your watch’s screen to turn it on.
2. Tap again on the background and you’ll see a white screen with a red “G”.
3. Tap anywhere on the screen and a menu will show up
4. Scroll down until you see “Settings” option and tap on it.
5. Now, scroll down and select “Reset device.”
6. Confirm you want to reset your Android Wear watch by tapping the check icon.

After confirming the reset, the device will power off and perform a factory reset.

Method #2: Reset with Voice Commands

1. From the home screen, say “Ok Google”.
2. At next screen, say “Settings”.
3. Then scroll down until you see “Reset device” and tap on it.
4. Confirm your choice and wait for your Android wear to revert to factory settings.

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How to Play .VOB Video File On Android

VOB is a file extension that mostly found on DVD disks. A VOB extension can contain anything from audio and video to subtitle and menu information. Unfortunately, it is a kind of file format that are not supported by the default Android video player.

To be able to play .VOB files, you need to install a third-party video player, which can play various formats including .VOB format, in your Android device. One of the best Android video player apps to play .VOB file is Wondershare Player. Wondershare player is a free media player that lets you play video and audio files in all popular media file format like AVI, FLV, MKV, WMV, VOB, MOV, RM, RMVB, ASF, MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, M2TS, F4V, 3GP, and more.

It also supports subtitles embedded video files, such as .SSA, .SMI, .SRT, .SUB, .MPL, .PSB, and .TXT.

How to Play .VOB Video File on Android using Wondershare Player

1. Download and install Wondershare player app on your Android phone or tablet
2. Once installed, launch the app
3. On the Local menu, tap on the ‘three horizontal lines’ that are placed at the top left corner of the screen and then tap on ‘Gear’ icon to open the settings menu.

4. In the Settings menu, tap on ‘Decoding Mode’ option.

5. Now, you’ll see a number of file formats which are supported by Wondershare player. Find ‘VOB’ format and tap on it and then check the ‘Auto’ option. Done!

Now, Wondershare Player will start supporting .VOB video files in your Android phone and you can start playing the video file without any interruption.

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How to Use Whatsapp on PC Using Airdroid

WhatsApp is one of the best mobile messaging apps that allow you to chat with your friends and family for free. With this app, you can send text and voice messages, share pictures, audio notes, videos, location, and many more.

However, Whatsapp is only available for mobile platforms like Android, iOS, Windows phone, Symbian and Blackberry. Although WhatsApp has not been created for PCs, there are ways to run it on PC and use it.

If you’re looking for a great and easy way to run Whatsapp on your PC, then you should give Airdroid a try. Airdroid is free Android device manager app that allows you to transfer files between your Android phone and PC via WiFi. Apart from that, it also allows you to mirror your Android device to PC, which means you can interact with all the apps installed, including WhatsApp. Now let’s see how to use Whatsapp on PC using Airdroid.

1. Download and install AirDroid on your Android phone
2. Sign in into the app or Sign up with a new account.
3. Once you’ve signed in, the app will ask you to enable real time notifications on your PC. Tap on ‘Enable’ button.

4. Enable the Android Notification Mirror feature.

5. Now head over to the www.airdroid.com and download the respective Airdroid client for your Mac or Windows PC from the download links provided.
6. Install the application on your computer.

7. Sign in to your AirDroid account using the same username and password that you used to sign up on your Android phone.

That’s it! Now whenever you receive Whatsapp’s message on your Android phone, the same message will be also displayed on your PC in real time. Click on the message notification to reply.

Please note that you should have your Android phone and PC connected to the same network to get notifications.

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How to Easily Record Screen on Android Lollipop Device

The native screen recording was initially introduced on Android 4.4 KitKat but the functionality required either a rooted device with a Screen Recording app installed or a non-rooted device with some Android Debug Bridge (ADB) commands.

Luckily, on Android 5.0 Lollipop, the process is much, much easier, as the new OS version released with a new API that allows developers to build apps that can record screen without the need of root access or any ADB knowhow. Currently, there are few apps which have taken advantage of the new API and let’s users to record screen on their lollipop smartphones or tablets.

If you’re looking for a great screen recording app, then you should give AZ Screen Recorder a try. It’s by far one of the best app to record a video of your Android screen. The best part of this app is that it has no recording time limit and there’s no watermark or logo of the creator will be displayed on your videos. Moreover, it also allows you to pause and resume while recording.

After you install and launch the app, a small toolbar will appear in the middle of your screen. The toolbar contains four different controls like Recording, Settings, File Manager and Exit button.

When you start recording for the first time, a few prompts will explain how the recording feature works. You will always be able to access the recording panel in your notification bar. On the recording panel you can pause, stop, and start new recordings.

In the settings, you can enable touches to show up on the screen, enable or disable audio recording, set time limits for recording, as well as change the resolution and bitrate of video captured.

The output format will be MP4 file, and you can select the default folder where the file will be saved, although it will automatically appear in your gallery app.

The app is completely free to use, but as mentioned above, you need to have Android 5.0 Lollipop installed. If you have a prior version, your best bet is to root your Android device and install a screen recorder app called Shou.TV from Google play store.

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3 Best Apps to Automatically Backup Your Android Phone Photos & Videos

Your smartphone isn’t just a mini computer that fits in your pocket, it’s also a great device for capturing life’s best moments anywhere you go. We all love to capture photos in order to preserve the happy moments with our friends or families. However, once we capture a photo or video, most of us don’t think about backing them up. There are so many inevitable things that can happen to your phone, for example, your phone can get lost or stolen without any warning.

While you can buy a new phone afterwards, but you can’t get back all those beautiful memories that you had captured on your phone. This is why you should consider backing up the photos and videos on your smartphone.

When it comes to this, nothing is more convenient than taking a photo and have it automatically backed up to the cloud, so that you won’t lose them even if your phone gets lost or stolen. If you have an Android phone and don’t mind trusting your photos to the web, these three apps will do their part to make sure your memories are safe and sound.

Note: Before starting make sure that your phone is connected to an unlimited internet connection. If you are not on an unlimited data connection, the data transferred in auto backup will consume a lot of your data plan. So unless you have unlimited data on your device, I would not recommend using it.

1. Google+
   Google+ is by default installed on most of the Android smartphones. While you are setting up Google account with Android, you would asked several options like sync Google+ albums and syncing contacts etc. Generally on Google+, there would be Google Plus Auto Backup feature that is ON by default. It would backup your taken photos from your phone on your Google+ Account.
   Your stored photos and videos on Google+ would be in private place and would not be shared to anyone until you select to share it publicly. You will get 15GB of total free space that is shared between Gmail, Dive and Google+ photos.

2. Dropbox
   Dropbox is a cloud storage service which allows you to backup photos, videos & documents to access them from anywhere on your device. It often comes pre-installed on some Android devices. When you first launch the app, it gives you the option to automatically upload your photos & videos to your Dropbox account account as soon as you take them. You just need to turn ON “Camera Upload” feature during the initial setup on your Android phone. You can also turn ON “Camera Upload” feature from settings. It will create a private folder named ‘Camera Uploads’ on your Android phone for backed up photos & videos. This app offers 2GB of storage with a free account.

3. OneDrive
   OneDrive is another great cloud storage that allows you to backup photos & videos to access them from anywhere. You will find the same option to automatically backup your photos and videos that the Dropbox has. During the initial setup, OneDrive prompts you to turn ON automatic upload. Just turn ON the ‘Camera Backup’ and backup all your photos & videos to OneDrive account from your Android phone. Like Google Drive, you’ll get 15GB of space to store your photos and videos for free.

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