Save images to Google Drive

For those of you who are tired of saving your images to your PC just to upload them later to Google Drive for mobility, there is a cool Chrome Extension which will do this job by a simple Right click on the pic. (Of course, you need to be signed in!!)

Right-Click on the image after installing the extension

You can have it added into your Chrome Browser from here.

Google Drive pop-up showing image name

This is what you should see in your Google Drive :

Google Drive showing the image

How to disable WhatsApp blue ticks for read messages

Recently, WhatsApp has added a feature to let you know that your messages have not only been received but also read. The double grey ticks turn blue as soon as the message has been read by the recipient.

However, you may not always want to let others know if you have actually read it...

Well, here is how you disable the feature.

WhatsApp has silently added another feature wherein you can disable this feature... Please note you gotta have a WhatsApp version of 2.11.444 or above. This is publicly available now and you can set your WhatsApp to automatically download and install updates..

Now,

Select Settings > Account > Privacy. Under the Privacy tab, uncheck the Read Receipts option
It would look something like this :

WhatsApp Read Receipts

Well, as you can see, this feature doesn't apply to group messages and will let other participants know when you've read a messages.. But still, fair enough!!!

Google Time Zone Converter

While working for clients in different time zones, employees often need a bunch of softwares / browser add-ons (of course FoxClocks is still my favourite).

Well, Google has finally overcome the issue by introducing a simple but intuitive Time Zone converter, which not only will help you to get rid of those bulky softwares (and Add-ons that make your browser bulky and slow them down) but will also ease the way you convert it.

A simple English will get you what you want.

Google time zone Converter

Well, if you are as lazy as me, then instead of finding the typing the exact numbers and am / pm, just do this :

Google time zone Converter

This one will actually give you the entire information as you can see above...

If you do not know the time zone of the city, then simply do this :

Google time zone Converter

 If there is some other Greensboro you are looking for, you gotta be more specific..

Please note : Google introduced the converter in mid November, so I have no way to ascertain if this takes care of Daylight saving.. But then, this is Google we are talking about!!

Take YouTube videos offline on your phone

Ever tried to download a video via Youtube App on your smartphone just because you want to view that particular video again and again.. or just to save the internet bandwidth..

YouTube has recently released an update for the Youtube App  which gives you an option to download your favourite video for offline viewing..

YouTube videos offline viewing

As far as I have tried, this seems to work in most cases, except music videos etc.

Moreover, it has one limitation.... the videos can be be run only via your YouTube app...Meaning ??
If you were to move the video to your PC or try to run the video using some video player on your mobile itself... it simply won't work!!

This is because the video is saved on your phone with the .exo files which are small chunks of the actual video... and which can only be decoded / recognized by your YouTube app... That, in itself is not a limitation, unless you want to run those videos on devices which do not have the YouTube app.

YouTube does not place any restriction on the number of videos you can download. So long as you have the required free memory on your phone, everything is going to be simply amazing!!

How to Root an Android Phone

Guys... This post is about how to gain those special privileges that your phone manufacturer denies you even after you have spent your buck on a brand new smartphone.. I tried this on my Android phone... so wanted to share it with everyone!!

Reason for doing this : I wanted to enable Screen-sharing feature of AirDroid, which requires a Root / Super User access to the phone.

First things first :

For the beginners, what is "Rooting" an Android Phone ?

Every Android Phone that you buy, comes with an entire range of restrictions, which the phone manufacturer has set upon you. A day-to-day user may not be aware of this, but Android programmers actually are.

"Rooting your Android phone will remove the restrictions placed on its use by the manufacturer by giving you administrator rights to the phone’s system files."

For guys, who have used iPhones previously and have done some meddling with iOS, this is no different than "jailbreak".

Here is how I nailed it down:

1. Make sure your phone does not run out of battery!! You will need to have at least 80% battery life on your phone before you start the rooting process so that it doesn’t get interrupted by the power turning off.... Best way - just start this drill, while it is charging simultaneously.

2. Software : Well, you know these days, the world will come to a standstill, if not for that lovely software!! You will need one here as well. "UnlockRoot Pro". The software is available for free from the UnlockRoot website. Make sure that your device is supported by checking the documentation on their website... Fortunately mine was!!

UnlockRoot

3.  Drivers : Unless you are using a "Stone-Age" Android phone, most of the phones these days are simply plug-and-play... Meaning, once you connect the phone to your PC (via USB), the drivers will get installed automatically.. or your PC will search and download them from the internet.. No big deal.

4. Run UnlockRoot Pro. Select your phone for the dropdown menu. Press the Root button once you have selected your device.

5. Put your phone in Download mode. The UnlockRoot software will display specific instructions for your device. You can check the following youtube video for entering in Download Mode.. I guess, this may vary from one device to another...




6. Your phone will reboot after a few moments. It will then reboot again and enter Recovery mode.

UnlockRoot Rooting Progress window

7. Wait for the phone to reboot a few more times. As the phone reboots, you will see the progress bar in UnlockRoot fill up. Once the bar is full you will receive the message “OK, Root success”. Your phone is now rooted and you can use programs such as SuperUser and Titanium Backup.