:7 Google Glass Features That Will Convince You to Buy:

When Google Glass was first “announced” back in early 2012, the rumor mill went on overdrive. Speculation was rife about what Google was planning to do. Wearable technology ideas were thrown left and right. Augmented reality rumors were even brought up. At this point, with Google Glass being available to a few people, we know much more about Google’s “next big thing”, but I wager that many an average consumer still is not totally clear about what Google Glass can do.

Sure, we know that it gives the user the power to be connected by merely wearing the device. You can take pictures, tweet, and do all sorts of stuff you can do with your smartphone right now. But what are the Google Glass features that will really convince you to shell out hundreds – maybe a thousand – dollars for something that, depending on your perspective, looks really cool or really dorky?
Here are some of the Google Glass features that just might push you over the line of doubt.

1. Prism screen display
It really is the stuff science fiction is made of, except that it is science reality now! The highlight of all Google Glass features, this screen displays data without obstructing your view, plus it is actually the equivalent of a 25-inch high def screen eight feet away. It’s something that Tony Stark himself would wear, I think.



2. Take pictures/video
This feature is a boon and a bane, depending on how concerned you are with privacy. On the one hand, you can easily take photos and videos just by issuing a voice command. Yeah, you might look/sound silly doing that, but it sure it convenient! Of course, privacy issues are already being raised at this point. Still, having the ability to take a picture/video of what you actually see rather than having to hold up your phone is going to change our habits. A lot.



3. Start and hold a Google+ Hangout
I am not sure just how convincing this feature is if you are not a Google+ user. Then again, the news is that users are leaving Facebook in hordes and that Google+ is gaining more traction. It is probably not unthinkable to see more people using the other social network in the near future. And if this is the case, being able to engage in a Google+ Hangout using Google Glass will certainly be handy.



4. Text message
Of all the Google Glass features, this is probably one of the most convincing, especially for those who are constantly hunched over their phones texting. This also extends to emails, by the way. To be honest, the mere thought of not having to hold the phone/tablet to check mails/text messages and reply to them is more than enough to entice me to start saving for Google Glass.

5. Google Maps
For people like me who are already totally reliant on Google Maps to get around their own city without being ripped off by cab drivers who prefer to take the “scenic route”, Google Glass’s Maps integration is essential. Turn-by-turn directions included.



6. Translate
Love to travel but can’t speak a foreign language if your life depended on it? No need to worry if you have Google Glass with you. It can help with translation, even if it’s another person speaking to you in a strange language. At the moment, this feature is not fully developed yet, and there are probably issues with Internet connectivity, but once this feature gets there, it will be awesome.



7. iOS Compatibility in the works
This is not really a specific feature if you think about it, but one of the main concerns of consumers is that Google Glass will not be compatible with their other devices. The good news is that they are working on iOS compatibility for important Google Glass features like turn-by-turn directions and text messaging.
There really is no reason not to try out the Google Glass, even with only these seven features, is there? Perhaps the current price of $1500 is a tad steep, but if Google pulls the price down to half – or less, as some think will happen – then it is not going out on a limb to predict that Google Glass really will be the next big thing in consumer tech. There are critics – pessimists will always be present and loud, even – but a lot remains to be seen, and if these features work excellently, I honestly can’t see why you wouldn’t be convinced to go the Google Glass way.

 EnjOy..:)
MamoOn..

How to Create Your Own Windows7 Theme

A Windows 7 theme is nothing but a collection of wallpapers, visual styles, screensaver and some windows settings which gives a unique feel to your desktop. You can change settings of some visual elements like Window border color, different windows sounds and create a new environment – in short a unique Windows 7 theme.
There are many reasons why you want to create your own Windows 7 theme. The first reason is that you may work with multiple computers and find it very difficult or distracting when there is another theme installed on the same system. You want to save time changing all the settings, colors, background wallpaper and in these situations a windows theme pack file will certainly help.
The second reason is that you may want to create something very unique which no one else has done before and would want to share this Windows 7 them with your friends or colleagues. If you have a website or blog, you can create a Windows 7 theme for your blog readers and give it away for free as well.
The advantage of using a Windows7 theme pack is that you can change the entire look by simply double clicking the themepack file. There is no need to change each and every setting over and over again.

Accumulate All the Items of The Theme You Are Going to Create

Before we move on to the steps of creating a Windows7 themepack, here are the typical elements of a Windows7 themepack which you need to know:

• Desktop icons
• Desktop wallpapers
• Windows Sounds
• Windows screensaver
• Mouse pointers
• Theme color
• Slideshow.

1. First accumulate all the elements of your theme in a new folder – here you will save all the files required by the theme to work. You can create nested folders inside your main folder to contain wallpapers, screensavers, mouse cursors and so on.



2. Find Wallpapers: Search for some cool wallpaper sites and download those wallpapers which you want to show in your theme. A quick Google Search for wallpapers will open a lot of wallpapers sites, you can also use our recommended list of trusted wallpapers sites here.
As an example – I would want to give a MAC feel to my windows desktop, hence I downloaded some MAC wallpapers and copied all of them to my custom Windows7 theme folder -> Wallpapers folder.

3. Find Screensavers: In the same way, search for some screensaver sites and download a couple of good screensavers for your new windows 7 theme. A good website for free screensavers is screensavers.com.
If you do not prefer to use any screensaver, it is perfectly all right. The themepack which will be created will then use windows default screensaver.

4. Find Unique sounds: Don’t like the sound scheme of Windows7? Go ahead and download some cool sounds which you want to use in the Windows7 theme which you are creating. You can use sounddogs.com or freesound.org to find high quality sound effects for Free. Once you have downloaded the custom sound files, drop them in the “Sounds” folder of the Windows 7 theme.
5. Cursors and Icons: Similarly you can find free mouse cursors here and some good looking icons on this website
Once all the files are in place, drop them in the respective folders – this will be handy when you want to change your theme at a later point of time or want to edit the theme from scratch.

Creating the Windows 7 Themepack

1. Right click on desktop and select “Personalize”, as shown below:



2. This will open a new window where you can change different elements of the theme. The window will look like the following:



3. Now you have to change the different elements of the custom theme which you are going to create.
First, click “Change desktop icons” on the left top of the window and choose the items whose icon you wish to change. Remember we created a new folder containing the files of our theme earlier? Now browse to the same folder and choose the respective icons, as shown below:



Make sure to select the checkbox “Allow themes to change desktop icons” and then hit “Apply” followed by “OK”
3. In the same way, click mouse pointers on the personalization window and browse to the “Cursors folder” of your Windows 7 themes folder. Next choose the cursors which you want to use in your theme, as shown below:



4. To add wallpapers to your Windows7 theme, go back to the personalization window and select “Desktop background” at the bottom of the window:



Now browse to the “Wallpapers” folder created earlier which contains all the wallpapers you have saved for the custom theme you are going to create.



Click save changes and you are done.
5. Changing the color of program windows is also fairly easy, click “Windows colors” at the bottom of the personalization window and pick the color you want to go with the custom theme.


6. The next feature is changing Windows sounds, which is available just beside the “Windows color” link at the bottom of the personalization Window. Click the “Sounds” link and this will open the following window:



First select the program events and then click the “Browse” button to select the source path of the sound file in the your Windows7 theme folder (discussed earlier).

Saving the Custom Theme

Once all this customizations are done, you have to save all the changes to a themepack file so that you can use this theme later. To do this, open the personalization window and click “Save theme” as shown below:



Next, right click the saved theme and select “Save theme for sharing”. This will open a window, now choose the file type as .themepack and save the themepack on your computer.




That’s it. You have just created a brand new windows7 theme and it’s ready to be used on any computer. To share this theme, all you have to do is send the themepack file to anyone and your friends would be able to use the same theme on their computers. If you want to change the theme again, you can follow the exact same steps as mentioned earlier, because you have the source files that are used in the custom theme you have built.
This tutorial works for all the editions of Windows7 e.g Home premium, professional, ultimate and enterprise.
Have you created your own personalized windows7 theme ? Please share your thoughts in the comments section..

EnjOy..:)
MamoOn..

Top 5 iOS 7 Rumors

Whenever the time for a new iOS version comes near, pundits and average users alike run around like headless chickens, declaring and wishing for features that are needed and wanted. History has taught us that where there is smoke, there is fire; so when the inevitable slew of iOS rumors hit the Internet, you can say that it’s not a complete waste of your time to keep track of them. There is, of course, the argument that we will get what Apple decides to give us anyway, but where’s the fun in merely sitting back and letting the Internet do its thing without being more than an observer?

June is almost here, which brings us the the already sold-out WWDC. That means we’re going to – probably – hear the official word on Apple’s latest mobile OS (among other things such as, maybe, the iPad 5). Not being one to pass up on speculating, let me share with you some the top 5 iOS 7 rumors so far.
1. Expect delay
What’s new, really? We cannot ignore the fact that with many tech releases – and not only with Apple – delays are part of the package. What could very well be the highlight of the iOS 7 rumors is this expected delay, which is mainly credited to Jony Ive’s design overhaul. Having seen what Ive has done over the years, though, the chances are that the result will be worth the wait. Oh, and there’s the tiny detail of un-Forstalling iOS.



That being said, the official word is that iOS 7 is expected to be released by September, even though internal deadlines have been moved.
2. Bye bye skeuomorphism
Skeuomorphism  has become a buzzword in recent times, and it has received one bashing too many in my opinion. Maybe my bias toward the design concept has something to do what that. In any case, iOS 7 rumors point to the death of skeuomorphism. Again, Sir Jony Ive is right smack in the middle of the picture with his concept of a very flat design. It’s definitely going to be a huge change. How do you feel about this?




3. In-car integration of Maps and Siri
Siri can be sassy sometimes. Maps is a dead horse that people should stop beating. Apple has not given up on either of them and, in fact, has continued to make improvements. Going one step further, another of the iOS 7 rumors that we’ve been hearing is that Apple is collaborating with car makers in order to make Maps and Siri an inherent part of car center consoles. Specifically, instead of proprietary GPS software, a plugged-in iPhone will allow Apple Maps to be used. Do you use Apple Maps?

4. Face value
This rumored feature is for those who care about security/privacy so much so that they put a passcode on their iPhone but hate the inconvenience of having to enter those numbers all the time. If the iOS 7 rumors can be believed, then the next iPhone will have an image recognition system which will allow users to unlock their phones without resorting to entering a passcode.
Where does this particular rumor stem from? From a patent which was published earlier this year. For someone who has NEVER used a passcode on her iPhone, I actually wouldn’t mind this feature.



5. iRadio
I’ve always been one to use different devices for specific reasons. The iPhone is a phone. The iPod Nano is an mp3 player. The iPad is a gaming device. I do understand, though, that many other users prefer to use one device for everything. Hence, the iPhone functions as a phone, music player, ebook reader, and gaming device all in one. If you rely heavily on your iPhone for music, then you will love the last iOS 7 rumor on this list: iRadio.
It makes sense that Apple is not leaving Internet radio alone. And with the not-so-quiet whispers that Apple and Universal Music Group (as well as Warner Music) are close to signing a deal (if they haven’t already), signs are pointing at iRadio becoming a reality in time for iOS 7. Additionally, back in 2009, Apple bought Lala, a music service that is all about allowing users to stream purchased music to their PCs and/or Macs. Back then, the news was that Apple had no intentions of offering a service that would, for example, use Lala to stream music to the iPhone via an Apple-offered subscription-based application. This could very well change soon, though.
When it comes to Internet radio, Spotify and Pandora are the big names, but the entry of Apple will surely make a dent in that space. After all, the number of iTunes users is nothing to scoff at!



Aside from the existing user base, however, what is Apple banking on to make iRadio a success? We’re still at the rumor stages, remember, but we hear that iRadio will have more on-demand features; and in an age where on-demand is the in thing, this will certainly give iRadio a boost.
Conclusion
So there you have the top 5 iOS 7 rumors. Are you inclined to believe all – or any – of them? Which ones do you actually want to see in the next iOS?

EnjOy..:)
MamoOn..