Five Online Options for Making Music on Your Web Browser

In the past, there have been many obstacles that have stopped the average person from making their own music. However, most of these obstacles are now gone thanks to cloud computing. No longer does a person have to purchase expensive software to competently edit, record, and mix their own music. Those types of applications can now be accessed through regular internet browsers for free. Thanks to cloud computing technology. Below is a list of five of these amazing programs.

(Courtesy Of Flickr User: Gorski)

If your connection speed is too slow to handle these kinds of programs, consider reading internet provider reviews to find a better ISP. You don’t want to lose an audio project you put a lot of work into. Using internet provider reviews, you should be able to find out which hosts provide the bandwidth needed for these sophisticated music editing programs.

Otomata

One such program is known as Otomata. It is available online free of charge. This program allows people to compose music with the simple click of the mouse. It’s extremely simplistic in design and easy for anyone to pick up.

A person can compose music by clicking on cells within a box. You can choose to send those cells left, right, up, or down. Once you press play, it releases these cells. When the cells hit a wall in the box, it produces a sound in a certain pitch that is determined by where the collision takes place in the box and other settings such tempo and scale.

Audio Sauna

Another website that takes advantage of the power of cloud computing is Audio Sauna. This website gives you access to powerful production tools that once were only available to individuals that could afford to buy or rent very expensive synthesizers, drum machines, and other audio production equipment.

Tools available in this site’s music production suite include a digital keyboard, synthesizers, low-pass and high-pass filters, a channel mixer, and more. It’s like having high tech music studio right on your web browser.

(Courtesy of Flickr User: Marco Raaphorst)

Audio Tool

Another great free resource is Audio Tool. Like Audio Sauna, Audio Tool gives you direct access to digital production tools such as synthesizers and drum machines. However, it does more than let you produce music. It also allows you to record vocals and instrumentals through the microphone application and edit them in the Audio Tool digital studio.

This program is also great for newcomers. It comes with a number of templates such as “dubstep” and “techno” that can be used as a starting point. Audio Tool is available both as a browser program and as an app, allowing people to edit and record music nearly anywhere.

Tone Matrix

Another fun online program is Tone Matrix. Like Otomata, this tool was designed to be very intuitive and easy to pick up for just about anyone. Also like Otomata, it allows people to construct music by simply clicking on different grid spaces within a box.

This box, however, is actually a 16 step sequencer. It can allow you to create complex compositions that rival anything that could be produced by an ordinary keyboard. It is also extremely addictive. You may find yourself spending a lot of free time to see what different tunes you can come up with, using this very simple tool.

Soundation Studio

Lastly, but certainly not least, is Soundation Studio. Like other online digital music suites, this online program grants you access to a plethora of different production and mixing tools. However, Soundation has certain great resources not available elsewhere. This includes a large loop library as well as digital tools that reproduce the sounds of acoustic instruments.

Using this digital studio, you can edit and record your music. You can also use the studio’s tools to post your music on your website so you can share it with others.

In Conclusion

Due to the advent of the internet and cloud computing, being forced to pay for expensive studio time or the assistance of a sound engineer to create polished music has come to an end. Paying for expensive programs like Pro Tools may also be a thing of the past as well.

This is due to the fact that many of the same exact tools are now available for absolutely free to anyone that has internet access. The introduction of even more advanced tools and features such as online collaboration between different musicians shouldn’t be too far off either. The face of music is certain to change forever.

How to Improve Battery Life on Android Phones

 

For a long time I used to have an old Nokia phone. It didn’t have any cool features, but I liked it a lot and didn’t want to replace it… until the day I saw the HTC Incredible S. First of all, I liked its appearance, then I started reading about Google’s Android OS and its advantages, and one day I decided to buy this phone. I was lucky enough to find it for quite an affordable price, so I went for it.

The HTC Incredible S is really a very stylish, I can even say a gorgeous smartphone, and Android brings in so many useful features my old phone didn’t have… But the problem is – I found out that Android phones have a really short battery life, or so it seemed to me. I could use my old Nokia for about a week before the battery was drained, and my new Incredible S’s battery lasted only for a day or even less. I was really surprised and started reading different forums to find out if the other Android users had the same problem. It came out that Android devices usually have a really short battery life – HTC Incredible S users said they could actively use their fully-charged devices for 6-9 hours – and that’s all.

6-9 hours couldn’t be enough for me, so I started looking for ways to improve the battery life of my Incredible S. It took me some time to find ways to save some battery life not depriving myself of the goodies Android offers. And here are my tips; I hope they’ll be useful for other Android users as well:

1. First of all, try to keep your phone’s software and apps up-to-date, download the new versions as soon as they appear, since they’re usually more optimized and consume less battery life.

2. Second, did you know that the air temperature and pressure affect your Android phone’s battery life? Keep in mind that your battery will be drained in a few hours if it’s too cold or hot around or if you take it with you to high mountains.

3. Third, services like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS consume battery life even if they’re just on but not being used at the moment. So if you want to improve your Android phone’s battery life, it’s better to keep these services off when you don’t need them.

4. Screen brightness also affects the battery life of Android phones – the brighter the screen the more power it consumes. So decrease the default brightness of your smartphone’s screen if you want to save battery life or turn auto-brightness on (if your phone has such an option; the HTC Incredible S has it) – the phone will make the screen darker when you’re indoors thus saving a considerable amount of battery life. You can also use darker static wallpapers instead of bright live ones – they also consume less power.

5. Sometimes when you close an app its process remains open and continues to drain your phone’s battery, that’s why it’s a good idea to always make sure that all needless processes and apps are closed. Android phones usually have built-in apps and task managers to deal with those apps and processes, but you can also use something like the Advanced Task Killer or any other similar app from Android Market.

6. And the last tip is to check emails, weather forecasts and other things like that manually, since data push services also consume much battery life.

If you follow these tips, you’ll be able to prolong your Android phone’s battery life up to 2-3 days. Maybe it’s not too much, but at least it’s much better than 6-9 hours, right?

5 Reasons to Swap Your Old iPhone for the iPhone 4S

While the rate at which technology changes and improves can sometimes be overwhelming and even frustrating — especially when you purchase a new piece of hardware only to find that a newer one has just been released — the benefits of technology’s advancements far outweigh the costs.

Apple iPhone users are currently experiencing this cost-benefit trade-off; the iPhone 4S recently replaced the iPhone 4, giving Apple fans yet another reason to open their wallets.  Many customers, however, are hesitant to shell out another $100-$400 for a phone that at first glance doesn’t offer any significant upgrades to what is already a great product.

But looks, as they say, can be deceiving.

Underneath the case the houses the iPhone 4S there are 5 remarkable changes to the hardware that make the 4S the best iPhone yet.

1. The A5 processor chip

While the A5 is still only a single core processor (rumor has it that the iPhone 5 will have the A6, which is a dual core), it offers twice the processing speed of its predecessor, which means that processes, programs, multitasking, and apps will all be faster and more efficient, with less lag, so you can do what you need and want to more quickly.

2. The dual core graphics processor, along with the upgraded still and video cameras

While Apple has always been known for its multimedia capabilities, the iPhone 4S represents a new standard in stunning visuals, which are now seven times faster than they were before.  That means that everything you see will be lighting fast, and ultra-responsive.  Furthermore, the graphics processor drives the camera and video capabilities in the phone, which are both wonders in and of themselves.  The still camera has over twice the resolution of the iPhone 4, and the video camera records in full 1080p, and also allows users to edit video on the go.  You’ve simply got to see the clarity and speed of these features to believe them.

3. The SIRI voice assistant

By now you’ve probably seen the Apple commercials that showcase this feature.  What the SIRI voice assistant does is make browsing and using your phone as hands off as possible.  Simply tap the icon and ask a question or give a command and your phone will respond.  It will read text messages, perform internet searches, find directions, set alarms, open apps, and much more.  The new signal processor in the iPhone 4S makes the SIRI voice assistant possible, and is only installed in the 4S.

4. The new antennae

That’s right.  Plural.  That means better signal strength and fewer dropped calls.  Need I say more?

5. The new OS and storage options

iOS5 was released in mid-October, and all new iPhone 4S’s come with it.  iOS5 has more features than I can list here, but rest assured that they all work to make your phone experience, and your life, easier.  With the 4S, customers also have the option of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models, so you can pick the phone that fits your price and storage preferences.

So, while it may seem like you won’t ever catch a break, and that Apple is always coming out with new and better phones faster than you can buy them, the truth is that the breakthroughs in technology are worth the extra buck now and then.  Technology isn’t going to stop improving — if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!

Nokia Lumia 800 Price in India – 3.7-inch touchscreen Nokia Windows Phone Smartphone

The new Nokia Lumia 800 is the first Windows Phone Smartphone from Nokia . It sports a large 3.7-inch touchscreen AMOLED ClearBlack display with toughened glass stretching to the sides of the phone . It sports stunning design , similar to that of Nokia N9 (MeeGo OS) . There is no front camera in Nokia Lumia 800 , god knows why Nokia thought that this flagship smartphone can not be used for video calling .

Nokia Lumia 800 mobile features :

• First Nokia mobile with Windows Phone OS
• Large , Bright full touch screen display
• 8MP camera
• smooth single-piece body
• Powerful processor
• Long battery backup

Nokia Lumia 800 specifications :

• Display : 3.7-inch bright AMOLED ClearBlack display
• Dedicated buttons at the front : Back, Start and Search (set in the glass)
• available in colors: black, cyan and magenta
• Camera : 8 mega-pixel with auto-focus ,Carl Zeiss optics ,and flash
• HD video recording @ 30 frames per second
• CPU : 1.4GHz processor
• Internal memory : 16GB
• cloud computing : 25GB of free SkyDrive storage
• Network : Quadband GSM , UMTS
• Connectivity : 3G HSDPA , WiFi , Bluetooth
• Battery :
  • Talktime : up to 13 hours
  • Stand by time : up to 335 hours
• Dimensions : 116.5 x 61.2 x 12.1mm
• Weight : 142gm
• Nokia Drive – free turn-by-turn navigation and a dedicated in-car interface
• Nokia MixRadio – free global mobile music-streaming
• Browser : Internet Explorer 9 fast, HTML5 applications

Nokia Lumia 800 Price in India : Around Rs.28,000 . Coming in December 2011 .

BlackBerry Bold 9790 Price in India – Touch and Type QWERTY smartphone

RIM has launched the new BlackBerry Bold 9790 , a Touch and Type smartphone sporting a 2.4″ capacitive touch screen and a QWERTY keypad below it .

BlackBerry Bold 9790 features/specs :

• Display : 2.4-inch capacitive touchscreen ,360 x 480 pixels resolution
• Thickness : 11.4mm
• Weight : 107g
• Primary Navigation : Full QWERTY keyboard
• Processor : 1 GHz
• Camera : 5 mega-pixel auto-focus camera with LED flash
• Memory : 768 MB RAM, 8 GB internal memory
• Storage : Expandable up to 32GB (MicroSD card)
• NFC support
• Wireless LAN : Wi-Fi 802.11 n
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• GPS Navigation with A-GPS
• Office document editor : Documents To Go (Premium)
• Pre-loaded applications : BlackBerry Protect for backup , Social Feeds 2.0 , Social networking applications , BlackBerry Balance (virtual wall between corporate and personal content)

BlackBerry Bold 9790 Price in India : Coming soon .. (Around Rs.24,000)

Blackberry Curve 9380 Price in India – 3.2-inch Touchscreen BlackBerry 7 OS Smartphone

RIM has launched the new full touchscreen Blackberry Curve 9380 smartphone .It sports a large 3.2-inch touchscreen display with an optical track-pad below it  and is loaded with the latest BlackBerry 7 OS . This the is a slim and sleek all-touch design smartphone with light weight and premium build quality .

BlackBerry Curve 9380 features/specs :

• Display : 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen , 480 x 360 pixels resolution
• Secondary Navigation : Optical trackpad , navigation keys
• Processor : 806 MHz
• Camera : 5 mega-pixel with LED flash
• Memory : 512 MB RAM, 512 MB internal memory
• Storage : Expandable up to 32GB (MicroSD card)
• NFC support
• Wireless LAN : Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• GPS Navigation with A-GPS
• Office : Documents To Go (Premium)
• BlackBerry protect
• Social Feeds 2.0 and Social networking applications

Blackberry Curve 9380 Price in India : Coming soon .. (Around Rs.18,500) .

Intel Core i7-2700K Price in India – 3.5 GHz 2nd Generation Quad-Core Desktop Processor

The new Intel Core i7-2700K is the latest 3.5 GHz 2nd Generation Quad-Core Desktop Processor based on 32nm lithography .

Intel Core i7-2700K processor specifications :

• Processor : Intel Core i7-2700K
• Number of Cores/Threads : 4/8
• Clock Speed : 3.5 GHz
• Max Turbo Frequency : 3.9 GHz
• Intel Smart Cache : 8 MB
• Manufacturing tech : 32 nm
• Max TDP : 95 W
• Memory support : up to 32 GB DDR3-1066/1333
• Processor Graphics : Intel HD Graphics 3000
• Intel InTru 3D Technology
• Intel Clear Video HD Technology
• Dual Display Capable
• Intel Turbo Boost Technology
• Intel Hyper-Threading Technology
• Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel Core i7-2700K Price in India : Around Rs.17,000 . Coming soon in Q4 2011 ..

New Features of iOS 5

With over 200 new features, the new iOS 5 can seem daunting and difficult. The truth is these features are there to make your life easier. While no individual tool or feature can make you more productive, some of these features will save you time to help you make yourself more productive. The following are only six of the many new features you can look forward to when you upgrade and use iOS 5.

iMessage

iMessage is the new free text message service provided with Apple devices. It will replace the Message application, and will be installed on every iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. iMessage is similar to BlackBerry’s Messenger because it allows users to send an unlimited number of texts to anyone else using an iDevice. Users can start a conversation on one device and then continue it on another through wireless syncing.

Camera Upgrades

Some users of other camera phones have complained about the time it takes to open a camera application and take a picture. By the time they get everything ready, the moment may be gone. iOS 5 shortens the time a user needs to take out their device, pull up the camera application, and capture a moment. A photo button appears when the user double clicks the home button on the locked screen, and the volume button takes the picture.

iCloud

When a user signs up for iCloud, they will be provided with 5 GB of online storage and streaming of their media files for free, and even more storage can be purchased as well. An iCloud account will give the user access to a new email client, calendar, contacts, and documents on the cloud. Using this account can help keep the user’s iPhone and other iCloud friendly devices in sync with the server.

Notification Center

Notifications no longer cause all other phone activity to cease with iOS 5. Incoming messages and other notifications appear for a short time at the top of the screen without interrupting other activities on the phone. To get to the organized Notification center, all the user has to do is swipe down from the top of the screen, or the user could access new notifications directly from the Lock Screen. Once the user gets to the Notification Center, they can set up notifications for any application that supports it, and they can include other fun widgets for weather, stocks, etc.

Keyboard Shortcuts

With iOS 5, under Settings and then under Keyboard, the user can see a new Shortcuts section. This will allow the user to enter commonly used personal phrases and create a shortcut to use to those phrases whenever they need them. Once the phrase has been added, the user will see a shortcut to the phrase in the auto-correct bar when they begin to type the phrase anywhere on their device. This could help prevent the frustration and embarrassment caused by some auto-correction mistakes.

Reminders

Finally, Reminders is a wonderful new feature that comes with iOS 5. This application allows users to make lists of tasks that have specific due dates, add a reminder for that date and time or location, and then add a name and a note to the reminder to help the user remember exactly what they are supposed to do. This great application, along with the other features mentioned here, will help the user become more organized and productive.

Nokia Asha 200 Price in India – Nokia 200 Dual SIM QWERTY mobile phone

The new Nokia Asha 200 (Nokia 200) is an affordable price Dual SIM mobile phone with QWERTY keypad .The second SIM slot is on the outside of the mobile phone and features Easy Swap function to swap between SIM cards without turning the mobile off.It is available in vibrant colors of your choice and sports FM Radio recording .

Nokia Asha 200 mobile features :

• Dual SIM GSM
• Easy Swap function – swap cards in the second SIM slot without turning off phone
• FM recording
• Long battery backup
• Expandable memory
• Installable Apps and Games
• Nokia Browser
• Customizable home screens

Nokia Asha 200 mobile specifications :

• Dimensions : 115.4 x 61.1 x 14.0 mm
• Weight : 105 gm
• Memory :
  • Internal : Up to 10 MB
  • Expandable : up to 32 GB with a microSD card (hotswappable)
• Battery : Nokia Battery BL-5J (1430 mAh)
  • Talk time : up to 7 hours
  • Standby time :
    • GSM up to 37 days (single SIM)
    • GSM up to 23 days (dual SIM)
    • Music playback time : up to 52 hours
• Display : 2.4-inch , 320×240 pixels resolution
• Operating frequency : Dual SIM Dual Standby, GSM/EDGE 900/1800 MHz
• Connectivity
  • GPRS/EDGE
  • Bluetooth v2.1 with EDR (no A2DP)
  • micro USB connector
  • 3.5 mm audio jack
• Nokia Messaging Mail & Chat 3.2
• Social (Communities) 2.0 – Facebook, Orkut, and more
• Nokia Store
• Nokia Browser
• Camera : 2 megapixel
• Video recording in QCIF (10fps)
• Video Player : MPEG4,3GPP
• Music Player : MP3, AAC and eAAC+
• Stereo FM radio
• FM recording and Song Capture
• Loud Speaker (106 phon)
• Recording UI integrated with Radio player
• Inside the mobile box
  • Nokia Asha 200
  • Nokia Charger AC-11
  • Nokia Battery BL-5J
  • Nokia Stereo Headset WH-102

Nokia Asha 200 Price in India : The new Nokia 200 Price in India will be Rs.4,000 . Coming soon in India (Nov. – Dec. 2011) .

How to Stay Safe Online

These days the internet is relied on by people all around the world, whether it is for business, finding information, to do their banking, or for their shopping. There are many benefits of the internet but, unfortunately, there is also a sinister side, with some attempting to gain at the expense of others. This can be through viruses, hacking into someone’s computer systems, phishing, or through social media. There are, though, certain things everyone can do to reduce the chances of them being taken advantage of. Besides you, your should also keep your kids safe online.

Anti-Virus Software and Firewall

Both anti-virus software and firewalls are needed to keep your computer safe. Contrary to the beliefs of some, they are not the same thing. A firewall blocks programs that are attempting to access your computer over a network, including the internet. Anti-Virus software, on the other hand, specifically blocks viruses. This will include viruses through emails and from things such as external drives. When anti-virus software detects a virus it removes it. In short, the job of a firewall is to block unauthorised access to the computer, while anti-virus software specifically attempts to spot viruses and prevent them from infecting the computer.

Passwords

One of the most common reasons people are hacked into is due to people guessing their passwords. For this reasons it is important to think carefully about passwords. For example, don’t use your name or date of birth, as this leaves you extremely susceptible of being hacked into. To limit the chances of someone guessing your password use long passwords and mix letters, numbers and other symbol. Passwords should be changed on a regular basis.

Emails

Don’t trust emails unless you know where they are from. This includes those that claim to be from banks or governments. Emails claiming to be from banks or government departments are some of the most common avenues used by criminals wishing to hack into computers. Banks and governments would not contact you in this way anyway. Importantly, do not open attachments in emails unless you know what they are and who they are from.

Don’t Disclose Private Information Online

Always think carefully before putting anything online. Don’t disclose information unless you are prepared for everyone to know about it. People often fail to think of the potential consequences of what they do online, especially on social networking sites. If you put something online you have to be prepared for anyone to find out about it, from your friends to your employers or possible future employers, and even criminals. You should never, for example, disclose your address or your whereabouts. If someone knows where you live and when you are on holiday, then they know when no-one will be home.

Online Shopping

While using the internet for shopping is another time when you need to be careful. In particular, there are two key things to make sure of when making online payments. The first is that the web address on payment pages begins with ‘https’ instead of the usual ‘http’. There should also be a lock symbol in the website address box. It is advisable to use common sense, for example don’t purchase through websites you have never heard of. Looking for contact details, such as a physical address and phone number, is also a good idea. Genuine businesses will supply these on their website. If in doubt, give them a call to see if anyone actually works there.

Common sense goes a long way when it comes to keeping you safe online. If something looks suspicious then you should assume it is and if something looks too good to be true then it may well be. You should take precautions such as using strong passwords and you shouldn’t say anything online that you wouldn’t tell everyone you know, and people you don’t know.

How to make your man more romantic

If love was like it is in the movies then our lives would all be a whirlwind of intimate late night dinners, flowers delivered to work and surprise romantic weekends away. Unfortunately, in the real world you're lucky if your man remembers to buy a card for your anniversary.

We've all moaned about how our men aren't romantic enough but, as modern day women, if you want it you've got to go out and get it. But how do you do it?

Firstly, focus on the positive. Instead of concentrating on all the things that he doesn't do, look at what he does. Making you a cup of tea in the morning, buying you your favourite chocolate bar or putting your washing away may seem like mundane actions but they all show that he cares and wants to do nice things for you.
Romance doesn't have to be all flowers and expensive dinners, but about showing each other how much you care and spending quality time together.
It is easy to think that the man has to do all the work but when was the last time you made a romantic gesture? Lead by example and take the responsibility for a putting a bit of romance back into your relationship. Cook him a nice meal, run yourselves a candlelit bath or give him a backrub after a long day at work.
Victoria Lukats, psychiatrist and relationship expert for Parship.com says, "Romance is important as it keeps couples connected and shows your partner that you are thinking about them. Do romantic things for him but be careful not to suffocate him. Start off small."
You may be thinking it's all very well you doing all the work - but what about him? If you want your man to be more romantic you need to tell him. As much as we would like our men to know exactly what we want and deliver it without us having to ask, they are not mind readers.
"You need to find a way to communicate," says Victoria. "If you say ‘do this', it's not very romantic so you need to lead them by the hand. Don't be prescriptive but give them the chance to do it by themselves."
Try to find a trigger for the conversation such as a scene on TV or a story about your friends and use this to talk about your own relationship. Put the emphasis on you both as a couple and try to steer clear of giving him a lecture. Say, "Wouldn't it be nice if we did this," or, "I'd love to do... with you."
And remember, men's idea of romance is often very different to yours so don't be negative and criticise him when his gestures fail to live up to your expectations. Instead, be happy that he has made the effort and use it as a starting point for a romantic future.
Here are four steps to take towards turning your man into the one in the movies...
Tease him
Hints don't work very well with men but it is always worth a try. Leave this article up on your computer, talk about a friend's romantic partner or comment on a romantic scene on TV. All these things might give him some ideas but you are best off just telling him how you feel.
Tell him
Men aren't mind readers - much as we'd like them to be - so you need to tell them what you want. Don't make it confrontational but open up the conversation by asking what you could do to make him feel more wanted/loved/appreciated.
Teach him
The best way to get someone to change their behaviour is by setting an example of what you would like done. Do something romantic for him - that he would like not just what you want - and he will be more inspired to reciprocate.

Treat him
Everyone likes to be complimented so make sure your man knows how pleased you are when he makes romantic gesture. Don't overdo it but be genuine about your feelings and what it means to you.