Manage & Control Android Devices Wirelessly With AirDroid

We all love our smartphones and tablets, but sometimes there’s only so much you can do with the single screen view and limited screen size. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to manage all your data on your Android device like you could on the laptop? With AirDroid, you can.

AirDroid lets you connect your Android device with a desktop PC or laptop where you can then access files, send/recieve SMS, install/uninstall apps, and manage bulks of data in your Android smartphone or tablet. Oh, and it lets you do this wirelessly.

Getting started with AirDroid

In order to begin using AirDroid, you must ensure your desktop PC or laptop is on the same (wireless) network as your Android device. This is to link up your mobile device with your desktop PC or laptop.
On your Android device, go to Google Play and download and install AirDroid. Run the app.
On your desktop PC or laptop, navigate to web.airdroid.com or key in the IP address shown on your Android device.

Login to AirDroid

You can login by scanning the QR code or punching in a 6-digit code.
To enter via QR Code scan: tap the camera button in the AirDroid app. Scan the QR code shown on your browser.
To enter via passcode: input the 6-digit passcode you see on your Android device onto your web browser.

Once you have successfully logged in, you’ll see icons, and other relevant information about your device. Your devices are now connected. Let’s get to work.

What You Can Do With AirDroid

After you have logged in, you can click on any of the icons to start managing and controlling your Android device from your desktop PC.
Here is the list of icons and a short description of what they do:

• Messages – Create, receive or reply SMS messages.
• Music – Manage and upload music content to your device.
• Contacts – Manage and edit contact details.
• Apps – Manage apps installed on your device or install an app with an APK file from your desktop.
• Ringtones – Manage and upload phone, notification and alarm ringtones.
• Frequent Contacts – Shows contacts you frequently communicate with.
• Files – File explorer similar to exploring files when your device is plugged into your computer.
• Videos – Manage, view and upload video files.
• Screenshot – Take screenshots of your Android device (rooted devices only).
• Call Logs – View or delete details of incoming, outgoing or missed calls.
• Photos – Manage and upload photos on your Android device.

AirDroid Browser ‘Widgets’

There are more things you can do with widgets found on your browser, widgets like the Clipboard and URL Opener, and the Search Bar.
The clipboard allows you to control the clipboard of your device. This is good for transferring a long string of text or digits you may want to transfer from your computer to your device.
The URL opener opens the copied link on the default browser of your Android device.

And lastly, the Search Bar lets you look for apps on the Play Store or on Quixey.
There are also 5 buttons on the right of the search bar which allow you to:

1. Enable "multiple desktops" for better multitasking (see below)
2. Compose a text message
3. Install apps
4. Upload files
5. Return to the AirDroid main page.

Once you’re done using AirDroid, you can tap the Disconnect button on your device and quit the app.

10 iPhone Apps That Can Help Manage a Family Move

Moving is almost always a complicated, time-consuming, and all around inconvenient task. When you’re single or are a couple who doesn’t yet have children, the hassles of moving tend to be a bit less overwhelming than they are after children enter the picture. Once children are involved, however, moving a house full of an entire family’s belongings can become an almost unmanageable task. Thankfully, the mobile device in your pocket has the capability to dramatically streamline the moving process for you and your family, thanks to the power of the Apple system and the talent of the developers that stock the App Store.

These 10 apps can help you manage every aspect of the days leading up to your move, the big day itself and the ensuing aftermath.

To continue reading this article please go to:FindANanny.Net.

New Tech Makes the World Your Touch Screen

Disney Research's new capacitive touch technology can make everyday objects like a doorknob touch-sensitive. CREDIT: Disney ResearchView full size image

Forget touch screens. Think touch everything. A technology developed at Disney Research will bring touch gestures to everyday objects, including plants and your body.

Called Touché, the technology requires you to connect only one wire to an object to make it touch-sensitive.

Capacitive touch sensing is used in most mobile devices today, like smartphones and tablets. It relies on interactions with your body's electrical properties, which is why you can't work your smartphone with regular gloves on. Traditional capacitive touch handles only two states: on (touching) or off.

Touché allows a wider variety of interaction than what is currently offered. The technology is able to detect five different states: no touch, one-finger touch, a pinch, circle and a grasp. When paired with software that knows what to do with these inputs, it allows people to more precisely control devices. For instance, the developer of the technology, Ivan Poupyrev, demonstrated a doorknob equipped with Touché that is able to register how someone is touching it.

E-Textbooks Report Student Study Habits

Students may no longer enjoy the luxury of slacking off in privacy because of new electronic textbooks that report their study habits.

Teachers can track the time spent reading e-textbooks and see the notes or highlights made by students through the new service offered by CourseSmart Analytics. Three U.S. universities and colleges have signed on to test the e-textbook service before it becomes widely available in 2013 — a way to identify students who need help and gauge the e-textbooks that hold student interest.

“With the CourseSmart dashboard, professors will be better able to fine-tune lesson plans, critique student performance, and even tailor suggestions for specific students on how to study more effectively to help them stay on track and stay in school,” said Ellen Wagner, executive director at the Cooperative for Educational Technology (WCET).

Such a service represents the latest possibility for using digital learning to get better feedback on how well students are doing at all times — even when those students are studying on their own without teachers or parents. The information could allow professors and teachers to fine-tune lesson plans and focus efforts on struggling students.

Some digital textbook services already track the study habits of users, but the CourseSmart effort makes the information readily available and useful for educators.

“We have long believed in the benefits of analytics as a means to improve learning outcomes, increase retention and graduation rates, and help lower the costs of higher education,” said Sean Devine, CEO of CourseSmart.

The first three educational institutes testing the idea include Texas A&M University in San Antonio, Villanova University and Rasmussen College, according to an announcement made at the EDUCAUSE 2012 conference on Nov. 7.

But some students will likely find it creepy to have textbooks keeping an eye on their study habits. The new pilot program may at least allow educators to navigate the privacy issues or concerns that can arise from deploying the digital textbook service.

Taken from : Mashable.com

Wallet TrackR App

Losing your wallet is the ultimate inconvenience — credit cards, I.D., money are all gone in an instant.
The Wallet TrackR and accompanying iPhone app aim to prevent this problem through the power of tech. Here’s how it works: Place the “TrackR card,” a rectangular Bluetooth device, into your wallet; when it gets separated from your iPhone or iPad, the app alerts you. In case you don’t hear the alert, the app also photographs your wallet’s location at the time it was lost.
For those prone to losing their phones, the technology works both ways: Your wallet can also alert you if you’re leaving your phone behind.
Wallet TrackR works with the iPad mini, the iPhone 4S and 5, as well as the latest iPad and iPod Touch.
Its official website looks similar to a Kickstarter page, with the company asking for $250,000 in funding with “27 days left.” So far, Wallet TrackR has raised just over $9,200.