Themer app adds icon support
The newest version of Themer (Beta) which rolled out late last week adds in a new, much-requested feature. Going forward, the 1.38 and later versions will let users swap out icon packs with the press of a button.
After months of waiting and thousands of user requests, Themer now offers full icon pack support in the app drawer and on the homescreen via Smart Categories. And it couldn’t be easier to use: just download any pack from Play, open your app drawer, tap on Apps > Manage App Drawer > Set Icon Pack.
While we certainly appreciate how easy it is to install an entire theme for our Android devices, sometimes we like to adjust the icon pack to something a little newer. Thanks to Themer for integration of this option! Looking ahead, the developers promise even more great things before shedding the beta tag.
If customizing your Android is something you’re into, we recommend checking out our Get This Look series of posts. We love to highlight apps, widgets, wallpapers, and icon packs to enhance our user experience.
The post Themer app adds icon support appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung’s new monitors include one with a billion-color, 3,840 x 2,160 screen
Now that Samsung’s shown us the GS5, Gear 2 smartwatch and its latest Chromebook, it’s time for the company’s lesser-known product teams to come out of the woodwork. Next up: the display division, which today introduced three new models for 2014, including one with a billion-color, 3,840 x 2,160 screen. That would be the beaut you see above, the 28-inch UD590, which is up for pre-order for $700. In addition to that stunner of a display, it does Picture-in-Picture, with no downgrading in resolution as you move to a smaller frame. There’s also a dual-screen feature called Picture-by–Picture, which you could theoretically use for split-screen gaming, even though this was really designed with creative pros in mind. Design-wise, it’s fashioned out of metal, with thin bezels and a T-shaped stand that leaves room for speakers and other items you might have on your desk. Around back, you’ll find a single DisplayPort, along with two HDMI 1.4 sockets for outputting 4K.
In addition, Samsung announced two other monitors: the SD390 and SD590, each of which comes in 23.6- and 27-inch screen sizes. Throughout, all the monitors have 1080p resolution; the main difference is that the UD390 uses the same “Touch of Color” accents that Samsung first introduced on its TV line on a few years back. In this case, that means an emerald-colored accent and a see-through neck, in case those other black boxes are just too plain for your tastes. Those SD390 models have one HDMI and one VGA port apiece, and will start at $250 and $310 when they arrive in April. Meanwhile, the SD590 adds an extra HDMI port, and features that same space-saving T-stand used on the flagship model. That’ll cost you either $270 or $330, depending on whether you get the 23.6- or 27-inch version. And yes, that too will go on sale sometime in the coming weeks.
Filed under: Displays, Samsung
Source: Samsung UD590 (Amazon)
Square makes accounting easier for merchants by integrating with Xero
Square can make accepting credit cards easy for small businesses. Things get less simple, however, when it comes time to do the books for those businesses — something that often involves painstakingly inputting Square transactions into accounting software manually. To lessen that misery, last November Square launched a partnership with QuickBooks, and today the company announced another integration, this time with accounting program Xero.
Starting today, Xero customers can connect their Square account and automatically import daily sales data into the program. We chatted with one of the merchants who has been beta testing the integration, Andy Ciordia from The Secret Chocolatier in Charlotte NC, who told us that “anyone who has been doing this manually has a bit of grey hair” because of it. He says that while the partnership just brings in the first level of integration his business needs (later on he hopes they’ll add support for individual inventory items). In its current form it’s already saving him four hours a week in accounting time. That’s time we hope he spends creating more wild chocolate concoctions, like this Midnight Delight cake in a jar.
Samsung looks to Google for help in its latest legal battle with Apple
No matter how much we hope and pray, the legal wrangling between Apple and Samsung never seems to end. The latest court battle has Apple seeking up to $2 billion in damages from the Korean manufacturer for infringing on five patents, including tap to search and slide to unlock. This time around though, Samsung is looking to drag Google engineers into the courtroom to testify about the creation of Android — including, potentially, Andy Rubin. The hope is that their testimony and the evidence they provide would prove once and for all that the mobile operating system was developed independently of iOS and put to bed the back and forth over patent battles.
While Mountain View has successfully stayed above the fray for the most part, it makes sense for Seoul to drag the company into this particular battle. Apple is seeking up to $40 per device sold in royalties — far more than it ever has before. As part of its counter offensive Samsung is countersuing, claiming that Cupertino stole two of its technologies for use in the iPhone and iPad. Like other cases in the war, this will probably take some time to settle. And jury selection starts this week.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Samsung, Google
Source: Business Insider, Wall Street Journal
Sony’s latest home audio systems balance looks, price and sound quality
Here’s the thing with soundbars, sound plates and every other gadget that attempts to fill the niche between a full 5.1 home theater system and the tinny speakers built into your TV — they rarely sound great and they usually look even worse. Of course, there are always trade offs to be made, but the question that vexes us is, are they worth it? Sony is hoping that it’s found a proper balance with it’s latest trio of home audio setups and hit certain sweet spots on the bell curve of sound quality and design (and price).
First up are a pair of soundbars, the CT770 and CT370. Physically, both are extremely similar, with two-inch high bodies, angled speaker grills and displays that disappear completely into the front panel when turned off. The slimmer design allows them to be placed in front of a TV with little worry that you’ll be blocking the screen, something you couldn’t guarantee with their oddly octagonal predecessors. Both support 4K and 3D pass-through via a trio of HDMI inputs, along with optical and analog audio connections around back. There’s also Bluetooth under the hood, with NFC points on top for quickly pairing with the Sony SongPal app which acts both as a remote and lets you stream music from any service of your choosing.
The difference between the two boils down to price, power and size. The $449 770 has a total of 330 watts of power. Inside the main unit are four two-way speakers (two tweeters, two mid-range) with diffusers for creating the widest possible sound stage. In addition, a gyroscope inside can switch audio profiles based on the position the bar is in. The “.1″ of the 2.1 equation here is a 120W down-firing wireless subwoofer that, in our short experience, was capable of rumbling the floor without muddying the lows. It’s also designed for larger TVs in the 46-inch and up range. The smaller, $349 CT370 drops to a 100W subwoofer and, while neither is going to stand up next to a $1,000 5.1 home theater system, they definitely deliver clear balanced audio with a consumer-pleasing focus on the higher and lower frequencies.
The $299 XT1 “TV Sound System” is a rather elegantly designed platform with a 170W 2.1 array inside. It has it’s own 100W dual down-firing subwoofers and feet that elevate it off your TV bench (or sturdy crate…) to make sure the bass resonates clearly and as far as possible. The tempered glass top is designed to support the weight of a TV up to 55″ or 66 lbs. Just like its soundbar cousins it has Bluetooth and NFC on board, plus a trio of HDMI inputs. The XT1 didn’t produce quite as wide and even of sound as the CT770, but it was certainly a vast improvement over the speakers built into any mass market television.
All three units will be shipping in April and you’ll be able to pick them up from the usual retailers.
This is what the new CyanogenMod OS looks like on the OnePlus One
OnePlus has been constantly dishing out teasers for its upcoming One smartphone since December, but little is known about its UI until we received these two screenshots today, courtesy of a reliable tipster. First of all, this Android KitKat-based OS is dubbed “CyanogenMod 11S,” and given how the lock screen on the left looks nothing like the one in the original CyanogenMod, we assume the “S” indicates that this flavor carries OnePlus’ customizations. This cleaner lock screen lacks the usual unlock slider, but it still shows the clock, date, weather, battery level and text messages over a solid-color background. Here’s hoping that we can also toggle specific apps from the lock screen using swipe gestures.
The screenshot on the right confirms the presence of the three virtual Android buttons (as opposed to hardware ones), and that this Android 4.4.2-based OS is made for a device named “One.” With 23 more days to go until the phone’s launch, we’ll be keeping an eye out for the OnePlus One’s few remaining secrets — especially its sub-$400 price tag, which is very competitive for this 5.5-inch 1080p, Snapdragon 801-powered device.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Expanding business with web marketing professionals
The web has become an important place these days and there is no denying the fact. As a matter of fact, everyone, right from an adult, teenager to a child prefer to use the web to avail any kind of information, to purchase a product, to avail service or to sell anything. Hence, the internet has become a wonderful for every business, located at any remote corner of the world to exhibit their wares and showcase their services to customers far and near. This is an opportunity that every entrepreneur has been trying to avail. This is where there is a strong and urgent requirement for experienced and knowledgeable web marketing experts, who can change the fortunes of their clients with their years of experience and expertise. This is why, it is necessary to go through the webmarketingexperts.com.au review that are put up by existing and past clients, so that it can be made sure if the professional is worth the hiring and is capable of producing the desired results.
Web experts for both and new business
Budding entrepreneurs, who have been planning to launch a new website, should take the help of such professionals. This is because, with the presence of thousands of websites in the virtual world, there is immense competition through which the entrepreneur has to cut through and make his website to be visited by the targeted audience. This is a complex task that can be achieved only by an experienced professional. At the same time, even existing online businesses might introduce new services or products, or might come up with some lucrative offers for the potential clients both existing and new ones. However, this would not be viewed by them, until and unless it is properly marketed. This task is undertaken by the web marketing professionals, who do everything to make sure that the clients business gets the much desired footage that is required to get success.
Expanding the business
It is the dream of almost every entrepreneur to expand his business, be it online or physical one. But, for this, there is a requirement of professionals, who would help him to achieve the objective. This is the reason why, entrepreneurs should take extreme care to select a professional and should not rush things to hire one. A good professional would know all the relevant marketing techniques that would be specifically required to promote the business of their client. Web marketing involves different types of services such as SMO, PPC and SEO. It is through such services that it is possible to get adequate exposure to a huge volume of traffic.
How to select the professionals?
Selecting a good web marketing professional is indeed a daunting task. The entrepreneur needs to give adequate time to make sure for selecting one. The website of the experts would speak volumes of their expertise and experience. Their website needs to be on the top of the search engine, which would mean that they are capable of providing the appropriate results as required. Moreover, they should give a proper hearing to what the entrepreneur has to say, understand the requirements, have a look at the existing website and only then plan ahead as to how to promote the website. Also, they should deal in every type of service that would be required to promote the site. The staff hired by the web marketing company should have proper qualification and knowledge of technical know-how that would be needed for the work. They should be able to provide the entrepreneur with a list of existing clients and their testimonials to show their capability and confidence in the domain.
Online trade activities galore
Once you have come into the internet realm of online marketing and brand promotions, there are specific techniques which you need to adopt to go with the flow. With the kind of newer and modern search engine optimization techniques being developed daily, one has to be updated technologically for online business promotions. With the age of rapid internet advancements, e-shopping and online marketing is the order of the day so make sure that your websites attract the customers in droves. So let us read this article and know about some sure fire tips to make your host website stand out among the plethora of the internet companies in the world. Yes, there are many online marketing agencies which are making their way into the virtual arena today. So how will you determine the right one to suit your business needs? Here is how, so skim on through the rest of the article for more pointers.
The keywords are the search terms which you would need to look for while seeking the kind of online business requirements for the clients. So knowing the proper way to search them is a must and this is done by search engine optimization. The proper search engine optimization techniques catapult your website to the front pages of the major search engines on the internet. So this is the type of online marketing strategy which is required of you in order to promote your brands. You will need a firm which has sound experience, credibility, proper target planning and the newest forms of search engine optimization policies. There is a superb Australia based SEO provider company which promises to deliver its global clients the goods and makes good on this promise. As such, there will not be any Web Marketing Experts complaints because of the services par excellence and superior client benefits.
More updates
These are some of the basic technological updates the client should consider while short-listing a web marketing digital agency. This Australian based online marketing agency offers a lot of services to its clients like reputation control, effective anchor text management, site rankings, social networking promotions of the brands, web designing and lots more. You can visit their official website for more details and there are very little, if any Web Marketing Experts complaints. There are other things to consider also when you recruit an internet marketing company. You have to find out the work pattern, client budget, previous experience and how well updated they are with the latest kind of search engine optimization techniques. One has to be SEO savvy to a tee as the technological industry changes with each passing day and if you do not update yourself, business is bound to come to a standstill. There are many times when you may wonder that you have a great looking website with search engine optimized contents, attractive site layouts and easy navigations yet you don’t make any money. Why is that so? Read on to get the answers to your questions.
Final details
Have you ever thought of having the website audited? Then you can easily go in for the same by calling the expert and skilled SEO analysts of the Australian based company and get them to review your website. Often it happens that the keywords which you are using may be instrumental in driving a lot of traffic to your website but it cannot make the sales conversions. Sometimes you may need to change the overall website decorations too as per the client demands of the online sales markets. So, follow all these tips and go in to become one of the topmost web marketers round.
Criticism and Complaints about SEO services from Earlier Customers
Constructive criticisms are found to be mandatory for any company to make necessary rectifications in its path to take the organization forward and this is true about web marketing experts complaint that have been posted by their earlier customers. However, all complaints are not constructive as some may be due to the bitter experience the customers had during their association with the company. There are also complaints that are posted by certain websites without having any genuine causes.
These websites post such complaints to make them worthy of being noticed by falsely leveling accusation against the company such that there will be a tremendous flow of traffic to their websites. These are extreme cases yet you must be aware of them while evaluating on the positive and the negative sides of the SEO services.
It is generally seen that if you do not have much idea as to how to manage a website on your own then this company can give you solid guidance including search engine page rankings and listing in social media to make your presence felt in areas which can directly attract visitors to your site. You may go through each and every one of the complaint on web marketing experts before you create an opinion about them yourself.
Merits and demerits about the organization
You will know of some of the complaints about web marketing experts while browsing the opinions and you will notice that these have been posted several months or even years back. From what one can gather this company takes the genuine complaints and suggestions with good intent and does some pondering over it so that the best possible solution can be invented for such type of problems.
Presently, there are only a few insignificant percentages of complaints that have been levied against the company as one would see from the opinions expressed and the dates at which they were posted. The company has been able to ward off most complaints due to the fact that it is the only SEO services in the market that gives out individualized personal services. This means that they can guide you to give your website the uniqueness that you prefer.
That they don’t use quick short cuts is one of their chief merits as others like them may do the hoot and scoot job which yields only temporary results. They do have cutting edge over their competitors in this way as very few SEO services can take risk, time and energy to take up personalized solution. It is also quite obvious that few of the marketing experts on web complaint or criticism may have been posted by the competition to tarnish its image.
Sustainable solutions
The present algorithm of powerful search engines has undergone significant changes and hence it is not easy to cheat clients with fraud campaigns or false web marketing experts complaint organization. In other words, people are shrewd enough and see through such tricks rather easily. Any SEO services ought to give long term solutions and not just something where traffic comes to the site only to disappear after a few days.
The company offers a personalized accounts manager with whom you are able to interact whenever you wish to and place any number of queries for the problems that you have. The account manager tries to ascertain your knowledge level and based on the way the business is done to suggest remedies for your website.
At times you may get some good solutions from them as they while giving answers to web experts marketing complaint they drop hints to solve your specific website problems too.
What are the key areas that customers should focus on when they are going to hire an SEO company?
An SEO firm can act as an important asset in online marketing campaigns. Such a firm will have huge experience in raising the position of websites on Search engines, monitoring the same at regular intervals and adjusting the strategies to get exciting results at given point of time. Since, SEO campaigns required huge amount of efforts, time as well as specialized skills, it is the right idea to outsource the campaign to a 3rd party rather than doing it ourselves. However, similar to every business, one can find companies that offer quality services and the ones that offer services that won’t be satisfactory. When people know what to ask and expect, they can then find an effective, affordable SEO firm.
The basics of search engine optimization are must to know when you need SEO services:
When you look at many SEO companies, you can start by looking at the approach they make for improving a website’s rank. You should avoid companies that use bridge or doorway pages to raise a website’s position. If companies use these techniques, then they would violate the rules of search engines. This will result in either getting penalized by online search engines or removed from the index of search engines. Pages that are invisible to regular visitors of websites are called cloaked pages. These pages are coded in such a way that they detect search engine spiders and divert the same to special web pages that are set up for boosting search engine positions in an artificial manner. Bridge or doorway pages often do the same as cloaked pages, but they mostly on different servers. When a search engine finds a bridge or cloaked page in a website, then it remove the website from its index. So, people should not employ an SEO company that employs such techniques. Also, a customer who hires an SEO firm should make sure that the SEO company does not work for the customer’s competitor. This is because; doing so will compromise the SEO project’s effectiveness. SEO companies may use the success of a website for selling their services to a competitor.
What should you do before you opt for an SEO organization?
One of the essential steps to choose an SEO firm is to look at their previous track record. A customer should not employ a company just because they say they are experts. So, it is better to ask them certain questions. Then, customers should verify if the answers are true. If you are going to hire an Search engine optimization firm, then you can ask about the search engine on which the company has achieved best results. The important sites are the top search engines, on which the SEO companies achieved the best results. The next thing that people can do is check for the key phrases and words that achieved best results on search engines. It is quite important for customers to check the previous work of SEO companies with their existing customers. A customer can get the contact details of existing customers to call them and find out if they have really worked with the particular SEO company. If an SEO company shows a particular website as its work, then you can personally call the website owner t check for the name of their SEO company. This is because; some SEO companies mat claim others’ work as theirs. If you are totally new to the concept of SEO, then it is better for you to keep the above mentioned aspects when you are about to opt for an SEO company. Doing so will help you to choose the right company to optimize your website. You can browse the internet to find more information about SEO and get the right SEO company in place.
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