How does Bit Torrent work: An easy overview

Well, Bit Torrent is one of the preferred software or download clients for most of us to download  files from internet. It's best feature (for me) is resume support, which makes it too much comfortable. Most of us use and consider it for downloading movies, games or such paid stuff, but actually it is not meant for this purpose. Let's have a look on working of Bit Torrent.

What is Bit Torrent?

Bit Torrent is a peer-to-peer file sharing protocol and has significant advantages over other Internet protocols. 

When you visit some website, webpage is downloaded to your computer from master Server or central server. When you send some data, such as login form, upload file or something else, data is sent to central server, which sends it to other computer. 

In a peer-to-peer protocol, computers are not dependent on a central server. They are connected to other computers in a group called swarm. They all share (download and upload) a same file.

Bit Torrent files are in format ".torrent". When a computer joins a swarm, it uploads this .torrent file to the swarm. There is also one more term, called tracker. The tracker is a special server (not master server) that keeps track of the connected computers. The tracker shares their IP addresses with other BitTorrent clients in the swarm, allowing them to connect to each other.

Now, the computers are connected. After this, Bit Torrent breaks the files in small pieces. After the whole download BitTorrent merges all these pieces and makes the actual file. Now, you might be thinking about resume support. Well, this pretty nice feature is attained using threading. As you know, Bit Torrent downloads files in pieces. Bit Torrent makes connections (actually thread) to every single piece and downloads it. If download is interuppted, threads get  broken. On resume, due to its file breaking method, earlier pieces not need to be downloaded, and the threads are again made to the remaining pieces. And hence it can download files in several days, weeks. You can stop the download for a week and can resume it again.

What are leechers, seeders and peers?

Leechers: Those who download file from the swarm are known as leechers. 

Seeders: Those who have whole file and upload it to the swarm are known as Seeders. A seeder initially joins swarm and uploads the file. If there is no seeder, there will be no file to download.

Peers: These are the part of the swarm. They do not have complete file but have pieces of it.

Bit Torrent is not just for piracy purpose

Due to its peer-to-peer specialty, it is widely used for piracy purposes. But it was not made for this purpose. It was just made to remove the dependency of the computers from the master server by sharing files from one computer to another, in a network. 

People can use BitTorrent to distribute large files to significant numbers of people without paying for the web hosting bandwidth. A free film, music album, or game could be hosted on BitTorrent, allowing an easy, free method of distribution where the people downloading the file also help distribute it. Today a lot of services use Bit Torrent protocol to provide files to be download. 

While being used majorly for piracy, Bit Torrent is a tool with legitimate uses in the present,  and will have many other potential uses in the future.

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How To Geek

Google Play India adds Movies and Devices sections

Google Play for India is updated. Google has recently added two more sections: Movies and Devices. These  two sections are available on both website as well as Android App. A few time ago, Google has added Books section to Google Play India.

Play Movies contains movies both Bollywood and Hollywood, which can be bought or taken on rent. Videos from TED are also available for buying. 

Play Store Devices currently contains only 7" tablet from Google i.e. Nexus 7. It is rated at price point of Rs. 15,999.00 but is not available for shipping yet. Website says that the tablet will be shipped by April 5, 2013. More devices are expected to be added soon.

II Gen HTC Butterfly may come soon as of high sales in Asia

HTC One is no doubt the best phone of HTC. After all HTC has taken a much of time to design such a phone. It is also somewhat criticized for its Camera, called Ultrapixel Camera, but also has been praised for its design and other features. 

Well, HTC One's competitor which is again from HTC is getting boom in Asia. It is HTC J Butterfly, company's earlier flagship phone and first Full HD phone. In Taiwan, which is hometown of HTC, supply has failed to meet demand and, according to Focus Taiwan, the phone has enjoyed "brisk sales" in Japan too. It has also defeated iPhone 5 and has become KDDI's best selling handset in Japan.

HTC's marketing executive Benjamin Ho has confirmed that we can expect the Second gen Butterfly as the current version is gaining flying sails in Asia. Well, no further information has been provided such as specs and what new Tech will it deliver, but they are HTC, so we can expect it will be something "Qualtiy Brilliant". 

Read more @

Engadet

Google+ for iOS brings photo editing, Android gets more finished look

Google+ is one of the leading social networks. Today, Google has released a new version of its mobile app i.e. for Android and iOS with several new features and stability issues.

Last year, in September, Google acquired Nik Software, the company behind famous photo editing app: Snapseed. The biggest addition to the app is photo editing option on the go which helps you do basic edits as well as add some filters. This feature is currently available to the iOS app which is sooner expected to be appearing in Android version.

The new features added to iPhone app are

• Do basic edits like rotate and crop, as well as select filters like Drama and Retrolux
• Adjust saturation, contrast, brightness and lots more by sliding your fingers up-and-down, then left-and-right
• Single tap at any time to compare your creation with the original

You can download the iOS version here.

Well Android version hasn't got photo editing feature, but so what? Still it has got nice features such as Control the volume of posts that you see in your stream, resharing to communities, option to invite people to a community, search a member, content moderation, and report-remove-ban support for community managers.

The newly added features to Android app are

• Posts include more text up front—from the original message, and from comments
• Tapping video, photo or link attachments takes you directly to a watch page, lightbox or website
• Image previews are rarely cropped, so you’ll see portrait photos (for instance) in all their glory
• Key actions like +1, reshare and comment are displayed more prominently in each post
• Swipe through photo albums inline

You can download the Android version here

This update also brought a major update to update your location through mobile device. If you enable this option, you’ll then decide who can see your best-available location across Google+ and this can be set as private or public. 

 

Read more @

Google+ Project

Galaxy S4 mini publicly spotted, expected to be released in July

Galaxy S4 is no doubt the best product from Samsung. Though it is not as expected, but still it has more appeal and features then other devices of its class. Screen size has been increased from Galaxy S3 and some people think it bulky to carry. Well if you  are among them, then soon you may get a smaller version of Galaxy S4.

Galaxy S4 hasn't been reached in countries and is reported to be arrive in End of April. And a mini version of Galaxy S4 is spotted in the public. Though Galaxy S3 is going to have the features of Galaxy S4 but Samsung believes that it should have more Galaxies than this universe. Galaxy S4 mini is expected to be released in June or July. 

According to SamMobile the expected specs are Super AMOLED qHD display (256 ppi), 1.6GHz dual-core CPU, loaded with TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0, and run on by Android 4.2.2. The device will have two versions: Single SIM as well as Dual SIM.  SamMobile has also provided some pictures of Galaxy S4 mini, which are as below.

Read more @

TechnoBuffalo, SamMobile

Galaxy Tab 3 and Galaxy Note III expected to be released in IFA in September 2013

After launching its latest flagship phone Galaxy S4, Samsung is planning to unveil its much awaited products: Galaxy Tab III and Galaxy Note III at IFA 2013, which is going to be organised between 6 to 11 September in Berlin (Germany). 

According to SamMobile, their insider has reported Samsung may release III version of Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Note. Though no more details have been provided, but it can be taken as a solid proof. Samsung is also expected to stop producing first gen Galaxy Tab. 

Galaxy Note III is already rumored to have a 5.9 inch display which was initially said to be having 6.3 inch screen size. Now, after Galaxy S4 it can be the next product from Samsung to have Exynos 5 Octa core processor. Galaxy Tab III may also be sported with same processor. Samsung has already displayed Exynos 5 in MWC 2013.

As the devices are expected to be released in Spetember, these are much expected to be loaded with Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie which is going to be released in May in Google I/O 2013.

Read more @

SamMobile, Digital Trends, TechnoBuffalo

CyanogenMod team confirms no ROM for Galaxy S4

Hey folks, are you looking to buy new Galaxy S4? If yes, well think twice and I think after reading it, you will change your decision. Your Galaxy S4 will not be supported by CyanogenMod. This information is provided and confirmed by the team Hacksung, the group of developers behind custom CyanogenMod ROMs for Samsung devices. 

On their website, the team Hakcsung denies to develop ROM for Galaxy S4. Their official statement is 

Nobody at Team Hacksung (the team behind Galaxy S2, Note, S3, Note2, G Tabs… official CM ports) plans to buy it, neither develop for it. There are two variants which will be a pain to maintain, [and] the bugs we have on the S3 will probably be there on S4, too (camera), and we all know Samsung ability to release sources while staying in line with mainline. Yes Qualcomm releases sources, but Exynos sources we had were far from [working on] actual Galaxy products. I’m pretty sure the same will happen for this one.

That’s a uniform “no” from us.

As you know, CyanogenMod provides stock Android with some advanced features. So, it has grown popularly among users and supports a number of Android phones. But Galaxy S4 is going to be an exception. It may be possible that some other group will port CM to Galaxy S4, we hope so.

Read more @

Cult of Android, Phandroid, TechnoBuffalo

Google is going to bring its all chat services in a single one, named as Babble

Internet Giant Google is working to unify its products. As the part of Spring Cleaning, they have started shutting down services and the recent announced was shut down of Reader. Actually it's not the first time when Google has started unifying of its products. It had integrated Picasa to Google Photos ad Google Profiles to Google+.

Now, Google is reported to bring all its chat services from Gmail, GTalk and Google+ and others to a single platform, under the name Google Babble. It means to “talk foolishly or idly”. Currently Google has Google Talk, Hangout, Voice, Messenger, Chat for Drive collaboration, and the Google Talk for G+.

As past experience from Google, Babble is expected to be released as a Beta product for user experiences and then a stable product, like Google+. According to Geek.com Google’s current options will be integrated into the single platform where the same chat windows will show up across all of the company’s products. With this new product Google seems to compete with WhatsApp, iMessage and others.

Babble is expected to have some special features such as

•     Share photos in chat windows.
•     Start a hangout with anyone in your contacts list.
•     Conversations are threaded across the different services.
•     Ability to use same window for all chat products.

Official date of Babble has not been leaked or announced but we hope that Google will unveil the product in its upcoming annual event i.e. I/O 2013.

Read more @

Phandroid, TalkAndroid, TechnoBuffalo, Geek

Sony Xperia Z video review

 

Sony has done a significant launch to remind the world that it's still in the market with Xperia Z. Xperia Z, being the latest flagship phone from Sony has brought unique design as well as hardware ideas to attract the users and keep its presence, which is a long time policy of Sony.

With release of this device in CES 2013, Sony has shown the world that it's still has potential to rule the market. This seems true as Xperia Z comes with a 1980 x 1020 p resolution on a 5.0 inch screen. Screen is loaded with pixel density of 441 ppi. Xperia Z is 7.9 mm thick making it easy to hold in a hand. It is powered with 4.1.2 Jelly Bean version of Android (which has a planned upgrade of 4.2) having RAM of 2 GB. Snapdragon S4 pro- Quad core processor powers the device @ 1.5GHz. Adreno 320 GPU handles the graphics processing. The internal memory is 16 GB and can be expanded upto 32 GB via memory card. 

Let's come to the most anticipated feature of every phone: camera. Primary camera is of 13.1 MP which captures image of resolution 4128 x 3096 pixels and shoots videos at 1080p @ 30 fps. Front camera is loaded with 2.2 MP having video frame rate of 1080p @ 30 fps. The device weighs 146 gram. The Xperia Z's overall speed and responsiveness leaves little to be desired. Because it is a waterproof phone, so battery can't be removed.

The usual connectivity options are included -- Wifi a/g/b/n, including 5GHz support, 42Mbps HSPA+. Sony has upgraded Timescape UI a little bit. You can add up to seven screens on home screen. As being loaded with Jelly Bean having project butter and S4 pro, the device performs pretty fast.

Quick specs 

• 139 x 71 x 7.9 mm 
• 1980 x 1020 p 5" display
• 441 ppi
• 2 GB RAM
• 16 GB onboard storage
• Upto 32 GB expanded memory
• Weighs 146 G 
• Primary camera: 13.1 MP (4128 x 3096 p)
• Secondary camera: 2.2 MP 
• Wifi a/b/g/n, Bluetootth, NFC
• Android 4.1.2

Video Reviews by Tech Experts

1. Sony Xperia Z review by Engadget

2. Xperia Z review by PhoneDog

3. Xperia Z review by Android Authority

4. Xperia Z review by TechnoBuffalo

So these were videos reviewing the Sony's flagship phone: Xperia Z. Show your response in comments.

Apple describes Why iPhone is important for you

There's iPhone. And then there's everything else. This is the new quotation which you will see if you visit iPhone's website. Apple has learnt that its competitors are growing very fast. After the recent launch of super smartphones such as HTC One, LG Optimus G Pro, Sony Xperia Z and latest launched Samsung Galaxy S4, Apple has finally came to the point that it can lose the market or can get defeated. So they have launched a new page on iPhone's website dedicated to telling people that Why iPhone should be chosen.

Head on to Why iPhone page

1. Every detail has been considered in an iPhone 

2. Retina display: The better you can see on a smartphone

3. Amazing Battery life if you buy an iPhone

4. A6 Chip: Powerful but not power hungry

5. iOS: The most advanced mobile OS

6. Siri: The personal assistant 

7. iCloud: Puts all of your stuff together

Hands on to Galaxy S4 by Different Tech Experts

So, guys Galaxy S4 is now in town. The most awaited phone from Samsung is expected to provide a step next from Galaxy SIII and will be the next best selling Smartphone. Samsung claims that the Galaxy S4 will create “a richer, simpler and fuller life”.

Galaxy SIV looks much like Galaxy SIII while the differences are of screen size and processor as wall as some software features. Well Samsung says that it will deliver new Software features to Galaxy SIII.

You can find specs difference between Galaxy SIII and Galaxy SIV, generated by GSM Arena. 

We know that you guys are eagerly waiting for Galaxy S4 video reviews. So here, we have sorted some of the Hands-on review videos by some Tech experts. Go on and have a look.

1. Galaxy S4 hands-on demo by The Verge

2. Samsung Galaxy S4 hands-on by Android Central

3. Samsung Galaxy  S4 hands-on by TechnoBuffalo

4. Galaxy S4 hands on by Engadget

5. Samsung Galaxy S4 Hands-on & Overview by Unbox Therapy

So these were some videos which will help you to have a basic idea as well as first look of Galaxy SIV. You can also visit Hands-on Gallery by The Verge.

Official Video of Samsung Galaxy S4

Read more @

The Verge, Engadget, Android Authority, TechnoBuffalo

Much awaited Galaxy S4 Launched, 1080p resolution 5" display

Galaxy S4 has been finally launched at Samsung's Radio City Music Hall event in New York City. The product was launched by JK Shin, Samsung's head of mobile communications. It is a addition to the Full HD phones, making it fourth phone in the segment. 

Samsung has worked well on Hardware as well as software. Look-alike it is quite similar to Galaxy SIII. Display size has been increased from 4.8 inch to 5 inch, with Gorilla Glass 3. Galaxy SIV has latest Exynos processor having 8 cores. Depending on your region, the Galaxy S4 will either be powered by an Exynos 5 or a Snapdragon processor. 

As talking about camera, Galaxy SIV is loaded with 13 MP front camera with shots of 4128 x 3096 resolution and shoots video at 1080p 30fps. The rear camera has 2 MP shoots which video at 1080p@30fps. Samsung has also introduced dual camera mode to take photos from both cameras simultaneously.

New smartphone from Samsung contains some fantastic new features which will add ease of access to daily life such as Dual Camera, Dual Video Call, Story Album; Group Play, Share Music, S Translator, Smart Pause, Air View, Air Gesture etc.

Smart Pause feature lets you pause a video if look away from the screen. Air View is similar to that of Galaxy Note II. Group play is a nice feature for music lovers. It syncs multiple phones to use them as stereo speakers for music playback. Galaxy S4 also introduces Swiftkey like swipe-to-type keyboard, with next word prediction and gesture typing. Time will tell whether these features will make Galaxy S4 hit or not. Although we think Galaxy S4 is going to be the next best smartphone. 

Galaxy S4 is expected to launch in 155 countries by the end of April. There's no word on how much the Galaxy S4 will cost yet, but it'll be available in Q2 on Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, US Cellular, and Cricket in the US.  As for Europe, it'll be coming to carriers including Deutsche Telecom, EE, H3G, Orange, Telenor, Telia Sonera, Telefonica, and Vodafone. 

Have a look at hand-on Galaxy S4

Are you going to have one? Share with us in comments.

Quick specs of Galaxy S4

• 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm
• 1920 x 1080p resolution with 5" screen
• 441 pixels per inch
• Exynos 5 Octa core processor @ 1.9 GHz
• 13 MP front camera, 2 MP rear camera
• 2 GB RAM
• 16/32/64 GB onboard storage
• Expandable storage upto 64 GB
• 2600 mAh battery
• Android 4.2.2
• NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

Read more @

The Verge, TechnoBuffalo, 

Google I/0 2013 registration begins

Get ready for the fun. Google I/O registration begins tomorrow at exactly 7:00 AM PDT. This year event is taking place one month earlier than last year, from May 15th to May 17th. In order to attend Google's three-day shindig, you'll need to be at least 16 years old, have a Google+ profile to sign into the registration process and a Google Wallet account to purchase your ticket

It is unclear that will Google release most awaited new version of Android Key Lime Pie, Next Nexus devices, Glass, a long rumored Motorola X-Phone or some other fascinating gadget. Tickets will cost $900 for general admission and $300 for students and faculty, the academic tickets are limited. So if you are planning to have such tickets, you should apply as soon as possible. 

Go to Google I/O 2013 registration page.

Are you going to Google I/O ? Share with us in comments. Good luck to all of you.

Read more @

Android Central, Engadget

Google Now expected to coming to Chrome, Chrome OS and Windows

Google Now is one the best and surprising features of Android, released with version 4.2 Jelly Bean. It's a good competitor to Apple's Siri and provides a lot of useful info as well as ease of access. Now Google is in mood to port Google Now to Chrome, Chrome OS and Windows.

In a Google Group: Chromium Code Reviews, engineers have added a new reference about the Chromium OS's latest release. According to it, Google Now extension is under testing. It is also expected that it will bring Notifications to Chrome OS.

Google has shown Now in Android and it has got very fast responses. This time Google is bringing Now to its best sections: Chrome and Chrome OS and Windows too, which will also definitely get fast responses, even faster than released on Android. We don't know when it will be available for public, but when it will be, we'll cover it.

Read more @


The Verge

Samsung is rumored to launch 5.9 inch Galaxy Note III

It seems that Samsung is not satisfied from its current screen sizes or it has focused on screen sizes only. Samsung’s original Galaxy Note introduced 5.3" screen and current Galaxy Note II has a 5.5-inch screen and the company is thinking to take the figures higher. 

It is rumored that upcoming Galaxy Note, probably Galaxy Note III will feature a 5.9 inch screen. It was also heard tha Samsung is making a 6.3 inch display Galaxy Note, but this time the news seems accurate. 

According to a Samsung employee

“Even if these kinds of sizes ― from 5-inch to 6-inch ― are stretching the limits of traditional pockets, well-made phablets using bezel-less technology have been warmly received. Users prefer bigger phones and they use them more often. Samsung will be more focused on larger phones.”

In addition to confirming the large screen of the upcoming mobile phone, Samsung’s official also said that the 8-core Exynos 5 Octa processor that was showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January would be included inside it. Samsung’s large screen phones have become increasingly popular in the United States, despite early speculation that the devices might be too big.

[Image courtesy: Engadget]

Read more @

TechnoBuffalo, Android Community, Phonearena

Android 4.2 comes to ASUS Transformer Pad TF300

Android 4.2, the tastiest iteration of Google's OS is available for few devices and major brands have announced that it will reach to their devices, sooner or later. Asus is first to announce Android 4.2 update among all. Asus Transformer Pad TF300 is the first Non-Nexus device to receive Jelly Bean 4.2 update. The update has started rolling in US today and more regions will be covered in March. 

ASUS says the update will also bring enhanced performance and stability. ASUS will also offer updates for their App Locker, Virtual Keyboard, Lock Screen and Setup Wizard applications. This update will also bring multi-user sessions to the tablet, which is the first feature to be shown as an OS, by Jelly Bean 4.2. 

Asus has a history of providing its devices with relatively speedy updates; the Transformer Pad got Android 4.1 soon after the software's announcement. Company says that it has good relationship with Google. Just reminding you guys that Asus recently has also announced FonePad in MWC 2013. 

Read more @

The Verge, Android Central, Phandroid, Slashgear

Disney launched Toy Story: Smash it! for Android and iOS

On November 22, 1995, Walt Disney Pictures released first computer animated film: Toy Story. I bet that all of you have seen this movie or atleast heard about it. Now, On Mach 1, 2013 Toy Story has made it's way on Mobile devices, but not in the form of a movie, as a Game. Yes, it's true, you are reading right. Disney has released its latest game for Android as well as iOS with the name "Toy Story: Smash It!". App costs $0.99 from both App stores.

It’s a 3D puzzle game that can be likened to Angry Birds. You control Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and some of the rest of the gang as you throw balls at imperfect structures to try and knock out those ugly green aliens. The physics aspect of the game is most interesting here. Rather than the game-mechanics estimating what you need to do to complete each challenge it simply applies the laws of physics.  

Download from 

• Play Store
• iTunes Store

The features described on Play Store by Disney are as

• Block-breaking puzzle play: Throw unique bouncing-balls with special power-ups to knock down aliens and break through their defenses!
• Play as Buzz Lightyear: Team up with Buzz, and work on perfecting the angles and aim needed to beat every level. Encounter your favorite “Toy Story” characters along the way!
• 4 imaginative episodes: Take a fun-filled journey “To Infinity… and Beyond!” Get ready for an adventure of a lifetime as you stop the evil Zurg, catch alien bandits, and more!
• 60 challenging levels: Encounter new challenges in every level. Find creative ways to smash through bricks, glass, trains, and more to get the highest score possible!
• Hours of replay value: Replay each episode to get 3-stars on every level and earn impressive achievements!

Watch the trailer below of Toy Story: Smash it! 

Have you already downloaded it? Share with us you revies about the game in comments.

Read more @

Android Authority, Phandroid, Talk Android, Wired