Sectos offers simple and safe image and video encryption

The Sectos application also allows users to hide pictures and save them on the cloud.

Root uninstaller has announced the launch of Sectos photo and video hiding utility for Android. Sectos allows users to secretly hide sensitive photos and videos within the device so that they can be easily accessed but not by anyone else. The application is available free of cost for Android devices running version 2.1 and above, and supports a pin or pattern based lock for additional security.

To differentiate Sectos from other products available in the market the developer has added a special hidden mode for the application, which allows the application icon to be removed, and to access it users just need to enter a special number in the device's number pad to start the application.

The application allows for single touch encryption of files and also comes with a special camera mode in which all the pictures taken will automatically go into the vault and there is no need for hiding those pictures.

The developer is also working on integrating cloud storage in the application. With this the application would be able to save encrypted data on cloud storage servers like Dropbox and Google Drive for accessing later; while making the data useless for any other applications or users.

10 Interesting Indian Wedding Beliefs and Superstitions

Most of us are aware about beliefs related to the colour of mehendi on the bride’s hands. The darkness of the mehendi colour on her hand shows the deep love and respect she will receive from her husband and mother-in-law!

Bollywoodshaadis.com 

Indian wedding is a grand affair where every ritual, pre and post wedding, hold a special importance. That is why every possible measure is taken to ward off the ‘buri nazar’ (evil eye), to make sure that the newlyweds have a blissful life together. In many parts of India, there are a number of popular beliefs and superstitions related to weddings, which have been passed on from one generation to another.

Top 10 high profile weddings in India

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1. Abhinav Jhunjhunwala and Prerna SardaIt was a star-studded wedding for son of Reliance Anil Dhirubai Ambani Group’s vice-chairman Amitabh Jhunjhunwala, Abhinav to Kolkata jute baron Ghanshyam ... more 

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1. Spill the milk: In the wedding households, it is important to observe precautions, even while boiling milk. During this time, family members must be careful while boiling milk. It is said that spilling of milk before or after the big day signals towards some pending misfortune.

2. Curb your creative instincts: If you are planning to design your own wedding dress to show your creative side, it is best to retract your decision. It is considered to be unlucky for the would-be-bride and groom to design their wedding dresses.

3. Lenders and borrowers: Well, if you are thinking about lending your dress to someone else then give it a second thought. Although, for the borrower it might bring some good luck. But, this generosity of yours might bring bad omen for you.

4. Match your earings: Make sure to wear earrings on your big day because it is considered quite auspicious. Not only this, even newly married women should wear earings as they are supposed to fill your married life with happiness.

5. Let the kaleerein fall: In the north Indian customs, brides wear a ‘chooda’ on which her family members and friends tie kaleerein (red and golden ornaments). After this the bride moves her hand over the head of the unmarried girls in her family. It is said that if kaleerein falls on someone’s head, then that girl will be next in the line to get married.

6. Good and bad sights: On your wedding day, if you see a black cat or a rainbow then it is considered to be a good luck. But, spotting an open grave, lizard or a pig is a bad fortune.

7. Let it rain: If it rains on your wedding day, then don’t be gloomy. Although, it may dampen some of your preparations but it is considered to be an auspicious omen. Falling of rain is a good sign for fertility for the married couple.

8. Flaunt your cooking skills: In many parts of India, a week before the wedding it is customary for the bride-to-be along with seven other married women to make small balls of “chana dal” (lentil balls). These balls are then sent to the groom’s house. It is a sign to ensure that his kitchen always stays filled with food at all times.

9. Don't light candles: It is also believed that if the candles lit during your wedding start to sputter out then it is not a good sign. It means that an evil spirit is nearby.

10 Hit the couple: Throwing rice at the couple during their wedding is considered to be auspicious. It is a sign of abundance and fertility and a way to protect the newlyweds from the veil spirits.

Whether one believes in them or not, it is said that there is no harm in following few of these beliefs to ensure a good beginning to a married life. After all every wedded couple needs lots of good luck to embark on the new journey called marriage!

Image Courtesy: Faizen Patel, Anshum M Photography 

Samsung Galaxy Core vs HTC Desire X

Here are two smartphones from two smartphone giants; one is a new breed, the other is an old warhorse.

Samsung has silently launched a mid-range smartphone called Galaxy Core, in India on Monday. The phone is now available in the market for around Rs 15,200.

For around the same price, you can also get the HTC Desire X. Both handsets come with a dual core processor and are from reputed brands. So if you are not a fanatic about low cost quad core smartphones, then these two are certainly good options to look for.

However, one question remains, i.e. which of them is the best? So here is a comparison of their features that would help you solve that question.

Design and display

The new Samsung Galaxy Core is just 8.95 mm thin and weighs 124 grams. The phone has a 4.3 inch touchscreen with 480 x 800 pixel resolution.

The HTC Desire X comes with a slightly smaller 4 inch display with 480 x 800 pixel resolution, which means it has better pixel density than the Galaxy Core. Interestingly, though it is slightly thicker (9.3 mm); the Desire X is much lighter than the Galaxy Core at 114 grams.

Battery

However, before you choose the Desire X as the winner for its light profile, here is a twist in the tale: HTC Desire X comes with a 1650 mAh battery against an 1800 mAh of Galaxy Core.

However, there is another twist in the tale too. According to HTC, the Desire X has a talktime (over WCDMA network) of 10 hours against nine hours of Galaxy Core. This is perhaps due to the smaller screen size of Desire X, which has a lower battery requirement.

So in a nutshell, Desire X provides better backup despite having a smaller battery than the Galaxy Core.

OS, processor, RAM

The HTC Desire X, being an old phone, comes with Android ICS but HTC is expected to release Android Jelly Bean for it soon. The Samsung Galaxy Core has been introduced now, and comes with Android 4.1.

Also, the Galaxy Core has 1 GB of RAM against 768 MB of HTC Desire X. We do not have any idea though about the exact amount of RAM that would be usable. For instance, in many devices that come with 1 GB RAM, users get only around 400 MB. While many other devices provide just above 300 MB despite having just 512 MB RAM. So it depends on the optimization on behalf of the manufacturer.

In the processor front as well the Galaxy Core scores by some inches with its 1.2 GHz dual core processor against the 1 GHz dual core processor of HTC Desire X. Samsung has not revealed the processor that is used in Galaxy Core, so we cannot comment on it.

Storage

The Samsung Galaxy Core comes with 8 GB internal memory and a micro SD slot for up to 64 GB. HTC Desire X has a paltry 4 GB internal memory and a 32 GB expandable memory slot.

Connectivity

HTC Desire X uses a single SIM while the Galaxy Core, same as most new handsets, is a dual SIM device. The HTC handset has 7.2 Mbps 3G download speed, micro USB, WiFi (b/g/n), Bluetooth4.0, GPS and DLNA.

The Samsung handset has WiFi (b/g/n), GPS, micro USB, but Bluetooth 3.0. There is no DLNA facility.

Camera

Samsung Galaxy Core comes with a 5 megapixel rear camera and a front VGA unit. The autofocus rear unit can, according to Samsung, record video at 30 frames per second. It has a CMOS camera sensor, which also claims to record better videos in low light conditions.

HTC handsets are well known for their camera capability. The Desire X is expected to be like its siblings with its 5 megapixel autofocus camera. However, it does not have a front facing camera

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy Core clearly emerges as a winner in this contest. However, apart from its higher expandable memory slot, it only narrowly beats the Desire X in all other departments.

Desire X, though, has Beats audio sound enhancement technology but will you choose it over the new Samsung Galaxy Core for just its music capability?

In conversation with Vidya Balan

By Rummana Ahmed | First Cut 

Vidya Balan in 'Ghanchakkar'With back-to-back hits, Vidya Balan seems invincible. Dressed in character, Vidya is wearing a not-very-flattering black kurta with floral-printed leggings and some very bizarre accessories. She has spoken a bit of Tamil, a little Kannada, some Bangla and lots of Punjabi on her promotional tour of ‘Ghanchakkar’. On a wind-swept Bangalore afternoon, Vidya finally settles down to talk to us about her experience of working in a comic suspense thriller, a role very different from her previous ones.

Excerpts from the interview:

After all the serious roles, what made you decide on a comedy?

When Raj Kumar came to me with the script I was fascinated because the same person who wrote ‘Aamir’ and No One Killed Jessica’ had written this. For him to want me to play this character, it was unimaginable for me because she is the exact opposite of Sabrina in ‘Jessica’. I loved the fact that he had the faith that I could play a character that was diametrically opposite. And it really seems like the lack of speech and color in Sabrina has been made up for in ‘Ghanchakkar’.

I found it fascinating that Raj Kumar had the faith that I could pull-off someone as loud, as bizarre, as outlandish and gregarious as Neetu.

Is there anything common between the character you played in ‘The Dirty Picture’ and your character in ‘Ghanchakkar’?

The only common thing between ‘The Dirty Picture’ and this film is Emraan and me but even our equation is very different. There we never got to a point were it culminated into a love story but in ‘Ghanchakkar’ we have gone through the love and now we are going through that time in the marriage where there are fights and bickering but there’s love, there’s sex and passion, there’s everything else in equal measure.

In the last few films we have seen you essay intense characters. Was working on a comedy like ‘Ghanchakkar’ a welcome break?

I have been looking to do a comedy for very long but no script had excited me. When you are playing a character like this you need to implicitly trust the director but for me it worked in the reverse, the director implicitly trusted me and therefore, came to me with this role. And it was Raj Kumar Gupta, who I trust implicitly anyway, so it worked both ways. I am a sucker for the faith and trust the director shows in an actor.

I am always looking to do new things, I am looking to do things that excite me, this did and I went ahead and accepted this role.

Last year we had films like ‘Kahaani’ and ‘English Vinglish’ which were big successes. Are filmmakers finally writing roles for women?

I think it is the most exciting for Hindi cinema and for the Hindi film heroine. All kinds of films are being made, all kinds of roles are being written for us and audiences are lapping it up because firstly, its not one kind of audience, it’s a very very varied audience. And the fact that these films are working shows us that people just don’t want to see the same thing again and again. It is exciting to see so many different kinds of story being told differently. A ‘Ready’ works and a ‘Kahaani’ works, a ‘Paan Singh Tomaar’ works and a ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ works, all kinds of films are doing extremely well.

A lot of films demand a certain amount of sensitivity, for example, films on homosexuality or a film like ‘Barfi’. How can we portray certain characters without making them a caricature?

I think when you are not exploiting a handicap or some sort of disadvantage to your advantage then you will never come across as…when the intent is right, you will never comes across wrongly. And yet, there will always be people who will say why are you showing a deaf-mute person? There could be those instances but then what’s wonderful is Barfi is someone who is so positive despite such challenging circumstances, so that should be the takeaway.

At the moment, it’s as if Vidya Balan can’t do anything wrong. Is there pressure to maintain the momentum?

I enjoy the fact that people have expectations from me but I don’t let that become a pressure point. I am too selfish about what I do, I enjoy what I do and I don’t want any pressure to take away that joy from me.

Ghanchakkar: The film

You can connect with me on Twitter.

Pagination

Sach a time to move on in Cricket

One of Tendulkar's closest teammates, VVS Laxman, who retired from Tests last year, felt the nation is moving onto newer stars.

By Sai Mohan | Hindustan Times 

New Delhi, June 26 -- The date, October 23, 2011. It is an India versus England ODI on a Saturday evening at the Wankhede Stadium, barely six months after India had won the World Cup at the same ground. Diwali is fast approaching. It calls for a spirited atmosphere, right? Mumbai is after all Indian cricket's oldest hub.

Turns out it was the worst ever attendance at the ground since the first Test played in 1975. Only 13,000 tickets were sold (or acquired as passes), according to a Mumbai Cricket Association official.

While everyone chipped in with their views on the shocking turnout, it was obvious -Sachin Tendulkar was not at the ground.

And that was the first scare administrators and television networks faced, dreading the sport's popularity in the post-Tendulkar era. Remember, India is not playing a home Test for at least the next 12months.

Indian fans will perhaps never see him again, unless BCCI organises a farewell home Test. There's no denying cricket will remain the hottest sport. But are the likes of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli ready to ensure that arenas sold out, year in and year out? They perhaps are.

NEW ERA

India's Champions Trophy victory has come as a shot in the arm. The TV ratings have been top-notch. Fans are embracing the post-Tendulkar era with open arms.

One of Tendulkar's closest teammates, VVS Laxman, who retired from Tests last year, felt the nation is moving onto newer stars. "When you think of one-day cricket and India, Sachin is the best ever. He is irreplaceable. Nobody will argue with that. He has been a pillar of strength for Indian cricket and since he has decided to end his ODI career, it is time to move on. And I am glad fans and the players have taken that in their stride to begin a new era," he told the Hindustan Times.

Laxman showered praise on the young side that won the Champions Trophy, the first ICC event in the post-Sachin era.

"I was really impressed with what they were able to achieve. They played with great character and maturity. There was a lot of controversy surrounding the build-up to the event. They responded beautifully. This team has the capability to retain the World Cup. It is definitely one of the best teams to watch on the park. I really enjoyed watching them field," he said.

COMPOSED LOT

"I also liked the fact that they didn't show any complacency. Sometimes very young players, who want to win desperately, can lose their cool. But this team respected the opposition and won the tournament fair and square. This is one of the smoothest transitions we could have hoped for," Laxman said, referring to the new team sans Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh - all members of the 2011 World Cup squad.

The batting great also gave the thumbs up to India's Test batting future.

"After the whitewash in England and Australia, and then the loss to England at home, it was a tough phase. I was a little worried, to be honest. But I am so thrilled with the way Shikhar Dhawan and the rest have responded. These youngsters have shown lot of temperament. The tour to South Africa will be a big test. If we can do well there, Indian Test cricket will be back on track. It will also give us an indication of which players will be able to represent India in the long run."

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.

Top 5 Android budget phablets Under 15000

If you like to have a big screen device, we have the perfect choice for you.

5 inch and bigger devices are selling like hot cakes today, and the reason behind their immense popularity is simple as they offer more real estate to users in terms of a display size for them to carry out tasks and have multiple icons of their favorite application and widgets as well.

Samsung Galaxy Note, which is the creator of this category called phablet, was first discouraged globally for the bigger screen size but things have changed a lot and users now prefer devices with big displays. So if you are also one of those who love to have a big screen phablet in your hands then read on for our top 5 budget Android phablet devices.

Spice Smart Flow Pace 2 (Rs 6,789)

Spice recently released Smart Flo Pace 2, which is the best in class budget phablet priced under Rs 7,000. Spice managed to reduce cost by not including 3G connectivity, which is not a concerning factor as 3G data costs are higher and WiFi connectivity has been provided on the device along with Edge data connectivity.

The Spice Smart Flo Pace 2 gets a 5 inch display with WVGA, 800 x 480 pixel resolution, which is good for a phone in this price range. Spice has put in a 5 megapixel autofocus camera at the back accompanied by dual LED. There is also a 1.3 megapixel camera in the front, which is good for video chats.

Spice has added a 1 GHz dual core processor on this phone along with 512 MB of RAM. It also gets 512 MB inbuilt memory, but for additional storage Spice offers an 8 GB card free with the Smart Flo Pace 2.

Spice has used stock Android 4.0 ICS on this phone, though it has put in some pre-installed apps like M Tracker (mobile tracker) to help track the phone in case it is lost. There is also a SpiceGang app that offers free stuff: wallpaper, animations and apps specific to the device.

Micromax Canvas 2 Plus A110 (Rs 12,100)

Micromax Superfone Canvas A110, which is the successor of Canvas A100, has yet again been improved with the Canvas 2 Plus A110Q. Overall, the Canvas 2 Plus A110Q has come out to be a better, faster and very popular big screen Android smartphone for the masses. The phone is an improvement on the older Canvas in mainly three areas including memory, camera and processor.

Micromax Canvas is for big screen aspirants and the phone comes with a 5 inch display featuring 854 x 480 pixel resolution built using the In Plane Switching fabrication process that offers better viewing angles and a much higher contrast ratio as compared to older LCD displays. The Canvas A110Q comes with a faster quad core processor running at 1.2 GHz coupled with 1 GB of RAM for better speeds of operation.

The Micromax Canvas A110Q flaunts an 8 megapixel rear camera with dual flash along with a 2 megapixel front camera for video conferencing.

The rest of the specifications of Superfone Canvas A110 include a 2000 mAh battery, 3G, dualSIM connectivity, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, Android 4.2, and a 32 GB expandable memory.

Zen Ultrafone 701 HD (Rs 11,900)

Zen Mobile had launched the quad core processor based Android phablet Ultrafone 701HD and it is liked a lot by users. In simple terms it's a perfect low cost competitor to the Canvas HD.

The 3G enabled Ultrafone 701 HD is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad core processor, which is complimented with 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB on board storage expandable up to 32 GB.

The device has a 5 inch IPS capacitive screen with high definition (HD) 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. The smartphone flaunts an 8 megapixel auto focus rear camera with BSI Sensor and LED flash while a 3.2 megapixel camera is in the front and gets full HD video recording along with features like panorama shot and burst shot of up to 99 shots on the go.

The dual SIM smartphone comes with a 2000 mAh battery, WiFi (a/b/g/n), Bluetooth, 3G, A-GPS and a micro USB port for connectivity. Also, the company offers a complimentary flip cover and back cover free with the smartphone.

Karbonn Titanium S2 (Rs 10,299)

Karbonn Titanium S2, which is Karbonn's third quad core device is better and faster, yet it offers more features at a lower price point.

The Karbonn Titanium S2 comes with a 5 inch display with FWVGA (854 x 480 pixel) resolution display with a capacitive touch input system. The device is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad core processor that promises better functionality and application performance as well, but sadly there is only 512 MB of RAM to complement the processor so users might get a hit while multitasking.

The Karbonn Titanium S2 is right now the cheapest 5 inch quad core phone in the market. The device features Android 4.1 and includes an 8 megapixel camera at the back and 2 megapixel camera in the front along with 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and USB connectivity options.

Spice Stellar Pinnacle Pro Mi 535 (Rs 14,990)

The Spice Stellar Pinnacle Pro Mi 535 is yet another decent Android based offering coming from an Indian device manufacturer, which has been launched in the Indian market very recently.

The Stellar Pinnacle Pro Mi 535 is basically an upgraded version of the older Spice Stellar Pinnacle Mi 530 handset. The new Spice Stellar Pinnacle Pro comes with a 5.3 inch display with qHD (960 x 540 pixel) resolution. The dual SIM handset has a 1.2 GHz quad core Mediatek processor, 1 GB RAM and 16 GB built in memory, which can be expanded further to 32 GB through a micro SD card. The smartphone has Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system for maximum application compatibility.

It comes with a new improved wide angle 5 megapixel front camera, making it the best front camera among low cost smartphones as of now. Spice Stellar Pinnacle Pro Mi-535 also boasts an 8 megapixel autofocus rear camera with dual-LED flash.

The Android smartphone has 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a micro USB port for connectivity. It has also a Li-Polymer battery with 2550 mAh rating that claims to provide over four hours of talk time. Another unique aspect of this phone is that both the SIM cards support 3G connectivity, which is not the case with most dual SIM phones.

The device also comes with a pre-rooted operating system that justifies the price of the device to an extent and makes it a favorite among those who love to personalize their device. Also, Saholic.com offers a free Bluetooth headset for buyers.

The Weight-Loss Secret You've Never Heard

If you seem to have more than an inch to pinch on your waist no matter what you eat or whether you focus on intervals or weight training, the problem may not be your stomach but another organ.

By by Valerie Berkowitz, R.D., for SHAPE.com | Yahoo Lifestyle Entertainment 

If you seem to have more than an inch to pinch on your waist no matter what you eat or whether you focus on intervals or weight training, the problem may not be your stomach but another organ.

You probably don't give much thought to your liver (except maybe when you contemplate that third vodka soda), but its health is key to your overall health and weight. Your liver is the ultimate multitasker: It acts as a filter to remove toxins (like medications and alcohol) and nutrient byproducts such as ammonia from the blood; it aids in digestion by producing bile to help break down fat and absorb fat- and water-soluble vitamins and minerals; and it plays a part in regulating glucose, blood pressure, blood sugar, insulin, estrogen, testosterone, immunity, and blood cholesterol production and removal. And you thought you had a long to-do list!

Because of all of this activity, your liver may be in need of a little TLC. When it's overworked, toxic residues can build up, causing inflammation that is associated with obesity. A stressed out liver can also cause fat to build up, especially around the belly. Added together, this can mean that no matter how much you restrict calories, weight loss is near impossible-unless you detox your liver.

Before you jump to start a crazy cleanse, check if you have other symptoms of liver problems, such as fatigue, insomnia, brain fog, rashes or acne, digestive troubles (constipation, acid reflux, indigestion, bloating), high cholesterol, and blood sugar and insulin imbalances, which can lead to low energy, cravings, and excessive thirst and urination.

If you think your liver may be amiss, ask your doctor for a liver function test, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) test, or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) test, or request CAT or MRI scan to get a picture of your liver. 

Once you have the results, you can make the following lifestyle changes to help remedy and even reverse the problem.
1. If you smoke, stop. 
2. Use medications only when necessary, as even taking a Tylenol can have severe consequences on the liver. 
3. Do not drink alcohol. 
4. Eat and drink clean. Skip foods and beverages that contain high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, additives, hormones, preservatives, or artificial colors, and eat free-range or organic whenever possible. Your liver has to work harder to filter all this gunk. 
5. Consume cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards, and cabbage. These contain sulphur compounds called glucosinolates that bind and eliminate toxins. 
6. Ditch the salt, which can contribute to fluid retention and further strain the liver, and flavor foods with garlic, rosemary, dandelion, or chicory, which appear to support liver function. 
7. Exercise the same way you take your prescription medicine: consistently and every day. Aim for at least a half hour, though more can be better, and be sure you're doing intervals, which will help melt fat. A review published in the Journal of Hepatology found that a combination of diet and exercise was best to reduce body weight and therefore improve liver health.

Micromax Canvas 4 may be priced at Rs 18,000

The Mobile Indian, New Delhi

Pre-Booking for the Micromax Canvas 4 will start on June 28

In the last few days Micromax has been teasing about its latest Android based flagship smartphone, the Canvas 4. It has used television and YouTube to create a lot of buzz without revealing much in terms of specification or tentative pricing.

However, sources familiar with the development at Micromax have said to The Mobile Indian that "the Canvas 4 will be priced at around Rs 18,000 and will be officially launched in July".

Incidentally, pre-booking for the Micromax Canvas 4 will start on June 28. It is the successor to the popular Micromax A116 Canvas HD which has been the most searched smartphones in India, according to The Handset Hotlist survey of The Mobile Indian.

The promos of the phone were also spotted on TV, as scrolls, during commercial breaks and even during live telecast of India Vs Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy match on last Saturday and even yesterday during the final match between India and England.

Not much is known about the specifications but if rumors are to be believed Micromax Canvas 4 will have an octa core processor and a 13-megapixel rear camera as the Samsung -Galaxy S4. However, it is likely to use Mediatek MTK 6599 octa core chipset with clock speed of 1.4 GHzprocessor speed unlike the 1.6 GHz Exynos 5 processor of Galaxy S4.

Also if look at the tag line that is coming in the teaser video it says that "Can life be endless?" It may be hinting towards a humongous battery.