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Saturday, March 22, 2014

TechSource: Best Android Apps For Interval Training

TechSource: Best Android Apps For Interval Training

Best Android Apps For Interval Training

Posted: 22 Mar 2014 03:33 AM PDT

A lot of people workout in the traditional way. They hop on the cardio machine, run for half an hour or twenty minutes, get tired, and go home. While this helps them break sweat, it doesn't really add much to their stamina. For those looking to build stamina, lose weight, and increase overall cardiovascular strength, interval training is the best bet. Not only does it help you lose fat quickly, it also boosts your metabolism, thus giving you an overall health benefits.

Basically, interval training involves training with high intensity for a few minutes followed by a low intensity workout or rest. The aim of the workout is to improve speed and fitness. Though you can do interval training without any help, having an app that guides you through the process doesn't seem like a bad idea. That's why we have here a list of Android apps that will help you get the most out of your interval training program.


HIIT Interval Training Timer by Giorgio Regni

If you are a runner and don't have a coach to help you with your interval training workouts, don't worry. HIIT interval training timer is an app that comes in handy for workouts that involve running, skipping, cycling, or any kind of high intensity cardiovascular activity. Once installed, you will be able to time your workout and rest periods effectively. The app is simple, easy to use and does much more than a simple stopwatch.



HIIT Interval Training TimerAD by halmi.sk

For interval training fanatics who are in need of some motivation to workout, this app comes in really handy. HIIT Interval training timer lets you set your workouts whether you are doing simple training or planning to do an extensive workout like they show in home-workout programs. Once you set the amount of time you need to workout and rest, the timer does an excellent job at helping you log your training. That way, you have a record of what you've done in the past and which areas need a little push. One of the most notable features of this app, however, is that it gives you rewards for working out. This is a great feature for those who are a little low on motivation.



HIIT - interval training timer by Caynax

One of the most beautifully designed apps on the list is Caynax HIIT timer. Once installed, you can set a workout schedule for as much as the next 30 days. This means that you won't have any excuse to skip the gym. Just enter your workout routine, be it daily or 3-times a week, and the app will do a good job at reminding you when your next workout will be. The timers work perfectly well too. You'll find a circular glowing timer that you can glance over to quickly get a feel of the time left. Another cool feature that this app provides is that of TTS. This means that you can write out any piece of text and using the text-to-speech service, the app will speak out those words. This is very useful if you're someone who relies on some motivational words while working out. If you are looking for a complete workout solution that compliments your interval training, this app is a must have.



A HIIT Interval Timer by Pimpim Mobile

If you are tired of the level of complexity offered by other "complete workout" applications, then this app just gives you what you want: an app focused solely on interval training and nothing else. Once installed, you get an app that has a simple and easy to use interface. The timer's fonts are big thus allowing you to glance over to your phone whenever you need to know how much time is left. As for the workouts, it plays a nice little ticking sound thus reminding you that the time is running out. 



Written by: Abhishek, a regular TechSource contributor and a long-time FOSS advocate.

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Posted by z0ltrix at 12:02 PM 0 comments

Monday, March 17, 2014

TechSource: How to Get the Flat UI Look on Your Ubuntu Desktop

TechSource: How to Get the Flat UI Look on Your Ubuntu Desktop

How to Get the Flat UI Look on Your Ubuntu Desktop

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 10:20 PM PDT

iOS is the latest Operating System to have jumped on the flat UI bandwagon. This trend, supposedly started by Microsoft with the Metro UI, is slowly overtaking the world. Be it Facebook, Twitter, or your desktop operating system, everyone's going flat. The days of shiny and skeuomorphic design are over and new minimalistic UI elements that involve less gradients and more contrast have arrived. What makes the "flat look" stand apart is the fact that it is minimalistic and goes really easy on the eyes. The elements of the interface that need the attention get the attention they deserve with the high contrast buttons.

Apple pulled off the revamp very well and so did Twitter by getting rid of "shiny objects" and sticking to minimalism. If you're a Linux user, you might have noticed that your Ubuntu setup doesn't really live up to the flat trends. While some elements of Nautilus have moved in that direction, it isn't really the "look" you're looking for. Thankfully, in the Linux world, there's an answer to your every prayer.

This quick and easy tutorial will show you how to give your Ubuntu desktop the flat UI look:


Step 1: Install the Numix Theme

Type in or paste the following commands to install the Numix PPA on your desktop. Open the terminal by pressing the combo Ctrl + Alt + T to enter these commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:numix/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install numix-gtk-theme numix-icon-theme-circle unity-tweak-tool


Step 2: Apply the Theme

The above command will install Numix theme along with the icon set on your desktop. It will also install Unity Tweak tool, which is required to apply the theme. Now that the installation is complete, open up Unity Tweak Tool by searching for it in the Dash.

Once the app opens, go to Appearance → Theme

Here, change the theme to Numix and save the settings.

Now in the same window go to the tab that says "Icons". Change the icons to Numix Circle and save the settings. Et, voila! This completes the "flat look" you were looking for.



Step 3: Go One Step Further

Now that you've applied the theme, your desktop will completely conform to the "flat look". However, if you want to tweak it even further, feel free to add stuff from the following resources:

To get more of the Numix touch for your desktop add the scrollbars as a userstyle in Chrome. Furthermore, if you are a conky user, you can apply the following conky themes to match with your new look: 





Step 4: Get a New Wallpaper

Finally, to make things even more perfect, you can download wallpapers from sites like interfacelift.com and wallbase.cc to complete the look.


Written by: Abhishek, a regular TechSource contributor and a long-time FOSS advocate.

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Posted by z0ltrix at 12:14 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

TechSource: Best Social Music Apps for Android

TechSource: Best Social Music Apps for Android

Best Social Music Apps for Android

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 11:39 PM PDT

Music is something people love to share. Be it that amazing song you heard on the radio or that classic that's been stuck in your head for years, sharing your favorite music with someone is an experience. In the good ol' days of music, people used to share vinyl records and cassettes. Then as time passed by, CDs became a common stock in every music lover's household. Music fanatics would create special mixtapes for their friends or their lovers and gift them. Those gifts, you'll agree, were much better than any other material gifts. Needless to say, sharing your favorite music with your friends and lovers is a tradition that isn't going to die any time soon.

Contrary to popular beliefs, the iTunes era hasn't really dampened the spirit of social music. There are many fabulous apps and services that help you share your favorite music with not just your friends but the whole world as well. Moreover, these applications also let you discover new music along the way, thus making your whole listening experience much better. So, if you own an Android app, the following social music applications will surely come in handy.


Soundwave

Soundwave is a brilliant application that lets you share your entire listening history with your friends and the world. It's basically a free application that sits quietly on your Android device. Once you install it, it will start tracking the music that you play on your phone. With the tracked plays, Soundwave creates a listening profile for you so that other people can discover what your music taste is like. It's similar to Last.fm but has much more socially oriented features built in. One really cool feature about Soundwave is that it tracks music from your Spotify and Rdio account, something that Last.fm fails at doing. There are many more cool features like listening to playlists of people nearby and filters that let you choose what appears on your playlist. Overall, it is a great app if you're an audiophile who loves to discover new music.


Rithm brings a new twist to your listening experience. Once installed, it lets you share your favorite songs with your friends. With a simple interface, Rithm lets you pick any song of your liking. Then, you can add either a video, photo or an animated character to the song and send it to your friends via the app. This makes sure that the song you're sending to your friend has a little personal touch along with it. Apart from sending music to your friends, you can even share your favorite music on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Though it doesn't quite pack the full features of staple messaging apps, it does offer something new to audiophiles who are looking for new ways to share their music.



SoundCloud

SoundCloud isn't just a service anymore, it has now become a full-fledged platform. It can be likened to YouTube of music and other audio content. Unless you're living under a cave, you must be well aware of the popularity of SoundCloud. Not only does SoundCloud discover new music, it also lets you upload your own music and share it with the world. Whether you are starting your own band or have some badass standup comedy skills, you can share your voice with the world without paying a single dime. The SoundCloud app brings the same amazing features to your Android smartphone or tablet. It is definitely worth a try.



Spotify

Spotify is a hugely popular music streaming service. Hailed as the Netflix of music, its ability to let users enjoy their music on all platforms has made Spotify a true rockstar. What is more special about Spotify, though, is that it allows you to share your playlists with the world. Whether you want to post your playlist on your blog or send it to someone via email, Spotify lets you do that with such ease that you'll be surprised. The app brings all the goodness of the service on your Android device. 



"Without music, life would be a mistake." -- Friedrich Nietzsche

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Posted by z0ltrix at 12:03 PM 0 comments

Saturday, March 8, 2014

TechSource: How to Get NVIDIA Optimus Working on Ubuntu Linux

TechSource: How to Get NVIDIA Optimus Working on Ubuntu Linux

How to Get NVIDIA Optimus Working on Ubuntu Linux

Posted: 08 Mar 2014 12:33 AM PST

These days, most applications make use of your dedicated graphics card. Even running Ubuntu in its full glory requires you to have a decent graphics card. Oh and yeah, gaming is another area where you need to invest your hard-earned money into buying either an NVIDIA- or AMD- enabled laptop. The problem here is that graphic-intensive tasks, especially those that make full use of your graphics card consume a lot of your battery life. In fact, sometimes people feel that they'd be better off with a modest Intel graphics card.

Taking note of this problem, NVIDIA came up with an ingenious solution called NVIDIA Optimus. What Optimus does is that it dynamically switches between your onboard Intel graphics and your NVIDIA graphics card in order to save power. So, for example, when you're playing a game, Optimus will switch from Intel to NVIDIA so that you could have the best gaming experience. However, when you are working on that Excel Spreadsheet, Optimus makes sure that you are using your Intel graphics thus saving you a lot of power.

NVIDIA Optimus is already available on Windows with the default NVIDIA drivers set. On Linux, however, the Bumblebee project is responsible for bringing Optimus to your laptop. The following guide will help you get NVIDIA Optimus working on your Ubuntu desktop and hopefully make the most out of it. (This guide assumes that you have an Intel and an NVIDIA card on your laptop. For more information check the instruction manual accompanying your device).


Installing Bumblebee

Since the Bumblebee project is officially supported by Ubuntu, all you have to do is type in the following command in your terminal:

sudo apt-get install bumblebee bumblebee-nvidia

This will install the required drivers on your computer. Now, to run an application using NVIDIA drivers, all you have to do is type optirun before the app's name and enter it into the command line. Here's an example of how to run Firefox using Nvidia drivers:

optirun firefox 


Making the Most out of Bumblebee

To ensure that you can switch between your onboard graphics and your NVIDIA card anytime you want, all you need to do is install the Prime indicator applet for your desktop. Once installed, an indicator applet shows up that displays the graphics card that is currently in use. Upon clicking the icon, you can switch between the two cards. As simple as that.

To install Prime indicator on your Ubuntu computer, you'll have to add the Webupd8 ppa to your list of repositories. Enter the following commands to do that:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nilarimogard/webupd8
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install prime-indicator

For all the perfectionists out there, you can download the Bumblebee configurator from a PPA. This tool allows you to configure Bumblebee to your liking and even troubleshoot it in case something doesn't go away. Type in or paste the following commands to install the tool:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alessandrofac93/bumblebee-config-gtk-dev
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install bumblebee-config-gui


Written by: Abhishek, a regular TechSource contributor and a long-time FOSS advocate.

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Posted by z0ltrix at 11:41 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

TechSource: 5 Chrome Extensions to Empower your Gmail Inbox

TechSource: 5 Chrome Extensions to Empower your Gmail Inbox

5 Chrome Extensions to Empower your Gmail Inbox

Posted: 03 Mar 2014 04:45 PM PST

Chrome, Google's once-humble foray into the world of web browsers has now become a force to reckon with. Not only has it disrupted the market once dominated by Internet Explorer, it has also catapulted Google from a mere search engine to a software company. As of now Chrome has a whopping 41.87 percent market share followed by IE at 27.31 percent.

What makes Chrome so special is that it integrates the best of the World Wide Web, that is Google Search and other Google services in a software that is solid, stable, and blazingly fast. Another thing that makes Google such a strong contender in the browser wars is that it is trying to bring the desktop to the web. In other words, Google follows a carefully crafted strategy of making users switch to the web and leave their desktop forever. A key milestone in the execution of this strategy was the release of Chromebooks.

Chromebooks, the superfast Linux-based devices let users do the tasks they'd normally do on a desktop on a simple web browser, thereby cutting the middleman (P.S: Windows). This was recently followed up by apps that sit right next to your desktop applications thus further blurring the gap between the desktop and the web.

Another thing people love about Chrome is that its extensions are fit for various purposes like searching, blocking ads, enhancing YouTube, improving productivity, and even learning new languages. One area where these extensions excel is that of empowering your Gmail inbox. The following extensions will help you supercharge your Gmail with just a few clicks.


HubSpot Signals

Ever spent your days wondering if the mail you sent were read or not? Well, then this next extension frees you from that anxiety. Signals from HubSpot is a Chrome extension that integrates with your Gmail inbox to give you accurate tracking of your emails. Using this extension, you'll get a nice notification the moment your recipient opens your emails. It's really worth a try if you're sending resumes to hundreds of places during a frantic job hunt. 



Boomerang

Ever forgot to wish your parents on their birthday? Then Boomerang is an extension you must start using. Once installed, Boomerang lets you schedule emails in advance. So, whether you have a business meeting or a future birthday, you can write emails in advance and let Boomerang send those emails at the time you specify.



Rapportive

If you get a lot of mails from people you don't know, it's hard to find out the information about them. Simply looking at their names, you have to take the trouble of Googling them or looking them up on Facebook or other social media sites. Rapportive is an extension that frees you from that burden by replacing the ads in your Gmail with rich contact profiles of the person. You'll get their basic information, their latest tweets, their Facebook, Twitter, and Skype profiles, and more. Furthermore, if you want to remember something specific about that person, you can add a note about them in the sidebar itself.



Wunderlist

Wunderlist is an application that lets you add, manage, and work with your to-do list. The application and the service have achieved quite a lot of popularity thanks to its simple interface, barrage of features, and promising stability. What makes Wunderlist even more special is that it is available on almost all platforms and can integrate pretty tightly with Gmail. In other words, when you have a mail that needs to be taken care of at a particular date or time, Wunderlist lets you add that email to your to-do list without even exiting Gmail. Once installed, the Wunderlist Chrome extension lets you save all the important emails you need to tend to in a neat to-do list. If you aren't using Wunderlist already, sign up for it using the following link to get 1 month of premium subscription for free: https://wunderli.st/mKzEs8



Evernote

Evernote is very popular when it comes to storing and reorganizing ideas. Though the application isn't traditionally built for Gmail, it does serve an important purpose as far as organizing your email workflow is concerned. Once installed, the Evernote extension for Chrome lets you clip your emails and store them in your Evernote account for later reference. If you want, you can even set an email as a reminder for future dates. If you are not on Evernote, sign up using this link (http://bit.ly/tsevernotepremium) to get one month subscription of Evernote Premium for free.



Written by: Abhishek, a regular TechSource contributor and a long-time FOSS advocate. 

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Posted by z0ltrix at 11:09 AM 0 comments
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