Ten best Australian travel apps.

This list will help you explore Australia like never before without any map or guide. Your smartphone with a V4 internet connection will be enough to do the task:-

1. There’s Nothing Like Australia, free (iPad, Android)

Launched by Tourism Australia in Shanghai in June as part of its “There’s Nothing Like Australia” global campaign, this smart-looking multimedia app opens like a coffee-table book and takes users on 13 journeys via video, interactive imagery and travel stories. Featured destinations include Uluru, Melbourne, Sydney, Hayman Island and El Questro. Apart from the inspirational scenes, it is loaded with detail, including places to stay and things to see, and an itinerary builder.

 

2. Appy Travels, free (iPad, Android)

New to the market this year, this series of apps is being progressively rolled out and covers Australia’s capital cities as well as smaller destinations often ignored in the app market. Some of their “small-fry” apps are Byron Bay, the Kimberley, the Blue Mountains, Yarra Valley and McLaren Vale. Regional apps for councils are also coming out, starting with Goulburn, in celebration of the city’s 150th anniversary. There’s an interactive component and users are invited to post comments and make recommendations.

 

3. Melbourne Peculiar, $2.99 (iPad, iPhone)

Novelist Narrelle Harris has listed 121 oddball things about Melbourne in her app released last month. She points curious travellers to the resting place of the inventor of Vegemite, to stores that sell subversive books and to crime tours. With 600 photos. Harris previously created the Melbourne Literary app.

 

4. Sydney’s Living History $4.49 (iPad, iPhone, Android)

Also released last month, foodie and prolific guidebook writer Sally Hammond unearths little-known details about 130 places in the city that you may otherwise walk past without a second thought. She includes the oldest pub, an air-raid shelter in a hotel and an ancient watercourse under the streets. Each listing has a photo, map and transport details as well as a “fun fact”, highlighted in red, for users not into the fine detail.

5. Sydney Cafe Culture, $4.49 (iPad, iPhone, Android)

Hot on the heels of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age‘s Good Cafe Guide app, Hammond has also released this cafe guide with photographer/husband Gordon. It now has 330 cafes, many with video links. Half of the listings are inner city, the remainder in beach suburbs and business centres.

6. Australian Road Trips, $4.49 (iPad, iPhone, Android)

Planning a driving holiday is made easy with 40 detailed itineraries from family drives along the coast to 4WD adventures. Each itinerary includes details on what to see and do, where to eat, where to sleep and where to camp. Routes include the three iconic transcontinental journeys: across the Nullarbor from Sydney to Perth; Adelaide to Darwin; and the Savannah Way from Cairns to Broome. Also plenty of day drives and weekend getaways from each capital city.

7. Australia Bushwalking, $4.49 (iPad, iPhone, Android)

Launched last Tuesday by writer/photographer/walker Melanie Ball, this app chronicles 90 Australia-wide bushwalks – with photos – including the breezy Great Ocean Walk and the long-and-hot Larapinta Trail. Walks are broken into categories – overnight, guided, full day, half day, desert, river, ocean – and also listed by state. There are personal insights by the author, such as: “[My highlight] was swimming nude in the Finke River with a whistling kite hovering so close I could see its wing feathers moving.”

8. Yelp, free(iPad, iPhone)

If you are interstate and don’t know where to find something – whether it be a restaurant, a pub, a hotel or a petrol station – this app comes to the rescue. Includes reviews, distances and prices. The US-based site was introduced to Australia late last year.

 

9. Stayz, free (iPad, iPhone)

Search and book accommodation around Australia. Stayz has 25,000 properties listed with descriptions, rates, reviews and photo galleries. (Stayz.com.au is a division of Fairfax Media).

10. Grampians Explore Discover, free (iPhone)

Planned for release next month, this app will list the best waterfalls, rock art sites, lookouts and walks. Will also have a “what is it?” function with photos and Melbourne Museum information about plants and animals so visitors can identify things they are seeing in the bush. Another feature is an integrated camera function so photos can be put into albums and shared from the app.

For the best mobile experience in Australia, opt for V4 Telecom services. Make the Shift.

Picture Courtesy: onyamagazine, projectproject, sydneylivingmuseums, iosappdownload, elevationekidz, worldtravelfamily, linkedin, h3portstephens, piecesofvictoria

5 best Android fitness apps and workout apps

There isn’t much you can do for your body that is better than getting in shape, staying in shape, and working out. It lowers all of the bad things (cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.) and enhances all of the good things (muscles, stamina, etc.). Owning an Android device won’t do these things for you but there are plenty of apps that can help you along the way. Here are the best Android fitness apps and workout apps.

C25K Couch to 5K by RunDouble

C25K Couch to 5K is a fitness app that takes you from being an out of shape couch potato to being ready to run a 5K. It has MyFitnessPal integration, allow you to create music playlists to work out to, and various tracking features for when you go out running. The app also includes zero to 10K, 5K to 10K, and half marathon training programs you can follow as well. The free version is a trial and the full version costs a little as an in app purchase.

 

Google Fit

Google Fit has been around for a while now and has been quietly updated over the last year to give it all kinds of functionality. Its best feature is its complete and total integration with Android Wear which makes this a must-try option for those who rock a smart watch. On top of that, you’ll get stats to analyze, goals to conquer, and various types of tracking. It’s still a bit simpler than other offerings, but this one is entirely free pretty much forever.

JEFIT Workout Exercise Trainer

JEFIT wants to be your personal trainer and there are very few reasons why you shouldn’t let it be that. It contains a database with over 1300 exercises that includes animations on how to do them. There is also the standard fitness tracking along with fitness plans and there is even a social aspect that you can join. It’s highly rated and free to use. There is even a website you can sign up for and keep track of stuff there. It’s also undergone some renovations to the UI for a more Material Design look and feel.

 

Pocket Yoga

After about a decade or so of arguing about it, it has finally been decided that yoga is, in fact, a good way to exercise and stay in shape. If you’re getting into yoga, an app like Pocket Yoga is insanely useful. There are over 200 poses along with animations and voice instructions to show (and tell) you how it’s done. It also includes the ability to log your yoga practices and create yoga workouts.

 

Runtastic Running and Fitness

Runtastic is another highly rated fitness app that a lot of people enjoy. It has Android Wear support as well as GPS tracking for your running, walking, biking, and jogging routes. It includes a lot of fitness tracking including graphs, customizable dashboard so you only get the info you want, and it integrates with a number of big name music apps so you can listen to tunes while you work out. There is even an extension for Sony smart watches if you happen to have one of those.

For more such tips, like our Facebook page or follow us on twitter.  For better downloading quality and the best mobile network shift to V4 Telecom Australia. Make the Shift.

Picture Courtesy:  Androidauthority, Youtube, mashable, Twitter.

HOW DROPBOX CAN HELP SMALL BUSINESSES SECURE DATA.

In the contemporary scenario technology keeps evolving and changing. It is imperative that all businesses, especially small businesses, keep in touch with the latest technological developments. In recent times, Dropbox has emerged as a highly powerful, popular and useful software product. We look at the benefits of Dropbox for small businesses.

Do More

Dropbox boosts productivity. Team members are able to instantly sync and share data on any device. Hence, they can collaborate from anywhere.

Robust Security

Dropbox is instrumental in making data access safe, reliable and fast. Leveraging powerful admin controls, information can be completely protected both within and outside the enterprise.

Short Learning curve

It takes little time for employees to learn Dropbox and become productive.

Storage Backup

It’s vital to store important files and data in different places to protect against losing them in the case of a disaster. It is not enough to store files online and on a USB. Dropbox offers an alternative secure location to store important data and files. It also has the ability to store large files hassle free.

File Sharing

Dropbox makes file sharing possible with ease between business employees and colleagues. For those that have a Dropbox account, adding and sharing content is very simple. If it is desired to restrict file access, there is the option to lock folders with a password. The password can then be disclosed to only a select few people.

Different Access Channels

Accessing Dropbox is very simple and flexible by virtue of multiple and convenient options offered.

• Desktop access – Dropbox has a downloadable application which enables access to all files and folders directly from your desktop, even when offline.
• Online access – If users are away from their personal computer, they can always go to the Dropbox website and log into their account to access all files.
• Mobile access – If computers are not available in the vicinity, there is the convenience of accessing files via the Dropbox App on all mobile devices.

Real time updates

In the event of a file being added or deleted from a shared folder, Dropbox instantly updates all users having access to the file(s). As a result, the latest copy of the file will always be available.

Safe Retrieval

Dropbox retains the history of files added and deleted from the last 30 days. As a result, crucial files can be retrieved safely provided they were deleted within the 30 day timeframe.

If harnessed properly Dropbox can prove to be an invaluable and indispensable tool for small businesses.

 

Thus for sharing, uploading and saving data on dropbox connect with V4 Telecom and get high speed internet at affordable prices.

For more such tips, keep following us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and for the best Telecom services in Australia, shift to V4 telecom services. Make the shift.

Picture Courtesy: quertime; xplore

Tips to cut down your data usage

Is your smartphone running up huge bills on data usage and throwing your budget out of control?

We’ve all been there, and here are a few simple tips that you can follow to save some money.

These are the ideas that has been tried and tested by us, and we assure you that they work.

What’s more is, you not only save money by reducing 3G data usage, but will also use less of your phone’s battery as a bonus.

1.Schedule app updates over Wi-Fi
When you use your cellular data for app updates, even something as simple as loading a webpage gets slower. The continued mobile data use not only heats up your phone but also eats up  your battery. There’s an easy way to prevent this from happening though, on both Android and iOS. Updating apps on Wi-Fi can help lower your mobile data usage, and make a big impact on overall bandwidth savings. Check if you have this setting enabled.

On Android, open the Play Store app, and then tap the menu button in the top left. Here, tap on Settings. Under “General,” tap on Auto-update apps, and select Auto-update apps over Wi-Fi only.

On iOS, tap on Settings > iTunes & App Store, then scroll down and turn off the Use Mobile Data toggle to make your phone does automatic updates on Wi-Fi only.

2.Disable Wi-Fi Assist
Disabling Wi-Fi Assist, a new iOS 9 setting that’s enabled by default, can help save cellular bandwidth too. Wi-Fi Assist automatically switches to cellular in the event of a poor Wi-Fi connection. You can disable this feature in Settings > Cellular and then tapping on Wi-Fi Assist.

3.Enable data compression while browsing
Chrome’s Data Saver feature, available on almost every major computing platform, uses Google’s servers to reduce the amount of data that gets downloaded when you visit a site. Data savings are dependent on the type of content you’re accessing. Google claims that you can save up to 50 percent of data by enabling the feature, by tapping on Settings > Data Saver.

Data compression features are also built into Opera’s suite of web browsers – Opera and Opera Mini. In Opera, you can adjust the image quality and enable video compression in the Settings tab, while Opera Mini 11 gives the user a choice between High or Extreme compression modes. UC Browser also introduced data compression this year. For more details on this setting, visit the help docs hosted on the websites of Opera, Chrome, and UC Browser.

4.Enable system-wide data compression using Opera Max
The previous tip will help you save data while browsing, but what about other popular apps?

Opera’s data management  app on  Android compresses videos, photos and media over mobile and Wi-Fi networks across most apps, and claims bandwidth savings of up to 50 percent. The app also provides an App Management option that lets the user control background app usage over Wi-Fi or cellular bandwidth.

5.Disable media auto-download for WhatsApp
WhatsApp can turn into a major bandwidth hog with auto-download turned on. Fortunately, you can toggle the settings to disable auto-download for images over cellular or Wi-Fi for audio and videos sent by your contacts and groups.

To do this, just launch the app, then go to Menu > Settings > Chats and calls > Media auto-download. There tap on When using mobile data and de-select all the options, and tap OK to save your settings.

6.Disable auto-play on Facebook and Twitter
If you’re a heavy social media user, disabling auto-play of videos on both these platforms can give your bandwidth some respite. We’ve published an article detailing how you can do that for Facebook, covering iOS and Android.

For Twitter, the setting can be accessed from menu on the top right of the screen. Tap on Settings > General > Video autoplay, and tap on choose the Never play videos automatically option. On iOS, this setting is available in the Settings menu for Twitter. Just Tap on Video autoplay > Never play videos automatically to disable it.

To get the best 3G experience, shift to V4 Telecom Australia now.

Picture courtesy :- Opera mini, blog ring

Tips to save your battery life

Today, all  activities we do with our smartphones are essential and are impossible to avoid. So in order to carry out these activities on our smartphones, it is necessary to have adequate battery life on our handsets. To help you save your battery life, we are providing you with some pretty useful tips:

1.Reduce email, Twitter, and Facebook polling.Set your various messaging apps to “manual” for the polling or refresh frequency, just as a test, and you’ll instantly extend your device’s battery life by a significant amount. Once you see what a difference that makes, try re-enabling just the most important ones, and possibly reducing their polling frequency in the process.

2.Turn unnecessary hardware radios off.

3.Use the extra power saving mode if you have it.

4.Trim apps running in the background.

5.Dump unnecessary home screen widgets and live wallpaper.

6.Turn down the brightness and turn off Automatic Brightness.

7.Update your apps.Applications often get updated to use less battery power, so you           should make sure your apps are up to date. Even if you configured the phone for                     automatic updates, some apps still require that you manually install updates. Check for app updates in Google Play by hitting the menu key and going to My Apps.The same goes for updates from the App store on iOS.

8.Keep an eye on signal strength. If you’re in an area with poor cellular coverage, the phone will work harder to latch onto a strong-enough signal. This has an  adverse effect on battery life. There’s not much you can do about this one, but keep in mind that this could be the culprit behind a seemingly weak battery; it’s worth popping the phone into Airplane mode if you don’t need data or voice calls.

9. Turn off GPS/location tracking

10. Keep widgets at a minimum

11. Back up your Google Photos only while your handset is charging

12.  Use lock screen notifications

 13. Only use original batteries 

For more such tips follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Get the best mobile network coverage with V4 Telecom Australia.

Picture courtesy :- Geek of Freak, Twitter, Android Community, Guiding Tech

Why 3G and not 4G?

With the introduction of 4G, the whole world is shifting to a 4G network without knowing the issues they might face with it. A lot of customers who took 4G internet, reverted back to our V4 3G network. This article might help you decide whether upgrading to 4G from 3G is worth it.

3G VS 4G

Essentially 3G and 4G networks do the same thing. Both are capable of connecting your phone to the internet, just that one is faster than the other. Obviously there are some in-depth technology differences, but from a user’s perspective, here are a few quick facts:

• 4G is often up to 10x faster than 3G in real-world use — with speeds commonly between 20Mbps and 30Mbps (which is really fast).
• This speed will fluctuate depending on how far you are from a network tower and on the power of the radios inside your phone. Typically you will find the best 4G coverage in metro CBDs and weaker 4G signals as you leave these densely populated areas. Your connection will fall back to 3G in areas connecting major cities.
• You don’t need to worry about which network you are on as modern phones are designed to switch between available networks and find the best and fastest for your location.
• You need a newer 4G device to use a 4G network, though: older devices designed solely with 3G radios will only work on 3G networks.

In high-reception areas 4G real-world speeds can well exceed 2x the maximum potential speed of the fixed-line ADSL2+ connection you have at home.

Why go for 3G?

There are a few reasons you might still settle for a 3G phone.

If your phone is mostly for voice use, you have no need for 4G data. Save money and save battery life by choosing a device without the high-speed network.

If you live in an area that doesn’t have 4G coverage, there’s no advantage to a 4G phone. In fact, you’ll have serious battery life problems if you buy an LTE phone and don’t disable 4G LTE, as the radio’s search for a non-existent signal will drain your battery quickly.

If you’re strapped for cash and buying a phone off contract, you may have to settle for 3G to save money. In that case, make sure to get the fastest 3G phone possible.

 

For the best ADSL2+ connection and 3G data, opt for V4 telecom services. Make the Shift !

Picture courtsey :- Best mobile deals, Techlila, World buletin

 

Top 5 Music Apps

Being an audiophile, it’s hard to stay disconnected with music and also its not viable to carry your entire playlist every time even though you may have unlimited storage to carry a wide array of music, since there are probabilities of missing out on some music which you come across on the way and wish were present . For such situations, it is essential to have a music app, on which you can hear your favorite song anytime and anywhere. So to make life easy, here is a list of music apps from where you can select anyone or multiple as your music station(s) :-

1. Google Play Music:- Google provides music streaming services and online music lockers where users with standard accounts can upload and listen to up to 50,000 songs from their personal libraries at no cost. With the paid version, you can create a custom radio station of that geographical region.

2.Spotify:- It is a music streaming, podcast and video service provider which has two music streaming tiers :- Spotify Free (160 kbit/s) and Spotify Premium ( 320 kbit/s).

3.Vevo:- Vevo offers a remarkable selection of premiere music videos within its app. Here genre spanning playlists can be created and live music performances can also be streamed.

4.SoundCloud:- This is the best platform to share your music or your entire playlist with your friends on social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Here users can create and join groups that provide a common space for content to be collected and shared.

5.TuneInRadio:- This app is included in the list for people who like to explore music in the radio station itself. Here users can listen to streaming audio from over 1,00,000 radio networks and radio stations worldwide.

To experience the best music in these apps, go for the best 3G network in Australia, V4 Telecom services.

Picture courtesy :- s-trip, plus.google, wikipedia

iPhone SE Review

While the global market is into super-sized screens, there is still a market which wants to go for smaller phones. And that’s where the SE comes in.

Body:- The Apple iPhone SE sure isn’t very ergonomic because of its boxy shape with sharp edges, but when it comes to dimensions, yes the SE is extremely compact and light by today’s standards.

Display:- The 4” IPS LCD screen comes in at 640X1136 pixels, which delivers a pleasing pixel density of 326 ppi. The brightness can be cranked up all the way to 600 nits which makes it comfortable to read a content even if its sunny outside. But sadly there’s no 3D touch here, which is not such a big deal at this point.

Capacities:- It comes in two capacities i.e. 16 GB and 64GB.

Colors:- You can choose from any of the colors ranging from space gray, silver, gold and rose gold.

Battery:- It comes with a 1624 mAh battery with upto 240h(3G) standby, 14h(3G) talktime and upto 50h music play.

Sensors:- Yes it has fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro and proximity sensors for a smooth performance.

Camera:- It comes with a 12MP primary camera with dual LED flash and phase detection auto-focus, the secondary camera being 1.2MP.

Though iPhone SE lacks some features in relation to iPhone 6S, but there are benefits too, the most obvious being the price. This is because you will be paying only A$679 for a 16GB iPhone SE in comparison to A$1,079 for an iPhone 6S.

To get the best experience of 3G Net in your iPhone SE, subscribe to us @ Facebook, Twitter  or visit our  Site for more details.

picture courtesy : Techno Buffalo, Mac rumors and C net

iPhone 6 Guide

1. Siri Guide to pronounce words:- In the latest  iOS 9 software, you can simply negate occasionally mispronounced words by simply saying ‘That is not how you pronounce’ a specific word after Siri has responded to a question.
2. Entertainment platform for Siri:- Siri as an Entertainment platform helps you to check the latest sports scores, access real-time cinema listings and even source local restaurants to book a romantic dinner.
3. Adjustment of scrubbing rate when videos stream:- The phone allows you to adjust the scrubbing rate, simply by moving your finger up and down the screen as required.
4. Undo your typo:- The new ‘undo’ feature available on the I-phone 6 enables you to redress an error made when typing a new message. Simply shake your I-phone and this option will appear on-screen.
5. Capture your every moment:- A series of pictures will be clicked simply when you hold down the ‘capture’ icon, so that you don’t miss a single moment.
6. Hide personal photos:- Hide your personal photos by simply holding that particular picture and taping the ‘hide’ option.
7. Accessibility feature for young children:- To avoid accidental harm of your phone when it is in the hands of infants and children, select ‘Accessibility’ and enable ‘Guided Access’ in your phone.

To get more such tips and hacks, please follow us on twitter  or like our facebook page