Tips Smart

As children, all of us shared great delight in covering our tiny paws with various colored pigments to create fridge bound masterpieces.


As you grow and develop into an artist, youre taught to pick up a brush, pencil or charcoal stick, and a whole world of mark-making opens up.

Today, creating works of art is a single tap away with some mind-blowing iPad and iPhone art apps such as Brushes, ArtRage, SketchBook Pro and Penultimate, but for many artists, reverting to using a finger to paint is a huge step backwards.

We figured that it was time to recognize that for some iPad owners, an iPad stylus is a vital part of their iOS experience.

Great product design is about creating something instinctive and intuitive to use, so that it quickly becomes a natural extension of a person. In the case of a stylus, the basic requirements are a pen-like handle and tip, but take a look at some like the AluPen and you see that both have aimed to tap into the artists experience, evoking the familiar by emulating their real-world art tools.

Art apps make the perfect testing ground for putting these iPad styluses through their paces. Youre more likely to spend prolonged periods of time holding a stylus when taking your iPad to a life-drawing session or for some plein-air painting.

1. Kensington Virtuoso Touch 

Price: £15 GBP / $25 USD
Kensington marries two worlds in style with the Virtuoso Touch. Its slim profile, satin textured body and clipped lid work together to create a comfortable, assured feel. And the rubber tip, while not the most stable, is sufficiently pressure-sensitive for diagramming. Pop the lid to reveal a handy metallic ball point for when touchscreen just isnt liberating enough.

• Buy from Amazon.co.uk

2. Truglide Pro Precision Stylus 

Price: £20 GBP / $30 USD
The aluminium body of the TruGlide Pro resembles a regular pen, rocks a classic pocket clip, and feels well balanced when gripped. But its the bulbous mesh tip that sets this stylus apart. Its made of fine microfibre strands that compress against the touchscreen and allow for beautifully controlled movement. A paintbrush-like replacement tip is also available for that uniquely artistic flourish.

• Buy from lynktec.com

3. Wacom Bamboo Stylus Solo 

Price: £20 GBP / $20 USD
Wacom clearly took notes from the humble pen in designing the Bamboo Stylus Solo, a beautifully weighted device with an elegant satin-texture metal casing. A silver detachable lid with classic breast-pocket clip fits firmly on both ends for a traditional scholarly feel, while its removable 6mm tip combines fine-edge finesse with agile responsiveness. Whether notetaking or drawing, the Solo is a pleasure to use.

• Buy from Amazon.co.uk

4. Studio Neat Cosmonaut 

Price: £23 GBP / $25 USD
Dont be put off by the astronomical dimensions of Studio Neats rubber-grip stylus. The Cosmonaut is great for scribbling and sketching, plus its perfectly weighted for both small and large hands, though its exactness may prove wanting. However, what it lacks in fine-grained precision it makes up for in robustness, with a bulbous tip that might well outlive the device it daubs.

• Buy from Amazon.co.uk

5. Just Mobile Alupen

Price: £20 GBP / $25 USD
The stubby yet comfortable to hold Alupen is reminiscent of a crayon, and maintains a similarly balanced weight thanks to its rubber core and aluminium casing, which prevents rolling due to its hexagonal shape.

Controlling the glide of the bubble tip across a touchscreen is a breeze, but those seeking finegrained sensitivity for line art drawing should perhaps opt for a slimmer profile pen.

• Buy from Amazon.co.uk

6. MediaDevil Magicwand

Price: £15 / $20
MediaDevil has designed this affordable stylus with iOS devices specifically in mind, as evinced by a detachable lanyard that plugs into the headphone socket to keep it secure (though we found its presence irksome when drawing). The diameter and weight of the clipped pen makes it extremely comfortable to use, and the fine rubberised tip is arguably the most responsive of the styluses we tested.

• Buy from Amazon.co.uk

Printed books are loosing popularity as electronics readers gaining popularity. People now love to read on their smartphones and Tablet as they can take their favorite books on the go. Specially tablet devices offers a great experience for reading books as they are light-weight, very compact and capable of storing thousands of books.


Our goal is to find Some of the BEST ANDROID apps for reading ebooks which you can download for free! Let’s have a look at the list of Best free android reading apps.

By the way, there are many of us who loves to Download Ebooks, ePub books and PDF books over the internet and certainly look for some great apps to put them on to read on our Android. First we will discuss about the best Android reading apps with content support and great user experience.

Google’s own Play Books app is the most fancy and best ebook reader android app. As you can guess from the title, google has to offer a wide range of books from its own play store where you can download free ebooks and purchase the premium books. Over 3 million titles available on google’s library for you to browse and download. On the feature side, the app comes with all the functions you would expect from a good android reader app. Another great thing is that it sync across all your devices means you can start reading a books on your tablets then resume reading where you left from your phone or in the computer. It supports the most popular  ebook formats.


Most of us know how popular Amazon Kindle fire tablet among the readers for its content and great reading experience. Well, you can get the same experience on your phone or tablet with their Kindle app for Android. Similar to play books, users can download and Read Free Books—Choose from thousands of free ebooks and Easily shop for ebooks, including new releases and New York Times Best Sellers. Consider Kindle app as the one of the best ebook reader for android.


Following Amazon’s move on Android App, Barnes and Noble also brings their  NOOK for Android app. The company is already famous for its Nook Tablet and a wide range content on their online store allowing users to get access of million of books and magazine. The app allows you to subscribe a great list of magazine such as US Weekly, National Geographic, and The Oprah Magazine — starting with free for a 14-day trial period.

A great alternative ebook reader and one of the best Pdf book read for Android. The app lets you buy ebooks at lowest price. EPUB or Adobe PDF books can be easily imported from your SD card and you can even also download directly ebook of your choice on Android device without using a computer to transfer files.


Yet another great android app for reading books. Thousand of ebooks are free to download through online libraries. Comes with a nice day & night reading options for great reading experience without hurting your eyes. Real page turning effect seems very cool. The app also got gesture based controls to do many things such as zooming, lock the page, adjust brightness level and many more. Download an ebook or pdf book on your device and instantly find it on Moon Reader library.


Recently released on google play store Mantano Ebook Reader is a great choice. Read, annotate to any EPUB or PDF ebook with the most powerful Android ebook reader compatible with the Adobe DRM.  With its advanced UI the app let’s you organized books in collection. Allows to  create annotations, highlights and bookmarks and Quickly access them. The integrated file explorer allows to browse through SD card and import books manually.

The Nexus 4 has it all as far as most Android users are concerned. A gorgeous slim design, a sharp display, enough power and RAM to run games and Twitter with ease, and those critical sparkly bits on the back of it that give you something else to look at when youre done trawling your usual apps and feeds.


More importantly, being a Nexus device means its always first in line for software updates direct from Google, so it always features the very latest pre-loaded apps and tools that other Android users have to wait for their makers to port across.

Currently the Nexus 4 is running on the 4.2.2 iteration of Googles mobile software, which is as new as it gets. Were also expecting Google to push out an updated version of Android quite soon, most likely version 4.3, over the coming weeks. But until then, get the most out of your current edition Nexus 4 by installing these ten top apps that further enhance Googles current Android flagship.

DashClock Widget

One of the new additions within Android 4.2 that Nexus 4 owners can enjoy is the ability for some widgets to be installed on the lock screen, with the lock screen itself scrolling from left to right like the phones actual desktop.

DashClock Widget replaces the default clock, also letting you select from a list of additional extensions that add more data to the lock display.

You can have your emails incorporated there, the weather, battery status, upcoming Calendar entries, SMS messages and more, all in a stylish, Android-like layout. Its the Nexus advantage in full effect.

SphereShare.net

The Nexus 4 doesnt have the best physical camera in the smartphone world, but it does have Googles most feature-packed camera software -- including the impressive PhotoSphere tool that lets anyone create Street View style 360-degree panoramas by walking around in a circle and letting the phone stitch together the results.

Problem is, these PhotoSpheres are large, difficult to share and are usually only viewable through Google+, which is where SphereShare.net comes it. It lets you browse PhotoSpheres taken by other Nexus 4 users on your phone, giving you an instant gallery of staggering panoramas to leaf through and drop into.

Photosphere Live Wallpaper

If you have been so absorbed by the act of slowly rotating on the spot to categorise your surroundings you want a constant reminder on your Home screen, install this.

It lets you set a PhotoSphere as your wallpaper, using left and right swipes to scroll it roughly in time with the screens it sits behind, and the phones motion control sensors to move your "head" up and down.

Relive that great view or a 360-degree panorama of your bedroom with ease.

Chrome Beta

The Nexus 4s very latest Android OS already comes with the excellent mobile Chrome browser built-in, so the only way to get an even more bleeding-edge, nerdy web experience is to install Chrome Beta.

Its a separate, standalone app, which Google uses to test new functionality with understanding users who dont mind the odd glitch. It means you get new features first, which is one of the big reasons people invest in Nexus devices in the first place.

Feedly

If your Nexus is your mobile news hub, youll no doubt be gutted that Googles decided to close its Reader RSS feed tool by the summer of 2013.

This leaves a massive chasm in the world of desktop and mobile RSS reader apps, with few alternatives offering such a seamless RSS experience.

Fortunately, Feedlys just about there when it comes to matching Googles old Reader in terms of cross-platform reading, article syncing and sharing, plus it comes with a vastly superior design that borrows heavily from the stylish news aggregators like Flipboard and Googles own Currents app.

Twilight

This is a weird one, but it might change your life. Or at least change the sleeping part of it.

Twilight makes some very believable claims about the blue spectrum of light emitted by mobile screens, suggesting its these that tell our brains its the middle of the day -- despite the fact we tend to stare at our phones in the darkness before going to bed.

By eliminating the blue light from the screen output this app supposedly alleviates the effects of looking at a bright light in a dark room, helping your brain realise its dark and therefore bedtime. In short, it might help you sleep better if youre in the habit of using your phone before bed, in return for using a red-tinted display.

WeVideo

WeVideo adds loads more options to editing movies on the Nexus 4, letting users drag and drop videos onto a timeline to create long-form edits, add filters, drop in images and MP3s for use as a soundtrack, create titles and much more.

Google ought to buy it for a few hundred million and make it a standard thing.

Cinemagram

While Android users wait for Twitters developers to release a version of video sharing app Vine for Android, theres this stylish alternative to practise on.

Its pretty much exactly the same as Vine, letting users record short clips, live, with the press of a button to start/stop recording, which are automatically compiled into tidy, looping edits, and chucked online to share through social sites.

Theres some social network stuff built in too, but its best used as simple a simple way to share small video files.

Dextr Email Beta

There are plenty of third-party email apps competing for installation on your Nexus 4, plus the onboard generic Email option that comes as part of Android 4.2 is certainly worth using, too.

But this ones different. It syncs with a Gmail account and replaces Googles mail tools, giving you a simpler interface built around threaded messages that pop up in a modern Android-inspired layout.

A friend system lets you sort the humans from the automated notices that plague modern email, hopefully making reading messages less of a chore.

CloudMagic

Make sense of that mass of social networks, email providers and cloud services with Cloud Magic, which lets you search through all of them in one go.

The first task is the not insignificant chore of opening the app and separately signing in to everything again, but climb that mountain of tedium and you can then use its interface to search your Google account, various social networks, Microsofts mail systems, Evernote files and more, all through one little search box.

Do it often and you have to pay for increased access, but the occasional rummage is free -- and theres a lock screen widget for ease of access, too.

With the mobile marketplace teeming with a multitude of highly priced smartphones, one might wonder whether cheap phones still have a place in the mobile infrastructure.

With massive innovation in both hardware and operating systems, phones now do a lot more than just let you talk and text, with handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One and iPhone 5 stealing headlines around the world these days.

Sadly all this innovation isnt cheap – and most of it is reserved for high-end contract handsets. So, is there such a thing as the best phone on a budget?

Weve been through our extensive mobile phone reviews to find the best cheap phones at the moment, so if youre looking to pick up a decent handset for not much wonga, these are the best budget phones going.

Nokia Lumia 520

SIM-free: from £139.95
PAYG: from £99.95
The Nokia Lumia 520, much like its big brother the Lumia 620, is a jack of all trades and a master of none - although it really manages to make a good fist of everything it tries, for the price.

It looks good, its got a decent screen both in terms of size and resolution, it rarely stutters or slows down, its great for calls and messaging, reasonable for media and okay for photos.

To achieve a lower price point the 520 has had to strip away a few things - theres no NFC, compass, camera flash or front facing camera here.

The Nokia Lumia 520 certainly isnt an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy beater - but its a sueprb Windows Phone 8 device that you can pick up for under £100.

If youre a fan of a simple interface with some quality add-ons, then you should definitely look at Nokias latest attempt to win over the smartphone naysayers.

Orange San Diego

PAYG: from £199
The San Diego may have been around a while but its still a great little handset which wont cost you the earth or let you down.

It differs from the rest of the phones in this list due to the fact it has an Intel Atom processor housed under the hood instead of an ARM based chip - but this single-core power is not to be sniffed at.

Intel and Orange have done some clever bits behind the scenes to make the San Diego run like the clappers, giving you a great smartphone experience - although this handset is stuck on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

You are limited in the fact that you can only get the San Diego from Orange, but if youre already on the colourful network and are in the market for an inexpensive smartphone this is certainly a good shout.

Huawei Ascend G330

PAYG: from £100
The Ascend G330 is a solid performer. Its smooth in use, has the power to run even the most demanding apps very well, and although not hugely exciting to look at and hold, the displays clear and bright enough to elevate it above some of the tattier budget models.

And its definitely more capable than the old Ascend G300, with hardly any glitches when downloading/updating apps and navigating the phone at the same time.

It delivers a great smartphone experience for the money with hardly any obvious compromises.

When deciding on a budget phone, it can be a nightmare trying to decide which one to go for. Is it power? Name? Specs? Or just a low price tag attached to a phone that doesnt go bananas when you prod it?
The latter applies to the Huawei - and it delivers well, especially for the £100 sticker whacked on it.

Sony Xperia U

SIM-free: from £149.95
PAYG: from £79.99
The Sony Xperia U oozes style and sophistication. Featuring a well-built form and traditional black Sony style, it will help you get the look on a budget.

As well as its fashionista tendencies, the Xperia U doesnt disappoint on specs either. A large 3.5 inch touch screen give good access to all your apps, and Ice Cream Sandwich offers plenty of choice when it comes to games and productivity (even though its starting to feel its age against Jelly Bean) - plus a dual-core 1GHz processor is impressive for the price.

A front facing camera will let you video call at VGA resolution, whilst on the back you will find a decent 5-megapixel camera for your snaps.

The Xperia U doesnt offer any expansion slots, and comes with a slightly meagre 4GB storage. This is plenty for day-to-day use, but you might still need a standalone media player if music or video is your thing.
For £150, this device offers a lot, and is clearly one of the best pay-as-you-go handsets around.

Nokia Lumia 620

SIM-free: from £169.95
PAYG: from £129.99
Theres not a whole lot that the Nokia Lumia 620 does wrong. As an all-round, jack of all trades budget handset it does a great job.

Wed love it if the screen was slightly bigger or it had a little bit more RAM, but for the price we cant really complain.

The range of brightly coloured covers will likely attract the youth of today, and their tough plastic construction should keep the Lumia 620 in good nick, even after the occasional drop.

The only real issue is the battery, and thats an issue to some extent with every Windows Phone 8 right now but if you fancy a little more screen real estate and a non-Android experience then this is a decent shout over the smaller Lumia 520.

HTC Desire C 

SIM-free: from £139.95
PAYG: from £79.99
The HTC Desire C took over from the Wildfire S last year with an improved camera and integrated Beats audio – giving crisper definition to your MP3s and a solid battery life.

Taking a cue from its Beats Audio partner styling – the Desire C offers an urban rubberized finish with metallic red accents. Its a great-looking device that performs well and is tough enough to take a few bumps.

It is stuck rocking Android Ice Cream Sandwich and wont ever see Jelly Bean grace its screen, but dont let that put you off and the Sense 4.0 overlay makes the Desire C an easy to use handset, especially for those who are new to the smartphone game.

This handset is designed for those who want more from a device than simple phone calls, but still want to keep their budget in check. For under £100, it wont break the bank either.

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2

SIM-free: from £169.95
PAYG: from £129.95
With a sleek, stylish design that is closer to the build quality and appealing feel of the former market leading Samsung Galaxy S2, the Ace 2 impresses from the off with a curvaceous finish that leads the way to an impressive collection of features.

As the 800MHz dual-core processor runs the show with reality ease, the handsets inbuilt 5-megapixel camera is a surprising hit equally capable of producing high-end stills as it is impressive 720p HD video content. On top of this, the device is easy to use and intuitive to master.

The Galaxy Ace 2 makes up for small niggles and limited features by mastering what it offers. Exceeding expectation on multiple fronts, the second-generation would be a wise buy for any first time or returning smartphone owner.

Huawei Ascend W1

PAYG: from £129.99
When you consider the Huawei Ascend W1 will set you back just £130 its difficult to fault, as youre getting a pretty good deal.

The Ascend W1 comes with a strong set of features allowing you to fully use the handset as a mobile phone, internet portal, handheld gaming device and multimedia station.

It may not excel at any of these things, but thats OK. Youre not going to buy the Huawei Ascend W1 for power, youre going to buy it for practicality and value for money - and those are the criteria it absolutely wins out on.

HTC Desire X

SIM-free: from £214.99
PAYG: from £199.95
The HTC Desire X is a decent mid-range phone which offers up a smartphone experience youve come to expect from handsets which cost around £200.

Its doesnt offer anything particularly thrilling, nor does it having any major flaws and while the design is welcoming and the UI intuitive, we cant help but feel HTC hasnt pushed the Desire X to its full potential.
If youre looking for a stylish and affordable Android handset the Desire X is certainly an attractive option - but if youre not taken with its looks you might want to check out other alternatives.

Samsung Galaxy Mini 2

SIM-free: from £139.99
PAYG: from £69.99
The Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 offers up a budget smartphone experience and carries it off with relative ease.
For a cheap handset the Galaxy Mini 2 produces relatively decent performance and while it doesnt have the zip of pricier handsets, its by no means a slouch which constantly leaves you waiting.

The camera does feel like a bit of an afterthought and it lags behind the competition, but with a well placed microSD slot, removable battery and NFC its not all bad.

The lower end of the mobile market is getting rather busy, but the Galaxy Mini 2 doesnt disgrace itself and while it doesnt rise head and shoulders above the competition it least gives them something to think about.

Next: Read other smartphone reviews, or find out whats new in the smartphone world.