media

SoundRecorder now saves to Documents folder in Windows 10 JTP

McAkins App Alerts, Microsoft, MS Windows, Operating Systems , , ,

The Sound Recorder App was one of the updated apps for Windows 10 January Technical Preview. The Sound Recorder App in Windows 8 was excellent, but it has a nasty design fault; you can’t get to the recordings unless you’re a geek that knows how to hack your device. The files then were always saved in the hidden AppData folder of user’s Profile. Since this folder and its subfolders are invisible to normal users, they don’t care about it’s content. Therefore it doesn’t get backed up except you’re using a backup program. For example users are used to dumping their MyDocument folder on a thumbdrive etc, but not the AppData folder. Therefore, when the system needs to be refreshed/re-installed, the data in AppData don’t normally survive the system reload. All your recordings gone thus. Now, this has been addressed in Build 9926 as you can see above. Sound Recorder now saves by default to your My Document folder under “Sound Recordings” sub-folder. This is joy as your recordings are now conspicuous and gets backed up or made redundant. That OneDrive you see in the screenshot is just me making MyDocument folder point to OneDrive. Continue reading →

Windows 10 Media Controls for Desktop Apps

Nazmus Khandaker Microsoft, MS Windows, Operating Systems , , , , , , , ,

Music Tile

In Windows 10, Microsoft seems to be extending the modern media playback controls to desktop apps. In Windows 8, if you changed your PC’s volume using a hardware volume button on you device or on the keyboard, you got an on-screen volume control display. If you had a modern (Windows Store) application playing a media file, you got an on-screen playback controls in addition to the volume control. This feature was mostly aimed at touch tablet devices running Windows. It is also similar to how Windows Phone behaves. With Windows 10, this functionality seems to be extended to desktop applications as well. Continue reading →

The SlingPlayer MX App is now in the Store

McAkins App Alerts, Hardware & Devices, Software & Services , , , ,

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You asked for it, now it is here. The SlingPlayer App is now in the Windows Store! And one by one all the big names are now represented in the Store. Hopefully Microsoft detractors and “No App” singers are taking notice. Continue reading →

Windows Server Essential Remote App is here!–My Server for Windows 8

McAkins App Alerts, MS Windows, Software & Services , , , , ,

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Here is something new from Microsoft! My Server App is a port of the Windows Phone version, and those of use that use the app on Windows Phone know this app is to Access and Manager your Windows Server Essentials, i.e. the Home Server replacement for Server 2012. The functionality is basically the same, but I expect Microsoft to add more features to this app as time goes on. Here is Microsoft’s description from the Store:

Description
My Server for Windows 8 is an application designed to help you keep seamlessly connected to your server resources through devices running Windows 8. With My Server, you can manage users, devices, alerts, and access shared files in Windows Server 2012 Essentials.  In addition, files that you have recently accessed with My Server files continue to be available to you even when offline.

Features
Browse, edit and search files stored on your server
Manage users, devices, and alerts
Share local resources to server or save server resources locally
Access files that you opened recently even without an Internet connection. The changes made offline will be automatically synchronized to the server when online
Playback of media files stored on server

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This is an app to get if you treasure remote access to your files and media on your Home Server. Download now straight away from the Store via the link below.

Source: Windows Store

App Focus: Fotor–The Best All-In-One PhotoEditor in the Store!

McAkins App Alerts, MS Windows, Software & Services , , , ,

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The question through the ages have always been “How much goodies can you get for free?” As we all know, nothing goes for free in Life, right? There’s got to be a catch. But then, once in a while you come across exceptions to that rule. That, unlike Google products, still in this age some awesome things you can still get for free. This is the case with this App: Fotor!

The App comes packed with features you’ll expect in an expensive app. Just think of anything you want to do within a Photo-editing App, this app has got it. Please don’t believe me, just see for yourselves from this description from the Store and the subsequent Screenshots:

Description
Fotor is the best all-in-one photo editing application!
Perfectly combine the windows 8 user experience with cutting-edge tools including Basic Editing Tools, Brilliant Visual Effects, Frames, 1-Tap Enhance, Collage, Text, Tilt Shift and Raw Converter, all bundled together in one powerful package!
What’s New:
New Home Page
Before we just had feature buttons on the home page, now it’s a collage of sample photos you can click to try out new features, or just play around when you don’t have a photo of your own to edit.
Undo and Redo
Don’t like that last edit?  Hit the Undo button just above the editing space.  Decided you like it after all?  There’s now a Redo button right next to it.
Improved responsiveness and functionality
We’ve changed some things under the hood to make Fotor for Windows 8 leaner and meaner.  You should notice an increase in functionality as well as a decrease in response time.
Multi-Touch Zoom
Now all you need is two fingers and you can zoom in or out with the multi-touch zoom capability.
Adjustable Collage Border
So, you want to make a collage with those 4 pictures, but you think 4 equally sized photos would be a little boring, right?  Have no fear!  You can now just drag the collage border to change the dimensions of any of the photos in the collage!
Features:
Collage
Enjoy the freedom to arrange your pictures however you want with three different modes of collage:  Template Collage, Photo Stitching and Shuffle Collage.
Add Text
Input plain text or choose a stylish text template, personalize your photos by adding your own commentary, thoughts and messages for others to see, or just add notes to help you remember.
Raw Converter
RAW converter with tone mapping supports over 100 camera RAW formats. Import the RAW files and Fotor will take care of the rest.
Powerful Editing
Fotor contains some of the most powerful and easy to use photography editing tools for adjusting brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpen/blur, temperature, tint, cropping, flipping and rotation etc.
Effects & Frames
Stretch your creativity further with Fotor’s huge palette of Effects designed with input from experienced graphic designers and photographers. Fotor provides over 60 effects in various categories, including Classic, Lomo, B & W, Art and Vignettes, plus choose from 23 different styles of frames!
1-Tap Enhance
1-Tap Enhance quickly transforms “dull” or “bad” photos with a pixel by pixel enhancement, all with only one touch.  Analyzing brightness, contrast, saturation and exposure value, Fotor optimizes the source image to become an even more amazing photo!
Tilt Shift
Tilt Shift gives your images the depth-of-field and other visual effects normally seen only on professional grade DSLR cameras. Magically unleash your creative inspiration, while using a mix of clear focus and selective blurring to create magnificent photos.

Features
Powerful Editing
Effects & Borders
1-Tap Enhance
Tilt-Shift
Collage
Add Text

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Well, they call this “The best all-in-one photo editing application!”, I think they’ve earned that title. The question then is why free for all this awesomeness? Well I don’t know, but I am glad its free, for now. I guess when they’ve garnered enough users, they’ll monetize. So, get this while you can. Download now from the Store via the source link below.

P.S.: I hope those detractors slamming Metro Apps are taking a look at such apps as this. That you can develop an All-Touch Apps for the Metro that is usable and makes sense. If a Dev sets his/her mind to it, they can achieve awesomeness as you’ve seen.

Source: Windows Store

Mobile.HD Media Player–The first MKV Player in the Store

McAkins App Alerts, MS Windows, Software & Services , ,

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Here is an example of not judging an App by its Title. This App dropped in the Store a while back and I saw it, but didn’t take it seriously because, what’s the point, there are a thousand and one media player Apps now in the Store. Well, I should have known better, like the adage goes, “the stone that the builders refuse, turned out to be the corner stone”. Somebody just tipped me off that this app is rocking in the Store.

This is the very app you wanna get right now if you are into diversified media formats. This is the first App that I know that play MKV as you can see in the Description. Until VLC project and Media Player Classic release their Windows 8 apps, this app is going to reign supreme for those of you not bought into MP4 and WMV formats. It’s a paid app as you can see, so you might as well reward the Dev for his efforts. I mean, it costs less than your typical Mocca-Latte binge. For the quality of the App there can be no doubt as many have gone the route before you and qualified the app with more than 4-Stars at 81 ratings presently. So it seems to be a solid app. Here is more from the Dev:

Description
Media player that plays HD video natively using DirectX for best performance. Supported formats include many popular file types including MKV.
New Features:
DTS audio in mkv files
Subtitles in mkv files (UTF-8)

Features
Native Video Playback
MKV support
Subtitles in mkv files
Audio player
Playlists

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Like I said, the app costs you $4.00 to buy, but you can at least test it free of charge of it meets your expectation before buying. So, go right ahead and give it a spin if you’re an MKV-head.

Source: Windows Store

Tip Credit: Micheal H (@Guitar1969)

PrimeTube – The Most Elegant YouTube Player to Date In the Store

McAkins App Alerts, MS Windows, Software & Services , ,

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Here is another elegant YouTube player in the Store, and this time, I think we’ve got ourselves a winner in PrimeTube. This App supports all YouTube features, that I am worried they get in trouble with Google with this client. I mean, if you have this client, why bother to go to YouTube site anymore and consume Adds. Yeah I know, you still consume Ads via embedded Ads in videos.

Anyway, think of anything on YouTube, you’ve got it right here. You Subscriptions, Popular Videos, Channels, PlayLists, SD/HD Video Play, Snapped Mode Player, Enhanced Video Player built-in and finally an awesome Fullscreen Player. Ok, maybe I exaggerated on that Channel Stuff, need to check myself. If you are looking for a good Tube player without compromise, you need not look further. Here is how APP LYF described their app in the Store:

Description
PrimeTube is the most elegant way to access YouTube from your Windows 8 tablet, desktop, and laptop. This is brought to you by the developers of the acclaimed Windows Phone PrimeTube app.
Uniquely designed with faster navigation and loading as the primary focus, the app provides you an immersive experience to search, watch and manage YouTube videos. Some of the major features that PrimeTube provides in this version are listed below. More updates and features will follow soon.
We welcome any feedback/suggestion that you have regarding the app. Please email us at app.lyf@live.com
Happy YouTubing !!

Features
Search and watch YouTube videos. Manage subscriptions, favorites, playlists and watch later videos
In-App enhanced video player – LQ, HQ and HD video support
Added Keyboard features – Type anywhere in the app to search for videos and playlists
Live Tile + Support for secondary tile pinning
Play To enabled – Share videos not only with your social network but also with your favorites devices using  the Play To Devices
Push Notification for latest subscription videos
Data usage limit monitoring
Landscape, portrait and snapped mode support

 

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I hear you ask yourself, how much does all this awesomeness cost, well, nothing; for now! Who knows, they’ll change that in the future. But for now, you can go right ahead and download it from the Store via the following Source Link.

Source: Windows Store

RealNetwork is in the Store with RealPlayer Express

McAkins App Alerts, MS Windows, Software & Services ,

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Hey, I wasn’t expecting this. RealNetworks Inc. has just joined Windows 8 with RealPlayer Express. I didn’t even know they are still active on Windows platform. Glad to see much competition in the Store. Way to go RealNetworks. As the app name suggest, this is a MediaPlayer form Real. Here’s how the described it from the Store:

Description
RealPlayer Express is a personalized video app that brings the world’s best videos to you.
Trying to keep track of the most popular videos can be hard. RealPlayer Express makes it easy by organizing the most popular videos into video channels. These channels, updated daily, help you navigate and watch the latest music videos, sports videos, funny videos, cat videos and more.
Looking for a specific video? RealPlayer Express’s video search feature makes it easy to search the whole web for your favorite videos. Then watch the video instantly, or save it for later with “watch later” functionality.

Features
Channels of new and popular videos refreshed everyday
Search for your favorite online videos and watch them instantly
Share and tweet the videos with friends and family
Save videos for later with the ‘watch later’ functionality
Viewing history to quickly access the videos you saw recently
Instant access to the videos shared by your friends on Facebook

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If you are a fan of RealNetworks or just for pure nostalgia, go ahead and download this app via the Source below.

Source: Windows Store

Windows 8’s Media Player loses Media Guide/Store

Aside Nazmus Khandaker Microsoft, Techtronica , , , , , , , , ,

It appears that Windows Media Player 12 for Windows 8 is not only loosing its DVD playback feature, but also its built in media store, including the outdated and useless Media Guide. Media Guide for Windows Media Player was an online Media Store that started to be integrated to Windows Media Player with Version 7, introduced alongside Windows ME 12 years ago! It was part of Microsoft’s then online media Strategy, branded as “Windows Media” with its newly launched website, http://windowsmedia.com. The media store has seen some improvements during the Windows XP era but very little during the Windows Vista Era. Continue reading →

XBMC Remote+ App is in the Store

McAkins App Alerts, MS Windows, Software & Services , , , , ,

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For those of you fans of XBMC Media Player you’ve got something juicy in the Store. The XBMC Remote+ App hit the Store yesterday, but due to the whirlwind generated by my Surface Ads post, I wasn’t able to give the store much attention. Anyway, this is something for your HTPC device, you can control XBMC Library from this App, I guess you can compare it to Microsoft SmartGlass controlling XBox devices remotely. Ashterisk Apps gave the following description from the Store:

Movies

Movie Details

Schemantic Zoom

Movies

Description
Browse and control your entire XBMC media collection from your windows 8 tablet.
From the developer of most popular XBMC Remote for windows phone 7, here comes XBMC Remote + for windows 8. XBMC Remote+ is an application built from ground up let you experience your XBMC media library remotely and then play it on your main display. You can browse your entire catalog while a movie or music might be playing on the TV. It’s especially useful when you TV is turned off and you want to select Audio Albums and queue them to play on the audio receiver.
Features –
1. Ability to browse your video, music and TV show library from your phone.
2. Able to select and view details of movies and music albums before selecting.
3. Sort by album, artist, or a song and play or queue.
4. Currently playing media information is easily accessible from top appbar.
5. Music library lets you pivot on Albums, Artists, and Songs
6. Ability to add and manager multiple XBMC server from single application.
7. View movies by genre, released year
8. Recently added movies/episodes

Features
Remote access to entire catalog
semantic zoom

Too bad I am a Mediacenter junkie, else this would have been in my collection, who knows, maybe in future since MS killed MCE. But you the phans don’t let me put a dumper on your party. You go ahead now and have one on me via this link: http://apps.microsoft.com/webpdp/app/00efbddd-6596-4a31-bfeb-9151f1403f62 Maybe you want to come back and let me know how the app performs.

Credits: Microsoft Windows Store.

[Follow me on Twitter for regular Store and Apps News at: @McAkins]

“The Darkest Night”- Aurora, Colorado Shooting

Aside Nazmus Khandaker News, Techtronica , , , , , , , , , , ,
Aurora’s Century 16 Theatre where the midnight shooting took place.

We see many things happen on a daily basis that tries to wreak havoc on our nation or even a local theatre whether it be a domestic attack on national security, a terrorist attack or even a local theatre shooting. We’ve decided to cover this story to show the social media aspect and how quickly the word spread through news. Twitter has been the main stream of news from the site of this tragedy with hundreds of tweets from people in the Aurora area. Continue reading →

Windows 8 Won’t Play DVD Video Natively, but Do You Even Care?

Aside Nazmus Khandaker MS Windows, Operating Systems, Techtronica , , , , , , , , , ,

windows-8-no-DVD-support

Windows 8 will not include the ability to play DVD movies natively; yes, it’s true! Premium editions of Windows Vista and most editions of Windows 7 did, but it’s all being undone with Windows 8. But the big question is, do you care? Here are the reasons as to why many traditional playback, such as DVD and broadcast TV playback, are going away.

Continue reading →

Social Media Update! [YouTube]

Nazmus Khandaker Announcements, Techtronica , , , , , , , , , ,

One of the great things about being a part of a growing website like Techtronica are the small steps we’ve taken to “crawl before we walk”. One of the things we have seen in our future and we feel we have the team to now come out with weekly videos is our very own YouTube page. YouTube will enable us to have a third-party output of our posts and other stories coming from Techtronica. Remember, this is a growing side of Techtronica and we plan to post our videos from the past on our channel also to give our viewers like yourself a look back at some things we have done. We’re planning on having a weekly “rundown” of all the major topics we talk about each week here and plan to evolve from that starting point into something very innovative. Be looking out for new videos from Austin Allen, Joe Landor, myself and the entire Techtronica crew as we start our YouTube page. Also keep in mind that we have a number of social media outputs available to everyone!

You can find us on YouTube by clicking; HERE

You can find us on Facebook by clicking; HERE

You can find us on Twitter by clicking; HERE