How to Root Android Phone and Tablet.

How to easily root an Android device

Credits: Rick Broida www.cnet.com

Rooting is the Android equivalent of jailbreaking, a means of unlocking the operating system so you can install unapproved (by Google) apps, update the OS, replace the firmware, overclock (or underclock) the processor, customize just about anything, and so on.

Of course, for the average user, rooting sounds like -- and can be -- a scary process. After all, "rooting" around in your smartphone's core software might seem like a recipe for disaster. One wrong move and you could end up with bricked handset.

Thankfully, there's a new Windows utility that makes rooting a one-click affair: Kingo Android Root. It's free, and based on my initial tests with a Virgin Mobile Supreme, it works like a charm. (Be sure to check the compatibility list before you proceed, keeping in mind that although the Supreme wasn't on it, the utility had no problem with it.) Here's how to get started.

Step one: Download and install Kingo Android Root.

(Credit: Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET)

Step two: Enable USB debugging mode on your phone. If it's running Android 4.0 or 4.1, tap Settings, Developer Options, then tick the box for "USB debugging." (You may need to switch "Developer options" to On before you can do so.) On Android 4.2 and later, tap Settings, About Phone, Developer Options, and then tick USB debugging." Then tap OK to approve the setting change.

Step three: Run Android Root on your PC, then connect your phone via its USB sync cable. After a moment, the former should show a connection to the latter.

(Credit: Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET)

Step four: Click Root, then sit back and wait while the utility does its thing. The aforementioned Supreme took all of about two minutes, including the automated reboot at the end.

And that's all there is to it. If you decide you want to reverse the process, just run Android Root again, connect your phone, then click Remove Root.

With that done, now you can take advantage of options like USB On-the-Go to make your unexpandable phone expandable. Hit the comments to share your favorite tricks for a rooted Android phone.

Locate Plane / Flight Search Online in Realtime

Online Plane/Flight Locator:

www.planefinder.net

Plane Finder works by picking up ADS-B plane feeds used by commercial and private planes to transmit their name, position, callsign, status and lots more.

Our servers add additional information such as departure airport, destination and photos for presentation on planefinder.net and in our Plane Finder apps.

The ADS-B data comes to us either from our own receivers or from people with receivers who share their data with us over the internet. If you are a virtual radar hobbyist we’ll be delighted to receive your data for use within the app. For more details on how you can help please see our coverage page.

ADS-B is gradually replacing radar as the most efficient method for air traffic control.

Ultimately ADS-B will enable aircraft to fly closer together and on more efficient routes meaning less fuel consumption and reduced flight times. ADS-B will also enable advanced transfer of information both to and from the cockpit.

In locations such as Europe and Australia the implementation is well advanced and the majority of aircraft use ADS-B. North America is behind currently but will catch up as the US NextGen ADS-B equipage project continues to develop.

Plane Finder is showing a slow but steady increase in planes tracked as ADS-B use continues to grow.

We know that this website and the apps are used by a huge range of people including professionals such pilots and ground crew, by plane spotters and aviation enthusiasts, and by anyone who just wants to track a friend or is curious about the planes overhead.

We hope that you enjoy Plane Finder however you use it!

A more detailed explanation of ADS-B is provided below:

ADS-B (Automatic Dependant Surveillance Broadcast System) is a technology used for aircraft surveillance. Currently, air traffic control relies on the use of ground based radar systems. ADS-B will change this to a satellite based tracking system eradicating known issues and unreliability’s with standard radar tracking.

Currently being rolled out worldwide, ADS-B is part of the Next Generation Air Transportation System also called “NextGen”.

Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)
To be introduced in the US between 2012 and 2025 NextGen will change the way in which American air traffic control works. It will move from being a ground based system using traditional surveillance radar to a ground/satellite system. This will enable route shortening, reduced traffic delays and increased fuel and time efficiency.

ADS-B greatly enhances the safety of air travel by providing not only air traffic control with real time, consistent and visible position updates but also other aircraft equipped with ADS-B. This will enable aircraft to effectively ‘see’ each other during flight.

Relying on two avionics components ADS-B uses:

1.  High integrity GPS unit
2. Data link unit (operating at 1090 MHz – modified Mode S transponder)

What is Mode S?
All aircraft carry units within their avionics system called transponders (transmitter and responder). These transponders, at the most basic level, emit a four digit signal that can be controlled via a panel on the instrument panel.

These four digits are assigned by air traffic control. On the radar screen the controller can see the four digit code alongside the radar return of the aircraft. This enables them to identify the aircraft. The signal is received and ‘interrogates’ the transponder. That number is then returned and known as a ‘Squawk’.
Short for ‘selective’ mode, Mode S transponders allow more information to be sent when the air traffic control radar interrogates the transponder. It sends information on altitude, callsign and squawk code which also enables the Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS) and ADS-B systems to function.

How does ADS-B work?

Simply put, ADS-B uses the avionics within an aircraft to communicate with GPS satellites in orbit and transmit data about:

ADS-B OUT – Data from the aircraft

• Callsign
• Altitude
• Heading
• Position
• Squawk number
• Speed

ADS-B IN – Data into the aircraft

• Weather – via Flight Information Service-Broadcast (FIS-B)
• Terrain
• Information – via Traffic Information Service-Broadcast (TIS-B)
• Traffic

This data is then received and decoded by other aircraft equipped with ADS-B avionics and ground receivers. These ground receivers then display this information to air traffic controllers through a display. From this information they can provide vectoring instructions and organize the skies with more accuracy and more reliable information. Additionally, other aircraft equipped appropriately can also see the same information providing them with a very good early warning system enhancing their own situational awareness.

The Benefits of ADS-B

The ADS-B system makes flying drastically safer predominantly by allowing surrounding aircraft to be able to see other aircraft as well as several other benefits:

• Safety – ADS-B will make flying significantly safer.. When using this system both pilots and controllers see the same radar picture.
• Management – The accurate data enables better decision making by ATC and pilots. This in turn will lead to savings in journey time and fuel.

Both IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) and VFR (Visual Flight Rules) flights benefit from the system giving:

• Increased safety with controlled separation in non-radar airspace
• More accurate and readily available information can be provided to VFR flights

Some of the biggest benefits will be to the Air Traffic Control Officers that manage the aircraft flying within controlled airspace are:

•    Increased efficiency of traffic flow
•    Merging and spacing information
•    Increased level of information
•    More consistent level of radar returns
•    Alleviates some pressure by allowing improved in-cockpit information to pilots

In addition ADS-B data can also be received in-bound (ADS-B IN) by suitable equipped aircraft. This will provide additional resources to the pilot including:

• Weather – Through information broadcasts, aircraft can receive weather reports, through Flight Information Service-Broadcast (FIS-B), providing more information to the pilot about surrounding weather.

• Terrain – The system also provides pilots with a terrain overlay, again increasing safety.

• Information – ADS-B also allows aircraft and their pilots to receive NOTAMs (Notice To AirMen) and TFRs (Temporary Flight Restrictions) via Traffic Information Service-Broadcast (TIS-B).
• Traffic – ADS-B will allow the pilot to view information on surrounding aircraft. This includes callsign, altitude, heading, speed, and distances.

Why is it important to Planefinder?

ADS-B technology is important to Planefinder, because along with other radar technologies it enables us to track aircraft live through our app and provide up to date, accurate and reliable information on aircraft flying around the world.

The more aircraft and airlines that adopt ADS-B the more aircraft we can track and show through the app. All the aircraft that are displayed on Planefinder are aircraft equipped and using ADS-B technology. Although an on-going process, but the FAA predict that 90% of aircraft in the US will be equipped with ADS-B by 2018. As ADS-B becomes more prolific, businesses operating within the aviation industry will invest in it. This will lead to more and more aircraft will become available for tracking through Planefinder. This includes aircraft within commercial based flight and general aviation.

You can help!

You can help increase PlaneFinder’s radar coverage by either sharing your data with us via your home virtual radar. Whatever system you own you can easily share your data with us and help to increase the level of coverage. Simply follow the instructions on Planefinder.net to begin sharing your ADS-B tracking information.

Not based in the UK? Great, we’re always looking to increase Planefinder’s reach worldwide. Wherever you are we’re interesting in hearing about what data you can share with us. Read more about home ADS-B radar  receivers and ask others questions by getting involved with our plane enthusiast community on Pinkfroot.

Planefinder.net

The Planefinder.net website has been implemented in partnership with Something Interesting Limited. 

Something Interesting are a professional and passionate development team focused on delivering quality projects. The team like to enjoy what they do, speak like humans and have their client’s best interests at heart. They don’t believe in cutting corners and won’t compromise the quality of their work.

Where has the missing Malaysian airline jet gone?

The global investigation into the missing Malaysian airline changed its course on Sunday, with agencies now focusing on large tracts of land across 11 countries indicating that the plane might have possibly safely landed at a remote location. Earlier, the focus was mainly on shallow seas.

None of the theories put out by experts can so far explain fully the sudden disappearance of the aircraft. Among the new theories that emerged on Monday was one by an aviation enthusiast, Keith Ledgerwood, who says in a blog posting that the flight MH370 would have flown in the shadow of the Singapore Airlines flight SIA 68, which flew across the Andaman Sea, into the Bay of Bengal, in the airspace and finally
Turkmenistan before proceeding towards its destination, Barcelona in Spain.


The SIA flight was on "airway P628 that the Malaysian radar had shown MH370 headed towards at precisely the same time", Ledgerwood said. "It is my belief that MH370 likely flew in the shadow of SIA68 through India and Afghanistan airspace. As MH370 was flying "dark" without transponder/ADS-B output, SIA68 would have had no knowledge that MH370 was anywhere around and as it entered Indian airspace, it would have shown up as one single blip on the radar with only the transponder information of SIA68 lighting up ATC and military radar screens," Ledgerwood said.


According to this theory, MH370 would have finally headed towards Afghanistan or Turkmenistan. This would require unimaginable skill, which few pilots possess. Also, American radars active over Afghanistan to track low flying drones would have got some blip, even though the transponder was off.


Aviation experts who spoke to dna said this was a possibility. "My only change would be he did not proceed to Afghanistan but turned off south at IGREX and went to some remote island in the Indian ocean. The USAF drones would have picked it up in Pakistan and Afganistan," said aviation expert Captain Mohan Ranganathan. "If the Malaysian airline plane was just behind the Singapore plane by as close as 5 miles and 500ft lower, it would not be possible for radars to detect it," added Ranganathan.


The investigation now involves 25 countries, including India, with Malaysian PM Razak, through diplomatic exercise personally calling the heads of states, seeking cooperation. "Going by the investigation reports so far and how the aircraft managed to hoodwink the civilian and military radars of so many counties, I believe that plane has landed safely somewhere. The global power balance is changing drastically. In the current scenario, a state-sponsored hijacking can't be ruled out," said Mumbai-based aviation expert Vipul Saxena.


As of now, following are the plausible theories. Terrorism has almost been ruled out completely even though there were two Iranians with stolen passports on board.

1. Pilot suicide. No clues yet to show that the two pilots were suicidal or had extreme
   philosophies.

2. Pilot aided hijack. Most plausible as of now. This would mean that the plane has
   indeed landed somewhere.

3. Plan flew below 5,000 ft for a long time before it crashed in the Bay of Bengal or
   Andaman Sea. Here too not even military radars got any blip.

Credits: http://www.dnaindia.com/

Free Unlimited Calls to USA and Canada

Make free calls to USA and Canada to any landline and mobile phone.

KNCTR is a free entertainment and communication desktop app that allows everyone to make free local and long distance calls to cellphones and landlines in continental North America. Also, KNCTR brings you amazing daily video including hot Hollywood gossip, news updates, technology and app insight, movie trailers, auto reviews, and daily exclusives.

What's new in this version:
Added Windows 8 compatibility
Improved Telephone Module
Improved Telephone Module
Free Phone Calls
Free Daily Video Content
Social Media Integration


Read more: KNCTR - Free download and software reviews - CNET Download.com http://download.cnet.com/KNCTR/3000-2349_4-75937647.html#ixzz2wMXX12ON

How to Download YouTube Videos

Found a favorite video on YouTube that you just have to have? There are dozens of tools at your disposal for downloading and converting YouTube videos. Here are three verified sites for your downloading pleasure. ClipGrab requires you to download the application, while Kibase and Mediaconverter do not, but do have size restrictions on the videos you download.

1. Download and install ClipGrab from ClipGrab. ClipGrab is a free and open source
   program available for Mac, Windows and Linux.

2. Copy the URL of the YouTube video you would like to download.

3. Paste the URL into the ClipGrab window.

4. Select the format and quality you want to use (e.g. MPEG4 and HD 1080p).

5. Click on the "Grab this Clip!" button to start the download.

Master List of Work at Home General Transcription Companies

Here is a list of companies that regularly hire people for work at home transcription. The list is broken down by companies that will accept entry level transcribers with little to no experience and companies that require experience. Please note this list is primarily for general transcription although many of these companies do hire for legal, medical, and other types of transcription in addition to general.

I’ll be transferring this list over to my directory soon. I hope this helps some of you! Please feel free to suggest additions to this list.

Entry Level OK

• AccuTran Global - Prefers experience but will hire newbies if skills test is passed.
• Allegis Communications - Hires occasionally for people to transcribe 20 hours per week. Pays twice a month with direct deposit. Hires newbies if grammar and transcription tests are passed.
• Appenscribe - Will hire newbies. Open worldwide. Company is based out of Australia.
• BAM! Transcription – This company will hire beginners if a skills test is passed. The app is not on their site, so you’ll have to contact them via their contact form to get info on applying.
• Casting Words – Beginners OK. All work done through Amazon MTurk.
• Clark Fork Communications – Entry level OK, must take test. US only.
• Daily Transcription – They hire novice and also professional transcribers who can pass their skills test.
• GMR Transcription – Entry level OK. Hires from US and also Canada.
• Pierce Group Atlanta – Does some market research transcription. Newbies can get in if a skill test is passed, but experience is preferred.
• Quicktate - No experience needed. Must take a test before being hired. Hires in US & other countries.
• Scribie - No experience needed. Must take test. Hires worldwide.
• SpeechInk – Beginners OK. All work is done through Amazon MTurk.
• Tigerfish – Entry level OK. Must take test. US only.
• TranscribeMe - This is another company that’s open to hiring beginners. Pays via Paypal, no exp. needed to get in.
• Ubiqus - Hires for all types of transcription. Will consider beginners. Must type at least 70 wpm.
• Verbal Ink - Occasionally hiring for general transcription. They hire US-based transcribers only and do prefer experience, but you can still get in if you do well on their test.

Requires Experience

• Accuro Transcription – UK based company, hires people w/experience for legal and medical transcription.
• Alice Darling Secretarial Services – Must type at least 75 wpm. Not always hiring, check career page for openings.
• At Home Typing Service – The transcription positions here require at least five years of experience.
• AVTranz – Always looking for experienced transcribers. Email resume.
• Cambridge Transcription – Hires for legal and corporate transcription, experience required.
• Caset Associates – Hires worldwide. You need to type at least 90 wpm.
• Chromolume Transcription – Requires some experience. You must email them to find out if they are hiring.
• Cyber Dictate – Are currently looking for US based workers with experience in legal transcription.
• eTranscription Solutions – Typing speed of no less than 80 wpm required. Experience needed, details on career page.
• Expedict – Hires only experienced audio transcriptionists. They receive a lot of applications so it may take a while to hear back if you apply.
• Fantastic Transcripts – Requires experience. Not currently hiring, but will keep your info on file.
• Focus Forward – This company is often hiring (I see their ads on Craigslist a lot). Experience required, accepts both English and Spanish language transcriptionists.
• Hollywood Transcription – This company may require experience though it is not stated as a requirement on the website. You must type at least 65 wpm.
• Landmark Associates – Must take test, and they require experience.
• Mass Transcription – General and legal only, must have some experience.
• Modern Day Scribe – Must contact them via email to find out if they are hiring. US only.
• Morningside Partners, LLC – Hires at-home news transcribers. Requires three years experience and also a Bachelor’s degree.
• Mulberry Studio – Requires two years of past experience. Must type a minimum of 75 wpm.
• Neal R. Gross & Co. – Hires experienced transcribers on a 1099 basis.
• Net Transcripts – Lots of law enforcement based work, must pass background check for this work. Also hires for financial transcription.
• On the Record Reporting and Transcription – Must live in Austin, TX area because you will be required to work in the office during training time.
• Orion Transcription – US only. Two years experience required.
• Pioneer Transcription Services – Experience needed. Accepting workers for all types of transcription, also needs bilingual transcribers.
• Preferred Transcriptions – Does medical, legal, and general transcription. One year experience required for general.
• Production Transcripts – Must be experienced. Fill out online application. Hires sporadically.
• Same Day Transcriptions – Professional transcribers only. Some federal work.
• Say It Back – Entertainment transcription. Must have digital foot pedal and software.
• Silent Secretary – Full and part-time positions. Prefers experience.
• Speak Write – Does both legal and general transcription. Work is on a contract basis and you must have experience.
• Take 1 – Entertainment transcription. Appears to be a UK based company. Prefers experience.
• Talk 2 Type Transcriptions – Hires independent contractors who type at least 75 wpm.
• Talking Type Captions – Must email them via their contact page for more info on transcription positions.
• Terescription – Does entertainment, business, legal, and education transcription. Requires experience.
• TSI Transcription Services – They prefer experience, but you may be able to get in with some very limited experience provided you meet their minimum qualifications.
• Transcription Experts – US only for remote work. Minimum 2 years experience.
• Transcription Outsourcing – Hiring professional and committed transcriptionists. Many types of transcription.
• TransDual – Hires freelancers for transcription (and other positions), preferred if you have a background in forensics, criminal justice, etc.
• We Scribe It – Must have at least six months experience in the last two years for general transcription.
• WorldWide Dictation – Not always hiring. You have to keep a watch on the opportunities page for openings.