How to use any app (YouTube, WhatsApp etc) on Samsung Gear VR

There seems to be a limited pool of apps & games that you can use with your Gear VR. Even google's playstore isn't supported & as soon as you place your phone in the VR, your extent is limited to that of the Oculus store.

Till now you couldn't use any of your apps while in VR mode & even you got a WhatsApp message or wanted to use any of the apps from your phone, you would have had to remove your phone from the VR & place it back afterward.

You may have wished to watch YouTube videos from your favourite creators or dive into the awesome 360° YouTube videos but sadly there isn't a proper way to enjoy them as the YouTube app isn't supported till now & you have browse to youtube.com via the Samsung browser & watch the videos, which spoils the experience.

Samsung has come up with a new app "Samsung PhoneCast VR Beta" which is still in the beta stages but works well. With this app, you can check your emails, play music, WhatsApp or use the YouTube app on your Gear VR. The app takes you to a virtual scenic lakeside campground where you can access all your apps, games, videos on a large screen.

To get the app, go to the Oculus store, search for the app "Samsung PhoneCast VR Beta" & install it.

The UI is simple to navigate. Tapping on the Labs menu takes you to a list of all your apps. You can quickly control Bluetooth, wifi, network, battery, screen brightness, screen rotation etc by tapping on the settings cog wheel icon. The app supports repositioning of the display too, so you can even use the apps while lying down.

The app is practical & useful & adds so much more to the VR experience. We hope you'd enjoy it too.

Auto Handsfree toggle when phone removed from ear

This tasker project automatically switches the call to handsfree mode if phone is removed from the ear & switches it back to normal(non-handsfree) mode when the phone is put to the ear. I have also thought about earphones & in case they are plugged in, the profile will detect that & handsfree/loudspeaker won't be activated.

The various profiles & tasks have been created to be battery efficient & have lowest possible load on the device's resources.

For this profile we'll have to create 4 tasks & 3 profiles. You can find the screenshots of all the profiles & tasks at the end of the post for your ease. Now let's begin.

Task 1: Create a task & name it 'Speaker on'.
Add action by clicking on the '+' button & select Speakerphone from under audio (Audio-> Speakerphone), set it to ON & save.

Task 2: Create the task & name it 'Speaker off'.
Add Speakerphone action similar to the above task (from under Audio-> Speakerphone), set it to OFF & save.

Now let's create the 1st profile & link the above made tasks.

Profile 1:

• Create profile & select State -> Sensor -> Proximity Sensor. Press the back button & select 'Speaker off' task from the list.
• Long press on the 'Proximity Sensor' state & select Add -> State -> Hardware -> Headset Plugged. Check/activate the invert option. Save.
• Long press on 'Speakerphone off' & tap on Add exit task -> select 'Speakerphone on' from the list.
• Long press on the profile ("Proximity Sensor,Not Headset Plugged") & name it to 'Proximity'.

 

Task 3: Create a task & name it 'Start'.

Add action by clicking on the '+' button & select Profile Status (Tasker -> Profile Status).
Name: Tap on search icon & select 'Proximity' profile.
Set: On

Task 4: Create another same task with the name 'Stop'. Add 'Profile Status' action just like the previous task & chose the following.
Name: Tap on search icon & select 'Proximity' profile.
Set: Off

Profile 2: Create profile & select Event -> Phone -> Phone offhook. Press the back button & select 'Start' task from the list.

Profile 3: Create profile & select Event -> Phone -> Phone Idle. Press the back button & select 'Stop' task from the list.

Important Final Check: Make sure the Proximity Profile is OFF & the other two are in ON state. It should look as the image provided below.

The project is complete now & should work perfectly. Do comment down below if you liked the project or in case of any issues.

Screenshots of all Tasks & Profiles.

        

ISRO launches Solar Calculator app to compute solar energy potential at your home

With the rapidly degrading environment & the limited availability of non-renewable resources, solar energy is definitely the way forward. Prime minister Modi has also emphasized on the huge potential of solar energy available to India. On the request of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of India, The Space Applications Centre (SAC) at ISRO, Ahmedabad has launched an android app called Solar Calculator which lets you compute solar energy potential at any location in India. Remote sensing observations from geostationary satellite sensors are used to capture space-time variability of surface insolation.

"Computation of solar energy potential is essential to select the locations for solar photovoltaic (PV) thermal power plants." -ISRO's website

It is a free app and will be useful to you if you plan to use solar panels at home. It can tell you the potential power that you can generate monthly/annually. The app will be of much use for those who provide commercial services related to solar power generation. The app provides information about monthly/yearly solar potential (in kWh/m2), the minimum/maximum temperature at your location, azimuth/elevation angles as well as day length over different time periods in a year.

Main highlights of the app:

1. The App provides solar energy potential (in kWh/m2) at any given location
2. The required location can be keyed in or can be obtained through GPS
3. It gives monthly and yearly solar potential processed using Indian Geostationary Satellite data (Kalpana-1, INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR). It also offers monthly minimum and maximum temperature to calculate realistic solar potential
4. Location is displayed on image with satellite data in the background
5. It also provides azimuth and elevation angles, and day length over different time periods in a year.
6. Obstruction of sunlight due to terrain is also calculated using Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
7. It also suggests optimum tilt angle for solar PV installation
8. Complete report can be saved as a PDF file.

Where can you get the app & how to use it?

The app is presently only available for android but yet not available on the google play. You can get the app from the download section of VEDAS's website or download it directly via the download button below.

The app's UI is very simple & after you have installed and opened the app, you are asked to enter you location (latitude and longitude) or you can tap on 'Get Location' option, which will use your phone's GPS to determine your location. The next & final step is to tap on the 'Calculate' button. You'll now be able to see the detailed information below. The information section consists of three tabs - Table, Graph & Map.

• Table tab- The tab shows information like min/max temperature, annual global insolation, optimum tilt angle. It also shows you detailed monthly data for the past 4 years.
• Graph tab- This tab hosts various graphical representation of the data like temperature variations, sun path and day length.
• Map tab- This tab shows the location selected on the map with two different views.

  

Sources: www.isro.gov.in, vedas.sac.gov.in.

Answered: Why you have not received the Nougat 7.0 update for the S6 & S6 edge in India

As per reports from various websites, publications & users, Samsung has rolled out the Nougat 7.0 update for the S6 & S6 edge but still, a majority of users are complaining about not receiving the update. The update brings latest features of Nougat like the blue light filter, improved doze mode & also Samsung's new UI & provides freshness to the ageing device.

FoneArena was the first to catch the rolling update & announced its availability on 19th April for the Indian users. It has been several days since & the update has become a mystery. With some users getting the update while others stuck at marshmallow 6.0.1, websites posting about its availability but the users not getting it & Samsung's customer care informing that the latest available update for the S6 edge is marshmallow, there seems to be a lot of confusion.

Clearing the Confusion

Sales Code/Customer Service Code(CSR) are a deciding factor for the availability of updates for your device. These codes are important for the operation of your device. Different countries have different voice & data standards & the codes ensure that the device complies with the standards of your country.

The S6/S6 edge in India either have INU or  INS sales code & as per our research, the Nougat 7.0 update with March security update has been rolled out in India by Samsung but only to the devices with INU sales code.

To know your device's code, follow these steps:

1. Open your phone's dialer & dial *#06# to obtain your device's IMEI number.

2. Dial *#272*IMEI NUMBER#

3. This will open up a window & show you the sales code for your device.

4. Press cancel to exit.

List showing your device's code

If the code is INS, sadly you'd have to wait for a few more days to get the update.

If you're impatient & want to get your hands on the latest update immediately, there is a trick! Simple follow the steps given above & then change the sales code from INS to INU & tap on the Install button (this will format & reset your device so do backup all your data prior to this). After the device reboots, go to settings-> about device-> download updates manually & you'll see the update immediately. Although we don't guarantee the trick to be harmless, we have found many users getting the update via the trick with no issues at all.

Watch this space to get updated as soon as the nougat update for the S6/S6 edge INS variant receives the update. We hope to have cleared all confusions & answered to your queries. If not, then do post your queries in the comment section below.

UPDATE 27.04.2017 3:20PM (IST): The wait is finally over & Nougat 7.0 update for S6 & S6 edge INS variant has been rolled out in India. Check for the update on your device now!

WhatsApp update - New Status Feature released

WhatsApp releases update v2.17.81 with the new status feature which replaces the older version. Now you can set GIF, photo or video as your WhatsApp status.

The update brings a new 4 tab interface- Camera, Chats, Status & Calls tab.

The Camera tab lets you quickly capture photos or videos which can be either sent it to anyone or set up as a status from the following window.

The Chat & Call tabs are same as you have been experiencing them.

The new Status tab packs all the new features & seem inspired from Snapchat stories. The tab initially provides a short & simple guide to the user about the new feature. Photos or videos can be set as status updates which are protected by end-to-end encryption & automatically disappear after 24hrs. New improved privacy options can now be set for the Status updates - My Contacts, My Contacts except.. & Only share with.

If the update is not yet available for you on the google play store, you can download it from below.

Here are few screenshots from the new version of the app.