How to use external storage to expand unexpandable Android phones

The HTC One? Nice phone, no question. But it's lacking a key feature: a microSD expansion slot.

That's a bummer, as expandability has long been one of the big advantages of an Android phone over an iPhone. (The other is a removable battery, which the One also lacks, but that's a topic for another day.) Does that mean owners of slotless Android phones like this one are stuck with a fixed amount of storage?

Not necessarily. Thanks to a USB specification called USB On-the-Go (OTG for short), you can add more storage just by plugging in a flash drive. Well, OK, there's a little more to it than that. Here's how to expand an "unexpandable" Android phone.

To connect a flash drive to your Android device, you'll need an inexpensive USB OTG cable.
(Credit: LTZmart)

Step one: Because you can't plug a full-size USB flash drive into a microUSB port, you'll need an adapter cable -- specifically a USB OTG cable. You can find these for as little as US$3, sometimes less, on Amazon and eBay. Here's one that, as of press time, was selling for US$1.47 shipped. (Impossibly, it ships from Hong Kong, meaning it could take a couple weeks to arrive. But how does that price even cover shipping costs?!)

Step two: Fill a flash drive with music, videos, photos, documents, and/or other media you'll want to access on your device. The USB OTG solution is particularly great for bringing extra music and movies on a trip, especially if you're already low on on-device storage.

If your device supports USB OTG right out of the box, it should be a plug-and-play exercise.
(Credit: Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET)

Step three: Plug the flash drive into the USB OTG cable, then plug the cable into your phone's Micro-USB port. With luck, the phone will immediately jump into USB host mode, which is exactly what happens with my Verizon HTC One. From there I was able to fire up Gallery, Music, and other apps that support external storage, and use them to play videos, listen to songs, open files, and so on. If, however, nothing happens, read on.

Freeware utility Kingo Root can handle the chore if your device needs rooting for USB OTG.
(Credit: Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET)

Step four (if necessary): Not all Android devices come with the necessary USB OTG drivers. Does that mean you're out of luck? Not if you're willing to root your phone or tablet. CNET's Scott Webster gives you the full story in "Hack your Android like a pro: Rooting and ROMs explained." Or, if you want to just dive right in, Kingo Android Root is a free app that can make short work of the rooting process on most devices.

Step five (if necessary): Now install an Android app that allows external drives to be "mounted" (i.e. visible to the operating system). One popular choice: USB OTG Helper. Run the app, then plug in your USB OTG cable with the already-connected flash drive. Now you should be able to access the drive in the same ways described above.

Unfortunately, there's no guarantee any of this will work on your device; your best bet is trial and error, though you could also do some googling to see if others have had USB OTG success with a particular model. For what it's worth, I wasn't able to get a rooted Virgin Mobile Supreme to recognize my flash drive -- though it wasn't really necessary given that that phone has a Micro-USB slot.

On the flipside, if you do get everything working, or have a model like the HTC One, you can also connect a variety of other USB devices, including keyboards and even game controllers. CNET's Sharon Vaknin explains it all in this video overview of USB OTG.

10 reasons why university students should wear uniforms

Uniform is a symbol of being a student. It differentiates them teachers and other people.

Should university students wear uniforms?

This is a contentious and much debated topic amongst the academia and other social circles. Be it in Pakistan, or around the world, this idea has been discussed multiple times and on different forums. However, I feel that university students should definitely wear uniforms, and here are a few reasons why:

Saving money

An average student spends around Rs50,000 a year on clothes for university. Having a couple of uniforms instead of fashion statement clothes for the university will not amount to more than Rs10,000 per year. This means that an average of Rs40,000 can be saved per student. Multiply this by a 1,000 students and we are saving a huge bundle by simply enforcing uniforms. The students can pool in the savings and set up other state-of-the-art facilities, like food courts or better labs.

Less time consuming

A boy who studies at a university spends about 20 minutes to get ready in the morning, and most of this time is spent in selecting an outfit. The same goes for the girls who end up wasting at least 30 minutes in getting dressed. Having a uniform would mean that each university student would save, on average, at least 15 minutes per day, which now they can consume doing something constructive instead, like spending some quality time with their parents before leaving or having a proper breakfast instead of rushing out the door.

Physical fitness

Considering how unflattering most uniforms are and what a poor job they do in camouflaging curves and flab, students will have to work much harder to look good in their uniforms. This means students will be spending more hours in the gym now, causing the rates of Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Cardiac diseases and other obesity-related problems to decrease.

No room for excuses

In cases where teachers and students indulge in illicit affairs, the usual answer brought forth by teachers, after being questioned, is,

‘Oh, I didn’t know he/she was a student. I thought he/she was a colleague.’

When the student is in a uniform, this excuse will no longer remain valid.

Research polls

Though no survey on this topic has been done in Pakistan, in Thailand a Suan Dusit poll conducted just last week (September 14-17, 2013) showed that 94.4% of 1,293 university students in greater Bangkok think uniforms are “necessary” to maintain order and their identity. 70.96% think they should wear the uniform everyday while they attend classes. So if they are okay with it, what issues do we have?

A symbol of being a student

Often when I am standing behind someone in a line, I have heard the teller ask for a student ID card and more often than not, the person has left it at home. When he/she is wearing the uniform, getting student discounts on coffees, fast food, and even travel will be a piece of cake. If someone asks for a student ID, simply do a twirl and show them your clothes as identity of being a student.

Difference between students and teachers

When I was teaching, it was often hard to differentiate between the throngs of students roaming through the college and the dozens of Teacher Assistants (TA) who had barely graduated a month ago. Sometimes I would invite a girl to grab coffee with me and only later on realise that she is a student and not a TA. Had the students been in uniform, this problem wouldn’t have taken place at all.

Appropriate dressing

As someone who has taught at two co-educational institutes, I have seen it all from plunging necklines to pants which disappear at the thigh to the I-am-not-sure-you-want-to-know. Though I don’t mind all the scenery, I think boys spend about 60 minutes every day just ogling their colleagues. That’s again a lot of time spent doing nothing. If this time was to be used on learning Maths, our country would be rich in engineers and mathematicians. Uniforms can maintain an equal standard of dressing for all students.

Benefits to the uniform industry

With the demand for uniforms increasing, to meet the supply requirements the industry would have to hire more employees. Thus, not only would this benefit the students but even the nation as a whole.

What’s the harm?

Lastly, my question is, why not just wear a uniform? Not wearing them is not making our students any smarter, sharper, or better! Then why not just wear them and make life easier for all?

Hence, with so many positives and useful reasons, I see no point as to why students should not wear uniforms.

REVIEW: ‘Gravity’, Prepare To Be Lost In Space With George Clooney

Imagine being lost in space with George Clooney? Many women would happily trade places with Sandra Bullock for that experience but maybe not after watching Gravity.

Bullock and Clooney are astronauts whose mission turns to disaster when their space station comes in to the line of fire of debris hurtling at mega-speed.

As Alphonso Cuaron’s audacious, imaginative and cinematically breathtaking film, best seen in Imax 3D states: 600km above the Earth’s surface, with rapidly fluctuating temperatures and an absence of oxygen, life is impossible.

In this atmosphere, Cuaron tells the story of a woman’s loneliness, of the challenges of living a quiet and isolated life and the pull of gravity that gives us a comforting and unimaginable sense of rootedness.

This is a film about survival and soul-searching; it’s about forgiveness and realising that while you were the walking dead, when actually given a choice between living and dying (like Bullock’s medical engineer is given), your strength and choices might surprise you.

Cuaron magnificently creates a world of weightlessness where characters and objects float and gasp for breath; where silence and darkness are claustrophobic; where the sunrise is magical and dangers is frightening close. You feel the painful loneliness and quite of space.

Emmanuel Lubezki’s incredible cinematography brings to life Cuaron’s vision.

There is a beautiful shot of a teardrop floating in space, which stayed with me days after I had seen the film. Though you might fault the dialogues for being a tad cheesy, I wonder if that was deliberately done to alleviate the onscreen tension. The background music is dramatic with swells and dips.

Bullock is outstanding as Dr. Ryan Stone, conveying a range of emotions and immediately winning the audience to her side. Clooney is charming, even in a brief role as Matt Kowalski where he is mostly inside a space suit. It’s his character that brings lightness to an intense film.

This is cinema as it should be – pushing the envelope, pushing imagination and technology. So involved do you feel that you are grateful for the ground beneath your feet when you legs feel like jelly at the end. Cuaron, whose filmography is as diverse as Y Tu Mama Tambien, Children of Men and Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban, may have taken a few creative liberties with his plot, but you can overlook those because he has crafted a thrilling cinematic experience that should not be missed.

Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Chennai Express’ Breaks A New Record!

MUMBAI: Not only has ‘Chennai Express’ managed to smash all box office records to smithereens ever since its release, but the SRK- Deepika Padukone starrer is now blasting its way across a TV set near you too.

As we have been consistently reporting, ‘Chennai Express’ has notched up a grand total of over Rs 200 crore at the ticketing windows, and is still unstoppable. Fans of the uproarious family style masala entertainer now have been lapping up the film on the DTH platform as well.

From 25 September onwards, users of Dish TV were given the chance to watch the film ‘Chennai Express’ on TV.

Said Dish TV CEO Salil Kapoor, in a statement: “Shah Rukh Khan’s unique ability to connect with fans across all age groups and in all parts of the country worked as a huge catalyst in redefining the dynamics of movie viewing on movie-on-demand, and in achieving this breakthrough viewership.”

He even added that the sheer number of orders has broken the “largest number of orders for any single title” on the movie-on-demand platform.

“We look forward to building this synergy of entertainment with more such more such big titles from the superstar to delight our subscribers,” Kapoor added.

Did you know?: Ainy Jaffri is engaged and others are set to follow!

Jaffri and Ahmad with family. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

KARACHI: Model-turned-actor Ainy Jaffri exchanged rings with Faris Rahmanin in a low-key affair last month. The private ceremony took place at Jaffri’s residence. “The engagement was a very small, intimate affair amongst close family and friends,” said Jaffri.

The model-actor was dressed in a beautiful ivory angrakha with traditional gold embroidery. Jaffri’s make-up was done by Natasha Khalid of Natasha Salon and her hair was done up in a side-swept romantic braided do, adorned with dull gold floral trinkets.

Rahman, 32, is an equity analyst by profession, who works at Fidelity Investments in London. At the ceremony, he was seen wearing a crisp cream boski kurta with a brown crushed dushala.

And now, it seems like wedding bells are chiming all over – rumours are flying that sizzling TV show host Mathira Mohammad and actors Sanam Baloch and Sarwat Gilani are ready to tie the knot in the coming days.

While Mathira is said to be marrying UK-based bhangra pop singer Flint J, Gilani apparently got engaged earlier this week. We wish all these brides-to-be will make great brides and have wonderful wedded lives!

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Ainy is 24 years old.

Boss Gen Kayani Sahib...

File photo of Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. PHOTO: REUTERS

ISLAMABAD: Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani on Saturday said the army supports the government’s policy of dialogue with the Taliban to end the insurgency wracking the country.

The main political parties last month backed a government proposal to seek negotiations with the militants, who have been waging a bloody insurgency against the state since 2007.

But the umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) faction, a loose coalition of militant groups led by Hakimullah Mehsud since 2009, responded with a list of preconditions.

These included a government ceasefire and the withdrawal of troops from the tribal areas along the Afghan border where the militants have hideouts.

“The national leadership has decided to give dialogue a chance to deal with the issue of terrorism and Pakistan army fully supports this process,” Kayani said while addressing a passing out parade of cadets in Abbottabad.

“The nation and the political leadership have to determine the parameters for holding such a dialogue… this process should bring unity among the nation instead of leading to a division,” he said.

During the televised address at the Pakistan Military Academy, the general said it was essential to find a solution to terrorism which he described as negating the basic ideology of the nation and the teachings of Islam.

“The military will be more than happy if a solution to the problem is found through dialogue,” he said, adding that the use of force would be the last option.

Kayani, who is retiring from his post next month at the end of a second tenure as army chief, dismissed speculations that the failure of counter-insurgency operations forced the military to go for dialogue.

“This is far from being a truth,” he said, pointing to the successful 2009 military operations in the northwestern town of Swat, which was cleansed of terrorists within four months.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said his government was sincere about holding peace talks with the Taliban, after rebel chief Mehsud complained that no serious steps had been taken to open a dialogue.

Speaking after a security meeting in Peshawar, Sharif said progress was being made on the issue of opening negotiations.

His statement came a day after the broadcast of a BBC interview in which Mehsud said he was ready to sit down for talks but the government had “not taken any serious steps”.

Shrinking coffers: Govt strives to arrange funds for urea import

The Ministry of Industries and Production proposed that the ECC might allow the Trading Corporation of Pakistan to import 500,000 tons of urea – 300,000 tons in November and 200,000 tons in December. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: 

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of cabinet has asked the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) to seek loans for import of urea in the current Rabi sowing season as heavy overall imports have put a strain on the government’s foreign currency reserves.

In a meeting held on October 2, the ECC agreed that there was an immediate need to import urea for planting crops and allowed purchase of 500,000 tons for the Rabi season, which runs from October to March. However, it suggested that avenues of financing should be explored to meet the cost of import, sources say.

“For this, the EAD should make necessary efforts in coordination with the Ministry of Industries and Production and the Finance Division,” a source quoted the ECC as saying.

The ECC also felt the need for regular supply of gas to fertiliser producing plants according to their quota in order to ensure optimum production and supply and avoid shortage of fertiliser in the sowing season.

Earlier in the meeting, the Ministry of Industries and Production proposed that the ECC might allow the Trading Corporation of Pakistan to import 500,000 tons of urea – 300,000 tons in November and 200,000 tons in December – from the international market.

The ministry also asked the ECC to direct the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources to make sure that gas was supplied to all urea producing units in winter, a period when gap between demand and supply of gas widens significantly.

The meeting participants discussed that Pakistan would face urea shortage in the Rabi season and this would possibly be felt by December when demand would hit its peak.

According to the Ministry of Industries, provinces in a meeting held in September had given an estimate that they would need 3.211 million tons of urea in the sowing season.

Punjab will require 2.130 million tons, Sindh 677,000 tons, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 254,000 tons and Balochistan 150,000 tons.

Giving the expected gas supply schedule for fertiliser plants, a meeting participant said domestic urea production was 587,000 tons per month with 100% gas supply. In case of gas shortage, the urea production came down to 376,000 tons per month.