Many of you might have become a fan of all the goodies Micromax Canvas 4 brings on the software side. Although these features are nice to have on a phone, many of them have been out for a while, either as standalone apps on the play store or as built-in features on some other Android mobiles. If you fancy having them on your current android phone, we are here with this article to help you out on this crusade. Please note that the software features mentioned below are as advertised on the canvas 4 website and we have no idea how they will actually work out.
Vertical Panorama: I don't think it is really that useful. Still, I am sure some app dev would bring this feature to some app pretty soon.
- On Micromax A210 Canvas 4:A video player that always stays on the top no matter what app you are running, so that you can watch videos while doing other things on your phone.
On your Current Android Device:
GPlayer (Super Floating Player) lets you do the exact same thing. This free little app brings in a lot of other customizability options in the pop up that would appear on your screen,. something (I'm sure) the Canvas 4's video player won't possess. - On Micromax A210 Canvas 4:
A browser that floats above as a pop up on any app that you run.
On your Current Android Device:
Floating Browser is a light weight browser that can be used on the top of any other app, thus increasing your productivity in scenarios like when you need to take a note when you are browsing.
Bonus Feature (Not even on Canvas 4):
Tiny Apps Lite is my favorite when it comes to floating apps. It is a bunch of five useful tools (Calculator, Notes, Paint, Music Player and Recorder) inside a single app that can float on your screen all the time. All these share the same Holo inspired UI and look beautiful on the screen. If you are willing to pay, Tiny Apps will include Floating Browser and Floating widgets. - On Micromax A210 Canvas 4:
Flip your phone anytime to activate Silence mode. Doing the same action during a call will turn the loudspeaker on.
On your Current Android Device:
Flip - Speakerphone and Flip - Silent are two different apps by the same developer which can help you achieve the Canvas 4 feature stated above. - On Micromax A210 Canvas 4:
Swipe gestures in the Video Player will allow you to increase or decrease volume and brightness when a video is playing.
On your current Android Device:
I don't think I even need to share this one because you have already guessed it, right? It's everyone's favorite MX Player provide these gestures option since the stone age. 50 million+ downloads of this app with a 4.7 average rating tells the story! - On Micromax A210 Canvas 4:
M! Anti-theft app allows you to remotely wipe data, block your SIM or track your phone when it gets lost.
On your current Android Device:
Avast anti-theft comes form the family of Avast, which has over 20 years of experience in Computer protection. This app comes with advanced options like locking your phone remotely, activating a siren (which works even when your phone is on silent mode) and track it on a map if it goes missing. If you are rooted, the app gets installed in such a way that the thief won't be able to even uninstall it. - On Micromax A210 Canvas 4:
Comes with pre-loaded apps like M! Hub, Hike Messaging and Opera Mini.
On your current Android Device:
All the apps which are really of some use to the end user can be downloaded for free from the play store.
- On Micromax A210 Canvas 4:
Take 99 shots in 60 seconds with fast burst mode.
On your current Android Device:
Fast Burst Camera Lite and Burst Mode Camera both these apps let you take up to 30 pictures per second. Putting my extra ordinary math skills to test (ok, I used the calculator :P), that is about 18 times as fast as the one advertised on Canvas 4.
A few features that aren't available as apps:
Vertical Panorama: I don't think it is really that useful. Still, I am sure some app dev would bring this feature to some app pretty soon.
Proximity Dialer: This feature can be handy and saves you a tap at the call button. I couldn't find any such app or mod.
Blow to Unlock: This one is certainly possible as I have seen an app that lets you extinguish a candle by blowing in to the mic. So, it's not specific to hardware at all.
Update: The Blow to Unlock app has been pulled out of the Canvas 4 and works very well on many other Android devices. Read more. Thanks to Hari for informing me about this.
Update: The Blow to Unlock app has been pulled out of the Canvas 4 and works very well on many other Android devices. Read more. Thanks to Hari for informing me about this.
If you were going to spend 18k impressed by these software features only, I hope I saved you some serious money. Do let me know if there is an app available for the three features I coludn't find in any app.
