MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [May 31st]” plus 10 more |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [May 31st]
- Top 10 Most Downloaded Student Tools [Movers & Shakers]
- Barnes & Noble eReader — Superior to iBook and Kindle In Almost Every Way [iPad]
- 2 Easy Ways to Recover A Lost or Stolen Android Phone
- Hot Tech Deals [May 31st]
- 2 Ingenious Apps To Help Organize Files and Folders On Your Mac
- The Top 10 Windows Desktop Computers For Every Occasion
- A Sleek & Easy Way To Administer Ubuntu – Ubuntu Control Center
- 20 x iPad Video Converters Up For Grabs [Special Giveaway]
- 7 Must-Have Google Desktop Gadgets for Productivity
- Total Access to Flickr Account from your Mac [MakeUseOf Giveaway]
| Cool Websites and Tools [May 31st] Posted: 31 May 2010 08:31 PM PDT
These are just half of the websites that we discovered in the last couple of days. If you want us to send you daily round-ups of all cool websites we come across, leave your email here. Or follow us via RSS feed. Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers! Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| Top 10 Most Downloaded Student Tools [Movers & Shakers] Posted: 31 May 2010 06:30 PM PDT
This week we are looking at a CNet category entitled Student Tools. These are applications that students can take advantage of like note-taking applications and software that help you pass specific exams like the Bar or Real Estate exams here in the United States. I found the ATM teller tutorial amusing. Are there really people who do not know how to use an ATM?
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| Barnes & Noble eReader — Superior to iBook and Kindle In Almost Every Way [iPad] Posted: 31 May 2010 04:30 PM PDT
The challenge though for e-publishers is to make e-reading programs and services feature-rich but also easy to use. The recent release of Barnes and Noble's eReader [iTunes Store link] for the iPad has a few unique features that Apple and Amazon could learn from.
The management of downloaded material is a little better than the in iBook and Kindle apps, in that it provides a way to view downloads according magazines, newspapers, ebooks, or archived material. This becomes essential when your library starts filling up with 25 or more publications.
Another great feature in the BN eReader app is the ability to pull up (by tapping a small menu icon at the top of the app) a synopsis of a selected book by holding down your finger on the cover. The resulting info window is also how you can access a book for purchase, as well link to your bookmarks, notes/highlights. The drop-down column window (a great feature in many iPad apps) provides you access to all your other books your library.
Adding and accessing books in your library entails clicking the "add books" button in the home library page, which will open B&N's online bookstore in Safari. Browsing books in Safari on the iPad is not as streamlined and convenient as browsing them in the iTunes bookstore; thus, I prefer to browse Amazon and B&N e-books on my desktop web browser. It's simply a faster way to add free sample books to the library. Reading and AnnotatingReading ebooks on the BN eReader is also similar to the other ebook apps. You tap and swipe to turn pages, and you can change the font, font size, text justification, and the color of the page background. Unlike the other two apps, however, you can save your preferences as a theme, which means you can create one theme for daylight reading, and another for nighttime. Or you might create a theme for a particular genre of reading.
There's also an option for using the “publisher settings”. This is interesting in that it means the publisher could possibly customize the layout settings to fit the content and design of their e-books, especially textbooks and manuals. The annotation features of the BN eReader are also slightly better than the other two apps. When you want to highlight a sentence or passage, you press your finger down on the first word of the passage and drag to where you want the highlight to end. Unlike with iBooks and Kindle, you don’t have to tap first to bring up a menu item to start the highlighting. The menu item pops up after you lift your finger. This may not seem like a big deal, but it means one less tap in the process of highlighting text or adding notes. The highlight approach is also how you select a single word or phrase and look it up in Google, Wikipedia, or the built-in Merrian-Webster's Pocket Dictionary, which means you don't have to leave the page to look up a word.
Clicking the "go to" menu item when you're on a page, you can access a publication's table of contents, your notes & highlights, and your bookmarks. Again, this drown-down menu item is better than the similar feature in iBooks and Kindle, because the drop-down window appears over your current page in a side-bar fashion. You tap on a note, bookmark, or title in the contents to navigate to that selection.
The bookmark (+) icon for the app is almost hidden at the bottom of each page. It took me a few minutes to find it. But at least it's there. Interestingly, this simple feature is missing in the iBooks app, in which highlights serve as a bookmark. One major issue that the developers of BN eReader app could address is a way to lock a page when annotations are being added. Sometimes when you're trying to make highlights, the page slides down making the process tricky. As with the Kindle app, you can also synchronize your notes, highlights and current reading position with the BN eReader for the PC. This feature is forthcoming in the iPhone update of the app. These are useful features that are missing with Apple's iBooks service. It may sound a little pesky to talk about minor (and major) differences between these three major e-reader apps, but if e-publishing and e-reading is ever going to be useful to students and researchers, the apps themselves should be feature rich, allowing users to annotate text in more productive ways than with the traditional paper format. Share Your eBook – Exclusive LendMe TechnologyOut of the three commercial major e-reading services, B&N is the only one offering sharing capabilities, though they are limited. Its LendMe technology allows users to share eBooks with friends for up to 14 days. However, when you lend a book, you will not be able to read it your ebook while it is on loan, but you always get it back. These type of DRM restrictions are something that will develop and change over time with e-publishers, but I can also see this type of technology being used to create virtual book clubs or courses. If e-books can be shared, why not also be able to share notes, book questions, and discussions between friends and contacts? Overall, I think the BN eReader is a great app. In my view it's much better than B&N's Nook eReader user interface, which is very awkward. The only advantage of that device for some users is that it's a smaller and easier to hold and carry than the iPad. Let us know which e-reader you are using with your iPad. What features would you like to see in future updates? Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| 2 Easy Ways to Recover A Lost or Stolen Android Phone Posted: 31 May 2010 02:30 PM PDT
In this guide, I’ll tell you about two applications, separated by severity of the missing phone: misplaced somewhere close to you (like under a couch cushion) or lost outside of your home or worse, stolen.
Missing Phone Level 1: No Big Deal, I Know It’s Around Here Somewhere…
With the Where’s My Droid application, you can easily find your phone (even if it’s on vibrate or silent mode) by texting it a special code. When your phone receives the code, it will play an alert at maximum volume until you discover the missing phone. Where’s My Droid also has the ability to reply to you with your phone’s GPS location and a link to it on Google Maps.
Step 2: You’ll want to change the default “secret message” that activates your phone’s alarm, since anybody could trigger it if they knew the default setting. Open Where’s My Droid in the app drawer and change both the Attention word and Attention word GPS. You can also change how long the alert plays when triggered in this menu.
Be sure to note that for the GPS feature to work, you must have GPS enabled on the phone. Step 3: When you can’t find your phone, simply send a text message to your phone from another phone with the secret message you set in Step 2. Your phone will immediately play an alert at maximum volume so you can easily find it. If you don’t have another phone to text with, you can send an email to your phone number and it will work just the same. All you need to do is use the format below and substitute your phone number for phonenumber. Missing Phone Level 2: AHHH! It’s Really Lost (or Stolen)
This method can also be used if your phone has been stolen (or if someone accidentally took it), but be sure to read the disclaimer below. Note: If your phone has been knowingly stolen, it is in your best interest to report it to the proper legal authorities. This guide may still be able to assist them (or you) in recovering the phone – but do not attempt to recover the phone if an malicious party has stolen it. Don’t be a hero, phones can be replaced! With the Mobile Defense application (which Ryan previously covered), you can remotely track your phone using its GPS from any browser. You can also perform advanced features like remotely lock, back up, or completely wipe your phone to protect your privacy.
You will need to complete a brief registration process after installing Mobile Defense to activate it. Once Mobile Defense has been installed, it will run silently in the background so nobody will ever know it is installed. Step 2: In the event that you lose your phone, head to the Mobile Defense online dashboard and log in with your account. Click the Map tab to open the remote controls. On the right side of the screen, you will see any phones you have registered with Mobile Defense. Click Connect to Phone to activate the Mobile Defense software.
When a connection has been established, you will see your phone’s location embedded in a Google Map. With this menu, you can view details about your phone and issue commands. Since this is based off of Google Maps, you can view traditional maps, satellite imagery, or a hybrid of the two.
The Details menu contains everything you need to know about your phone’s location, including latitude, longitude, and speed. You can also monitor the phone’s connection status and battery level.
Going back to the main Mobile Defense map, you can click the Alert button to send a message to the phone. If you enable the Sound option, your phone will play an incredibly loud car alarm which will definitely get the attention of whoever has it. The Sound feature could also be useful if you’re physically near the phone but in a large crowd. The Require Pin feature keeps your message on the screen until a special code is entered.
ConclusionWith Where’s My Droid and Mobile Defense, you will have a powerful arsenal to recover your phone if it ever leaves your possession. I recommend keeping your GPS enabled at all times for these applications to be truly helpful (because of Android security restrictions, applications cannot activate your phone’s GPS). I was leery about keeping my GPS activated at all times because I didn’t want it to drain my battery, but I haven’t noticed any substantial drops in battery life during the several months I’ve been using these applications. Do you have any other recommendations for applications that can help you recover a lost or missing phone? Share them with us in the comments! Photo credits: mac morrison, willholmes, RBerteig Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers! Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| Posted: 31 May 2010 01:30 PM PDT
For more fresh hot deals, visit our Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.
Image credit: Modified from Svengraph’s icon set Got Questions? Ask Them Now for FREE on MakeUseOf Answers! Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| 2 Ingenious Apps To Help Organize Files and Folders On Your Mac Posted: 31 May 2010 12:30 PM PDT
There are a couple of options to use with your Mac if you want to get organised, and more importantly, stay organised.
Nifty BoxNifty Box gives you a clean slate to work with, which means that, while your files and folders on your Mac will remain in a state of disarray, you can choose which files and bookmarks to include in one place for easy access. Rather than use folders to organize your files, Nifty Box uses tags as a way to classify your important documents and files. You can also add a little note to each entry to remind you what’s in each file or document. Adding files is an easy one-step process of simply navigating to the file or if you prefer, you can also drag the file from the Finder into Nifty Box.
Adding bookmarks is just as easy, by either pasting the address into the field, or dragging the link from the address bar to Nifty Box.
Once you’ve added your file or bookmark, you can add your tags or notes, to help keep your files organised.
Once you have all the files and bookmarks that you want organized in Nifty Box, you can quickly find what you’re looking for by browsing through specific tags, or browsing by files or bookmarks.
With its Spotlight integration, finding files on Nifty Box is a painless process. It’s worth noting, however, that removing a file from Nifty Box does not delete it from your computer. Nifty Box also doubles as a quick launcher for your favourite applications, where adding a file from your Applications folder gives you an easy way to launch an app.
SmartShunoIf you would rather tidy up your actual files in the Finder, take a look at Jeffry's article on how to get this done using the Mac's native Automator. There is also a very easy-to-use alternative for those of you who want to simplify the process even further, using the lightweight app, SmartShuno, which works in about the same way as Hazel does. First, in order to benefit from SmartShuno, you need to create a series of organised folders where you will be storing your files. Using a GTD approach to keep your files organized, you can create folders that will suit your method of work. I’ve decided to keep it a little simpler than the typical GTD categories, and have chosen three which relate to how I need to keep my files organized – Action, Pending and Archive. Anything that I am currently working on goes into Action, anything that is on hold goes into Pending, and anything that is finished goes into Archive.
In order to incorporate SmartShuno into this system, you will have to use specific tags in your file names to make sure your files end up in the correct folders. Appending each file with the the name of the folder it should go into is the easiest way to do this. You can then use SmartShuno to set up the filters which will see to it that your files end up in the right place. Personally, most of the files I’m working on end up either on my desktop or in my downloads folder. With SmartShuno, I can create rules that will move files with specific names, extensions or sizes on my desktop or in my downloads folder, to their appropriate folders. Working on this article for MakeUseOf, I’ve saved the Word file on my desktop. If I’m going to close it and come back to it later, I can append the filename with the tag ‘Action,’ and create the appropriate filter where any files with ‘Action’ in the title, are moved into the Action folder.
Once I’ve completed it, I can rename the file, appending it with ‘Archive,’ and apply a similar filter for archiving. Even the process of batch renaming files can be achieved using an automated process. Take a look at Wez’s article on how to get the job done using Automator. With Automator, you can create a rule to append any text of your choice to the end of a file name, and quickly rename all the files that have accumulated on your hard drive and need to be organised. SmartShumo is also useful if you need to move all files with specific extension to a specific folder. For example, you can create a rule to move all image files to your pictures folder, all movies to your videos folder, and so forth.
Finally, once all of your rules are in place, you can create a schedule for SmartShumo to follow to truly automate the entire process without lifting a finger.
If you’re interested in another way to keep your files organized using tags and smart folders, check out Jeffry’s article Simple Ways to Organise Your Files in Mac. How do you keep your hard drive tidy? Let us know in the comments. Image credit: mrmanc Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf fan page on Facebook. Over 20,000 fans already!
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| The Top 10 Windows Desktop Computers For Every Occasion Posted: 31 May 2010 11:30 AM PDT
Certain companies still boast about having ethernet cards or DVD re-writable drives, which are standard on all models now. I won't list those, but will mention any additional feature that seems out of the ordinary, such as liquid cooling or a very large monitor included. Below is a list of 10 top Windows desktop computers, and their ratings. They are divided into 3 categories: Office or Home Use, All-in-One and Gaming computers. Prices range from $500 to $8000, and everything in between.
Office or Home ComputersAsus – Essentio Desktop model CG5275-AR00
Specs: Review: Price: Dell – Inspiron Desktop I580-5108NBC
Specs: Review: Price: Dell Studio XPS 8100 model SX8100-1986NBC
Specs: Review: Price: Gateway – Desktop with Intel® Core™ i3 Processor model DX4831-01e
Specs: Review: Price: strong>All-in-One ComputersAll-in-one machines are convenient and usually pleasant looking. They do tend to be more expensive and being an all-in-one limits to a certain degree the number and kind of upgrades you can do, but since they use much less desk space, sometimes the compromise is worth it. Sony Vaio L Series All-in- One model VPCL116FX/B
Specs: Review: An independent HDMI input lets you connect compatible cable/satellite set-top-boxes, Sony PS3 systems or other HDMI -enabled devices without booting up into Windows. You can also record shows on your PC. It comes with a collection of Sony software for multimedia management and movie creation. The price is a bit steep but not too high for what you get. Sony also has a reputation for using strong and reliable hardware in its computers, so you would probably enjoy this computer for a long time. One thing that keep this from being a perfect all-in-one machine is the fact that 500 GB isn’t a huge amount of space anymore. It is a gorgeous machine though, so if looks matter, this is certainly a great computer to get. Price: HP – TouchSmart All-In-One model 300-1120
Specs: Review: Price: Gateway – One All-In-One model ZX4800-02
Specs Review: Price: Gaming computersWhen one talks about gaming computers, a few main things come to mind: Video cards, processor speed and RAM; to a certain degree, hard drive RPM (rotations per minute). The models listed below are the ones that excel in all of those points. Alienware Area-51 ALX (fully configured with all top options)
Specs: Review: Now, for those of us who would still like to play games without having to spend quite that much money, there is always the default configuration of that computer: Alienware Area-51 ALX (Standard configuration)Specs Review: Price: HP – Pavilion Elite Desktop model Hpe-250f
Specs: Review: Price: The main thing to keep in mind when buying a computer, is that even with very good hardware, machines can have faults that only become apparent after a few weeks of use. So check customer reviews from reliable sites, keeping in mind that people are more prone to bother to review it when they have problems than when things are going well, so having a lot of good reviews makes the product particularly enticing. And purchase what you need. There is no point in having a top of the line video card if all you will use it for is Microsoft Word. Alternatively, trying to play video games with an office computer can be the ultimate frustrating experience. Also, think ahead and anticipate minor upgrades; that way you are bound to be able to use your computer for as many years as our ever-evolving technology allows. Have you purchased a new desktop recently? Do you have special computer needs? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below. NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE! Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| A Sleek & Easy Way To Administer Ubuntu – Ubuntu Control Center Posted: 31 May 2010 10:30 AM PDT
One of the things that irks me about the Ubuntu interface is the fact that you have to find your way among the unusually long Preferences and Administration menu to perform any configuration changes. Things are so much nicer in Windows with the Control panel and even better within Mac OS. However, as configurable as Linux is, there is almost always a way to tweak it according to your liking. Recently, I found an excellent way to consolidate all the settings in a single panel or window.
Installation is easy. You download a deb package for Ubuntu using the above mentioned Google Code page. At this point, if you try to install using the DEB package, you will most likely get an unresolved dependency error. This is because in addition to the files within the DEB package, Ubuntu Control Center also uses other software like the previously mentioned Hardinfo, font-manager and the likes to provide you a streamlined administration experience. Of these, you need to install the "font-manager" before you try to install Ubuntu Control Center.
After font-manager is installed, you can proceed with Ubuntu Control Center installation. It should most likely resolve, download and install all other dependencies. Once installed, you will find Ubuntu Control Center listed under Applications > System Tools.
Go ahead and run it, you are greeted by a slick interface like the one above. The left side lists categories namely: Software Management, Hardware, Network and Internet, System, Local Disks and Personal Settings. Click on a category and the right pane updates to reveal the configuration tools available in that particular category. "Software Management" for example provides you easy access to Ubuntu Software Center, Software sources, updates, cruft removal and the like. Clicking on a configuration tool will run the same commands and launch the exact same tool and interface as you would have got using the Terminal or the System Menu.
Ubuntu Control Center provides you access to almost all the configuration tools that you will find listed under the long System > Administration menu. In addition to this, Ubuntu Control Center also uses external tools like GuFW for firewall settings and Font-Manager for configuring fonts.
Ubuntu Control Center provides a centralized interface, where in you can access all of the common settings and configuration for your computer. It has an intuitive interface and does a great job of providing easy access to configuration tools. In fact, this is how the things should by default inside Ubuntu. That said, there are a few features that would make a lot of sense if included in Ubuntu Control Center. For starters, there could be a "tweak" section that can list some of the common tweaks that Ubuntu users apply (ala Ubuntu Tweak). What are your thoughts about the application? Should Ubuntu ship with such an interface out of the box? Let it out in the comments. Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Do share our articles with others! It’s really important to us. Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| 20 x iPad Video Converters Up For Grabs [Special Giveaway] Posted: 31 May 2010 10:00 AM PDT
We’re giving away 10 copies of iSkySoft’s iPad Video Converter for Windows and another 10 copies of iPad Video Converter for Mac — on our Special Giveaway page. Also, don’t forget about the current giveaway: Win an Exciting Trip for 2 to New Zealand! Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras. Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| 7 Must-Have Google Desktop Gadgets for Productivity Posted: 31 May 2010 09:30 AM PDT
But Google Desktop isn’t just a novelty. There are many gadgets available for Google Desktop which can improve your productivity. This guide rounds up the top five productivity-improving gadgets you can find for Google Desktop.
Task List and Time Timer
There are quite a few to-do list gadgets available, but the best one is the Task List and Time Timer. This list really serves two functions. The first is to keep track of what you have to do today. The second is to keep track of how much time you spend doing it. If you’re someone who is self-employed the timer is an amazing tool, as it keeps you honest about how much time you’re actually spending on work. Read Feed
That is where the Read Feed reader comes in. This simple RSS reader allows you to follow multiple RSS feeds at once. The news is formatted in simple text with basic images and dated, making it easy to read while minimizing its ability to distract you when you’re hard at work. Gmail Notifier
Rather than displaying your entire inbox, the Gmail Notifier only displays unread messages. It displays them in a large, easy to click read format. Your can either read a summary of the email or open Gmail in your default web browser to reply. Google Calendar
Any date on which you have something scheduled will be show up in bold text on your Google Calender gadget. You can then click on the date to read a summary of what is scheduled for that day. You can also create a new event from the Google Calender Gadget or double-click on a date to open up Google Calender in your default web browser and display an expanded view of the day’s events. Google Translate
Google Translate can translate supports numerous languages. This includes widely known languages, like English, Chinese and Spanish, as well as less well known languages like Cherokee and Icelandic. Simply type in or copy and paste the text you need translated and Google Translate will handle the rest. Spellchecker
With the Spellchecker Gadget, however, you have no reason to doubt. This simple gadget allows you to enter a word. Press Enter and the word is checked for spelling errors and corrected if there are any. You’ll also receive a quick definition below the word. On-Screen Ruler
If you work with web designs or photographs you’ll often need to measure an image of a size of page element. However, this can be difficult, particularly if importing the item you’re working on into your favorite editor is, for whatever reason, not possible. The On-Screen Ruler can solve this problem. It is very simply a ruler which appears on your desktop and can measure the size of an image in pixels. By default it is 500 pixels wide, but it can be adjusted to be as wide or as narrow as needed. How do you use Google Desktop? Any more productivity gadgets you’d like to recommend? Voice them out in the comments. Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers! Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| Total Access to Flickr Account from your Mac [MakeUseOf Giveaway] Posted: 31 May 2010 08:30 AM PDT
Flickery is a Mac application that allows you to search, download, and share pictures directly from your desktop. Sharing on Flickr and finding images have never been easier! This week, we will be giving away 10 licenses for Flickery worth $180 in total! Find out how you can be in the running to win one.
In order to use the application, you’ll need to sign in to your Flickr account. If you don’t have one, click on “Get Flickr account”, then follow the instructions to create a new account.
Once connected, you’ll have access to your Flickr account directly from your desktop. You can easily browse through your image albums, Flickr contacts, photo groups, favourites, and even upload your photos directly from the app. Besides that, you can also search for images on Flickr. There are several search options: by tags, title, username, location, nearby, most interesting or newest. The last 3 search options are pre-defined — that is to say, you can always gain access to them via the left sidebar.
To search for a photo, click on the blue Search button and enter a term in one of the search fields (for example, Henry David Thoreau) and click Search. As soon as you do, that search criteria will automatically be saved in the left sidebar for quick access.
Flickery will find images that are tagged with the same word or phrase. Click on the pictures you would like to keep and click on the Download button in the menu. That’s it! The pictures will download directly to whichever folder you designate.
If you want, you can import them directly into iPhoto.
Or you can share them with others through iChat, email, or Twitter. Simply select the “Share” button!
Besides that, you can also perform any of the regular functions i.e. marking an image as Favourite, viewing more images by a particular user, viewing the EXIF information attached to the image and even commenting on the image; all from your desktop. Flickery works seamlessly with your Mac and is really simply to use. It helps you easily download, organize, and share photos on Flickr with ease! Try Flickery completely free for 15 days by downloading the trial. If you’re happy with it, be in the running to grab yourself a copy by participating in giveaway. How do I win a copy?It’s simple, just follow the instructions.
This giveaway begins now and ends Friday, June 4 at 2100hrs PST. The winners will be selected at random and announced via email. Spread the word to your friends and have fun! Also, don’t forget about the current giveaway: Win an Exciting Trip for 2 to New Zealand! MakeUseOf would like to thank Matthias from Eternal Storms Software for his generosity while participating in this giveaway. Interesting in sponsoring? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us via email. Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers! Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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It's time once again for our featured 
I have written a 
Smart phones are expensive, so it’s a really big deal when yours is lost or stolen. If you have an Android phone, however, there are some great, free applications available to help you recover your wayward phone.
This method should be used if you’ve simply misplaced your phone somewhere within earshot, like if it’s under a couch or in the pocket of a jacket.
Step 1: Download and install the free Where’s My Droid application from the Android Market. You can also download this app by scanning the barcode on the right with the Barcode Scanner app.
This method should be used if you’ve left your phone in a public area, or somewhere out of earshot. This is especially useful if you left your phone at a bar, restaurant, taxi, or at a friend’s place – somewhere that a person might be holding it for you to pick up.
Step 1: Download and install the free Mobile Defense application from the Android Market. You can also download this app by scanning the barcode to the right with the Barcode Scanner app.
If you’re in the market for a new computer, laptop, mobile phone, games and other accessories; don’t waste your time searching online. We’ve taken the liberty of locating the best tech deals and unifying them into a single post for your convenience.
Do you sometimes wish you could trash every file on your computer, and start all over, in an attempt to get yourself organised? Sadly, that never really is an option. So what do you do when you wind up with a messy desktop or hard drive, cluttered with all sorts of files and folders?
As an IT technician, some of the most common questions I get are about which computer to buy. The answer can be fleeting, because new models come out regularly with new features and specs, but the core of what to look for remains the same: processor type and speed, amount of RAM and hard drive space, video card and a general knowledge of what to need it for. So that is how this list was created. 
As you know, Ubuntu and Linux are hugely configurable. Find some spare time and you can customize anything starting from the boot up messages to the gradients used on the buttons and the scroll bars. While one might not attempt such extreme feats very often, administration and configuration are standard tasks that you might perform every now and then.
Just got yourself a spanking new iPad and probably curious how to transfer your movies over? First, your video files need to be optimised for playback on the iPad. The easiest way to do that is to use a video converter which outputs files specifically for the iPad — and that’s what we have for you today!
Having a to-do list can be great, but the old-fashioned method of putting it down on paper isn’t always the best. Paper can be easily lost, and you don’t want to have to stuff a list of things to do in your pocket whenever you travel, do you?
News isn’t always a distraction. For many people, it is important to have information as quickly as possible. However, the news gadgets which are provided by many media outlets are very limited in what they can do for you. They’re usually focused on getting you to go to their website rather than presenting news to you clearly.
Adding your Gmail to your Google Desktop can help you answer emails quickly, but displaying your entire Gmail inbox in the Gmail gadget feels a bit clunky. A better, more focused way of responding quickly to emails is to use the Gmail Notifer.
The ability to connect with others across the globe online means you’ll inevitably come across situations where you want to read something which isn’t in a language you speak. Finding a website which will translate the text for you is one way to go about it, but if you find yourself running into this problem frequently you’ll find it much easier to use Google Translate, a Google Desktop gadget which will translate text for you once you enter it.
Ever want to know how a word is spelled as quick as you can snap your fingers? Usually you’d have to open Word in such a situation, or you might just type your suspected spelling into Google and see what you end up with, hoping that the Internet steers you true.
We all love sharing pictures with friends and family. And with online solutions like Flickr, getting your photos out into the world is a snap. Here’s something that will make it even more fun!
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