Sunday, June 13, 2010

MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [June 12th]” plus 4 more

MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [June 12th]” plus 4 more

Link to MakeUseOf.com

Cool Websites and Tools [June 12th]

Posted: 12 Jun 2010 08:31 PM PDT

Check out some of the latest MakeUseOf discoveries. All listed websites are FREE (or come with a decent free account option). No trials or buy-to-use craplets. For more cool websites and web app reviews subscribe to MakeUseOf Directory.

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Wolfram Tones – Stephen Wolfram is a prominent scientist well known for his work about a paradigm of a "computational universe". Wolfram Tones is a web app that uses ideas from Wolfram as well as music theory to generate a unique kind of music. The site lets you create customized musical compositions visually, which can be then be downloaded and used as a mobile phone ringtone. Read more: Wolfram Tones: Generate Unique Ringtones For Your Phone.

 

DocTranslator – Free offers are always examined suspiciously and rightly so. Often anything that claims to be free has a catch to it which is not initially clear. 'Free' text message sending websites are a perfect example of this. Cloud SMS however, is one website that fulfills its promise and lets you send unlimited SMS worldwide for free. Read more: DocTranslator: Free Tool For Translating Documents Online.

 

 

Picrap – If you are located outside the US and desperately want to seek access to a service like Hulu then Picrap could be the answer to all your prayers. It aggregates over 1,000 TV shows, full movies as well as movie trailers, news and much more. It doesn't host the content itself. Instead, it pulls them in from various sources around the web. Read more: Picrap: Watch TV Shows Outside US.

 

 

Zoodles – With the growth of the Web comes the growth of inappropriate stuff. You don't want your kids to wander off on the internet visiting sites that contain malware, spyware or even simply inappropriate content. Enter Zoodles, a kid safe browser that helps by providing a safe and fun browsing environment. Read more: Zoodles: Kid Safe Browser With Tons Of Education & Games.

 

 

RandomizeList – There are often situations when one needs to randomize a list of names, numbers or just simpler words. RandomizeList is a simple tool that can help you do this without any effort. Just copy and paste the list of items you want to randomize and click submit. A new completely random list will be generated from your items. Read more: RandomizeList: Easily Randomize Lists Of Numbers Or Words.

 

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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.

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Shotwell: The Future of Linux Photo Management Software [Linux]

Posted: 12 Jun 2010 06:31 PM PDT

photo management softwareIt’s taken a long time, but finally the future of Linux photo managers is looking up. It’s all thanks to amazing new photo management software called Shotwell, which is simple enough to be usable and featured enough to be useful (a hard balance to strike, and a rare one in the Linux world).

Sure, there were alternatives before. F-Spot did the trick for many, and Picasa for Linux was quite feature-filled for those willing to tolerate a proprietary program ported via Wine. Shotwell, however, hits the sweet spot between these two applications.

The Ubuntu team agrees with me, apparently, because they recently announced Shotwell will be the default photo management software in Ubuntu 10.10 (the next release of Ubuntu due to come out in October).


But you can use this app now. It’s in the repositories for Ubuntu 10.04, and users of earlier versions of Ubuntu and Fedora users can find installation instructions here. Before you dive in, though, read on to find out if this application is right for you.

Importing Photos

The first thing you do with any photography app is import photos, right? Shotwell gives you three ways to do this, and none could be any easier. The first way is to simply drag your folders onto the Shotwell window.

The second is to plug in your camera and let Shotwell take care of importing the photos on it’s own – this makes adding new photos a breeze.

The third, old-fashioned way, is to click “File,” then “Import From Folder.” This is perfect if you have lots of photos already on your computer.

free photo management software

Once the pictures are on your computer you’ll find they’re sorted by date. You can modify the names and times of any photo, allowing you to make your library really easy to customize. Browsing your photos, creating an on-the-fly slideshow and even basic editing are all made simple.

Editing Photos

free photo management software

Open any photo in Shotwell and you’ll see five functions on the bottom toolbar: Rotate, Crop, Red-eye, Adjust and Enhance.

Rotate and crop have obvious functions, of course, but they’re certainly always nice to have on hand.

The Red-eye feature is also self-explanatory but very useful. The vaguely named “Adjust” allows you to change the levels. Those with a background in photography will immediately see the benefit here, but those without can experiment and learn pretty quickly.

digital photo management

Finally there is the “Enhance” button. This function works exactly the way its magic-wand icon implies. Click the button and Shotwell will automatically adjust the levels to make the photo look as good as it can. How effective this can be is obviously a matter of opinion, but I generally thought the results were fantastic.

Upload To Web

digital photo management

If there are three sites people share photos on, it’s Facebook, Flickr and Picasa. Happily Shotwell can upload photos to all three. Doing this couldn’t be easier: just highlight the photos you want to upload, then click “Publish.” You can then sign into any of those accounts and upload the photos.

Conclusion

Ubuntu, and Linux in general, needed photo management software like this for a long time. I’m glad it’s finally here in the form of Shotwell. Here we have organization, editing and online integration all in one happy package.

What do you think? Is Shotwell an improvement over the likes of F-Spot, or is the Ubuntu team making a mistake in switching their default? Do you prefer this sort of simplicity to the feature collection that is Picasa, or do you feel too limited using this tool? Speak up in the comments below!

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The 3 Best Free MMO Games Available Online

Posted: 12 Jun 2010 03:31 PM PDT

free mmo gamesThe roots of of massively multiplayer online games, or MMOs, are deep in the realm of subscription based gameplay. While today the idea of charging a subscription fee for a game seems cliche, it was revolutionary when MMOs began to gain popularity roughly a decade ago.

Everquest, while not the first MMO, was the genre’s most amazing success story. Suddenly everyone wanted a piece of the pie, and numerous subscription-based games were created, although most of them were crushed by World of Warcraft.


Today, however, a huge number of game developers and publishers across the globe have teamed up to create whole set of free MMO games which allow players to enjoy content without cost. There are literally hundreds of free-to-play games available, but to be honest, most of them are terrible. Anyone who has enjoyed World of Warcraft or any other quality MMO will find that most free mmo games feel like they’re free simply because no one would buy them.

But there are some exceptions, and the exceptions are very, very good. If you’re looking to play a MMO, but you’re too thin on funds to afford a subscription MMO, check out these three free MMO games. You’ll find that they’re surprisingly fun.

Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited

free mmo games

Dungeons and Dragons Online has lived an odd life. The game was released in 2006 as a traditional subscription based MMO under the name Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach. It promptly tanked due to a combination of bugs and lack of content. The game was put on life support, and as the years dragged on it failed to gain an audience. Then, in mid 2009, the game was converted to a free-to-play MMO under its current name. Since then it has earned a much larger and more dedicated player base.

D&D Online’s roots as a subscription base game purchased at retail gives it a large advantage over other free-to-play MMOs. While free MMOs have come a long way, most still have basic gameplay and poor graphics. None of this is true of Dungeons and Dragons Online. Dungeons and Dragons Online is a beautiful game, and it still feels like a title you’d expect to pay forty dollars for at Best Buy or Walmart.

Graphics aside, D&D Online’s gameplay sets it apart from other MMOs. The focus of the game is the same as the pen-and-paper version of D&D. There isn’t a heavy focus on crafting, or equipment, or player against player combat. The focus of the game is on groups of players fighting through intense dungeons full of monsters and traps.

No other MMO can touch D&D Online’s combat mechanics, which are simply superb. However, players who enjoy crafting items or finding incredible loot may not find D&D Online to be what they’re looking for.

Allods Online

free mmo games

A relatively new free MMO game, Allods Online focuses on the remains of the world Sarnaut, a planet which was destroyed during an apocalypse in which millions of the planet’s inhabitants died. The remains of the planet, called allods, are small islands of land stabilized in space by mages.

You might expect, given the back-story, that Allods would be a rather grim and dark game. In fact, the opposite is the case. Allods Online takes the bright, colorful style pioneered by World of Warcraft and turns it up to eleven, resulting in a vibrant, well polished game.

The game’s lore also opens the opportunity for original and interesting gameplay mechanics, one of which is the construction of Astral Ships, gigantic ships which are a cross between space cruisers and 17th century sailing vessels. Every player in the game can construct their own Astral Ship once they’ve reached the appropriate levels and gathered the required materials. Once the ship is built it can be used to explore the game world and travel to new allods. This isn’t a party for one, either – players can invite up to six other players to their ship, and each player can attend to a different part of the ship’s functions.

Astral Ships aside, you’ll still spend a lot of time on the ground in Allods Online. Anyone who has played World of Warcraft will be pretty familiar with what the basic combat feels like. The combat mechanics aren’t revolutionary, but they are well implemented and entertaining. If you’re looking for a game like World of Warcraft, but you don’t want to have to pay monthly subscription fees, Allods Online is your best bet.

Atlantica Online

free online mmo games

You know the MMO formula, right? Third person perspective, skill-based attacks, forced group combat – etc. This all works well, but it of course can become a bit boring after months of play, and most MMOs don’t do much to change the status quo. Allods Online, for example, is great – but if you’re bored to death of combat in World of Warcraft, fleeing to Allods Online isn’t likely to make you feel any more excited.

Enter Atlantica Online. Like most other MMO games, there are substantial role-playing elements to Atlantica Online. You pick a character, you level up, and you occasionally take place in crafting and other activities. When you step into combat, however, you’ll be thrown for a bit of a loop. Atlantica Online’s combat is turn based, and it doesn’t just focus on your character. Instead, your character is a commander, and you have a number of units at your disposal which you’ll need to use strategically in order to achieve victory. Anyone who has played the old Heroes of Might and Magic games will instantly feel at home here.

The unique combat makes Atlantica Online an perfect haven for MMO burnouts. If you’ve played tons of free and subscription based MMOs and you feel that you’ve seen it all, give Atlantica Online a try. Its turn based combat will appear difficult to some, and it certainly won’t cause an adrenaline surge. It is fun, however – even relaxing – to command units instead of running up to an opponent and hitting auto-attack.

Which To Play?

There is a lot of fun to be found in all of the games found here, and none of them are clearly better than the others. However, each free MMO does target a specific audience.

Those who enjoy group play and dungeon-crawling will adore Dungeons and Dragons Online. Those who prefer traditional MMO mechanics but want a new world to explore should flock to Allods Online. And those looking for something completely different from the status quo will love Atlantica Online.

If you’re looking for the best free MMO games for children, check out our article “Top 3 Online Multiplayer Games for Youngsters.”

So, what are you waiting for? There are levels to be gained!

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7 Useful Firefox Addons For Online Shoppers

Posted: 12 Jun 2010 12:31 PM PDT

Do you shop online? Most of us do, I guess. Today’s compilation of tools is for those online shoppers who use Firefox.

Evan has already shared 3 FireFox addons that help save you money; this collection is not only about saving: the tools below will help you choose the right retailer, convert currencies, organize your shopping list, and of course save your money as well.

1. Get Updated On Special Offers & Coupons

The Offer Alert FireFox (by Offers.com) addon notifies you of new deals and offers once you land on the seller’s page.

I prefer Offers.com over other similar addon providers because their database is really huge (over 14,000 coupons) and up-to-date (according to the homepage stats, more than 300 offers added daily). Besides that, the site itself has some nifty features like Offers.com Locker that allows you to watch deals you find or the categories you are interested in.

Addon Features:

  • You will only “notice” the addon when you are shopping (browsing web stores). So it is clutter-free;
  • The addon alerts you of the current offer in the top panel;
  • The addon alerts you of the amount of available offers in the browser status bar;

Offers FireFox addon

2. Save On Books

Book Burro is a must-have for book-lovers. It works as a price comparison for books.

Addon Features:

  • The addon works via a small, collapsible pop-up (thus rather clutter-free). Clicking the panel will open up a list of your libraries, book stores and online services.
  • It doesn't slow down your browser as no communication with other sites will occur until it is clicked.
  • You can go to each book page on other stores with one click of a mouse (sadly, it opens the page in the same tab though);
  • Modify the list of active stores from the tool options.

Book Burro

3. Never Buy From Unreliable Sites

MyWot is the community-based safe surfing Firefox addon that rates all sites based on the complex combination of metrics and scores:

  • Trustworthiness: A poor rating may indicate identity theft potential, Internet scams, credit card fraud, phishing, lottery scams, viruses, adware, or spyware.
  • Vendor reliability: A poor rating indicates possible fraud or a bad shopping experience.
  • Privacy: A poor rating indicates spam, adware, or spyware.
  • Child safety: A poor rating indicates the presence of age-inappropriate material (content that is sexually oriented, hateful, or violent in nature).

WOT

4. Quickly Convert Currencies

Currency converter is a handy addon that turns particularly useful for non-US shoppers (because, let’s face it, the are more online stores in the US than anywhere else). It helps to quickly convert the prices and get around unknown currencies.

The Addon Has Quite A Few Useful Options:

  • Customize the settings based on your location;
  • Access daily, weekly, monthly, and annual charts visualizing the historical exchange trends of the currency pair that you were sticking to;
  • Save your last conversion and use those FROM and TO parameters for your next conversion request so that you don't need to make the same selections each time.

Currency converter

5. Track Prices (Amazon)

Price Drop is a shopping companion for Amazon: it adds a link to each product on Amazon offering you to track its price. If you enable tracking, you'll get a notification if its price drops.

Addon Features:

  • Track Amazon products with one click of a mouse.
  • Check out your tracked product list you are tracking: click the drop icon, or the Tools->PriceDrop menu.

PriceDrop

6. Track Delivery Of Your Purchase

PackageMapping extension makes it easy to get tracking information for a package and display the tracking progress on Google Maps.

Addon Features:

  • Track packages from the context menu (highlight the tracking number, right click, and select "Track and Map Package").
  • The tool currently supports 9 service providers: UPS, U.S.P.S., FedEx, DHL, DHL Global Mail, Purolator, UPS Mail Innovations, MailExpress, CanadaPost.

7. Organize Your Grocery List

Grocery List Generator helps with your grocery shopping. The addon lets you create a well-organized grocery list.

Addon Features:

  • Organize your item in groups (categories);
  • Search your items;
  • Keep track of item prices;
  • Add comments to each item in your list.

Grocery list generator

Do you use any tools for a better online shopping experience? Please let us know in the comments!

Image Credit: garethjmsaunders

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10 Best Sites To Get Free Backgrounds For Your Mobile Phone

Posted: 12 Jun 2010 09:31 AM PDT

If you're the kind of person who quickly gets bored with the image they are using as a background or wallpaper for their phone, having a wide selection of images to choose from is essential. Regardless of the kind of phone that you own, there are a wide variety of websites to choose from with feature images that have been cropped and resized to fit your phone's screen.

Below is a list of 10 sites that can be used with either the Nexus One, iPhone, G1, Motorola Droid, or just about any kind of phone model you can think of.

It should also be kept in mind that any iPhone wallpaper website can also be used for the Palm Pre since the screen dimensions are exactly the same.

iDesign iPhone

iDesign has over 10,000 images that can be used as iPhone wallpapers, and is updated daily. Choose from over 40 categories including Abstract, Closeups, Fashion and Text. You can search for specific images, and comment on the images available.

You can save the wallpapers on your computer and transfer them when your sync your iPhone, or simply visit the site from your phone to save them.

Poolga

Poolga features an incredibly high quality collection of iPhone wallpapers submitted by professional artists and designers. While the site is not searchable, and there are no categories, scrolling through the available wallpapers is still incredibly enjoyable.

You can save the wallpapers on your computer and transfer them when your sync your iPhone, or simply visit the site from your phone to save them.

Sciphone

Sciphone has an extensive list of categories to choose from, and is constantly being updated. Like any large wallpaper repository, it’s to be expected to find a ton of pictures of scantily clad women, but their other categories feature a wide variety of photographs, digital art and design.

What makes the site worth visiting is its mobile optimisation for the iPhone, making it easier than ever to save the image directly from your iPhone. It should of course be mentioned that not all Sciphone images are safe for work.

Deserving of a special mention is definitely the aptly named site, iPhone Themes, which contains a wide variety of art, design and photography  in over 20 categories. Hovering over any given wallpaper image will show you what that image would look like displayed on your iPhone.

Crackberry

Crackberry has the most comprehensive set of searchable Blackberry backgrounds, and takes into account the fact that not every Blackberry screen is the same. The site contains over 20 categories, with thousands of images to choose from. They also feature lists of the most downloaded, the highest rated and most recently added wallpapers.

BBSnap

BBSnap harnesses the power of Flickr allowing you to search for images, and then resize and crop the image to create a customised wallpaper. You can also browse through the wallpapers that have been created by other users in over 10 categories. You can also upload any image of your choice and convert it into a background for your Blackberry.

After selecting your image, choose the model of your phone, and the site will allow you to crop the image to fit your phone.

You can then download it, and if you so choose, submit it to be shared with other users on the site. BBSnap also provides you with a URL to visit from your Blackberry if you would prefer to save the image directly to your phone.

BlackBerry Tune

Blackberry Tune is another great resource for Blackberry wallpapers. Select your phone model, and then choose from up to 12 categories – which varies from model to model. You can then download the image to your computer, to transfer to your phone.

Motorola Droid Wallpapers

From the makers of Sciphone comes the free Motorola Droid repository containing over 20 categories and almost 500 images, including Textures, Technology and Games. It also displays the most recently viewed images, and the site also allows you to search for the image of your choice.

As with Sciphone, it should be mentioned that not all images are safe for work.

G1 Wallpapers

Again from the makers of Sciphone comes the free G1 repository, containing the same categories, but this time, the images are cropped and resized to fit the G1's screen. The website also displays the most recently viewed images, and allows you to search for the image of your choice.

G1 Wallpapers has almost 1000 images to choose from, and is updated on a regular basis. As with Sciphone, it should be mentioned that not all images are safe for work.

Zedge

Zedge has a convenient cell phone wallpaper maker for just about any model phone you’ve ever thought of, in 4 easy steps. Choose from a limited selection of backgrounds or a solid colour, choose a font, and write in the exact text you want to appear on your wallpaper.

You can then save the image, or visit Zedge’s mobile site from your phone and enter the zCode specified for that image. Using the cell phone wallpaper maker requires you to sign up for a free account.

Zedge also features a huge selection of images that can be used as wallpapers.

Flickr

Flickr is a great resource for cell phone backgrounds, simply by browsing through various groups. The Flickr Group, iPhone Wallpapers is made up of over 5,000 members, and features over 18,000 images from a wide variety of art, photography and design.

The group is, of course, searchable, but unfortunately because of the fact that it is not moderated, some of the images are not correctly sized. That said, the unlimited choices available make it a great wallpaper resource.

The G1 wallpaper group on Flickr, 640×480, is a little bit more modest than the iPhone group, but nonetheless, it features a great variety of photography, art and design, tailored to fit the G1’s screen.

The Motorola Droid is another phone with it’s own dedicated group on Flickr, Motorola Droid Wallpapers and Backgrounds, for adding images tailored to fit the Droid’s screen. The group features over 300 images, including an interesting variety of photography and design images.

And of course there is always the method of using your favourite search engine, whether Google, Bing, or any other site of your choice, and performing an image search for wallpapers for the cell phone of your choice.

Which site do you use to find backgrounds for your mobile phone? Let us know in the comments.

Image credit: James Jordan

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