MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [June 13th]” plus 7 more |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [June 13th]
- Latest Hilarious Picks [MakeUseOf Geeky Fun]
- Thank You To MakeUseOf Friends!
- Do You Like Our Weekly Movers & Shakers Posts? [Poll]
- Paragon Drive Copy 10 Winners
- What is JavaScript and How Does It Work? [Technology Explained]
- 10 Free MP3 Album Downloads [Sound Sunday]
- Discover Statistically Best Free Android Apps with AppAware
| Cool Websites and Tools [June 13th] Posted: 13 Jun 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. NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE! Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| Latest Hilarious Picks [MakeUseOf Geeky Fun] Posted: 13 Jun 2010 08:01 PM PDT
If you would like to keep up with all latest Geeky Fun additions, please subscribe to the Geeky Fun feed here. You can also subscribe and get the latest additions via email. Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Do share our articles with others! It’s really important to us. Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| Thank You To MakeUseOf Friends! Posted: 13 Jun 2010 07:01 PM PDT
Thank you, guys! Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras. Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| Do You Like Our Weekly Movers & Shakers Posts? [Poll] Posted: 13 Jun 2010 06:30 PM PDT
So if your machine takes 10 minutes to boot you are stuck in the 1990's. Try using Soluto to improve your boot times like I did.
This week, we are trying to gauge your interest in our Movers & Shakers weekly post. In it, we feature one category from CNet's download website and filter it by free applications. Then we list the top 10 most downloaded applications and give you a brief synopsis of what they do. If you have never seen it before you can check all of them out below:
And here’s the poll.
Do you think this is a good feature? Do you love it or hate it? Do you read it and check out the applications? We would love for you to vote and hit us up in the comments to let us know your specific feelings on the subject! Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers! Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| Posted: 13 Jun 2010 05:00 PM PDT
To the other 600+ participants, don’t fret. Here’s some good news — Paragon Software is one of our partners and will be sponsoring a new giveaway every month! So, if you have a favourite application from Paragon, let us know the comments. It may be chosen as the prize in our next giveaway. So, who are the lucky 100?
Congratulations, your contact information has been forwarded to Paragon Software. Please check your inbox for more info. MakeUseOf would like to thank the entire team at Paragon Software for their generosity while participating in this giveaway. Interesting in sponsoring? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us via email. MakeUseOf has teamed up with zozi to provide you (and a friend) a FREE 7-day, trip to New Zealand. Sign up now!
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| What is JavaScript and How Does It Work? [Technology Explained] Posted: 13 Jun 2010 03:30 PM PDT
Obviously a standardized implementation was needed, which led to its submission to ECMA international. Thus ECMAScript was formed. These days, most browsers support ECMA-262 which is also more commonly (and often vaguely) known as JavaScript.
Hello World of JavaScriptThe Hello World example is almost customary to include when talking about programming languages. So here we go <script> You can also pop alert boxes just as easily with:
Yeah, that is all you need. No need to include any file or import any packages. Everything that is needed to execute JavaScript is provided by the browser (or the client) so it is also called Client Side Scripting Language. Why client side? To answer this question, you would have to look into how JavaScript works. How It WorksThe browser fetches a page which might have embedded JavaScript as we saw above, or refers to a separate JavaScript file in which case that file is also fetched by the browser.
Next up, depending upon what you want your JavaScript code to do and how you structured it, it will either execute as soon as the file loads or wait for a triggering event (like a click, or load).
Finally, when it’s all good, the code is executed line by line. JavaScript is an interpreted language, which means you don’t need to compile the code into another form to execute it. All of the changes you make, instantly take effect. Comparing Other Programming LanguagesContrary to what the name might suggest, JavaScript is actually very different to Java. There are some similarities in the syntax, but that’s about it. JavaScript is loosely typed (you don’t have to define the datatype of variables) while Java is not. JavaScript is mainly executed in a browser, where as Java can be used to create stand alone applications. Java has a much wider area of application as compared to JavaScript which largely lives inside the browser. JavaScript is Object Oriented but unlike other programming language that implement inheritance via classes, JavaScript does so via prototypes. JavaScript also has the largest install base (arguably) since it is bundled with all the major web browsers these days. I have merely scratched the surface when you consider that it is a full blown programming language, and that it has all the buzz and develop going for it these days. There are plenty of JavaScript libraries, server side JavaScript and other projects that push the realms and applications of JavaScript to a whole new level. If you are starting out on JavaScript there are few tutorials that will help you along. Once you are up to speed and enjoy what you are doing, you can pick up The Rhino Book and enhance your JavaScript skills even further. Have you ever tried to program with JavaScript? How was the experience? Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf fan page on Facebook. Over 20,000 fans already!
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| 10 Free MP3 Album Downloads [Sound Sunday] Posted: 13 Jun 2010 12:31 PM PDT
This week we have music from Apparatjik, Ivo Cicvárek a OKO, Demetri Politis, Simon Curtis, Secret Archives of the Vatikan, Infestum, MOEdavey, Good Old Neon, Kyle Patrick, and Golden Bones.
Apparatjik – 4 Can Keep A Secret If 3 Of Them Are DeadGenres: experimental, alternative, electronic, rock
Apparatjik MySpace and Homepage. Ivo Cicvárek a OKO – V letadleGenres: progressive folk, bluegrass
Ivo Cicvárek a OKO Facebook and Bandzone. Demetri Politis – Culver City DemosGenres: indie, experimental, pop
Demetri Politis MySpace and Homepage. Simon Curtis – 8bit HeartGenres: electronica, pop, dance
Simon Curtis My Space and Homepage. Secret Archives Of The Vatican – Wisdom TruthGenres: fusion, dub, trip hop
Secret Archives of the Vatican MySpace and Homepage. Infestum – RenaissanceGenres: black metal, experimental
INfestum MySpace and Homepage. MOEdavey – LIgHT aT ThE EnD Of THe TUnNElGenre: alternative, hip hop, break beat
MOEdavey Twitter. Good Old Neon – This Is The NewsGenres: electronica, ambient, pop
Good Old Neon MySpace and Homepage. Kyle Patrick – kpGenres: experimental, soul, electroaucoustic
Kyle Patrick MySpace. Golden Bones – SelftitledGenres: rock, country, indie
Golden Bones MySpace and Homepage. For sharing music you love on Sound Sunday, please get in touch with me (tina at makeuseof dot com). One free, downloadable, no strings attached song in mp3 format is the minimum requirement. Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| Discover Statistically Best Free Android Apps with AppAware Posted: 13 Jun 2010 09:30 AM PDT
Unfortunately, because there are a lot of new apps added daily, and a small percentage of them are A-class applications, I eventually gave up on checking the Androd app market regularly. Now, I identify a need first; and then find a free Android apps to meet that need.
This results in, essentially, the ability for AppAware to statistically group the best Android applications, most removed, most installed…you get the point. What this means for you as an AppAware user is that you can save the pain of endlessly scrolling through insane amounts of applications to find a gem. Instead, AppAware does this for you –let’s take a closer look. Get AppAwareHead over to the Android Market and search for AppAware, or you can scan this QR code to download it. There’s really nothing to configure and install; the application seems to really just be a frame that accesses a webpage that does all the hard work. In retrospect, this is a great idea (though it requires internet) and the application runs very smoothly. Getting StartedWhen you start the app, you’ll see a nice little feed describing the activity of other Android users.
Now believe me; the app is in no way confusing, and I trust you have the intellect to understand what you’re seeing. However, far be it from me to leave anything unsaid, so here’s a quick explanation of what you see:
What I use this screen for is a quick 30 second scan of what people have been up to. Do I see a lot of updating, did Google Earth finally come out (yes), did they finally make an app that clones my better qualities (trick question, I have none)? The home screen feed does a good job with this. But let’s say that I really want to do some digging; let’s get some statistical relevancy going here! That’s where the real power of AppAware comes in. Okay, What Else?Click the little icon in the bottom-right that looks like a sideways bar graph. You should be at a screen that looks something like this:
Here we get the real meat of the application. With just a tap you can see what’s been popular in a specified time frame. Scrolling down, you’ll notice that you can see the top apps installed, removed, and updated in the time frame you choose. Click an app, and you’ll be greeted with the following screen:
Now, before you go all crazy and assume that the meter refers to popularity, let me set you straight. Remember the colors we saw earlier (red, green, blue)? They referred to the activity taking place, whether the user had just installed, removed, or updated an application. The farther to the right this meter is, it’s actually indicating that people tend to keep the application when they get it. Since the Google Maps arrow is as far to the right as it can go, we can surmise that that application must have some redeeming quality; we might want to try it out! To me, this feature is indispensable; it’s like an application-quality lie detector; it tells me what the app is really worth. Since it’s not limited to free Android apps, this allows me to figure out whether a paid application is worth getting! Oh, and if you end up really liking something, there’s obviously three methods for sharing your excitement built in to AppAware. Okay, hit the back button to go back to that awesome statistics page, and click “Featured Apps”. This will give you an awesome list of the most popular, commendable, straight up honest Android games and Applications in AppAware history.
Think of this list as a base list of quality applications for a new or existing Android user; and let’s face it–they’re all free because free Android apps tend to get more downloads. I really, really liked this feature, because it’s not based on someone’s opinion, and it’s not based on a crowd of people trying to promote a product. This is simple statistical data telling you what the Android community likes and finds useful. You can’t really go wrong with this list; check it out. AppAware Website: Just like the AppOkay, okay, I know you’re going to kill me now. Remember earlier in the article where I said it looked like the application was actually accessing an online feed? Well, it turns out that the application is literally a webpage. This webpage. On the AppAware website you’ll find literally the same content as you do in the app. Literally. This means that you don’t necessarily have to install the application on your device (but c’mon, it’s a great app!). Anyway, do what you must with the AppAware website, but I still recommend downloading the application. It’s free, it’s handy, and you’ve got nothing to lose. Go for it. Now that I’ve finished rambling, I’d like to hear what you use when you’re finding new stuff for your phone. I once heard someone say that a smartphone is only as good as the applications installed on it–and I think there’s a fair amount of truth the statement. How do you keep your Android phone on the cutting edge of the software world? Let me know in the comments section! Image credit: vvvracer Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf fan page on Facebook. Over 20,000 fans already!
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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 
Check out the top picks from MakeUseOf 
Last week, we asked you 
Last week, we had a really exciting giveaway. For the first time at MakeUseOf, we offered 100 free licenses for a software — 
JavaScript has an interesting bit of history. Originally developed at Netscape as Mocha, it came to the forefront with official announcement in 1995. It was then developed independently by different parties, most notable of which was JScript by Microsoft. 
Sunday should be a quiet day. Take the time to load your mp3 player with a fresh set of Sound Sunday albums. Then enjoy the laziness before another busy week kicks in on Monday.
One of my favorite things about having a Motorola Droid is that I feel like (as opposed to my previous Windows Mobile phone) I’ve got a large, growing application market constantly providing me with new apps in one place. Still, I can’t say that I magically find the best applications and games out there as soon as they come into existence. 
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