MakeUseOf.com: “MacKeeper: The 911 Solution for All Mac Users [MakeUseOf Giveaway]” plus 9 more |  |
- MacKeeper: The 911 Solution for All Mac Users [MakeUseOf Giveaway]
- Google Apps Customers Get Access To More Google Products [News]
- Cool Websites and Tools [November 21st]
- Thank You To MakeUseOf Friends!
- What’s Your Favourite Twitter Client? [MakeUseOf Poll]
- 4+ Easy Ways to Create A Virtual Business Card
- Hot Tech Deals [Nov 21st]
- 10 Free MP3 Albums To Download [Sound Sunday]
- 4 Facebook Applications That Actually Improve Your Account
- Speck CandyShell Grip Case for iPod Touch 4G Mini-Giveaway
| MacKeeper: The 911 Solution for All Mac Users [MakeUseOf Giveaway] Posted: 22 Nov 2010 07:30 AM PST
When I was asked to review this software solution, I hadn't been aware of what I was missing. Upon launching MacKeeper, you instantly see 15-plus tools and features for all kinds of computer needs—from system software protection and software cleaning, to data control and software maintenance. Rarely do I come across an application with so many features, but yet also easy to use. This week, we’re giving away 10 free MacKeeper licenses worth $250. We’ve also got loads of various discount coupons if you looking to buy one for yourself.
SecurityMacKeeper performs dozen of actions on your Mac that you might rarely get around to doing. You think your Mac is inaccessible to security threats? Run MacKeeper’s Antivirus actions and you may be surprised to discover, for example, phishing and spoof emails buried in your Mail folder. MacKeeper scans your computer for unsafe downloads, malware and spyware, fraudulent websites and much more.
If your Mac laptop is ever stolen, do you have a way to track its location? MacKeeper offers a possible solution for providing your Mac’s current geographic location based on Wi-Fi and network details, and using the built-in iSight of your laptop to take a snapshot of the thief. If you're needing to backup, encrypt, or un-delete specific files, MacKeeper performs those tasks for you, requiring only a few simple clicks. Data Control and Fast CleaningAmong the list of MacKeeper file management and data control tools are the Shredder and Duplicates Finder. If you have data sensitive files you need to completely remove from your computer’s hard drive, drop them into MacKeeper's Shredder and they’re gone without a trace.
The Duplicates Finder tool is for Mac users like myself who regularly download documents and manuals and throw them in one folder. When I ran Duplicate Finder on my PDF folder, for example, MacKeeper scanned and spotted over a dozen duplicated PDFs, delivering them up for removal, and thus adding over 200MB of space back to my hard drive.
When I ran MacKeeper’s Fast Cleanup, it identified nearly six whopping gigabytes of foreign language, cache, and log files—all safe for deletion. Another cleanup tool, Binaries Cutter, scans your applications and deletes their unneeded parts designed for other platforms (either Intel or PowerPC) and leaves parts for the platform that are for Mac uses. The entire scan took less than ten minutes.
Technical SupportAfter installing and registering MacKeeper on my computer, I received a new email each day for a week explaining in more detail its exhaustive features. Nearly every tool has a video tutorial explaining its function. A customer support phone number, live chat, and email can be linked to right within the clean, well organized interface of the application. ZeoBIT also runs a Geek on Demand service to help you with all sorts of Mac-related needs, including configuring your Mac for remote access, troubleshooting hardware and software, and tips and advice for purchasing Mac related products.
After you spend some time with MacKeeper, you will find like I did that it's definitely the 911 solution for Mac security and maintenance, and your data control needs. We’re got 10 free licenses to give away, along with hundreds of discount coupons! How do I win a copy?It’s simple, just follow the instructions.
Giveaway eligibility You must be a fan of our Facebook page to enter; Individuals who are over the age of 18. If you are under 18, get your parents to participate on your behalf; Individuals who reside in a country embargoed by the United States; Belgium, Norway, Sweden, or India are not permitted to enter. This giveaway begins now and ends Friday, November 26th at 2100hrs PST. The winners will be selected at random and announced via email. Spread the word to your friends and have fun! ZeoBIT has also graciously provided us with some coupon codes. In order to use them, visit the purchase page, click on “Have coupon code” and enter the code into the field. Enter mackeeper.ooPhe for 50% discount (100 uses) Coupon codes are only applicable for the basic version of MacKeeper. MakeUseOf would like to thank ZeoBIT 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. Follow MakeUseOf on Twitter. Includes cool extras.
    
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| Google Apps Customers Get Access To More Google Products [News] Posted: 22 Nov 2010 03:20 AM PST
Google is finally taking a much welcomed step forward in offering more of its services to Google Apps users. If your company uses Google Apps, don’t expect the features to appear overnight. Your administrator will have to transition into the new infrastructure, choosing which applications they want included in their Google Apps package. Google Apps for Business and Education customers can even go so far as to control which services are available to each individual user.
This is in addition to recently adding support for third party apps available in the Google Apps Marketplace.
If you haven’t already signed up for Google Apps on your own domain, you can do so for free for up to 50 users, and will get instant access to all the latest services. Check out Google’s video with all the latest information on what Google Apps customers can get with the latest changes. Which Google service are you looking forward to using most with your Google Apps account? Let us know in the comments. Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers!
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| Cool Websites and Tools [November 21st] Posted: 21 Nov 2010 07:31 PM PST
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. Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf page on Facebook. Over 24,000 fans already!
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| Thank You To MakeUseOf Friends! Posted: 21 Nov 2010 06:31 PM PST
Thank you, guys! Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Don’t forget to share our articles with others! It’s really important to us.
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| What’s Your Favourite Twitter Client? [MakeUseOf Poll] Posted: 21 Nov 2010 05:30 PM PST
The breakdown of votes worked out as follows: 50% voters went for WordPress; 26% voted for Blogger; 12.5% voted for Tumblr; and 11.5% voted for Posterous. No-one voted for any of the smaller or older free blog services. Full results and this week's poll after the jump.
This week's poll question is: What’s Your Favourite Twitter Client? Doesn’t matter which device you use it with or if you use several. Just tell us which one you think is the best! If you use more than one client, let us know how and why in the comments! Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Don’t forget to share our articles with others! It’s really important to us.
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| 4+ Easy Ways to Create A Virtual Business Card Posted: 21 Nov 2010 02:30 PM PST
There are several free services that make it easy to create your own free personal virtual business cards, and some of these services taking it one step further, making it easier to share them. If you’d rather not use a third party service, there are many free WordPress themes to use with your own personal domain. About.meAbout.me is probably one of the classiest layouts available for a free virtual online business card, taking a very minimalist and user-friendly approach. Currently in private beta, About.me gives you one page and a significant amount of control over how it appears. You can choose your background image, colours and fonts of all text that appear on the page.
The services available on About.me include, amongst others, Twitter, WordPress, Flickr, Facebook, as well as any RSS feed of your choice.
Visitors don’t have to leave your About.me page to see the content on each site. Clicking on any given icon will open up the latest content posted on each of those services, with a link to the original posts.
Another way in which About.me sets itself apart from other similar services is with a dashboard featuring visitor statistics and more. Who would use About.me as their online business card? About.me is ideal for photographers or other visual artists who want to make a strong first impression.
If you want to get in on the action, you can. About.me have kindly offered beta invites to the first 100 readers to reserve the username of their choice. Of course, we can’t guarantee the availability of the username of your choice, and if it is already taken, the folks at About.me will let you know. All you need to do is head over to About.me and reserve a URL (username). When you’re done, come back and type in the reserved username into this form. Card.ly
Card.ly has a similar selection of services that you can add to your online business card, from the popular Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Digg, to Mixx, Plurk and Friendster.
You can also add one RSS feed from your blog, as well as general contact details.
Card.ly is also customisable with a variety of themes, however, at the moment you have to preview the themes one by one as there seems to be something wrong with the theme browser.
The final card changes depending on the theme you choose. All of the information could be included on the same page or may be divided into tabs. Some themes include a stream of links coming in from your services.
Another advantage to using Card.ly is the ability to download a vCard with your information, which makes it easy for others to import your contact information, no matter what kind of address book they are using.
So who should use Card.ly? If appearance matters most to you, their wide selection of themes will definitely be a big selling point. WordPressIf you have your own domain, why not host your own virtual business card using a free customisable WordPress theme. The Digital Business Card Theme is a very easy to use WordPress theme. From the backend, you can add various social networks including Twitter, DeviantArt, Facebook and LinkedIn, amongst many others.
The theme is divided into two sections – online profiles, and a contact page with your contact details and a large picture of your choice.
With the most basic knowledge of CSS, you can customise the theme to add more profiles that are not included on the list. Other WordPress themes worth giving a try are Ipseity, Visiting Card, and the MiniCard theme. Who would use WordPress to create a virtual business card? If you don’t want to depend on a third party service that could shut down at any time, or want a highly customisable option, WordPress is the best bet for you. EAfter signing up for a free account on E, you will be prompted to upload a photo, and add your social services and IM contact details.
An advantage that E has over other similar services is that you can create multiple cards. This is particularly useful if you want to create one card for business purposes, and another for social purposes.
The final card includes all the details that you add on one page – contact information and social services.
E is accessible from any mobile phone, making it easy to exchange details on the go by simple logging into your accounts and adding each other to your contact lists. iPhone users have the added advantage of a free app available for download from iTunes.
Who should use E? E is the ideal solution for people who want to create multiple online business cards. There are many other services that you can use to create your online business card that have been reviewed on MakeUseOf. DooID is a great customisable service that offers the unique feature of video bios. Flavors.me is a good option for people looking for a bold option with no limit to the colour palettes you can use. Retaggr is another solid option to use that has been around for a while. Have you created your own virtual business card? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to reserve your About.me username using the form below. Image credit: Shutterstock Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Don’t forget to share our articles with others! It’s really important to us.
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| Posted: 21 Nov 2010 12:15 PM PST
For more fresh hot deals, visit our Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated. Keep reading to find out today’s Hot Tech Deals.
Image credit: Modified from Svengraph’s icon set Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Don’t forget to share our articles with others! It’s really important to us.
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| 10 Free MP3 Albums To Download [Sound Sunday] Posted: 21 Nov 2010 11:31 AM PST
This week I am introducing long overdue streaming album previews via widgets. This means you no longer need to *gasp* leave MakeUseOf to listen to the music. Using the widgets, you can locally give every album a spin and open a new tab only when you really want to download it. For now, sources that do not provide a widget will be presented in old school Sound Sunday fashion. However, we’re looking into more streaming options. Please let us know whether you’re actually using the stream to preview the music.
Yes, Mayhem – selftitledGenre: alternative, experimental, rock Dan is a bass player. He says that he asked a bunch of people to record an album with him, and they said yes. That’s the oversimplified tale behind Yes, Mayhem. Much more inspired than the backup story is the album itself. Great rock and great teamwork! The album is a name your price download from Bandcamp. Yes, Mayhem Homepage. Six By Seven – six.byseven:04Genre: alternative, indie, post rock, rock This album was originally self-released in 2004. Six By Seven had previously released three albums with the Mantra label. The band also appears to be a good omen for up and coming artists. Some of the most well known bands from the UK supported Six By Seven before becoming famous: Kasabian, Interpol, Kaiser Chiefs, The Editors, Snow Patrol, Travis, and Muse. The album six.byseven:04 is a free download from Bandcamp. Six By Seven MySpace and Homepage. Peter Sobot – Story Of FlightGenre: alternative, electronic, rock, metal Peter Sobot is an 18 year old student of Software Engineering in Ontario, Canada. During his free time he enjoys to be creative and make music, among other things. Story Of Flight is his first solo album, which he wrote and recorded over a period of eight months. This is a name your price download from Bandcamp. Peter Sobot Twitter and Homepage. Max Vanremmerden – 5-Second SongsGenre: alternative, indie, pop, acoustic This is not a joke. All albums on this 12 piece album are merely 5 seconds long. Added up that’s a one minute album. Crazy Dutchmen. If this has stimulated your appetite, follow the link to Max’s homepage for some traditional full album downloads, for example Songs To Take Home. 5-Second Songs are a free download from Bandcamp. Max Vanremmerden MySpace and Homepage. LMNtlyst – Wolfgang Amadeus GruvisGenre: indie, funk, fusion, electronic, beats, dub, rock, hip hop Jerry Gruvis from Milwaukee, Wisconsin is The LMNtlyst [Elementalist], a multi-instrumentalist, producer, songwriter, and engineer. The name describes his habit of incorporating hundreds of elements into his songs. His songs are skillful compositions uniting a wild cross-over of musical styles and never sounding overloaded. Download Wolfgang Amadeus Gruvis free from Bandcamp. LMNtlyst MySpace and SoundCloud. Levek – LVK demoGenre: experimental, gospel, tropical, tribal Levek is a school bus driver from Gainesville, Florida. These are his comments on his music: “After a long day of elementary schoolers putting gum on my lovely pleather bus seats I enjoy a good space jam while sorting through the Disney VHS collection.” That explains why one of the genres he selected is ‘Mickey Mouse tribal sounds’. LVK demo is a free download from Bandcamp. Levek MySpace and Homepage. Cardiphonia – Hymns of FaithGenre: folk, christian, hymns With the Thanksgiving weekend almost behind us, there is no denial that we are more rapidly than slowly approaching Christmas. Time for some reflection. At least for the faithful among you. ‘Hymns of Faith – Songs for the Apostles Creed’ is a concept album for the church. It is based in a collection of hymns written on the 12 articles of the apostles creed by Samuel J. Stone in 1866. Download the album for free from Bandcamp. Cardiphonia Homepage. Secret Knives – AffectionGenre: alternative, pop, shoegaze Secret Knives is a band from Wellington, New Zealand and Affection is their debut album. The music is timeless. The Einstein Music Journal describes it as ”stark shoegazy guitars and princely pop rhythms to create a chimerical atmosphere… this is a masterpiece, written and composed by one of the country's best young songwriters.” Affection is a free download from Bandcamp. Secret Knives MySpace and Homepage. Mansions on the Moon – Paradise FallsGenre: electronica, hip hop, remix Lane Shaw and Ben Hazlegrove of the Pnuma Trio have teamed up with singer/songwriter Ted Wendler to form Mansions on the Moon. Collaborating with different DJs and developing their sound at studios in Atlanta and Virginia Beach, they have recently released the remix album Paradise Falls. Download the entire album from their Homepage. Mansions on the Moon MySpace and Homepage. Brainlove Records – Quietus CompilationGenre: thrash, pop, idol, mixed Quietus Compilation by brainlove “Brainlove Records is an independent organisation working to unearth and present exciting new music. The philosophy of the label is to support musicians exhibiting creativity, spirit, intelligence and imagination, regardless of genre, commercial potential, or technical ability. As such, Brainlove is a record label with artistic rather than commercial values at it’s core.” The Quietus Compilation will give you an overview of the artists that are with this record label. You can download the sampler one song at a time from SoundCloud. Brainlove Records MySpace and Homepage. Browse past editions of Sound Sunday here. Feel free to get in touch with me [tina at makeuseof dot com] to share free material or suggestions and feedback you don't want to post in the comments below. Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Don’t forget to share our articles with others! It’s really important to us.
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| 4 Facebook Applications That Actually Improve Your Account Posted: 21 Nov 2010 07:10 AM PST
There are more than enough of these useful Facebook applications though, and you’re missing out on a lot of the fun if you think it isn’t worth your time. Here are four useful Facebook applications that actually improve your account. PageRage Facebook ThemesIt’s a huge plus that Facebook doesn’t offer graphical configuration like MySpace — we all know how that turned out. Facebook looks slick, clean, but it might just not be your thing. An all-round user friendly situation would be to customize how Facebook looks for you. That’s what we call a win-win solution. Editor’s note: PageRage’s WOT ratings are not very impressive so please use at your own risk.
PageRage allow you to do this, using a Firefox add-on and Facebook application; you’ll need both of these for it to work. Choose one of many Facebook skins you like from the PageRage gallery, and you’re all set. Mind you, this will only affect how you view Facebook on your computer. Docs for FacebookFacebook recently announced Docs, a hybrid between Facebook and Microsoft Fusion to share documents, spreadsheets and presentations on Facebook. It’s no Google Docs or Microsoft Office replacement yet, but it goes a long way.
In the Docs application, you’ll be able to skim popular reads, browse your own and friends’ files, or upload new documents. Besides uploading or creating a new document, you can also create interactive files that use Facebook data; resumes, charts based on friends’ data and photo slideshows. This is where the Facebook integration really pays off.
Because the application is really just a Facebook front-end for the new Docs.com website, Facebook will redirect you when actually opening or creating a new document. Although full integration of the word editor (seen above) is still a thing of the future, other Facebook options are present on the Docs site, like posting a document to your Facebook wall. Twitter TabFacebook and Twitter are often regarded as two great battling social media sites, but why should they; the two services couldn’t be more different and it’s only sensible (from a social media aspect) to pay attention to both.
The Twitter Tab application allows you to keep an eye on both from one website. In fact, you can monitor up to eight different Twitter accounts and customize the theme to match your Facebook page. RSS GraffitiRSS Graffiti is an entirely different kind of amazing. It’s especially useful if you host your own blog or website and have an RSS feed. With the ease of subscribing to a feed, you can start publishing posts to your Facebook. Mind, you can also use RSS Graffiti to post from sites like Flickr, Twitter, or Yahoo! Meme — you just need a valid RSS feed.
Setting up the application hardly takes a minute and you can start adding feeds right away. The application will prompt you for a feed name and URL by default, but you can configure a whole range of more advanced settings, including filtering, transforming the feed, and scheduling your updates. Do you know any other useful Facebook applications? Let us know your picks in the comments below! Image credit: Shutterstock Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf page on Facebook. Over 24,000 fans already!
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| Speck CandyShell Grip Case for iPod Touch 4G Mini-Giveaway Posted: 21 Nov 2010 07:00 AM PST
With all this gaming madness, it’s about time someone came up with an appropriate case. Speck’s CandyShell Grip case for the iPod Touch 4G is the first Speck case made specifically for gaming. We’ve got 8 of these beauties to give away. But first, a little background information about what you’re about to win for yourself.
Some more gaming common sense can be found on the front of the case, where there are 4 edge-shaped bevels to help with thumb placement and grip — perfect for those games with quasi-controllers and impossible-to-find virtual buttons.
And just like all of the other CandyShell cases, this one comes complete with a soft rubberized interior and button covers to protect your precious gaming and music device from drops and dings; while still being comfortable to hold and stunning to look at. The CandyShell Grip is the perfect match for anyone who is in love with gaming on the iPod Touch. It’s available in MoonSicle White and DarkLord Black for a MSRP of $34.95.
But wait, we have 8 of them to give away! How do I enter?It’s simple, just follow the instructions. STEP 1Join our Facebook page by liking us. If you’re already following us, you may skip this step. If you can’t see the fanbox, click on this link. STEP 2Here’s our giveaway form. Please fill it in accurately. Be sure to enter your real email address so that we can get in touch if you are chosen as a winner. Click here if you can’t view the form. STEP 3You’re almost done. Now, all that’s left to do is to LIKE the post. This step is optional but why not spread the love? And that’s it! You’re done! Giveaway eligibility You must be a fan of our Facebook page to enter; Individuals who are over the age of 18. If you are under 18, get your parents to participate on your behalf; Individuals who reside in a country embargoed by the United States; Belgium, Norway, Sweden, or India are not permitted to enter. This giveaway begins now and ends after 400 submissions. The winner will be selected at random and announced via email. Spread the word to your friends and have fun! NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE!
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As a site dedicated to the best in computer and Internet technology, we here at MakeUseOf.com understand the need for computer and software security and computer maintenance. That's why we're jazzed about Zeobit's all-in-one program, 
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More often than not, when someone gives you their business card, it ends up lost, thrown away, or stuffed in a drawer never to be looked at again. In today’s digital age, it’s natural that the concept of online business cards is becoming more and more common. There are many reasons to stop using traditional business cards, whether you want to be more environmentally-friendly, have easy access to customising your cards, or if you’re just looking for something more convenient. Not to mention, it’s the most cost effective way to create your own business card.
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.
It was about time that something on Sound Sunday changed.
Like a lot of you, I’ve largely outgrown my trust for 
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