MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [May 28th]” plus 16 more |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [May 28th]
- 3 Firefox Addons To Improve YouTube Search Results
- Hot Tech Deals – Dell Inspiron 15R Intel Core i5-2410M 2.3GHz Sandy Bridge 15.6in Laptop for $624.99 + more
- Try Out Some Awesome Unity Lenses [Ubuntu]
- 6 Of The Best Free Time Killer Games In The Mac App Store
- Cool Websites and Tools [May 27th]
- The 7 Best Questions From You [MakeUseOf Answers]
- Problem Solved: Send URLs Between Mac Computers & iOS Devices
- Find Your Next Book To Read With Goodreads [Android]
- Create An Awesome Book Of ‘Social Memories’ With Your Facebook Data
- Hot Tech Deals – Dell and HP deals + more
- How To Set Up & Use Chicken Of The VNC For Remote Access [Mac]
- SnapShoter: A Screen Capture Tool & Clipboard Manager Rolled Into One [Windows]
- Amazon Opens Mac Download Store, Undercuts App Store Pricing [News]
- How To Control Your Windows PC With Kinect
- Identity Finder – Cleanse Your Computer Of Sensitive Personal Information [Windows & Mac]
- Switchable Graphics 101: The Best Of Both Worlds [Technology Explained]
| Cool Websites and Tools [May 28th] Posted: 28 May 2011 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. Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| 3 Firefox Addons To Improve YouTube Search Results Posted: 28 May 2011 06:31 PM PDT
I must say, default YouTube search results page has terrible usability: you can’t preview videos, you have zero understanding if each video might be what you need and you have to scroll down again and again to scan through results. So I’ve been searching for some browser addons to improve results and I am pretty much excited with what I was able to find. Here are my 3 best finds (tested on FireFox 4). 1. YouPopYouPop is a Firefox addon that lets you preview or watch YouTube videos on mouse-over on any website (as well as on YouTube itself) in a popup. The popup can be dragged across the screen and resized.
The fun features of the addon include:
2. GridTubeGridTube displays search result video thumbs in grid format arranged in a 2D array (which means much less scrolling through results). This, in combination with the above addon, lets you go through search results much quicker. The extension adds three icons on the top right of the screen which help to select the appropriate display mode:
If you have the YouPop addon installed, you are unlikely to need to click through to the actual video pages (unless you want to comment or rate it). If you do, the videos will open in a new tab by default (you can customize that behavior via the addon options). 3. YouTube User Likes/Dislikes In Search ResultsWould you like to never start watching offensive or low-quality videos on YouTube? You may try using user likes and dislikes ratio information to get an idea of how dangerous the content is. Weirdly, YouTube won’t allow users to access this information from search results (it becomes visible only after you click through to the video page and start watching). This userscript (tested on FireFox 4) lets you see user ratings right within search results. What’s more, it is compatible with the above two addons, so you can view user ratings in grid! With the userscript installed, just hover over any video in the search results and then mouse over a tiny “Rating” icon.
Any other tips to tweak default YouTube results? Please let us know! Image Credit: seosmarty Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| Posted: 28 May 2011 01:30 PM PDT
For more fresh hot deals, visit our Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.
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| Try Out Some Awesome Unity Lenses [Ubuntu] Posted: 28 May 2011 12:31 PM PDT
The “Lens” concept is new to Ubuntu’s Unity interface. By default Ubuntu includes two lenses, found in the launcher: one for applications and another for programs. These are both centered around locally installed content, which makes sense. That’s what people are used to searching for on their computer. A variety of third-party lenses, however, make searching certain elements of the web really fast. By the time Ubuntu 11.10 comes out there will probably be a collection of such lenses in the Ubuntu Software Center. Reddit; the voice of the Internet. If you want to quickly scan the top headlines on Reddit, or search for things relevant to a particular topic, you should install the Reddit lens for Ubuntu.
In addition to the top headlines and the search functionality, this lens automatically shows you the latest headlines from the Ubuntu and Linux sub-reddits, as well as the famous IAmI subreddit. You can find a .deb file for this lense over at Webpubupd8, so check it out. Once you’ve got everything installed and have restarted Unity, know that the new Reddit icon and the keyboard shortcut Super + R can launch the program. Ask UbuntuSimilar in many respects to our own MakeUseOf Answers, Ask Ubuntu is fast replacing the Ubuntu Forums as the place to find Ubuntu help (though the userbase seems to overlap quite a bit). The Ask Ubuntu lens makes finding answers to your Ubuntu questions faster than ever.
I’ve already found answers to three different Ubuntu questions I had with the tool; the instant search makes it easy. You can find installation instructions, appropiately enough, over at MakeUseOf Answers. Basically you need to run these commands:
Once you do, restart Unity. You can launch this lense with the new Ubuntu Answers icon in your launcher, or by pressing Super + U. Google BooksInstantly find exactly the book you’re looking for:
This lens searches the web’s two major book repositories: Project Gutenberg and Google Books. If a given book can be downloaded for free, you’ll be taken to the Gutenberg page. If not, you can browse certain pages for free over at Google Books, or purchase the ebook if you’re so inclined. Installation instructions for this lens can be found over at Ubuntu Answers. Basically, you need to run these commands:
Once you’ve instealled everything and restarted Unity, you can search for books by clicking the Book icon or pressing Super + B. Web SourcesThis one’s a little hard to explain. Basically, you can search for anything and see a list of sources of information on the topic. “A search for a band name,” says the project’s documentation, “might list MySpace, Wikipedia, Amazon and Last.fm as results, but not individual pages thereon.” Click any of the results and you’ll be taken to that band’s page on all of those sites. Search for MakeUseOf and you’ll see this:
One link takes you to our site; the other to our Facebook page. It’s a great way to find a company or person online, quickly. You can install this lens but adding the Web Sources Place PPA. Basically, you need to type these commands:
Once you’ve installed the lens, restart Unity. Then you can launch it by clicking the icon in the launcher, or by pressing Super + K. GwibberLove your social networks? You might want to install the Gwibber lens then. Built on top of Ubuntu’s default social app, this lens lets you quickly find out what any of your friends or contacts are talking about on Twitter, Facebook and more. Find installation instructions over at OMG Ubuntu. ConclusionI think this is neat. For years people have been using launchers like GnomeDo to add such functionality to Ubuntu, so it’s really cool to see such a functionality included in Ubuntu by default. What about you? Do you like these lenses? Can you think of any other lenses that should exist? Leave your comments below, because we love them. Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| 6 Of The Best Free Time Killer Games In The Mac App Store Posted: 28 May 2011 10:31 AM PDT
From card games, to puzzles, to full out adventure games, the Mac App Store is chock full of games that are worth trying. The six games listed here are ideal time killers, and most of them are kid-friendly. The list includes physics based games, mini adventure games, puzzles and more. Pocket Dinosaurs 2Pocket Dinosaurs 2 [App Store link] is one of those addictive games which makes a perfect time killer. The game has one very simple goal – launch as many dinosaurs into a floating spaceship as you can in 60 seconds. The cute graphics and sound effects make it a great game for kids and adults alike. The incentive to keep playing the game as time passes will probably be to exceed your personal high score.
Action SwingAction Swing [App Store link] is not exactly a head turning game in the graphics department. It’s a simple game, which will offer a nice distraction if you need to take a break from your work or just need something to keep you busy for 5 minutes. Start out the game with 3 lives and see how many levels you can last, getting your little stick figure safely onto the moving base.
Victory MarchNot as kid friendly as Pocket Dinosaurs or Action Swing, Victory March [App Store link] is a mini adventure game that will definitely keep you coming back for more. Make your way through the six levels of the game as a Soviet or American soldier, avoiding obstacles and shooting at the enemy before they get you.
A Monster Ate My HomeworkA Monster Ate My Homework [App Store link] is another great physics game with 80 free levels. Lob a boll at the ‘monsters’ but make sure you don’t knock over any of your homework stacks, otherwise you’ll have to try again. You can choose to play the game full screen or windowed.
Archibald’s Adventures LiteUnlike many free or lite versions of mini adventure games, Archibald’s Adventures Lite actually lets you play 40 levels for free, which really gives you a chance to give the harder, or more challenging levels a try. Each level has you trying to navigate Archibald through a maze on his skateboard, all the while watching out for deadly obstacles. With the cute graphics and with the game being relatively easy, Archibald’s Adventures is probably a great game for kids.
Gold StrikeGold Strike [App Store link] is a great variation on the games in which you remove similar coloured or patterned blocks when there are at least two of them in a row. Since Gold Strike offers 5 different ways to play the game, it’s hard to imagine you’ll get bored with the addictive game very fast. Race against the clock, play a strategic game or try to get past as many levels as possible.
For a few more suggestions for awesome Mac App Store games check out: The 3 Best Free Games On The Mac App Store If you don’t have Snow Leopard, and want to find some fun games to play on your Mac, check out: 11 Online Sources For The Best In Mac Freeware What’s your favourite Mac OS game you play to kill the time? Let us know in the comments. Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| Cool Websites and Tools [May 27th] Posted: 27 May 2011 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. Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| The 7 Best Questions From You [MakeUseOf Answers] Posted: 27 May 2011 06:31 PM PDT
This week the winners are: Best Answer of the Week – FIDELIS 1st Runner Up – Gustavo Ibarguengoytia 2nd Runner Up – Cj2restore Congratulations to the winners! Not a tech geek, but care to learn something new? Then have a look at the best questions of the week:
MakeUseOf Answers can teach you a trick each day. Read, learn, and share by browsing the Latest Questions. For regular updates subscribe to the Answers RSS Feed. Need help? Ask A Question at MakeUseOf Answers. Download videos from the sites like YouTube, Break.com etc. Convert videos to almost any format.  Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| Problem Solved: Send URLs Between Mac Computers & iOS Devices Posted: 27 May 2011 04:31 PM PDT
But now a simple and highly useful Safari extension appropriately called SendTab is just the solution to this problem. Simply put, SendTab allows you to send a selected webpage to one or more computers on your network. When it arrives on the remote computer, it automatically downloads in your networked web browser. It happens within seconds. The only downside to the extension is that you can only send URLs from iOS devices, but not to them. The extension works both ways using Chrome, but you can only, for some reason, send URLs from Firefox to Safari – not the other way around. In other words, this extension works best if you're a Safari or Chrome user. SendTab SetupPerhaps I misunderstood the instructions, but I initially had problems setting up the SendTab network on my computers, and I noticed a few other users complained as well. What I figured out is that after you download and install the SendTab extension, you need to create a Network account. The registration page ask for a “Network Name.” It sounds like a name that you need to locate on your computer, but it's not. It simply means a “sign-in” name – you can put whatever name you like and will remember, and then create a password.
After you have logged into your account, sign in again on your other computer and/or iOS device.
When you link to your network account, your computers – but not your iOS device – should be listed. Otherwise they will not receive the URLs you send to them. Basically your URLs are sent to your account and then forwarded over to your computers on your network.
iOS BookmarkletTo send URLs from your iPad or iPhone, you need to add a bookmarklet to the Safari web browser on your device. There are instructions for setting up the bookmarklet, but that might be a tad bit confusing as well. Here are the steps to install the bookmarklet on your iOS device:
Now you can send URLs from your iOS device to your designated computer(s) on your network. A SendTab box will appear after you tap the bookmarklet in your device. You may have to scroll up to the top of the selected webpage to tap the SendTab window. SendTab works well for what it does, though it could use a few more features. Sent pages automatically open in the computer you send them to. If your remote computer is asleep when a URL is sent, it may take a few seconds for the webpage to download after the computer is awakened. It would be useful if a Growl notification would appear when URLs are sent and received by SendTab. Also, once a URL is sent, there's no option to keep it from being download in the remote computer it was sent to. These are just minor issues with SendTab, an extension utility that quite frankly should be built into Safari itself, especially since many Mac users work between one or more computers. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| Find Your Next Book To Read With Goodreads [Android] Posted: 27 May 2011 03:31 PM PDT
As you launch Goodreads, you’re greeted with this startup screen:
Note the large, finger-friendly buttons. Also note the Sign In and Sign Up links: These are not buttons, and were definitely harder to tap. I’ve had to keep tapping and tapping away until finally the Sign In link worked. Once I logged into my account, I tapped the My Books button, which took me to a screen called… My Shelves:
A bit of a consistency issue there, but nothing major. Note how gracefully the app shifts from landscape to portrait mode: the layout actually changes, and screen space is efficiently used in both layouts. Typography is rather on the large side. Now let’s shift back to landscape mode, and tap the “read” link:
This is the list of all the books I’ve read (or rather, all the books I told Goodreads about). Note the handy sorting buttons on top. The “more…” button also lets you sort by number of pages, average ratings, and lots of other categories:
One thing you need to realize is that every operation you do takes time. A “Loading…” prompt appears whenever you access a book listing or a new section of the app. There’s even a “Sorting…” prompt when you sort the book list according to the less common criteria. Using the app is not a very fast experience. Next, let’s look at the listing for an individual book:
This is just the beginning of the listing. It goes on to encompass lots of other functionality:
You can also tap into individual users’ reviews. You can do almost anything you can do on the site, using the mobile application. It’s very complete in terms of functionality. Now let’s look at the profile page:
Again, you can drill down into any book listing, going to the book page and from there to individual full-length reviews. While you’re on the go, you may want to search for your next read. Indeed, Goodreads has a built-in search screen which looks like this:
I was disappointed to discover there is no way to sort the list of results. The same rich filtering functionality implemented in “My Shelves” would definitely come in handy for the search screen as well. I hope future versions will incorporate it. Now let’s look at the listing for a book I haven’t read and isn’t on my shelves:
As you can see, I can easily add the book onto one of my shelves, rate it or review it. I imagine reviews written using the mobile app would typically be shorter, unless you have a fantastic mobile keyboard. The last screenshot I wanted to show you is another landscape screenshot showing user-generated reviews for a book. Note the efficient use of screen space:
At the end of the day, Goodreads for Android is a lovely mobile companion for the website. You may not be able to use it to find your next book, but if you routinely use the website, the app is a great way to update your profile on the go and let the world know what you’ve recently read or what you plan on reading. Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| Create An Awesome Book Of ‘Social Memories’ With Your Facebook Data Posted: 27 May 2011 02:31 PM PDT
Well, now you can, with an app called Social Memories. Being a big proponent of infographics and social media data, I love the idea of viewing all of my Facebook ‘social memories’ in book form, and that’s exactly what this app lets you do. What Is Social Memories?Social Memories is a Facebook app that lets you create a book of your social activity. The app will search through your Facebook history from a chosen period of time and create great looking, infographic-like pages in a book that you can physically order or share on your wall in the form of a photo album. To view Social Memories in action, just check out this short video: How Do I Use Social Memories?In order to see what Social Memories is capable of, the first thing you’re going to want to do is head over to the app’s Facebook page. Once there, you can click on Go to application to get started.
On the next screen, you will have to grant Social Memories permission to access your data so that it can gather information for your book. Being that the book is pretty in-depth, the app asks for a lot, so if you are uncomfortable with giving Social Memories that kind of permission, which you can always revoke later, then perhaps it’s best you stop right here.
After you click Allow, as I have just done, you will be taken to your bookshelf. If you’ve used the app previously, the books you’ve created would appear here. To start a new project, just click Create a new book. From here you’ll be asked to select your timeline, so whether you would like to make your book about your previous year on Facebook or just a week or two you can make that designation.
That’s basically it. Social Memories will gather all the information from your chosen time period and assemble your book for you in a matter of seconds. Once it’s done, you can browse your book to see all the data that’s been put together for you.
In the end, you’ll have the option of sharing your book as an album on your profile for free, or if you want, you can opt to order a physical copy of your book (not free). As a heads up, if you would like to do neither of these things, you can just click on the Social Memories logo in the top left to go back to your bookshelf. ConclusionThe one thing I don’t really like about Social Memories is that it doesn’t allow you to view your created book in full-screen, or download it for that matter. That’s understandable though since you have the ability to get an actual book from Social Memories, and the ability to share your book in an album is nice, especially since you can download your Facebook photos. What do you think of Social Memories? Good idea? Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| Hot Tech Deals – Dell and HP deals + more Posted: 27 May 2011 01:30 PM PDT
For more fresh hot deals, visit our Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.
Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| How To Set Up & Use Chicken Of The VNC For Remote Access [Mac] Posted: 27 May 2011 12:31 PM PDT
Chicken of the VNC (COTVNC) is easy to use, simple to set up and works like a charm. You can use Chicken of the VNC to connect to a Mac, Windows or Unix machine, so it’s really quite versatile. Install Chicken Of The VNCDownload a free copy of Chicken of the VNC from Sourceforge here. It’s a small download of 1.2MB so it shouldn’t take too long. Installation is standard Mac procedure: just open the disk image and drag the application into your Applications folder. Double-click Chicken of the VNC in Applications to open it. Set Up Remote Computer For Chicken Of The VNC AccessTo begin with, you’ll need to make sure the computer you wish to connect to is allowing VNC connections and that you know the IP address and password details for access to the computer. To allow VNC connections on a Mac, go to System Preferences > Sharing. Check the box for “Remote Management” and check all the applicable boxes in the popup window, depending on how much access you want to give out. Then click on “Options” and check the box to allow VNC connections with a password. Choose a password. When you click “OK” you should see that Remote Management is on and which IP address to use. Otherwise, to find the local IP address on a Mac, go to the airport symbol and choose “Open Network Preferences” (or go to System Preferences > Network). The IP address will be shown clearly on this screen.
To allow VNC connections in Windows, the Windows machine will need to have a VNC client installed, such as the free RealVNC and configure it to use port 5900 and to use a password for access. To find the local IP address in Windows, open up a terminal (by going to Windows > Run and typing “cmd“) and then type “ipconfig“. For access via the Internet, it’s a little more complicated. You will need to know the IP address you’re using in the real world, so head to WhatIsMyIP to get it. You may also need to set up port forwarding on the router to ensure the port 5900 is sent to the VNC server on the IP of the Windows computer. If you want to use VNC to help a relative with tech support, for instance, you might need to set this up in advance and perhaps talk them through the steps to get the new IP address to ensure you can log into their system. Set Up Chicken Of The VNCFor every computer you remotely connect to with Chicken of the VNC, you’ll need to set up a new connection. From the previous steps, you should now have the details you need ready for use.
Click the + button to add a new connection and give it a name. In the host field, write the IP address followed by a colon and the port number. Put the password in and click connect. You should see a window pop up automatically where you can control the machine.
As you can see, the main trick to setting up a VNC connection is in ensuring the computer you wish to connect to is willing to accept the connection. Chicken of the VNC itself is pretty straightforward and just gets the job done. What do you think of Chicken of the VNC? What’s your favourite free VNC client for the Mac? Let us know in the comments! Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| SnapShoter: A Screen Capture Tool & Clipboard Manager Rolled Into One [Windows] Posted: 27 May 2011 11:31 AM PDT
Fast, lightweight, and portable are three adjectives that fit SnapShoter (ver1.4.9b) to the T. You can throw in 'free' too and you have a winner among the portable app ranks. SnapShoter also brings a smile to your face if you are a rapid fire screen-shooter. It is also a clipboard manager that can hold multiple images and manipulate them around. So, without further ado, let's check out some key features. A Lightweight Portable Download
A 973KB size for screen capture software with a clipboard manager and image manipulation is a nice thing in a small package. Unzip the download and put it in its own folder as that's where the captures and app preferences will also get saved. Clicking the EXE file launches SnapShoter as a sidebar on the right side of your screen. You can shift it to the left and also minimize it. Not so cool so far? Let's snap some shots. The Screen Capture
SnapShot gives you three image capture modes – you can capture the whole screen/desktop, use the crosshairs to select an area, or use the timer with a 5 (can be set in Preferences) second delay. All screen captures end up in the app's clipboard as a stack of images waiting for further treatment. You can capture and store as many as you want. You can even drag 'n drop other images on your computer into the stack and order them around. You can also see them saved in a folder marked 'captures'. Delete the images from the sidebar with a right-click or use the Kill button to 'kill' all of them in one go. SnapShot's Compose Mode
The Compose window is your playground where you can do a lot more with your captured images. It is like an image editor. You can drag your images from the Clipboard stack to the compose window. The toolbar at the top gives you all the one-click functions. You have to experiment a bit as there are no tooltips and the tools aren't marked out in any other way. The Compose mode allows you to work with Layers. You can also create as many layers as you want. The four buttons from the right let you change the order, select, and delete layers.
Select your color from the palette a use the buttons next to it to draw shapes and lines on the canvas.
You can select any image and change the transparency of the layer on which it is placed. Another button allows you to change the contrast of the image by small factors. You can also place text on a layer. The five buttons on the left can help you to setup a collage of pictures by changing the size and orientation of the images.
When you are done with your collage just save it all as a JPEG with a click. Watermarking Your Images
Go into the Preferences window and enable watermarking your images with a custom text. You can also finetune the transparency and the font size. This window also has the snapshot timer custom control. Summing It All UpIt took me some time to learn the controls as the software does not have a help manual yet. That's one thing that can put of a newbie. SnapShoter's presence in your toolbox will depend on the kind of screen shot buff you are. If you are a heavy screen-shooter and like to have a rapid editor close-by then, this light software is worth a try. SnapShoter does not allow you to capture scrolling web pages or just the active screens. So, its use as a full fledged screen capture software is just a bit hindered. But what it gives you is an unlimited clipboard for stacking many images. Use SnapShoter for a while and shoot us a few comments with your raves or rants. Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| Amazon Opens Mac Download Store, Undercuts App Store Pricing [News] Posted: 27 May 2011 11:07 AM PDT
The new section of Amazon's website lists a wide variety of productivity software and games. There are a total of 252 products available as of the store's launch including Office For Mac and QuickBooks, two popular titles that are not available on the Mac App Store. Unlike the App Store, the Mac Download Store does not place restrictions on developers, which means that software rejected there can still be sold on Amazon's website.
Amazon is deploying the new store with its favorite tactic – undercutting the competition's pricing. Most of the titles on the Download Store are less expensive than those found on the App Store, sometimes by a large margin. Borderlands, a popular action game, is $49.99 on the App Store but $36.92 on Amazon. Another example is the classic shooter Call of Duty 4, which is $39.99 on the App Store but $24.95 on Amazon. This is not including the $5 promotional discount that will be available until June 1st. As a side note, Amazon's decision to call the new service a “Download Store” rather than a “App Store” is significant. Apple has previously stated that “App Store” is trademarked, so it seems the legal threats from Cupertino have not fallen on deaf ears. Using the term in this case would be particularly risky, as unlike the Android App Store, this is a direct competitor to Apple. Source: Lifehacker Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| How To Control Your Windows PC With Kinect Posted: 27 May 2011 10:31 AM PDT
Start FreshIf you followed along with the tutorial last time, you’ll already have a bunch of drivers installed. Unfortunately Kinemote is quite specific in the versions it can play nicely with, so it’s best if we go ahead and uninstall any OpenNi and PrimeSense drivers using the regular Windows uninstall.
Downloads & InstallsFirst off, Kinemote requires a quick registration on the forum before you can download it, so go ahead and do that now from this link. The software required can all be downloaded from this thread at kinemote.net. The thread outlines which versions of various drivers you need to download and install on that thread to, but here are direct links. You will need to register on the forum to get the actual Kinemote software though (if you are registered and logged in, this link should work for you).
The first three are straight up easy installs (no need to edit config files as we did before). The last file you download should be extracted somewhere familiar, like your desktop. We need to use this to replace the Kinect motor drivers that should now be installed if you ran the first three already. To do this, open up Device Manager and locate the Primesense section. There should be three devices listed. Right-click on the one for Kinect Motor and select update driver software.
Choose to browse manually and point the selection to the folder you just extracted called “Kinect nui motor and LED driver“. Windows should then go ahead and replace the driver with something different, like this:
KinemoteOK, if you haven’t already, you should go ahead and install the Kinemote app from the forum I mentioned earlier. It comes as an executable install inside a zip file. Launch the app from your Start menu:
Open the options screen first, and let’s adjust a few things until you get acquainted with it. First, change the uppermost selection to wrist-wave. This will activate when you wave, which should be more familiar for regular Kinect users. Next, set the control style to virtual mouse to start with as it’s the simplest to grasp. From the general settings screen, I find it’s useful to turn on the video feedback too, just so you know when it’s watching and if it’s seeing you correctly. You can always deactivate when you’re comfortable. Close the options panel, and that should be it! Wave your hand to activate tracking, and you can click by quickly pushing your hand backwards and forwards. It’s not perfect as pushing your hand forwards usually results in the cursor moving first, so fine control is difficult. However, I found a mouse in one hand just to click (or iPhone remote control) can remedy that. The other option is to use it to control games using a custom set of keystrokes, for simple games and such. Try this out before moving on to media center control, as it helps you to grasp the control of back and mid planes. In modes other than virtual mouse, you have two layers of controls basically. Switch to custom keys to try it out. Move your hand forward or backward, and the video preview window will display red for backplane or green for midplane, as well as notifying you with a beep when you move between the two. Play around a bit, then switch to XBMC (or Boxee) mode when you have the hang of it. Refer to the diagram below for media center control (from the KinEmote manual, also available on the forums).
It can be fiddly to get used to and you may find yourself flailling around for a bit, but I had pretty good control after 5 minutes of practicing. What do you think? Easily the coolest remote control for your media center (and possibly the most expensive), ever! I’ll look into a Mac equivalent and report back next time if I find one. Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| Identity Finder – Cleanse Your Computer Of Sensitive Personal Information [Windows & Mac] Posted: 27 May 2011 09:31 AM PDT
Alas, this is the world we live in. So, the best you can do is install virus software, anti-malware and anti-adware. Each of these software solutions protect you by trying to filter out all of the incoming threats that attempt to infiltrate your computer to access your sensitive personal information. Most people are familiar with these software tools, but did you know that there is one additional line of personal information protection you can set up to guard yourself from identity theft? It’s a line of defense built on the premise that it isn’t much good for a burglar to break into your home if you store all of your valuables in a lock-box at the bank. This additional line of defense is called Identity Finder. Running An Identity Finder ScanThe free version of Identity Finder will perform a full system scan, and it will attempt to find sensitive identity information that may be stored on your computer without you realizing it. It attempts to do a deep search that is as good or better (hopefully) than any spyware may be. The goal is to identify the sensitive information on your computer so that you can decide what to do with it so that it isn’t accessible should your computer get infected. When you first set up Identity Finder, you’ll need to set up a very secure password that you can use to run scans and store scan logs.
Once you’re logged in, you have three choices – run an immediate scan on your system, use the search wizard (this is more useful in the paid version of the software) or skip the scan and open the advanced interface.
When you launch the scan, you’ll see just how thorough this software is. A scan will take some time – between 10 to 20 minutes depending on the size of your hard drive. I thought my system was pretty clean of any personal information, so I was pretty shocked to see that the Identity Finder had discovered 27 records revealing my passwords, and a surprising 5 records revealing my credit card numbers – and the scan was only half done!
Once the scan is finished, you’ll see a brief summary, and four choices. You’ll want to click on the “Advanced” button to access the results information that lists all of the records with your sensitive information.
It appeared that, in my case, the majority of password security concerns were related to the fact that I’d started using the Firefox password feature. However I had never got around to creating a master password. So, any application that gets installed on my computer could conceivably access those passwords (after all, Identity Finder did!)
At the bottom, I saw that the credit card information was the complete credit card numbers stored in the Firefox Saved Forms. This was an oversight on my part, and it could have led to catastrophe had I ever got hacked. The great thing about Identity Finder is that it helps you eliminate risks completely by eliminating the sensitive data completely.
Fixing the issue with the saved passwords was easy. Identity Finder recognizes the issue, and provides the option under the “Secure” button, to create a master “Profile Password” for you. This way, even though an app gets installed onto my computer, it can’t access the password or saved form details because it doesn’t have the master password. When you discover that there’s information on your computer that you really don’t want to be there – like stored credit card information, Identity Finder offers the option to “Shred” the information.
While not quite as thorough as a “Scrub”, which is featured on the paid version of the software, Shred is a feature that deletes the files according to the “Department of Defense deletion standard.” I suppose if it’s good enough for the Department of Defense, then it’s good enough for me! After your scan is done, you can also explore individual groups of information by browsing through the menu items at the top of the window. Click on “Identities” to see what type of identity information was found, such as credit card or passwords. Click on “Locations” to see the areas of the computer where your sensitive information was uncovered.
Identity Finder is a clever security solution, because instead of worrying so much about trying to prevent bad guys from breaking into your computer, you’re simply removing anything valuable from your computer that these bad guys may want to get. This won’t prevent virus infections, but it’ll certainly protect your identity. Give Identity Finder a try and see what it uncovers on your computer. Are you as secure as you thought you were? Share your results and your reactions in the comments section below. Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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| Switchable Graphics 101: The Best Of Both Worlds [Technology Explained] Posted: 27 May 2011 08:31 AM PDT
Over the past year, however, there's been a proliferation of a technology called switchable graphics. This tech makes it possible to completely turn off a discrete GPU when it isn't needed, leaving the PC to run on its far less power hungry IGP. Now this technology looks set to make the leap to desktops later in the year – but what are switchable graphics, and how does it benefit you? The Basics Of Switchable Graphics
The problem with discrete GPUs is the fact that they draw a lot of power even when only a fraction of their full potential is being used. This is a problem shared by all high-performance chips, and it happens because transistors leak power all of the time, even when not in use. A powerful discrete GPU has several billion transistors, so there's a lot of leakage going on. The only way to get around that is to switch the chip off entirely, but that has its own issues, particularly when you're talking about a GPU. What you see on your laptop's display is brought to you via a memory buffer, but a discrete GPU and an IGP will each have its own memory. This makes switching non-trivial, and it's the reason why early switchable graphics implementations forced users to reboot whenever they wanted to switch. However, seamless switching is possible with the proper drivers, and today is available on chips from Nvidia and AMD. Nvidia & AMD's Solutions
While both Nvidia and AMD have switchable graphics technology available, only Nvidia has been aggressive about marketing it. The green team has given the technology its own brand name, Optimus, and has stuck with that for some time now. Today, switchable graphics technology is all but standard among laptops with mid-range Nvidia GPUs. AMD has been far less organized in its approach to switchable graphics. If you visit the company website you'll be told that a wide variety of Radeon products support the feature, but “support” is a tricky word, because it only means that switchable graphics is an option, not that it's enabled by default. You'll have to carefully investigate a particular laptop's feature set to find out if switchable graphics actually functions. As both Nvidia and AMD's solutions are heavily reliant on driver support, switchable graphics works on a limited number of operating systems. Optimus is only supported on Windows 7. AMD supports Windows 7 and Linux, but Linux users have to switch between the GPU and IGP manually. Bringing Switchable Graphics To The Desktop
The ability to turn off a discrete GPU is obviously of great benefit to laptop computers because it no longer forces users to choose between a laptop with respectable graphics performance and a laptop with reasonable battery life. It's little surprise that the technology was pioneered on mobile PCs. Now that it's matured however, there's no reason that desktops can’t get in on the action as well. Although desktops don't have to worry about battery life, they still draw power, and that power costs users money. In addition to this, discrete GPUs on desktop computers can be a bit loud because of the large cooling fans used to exhaust excess heat. Nvidia wants to solve these problems, and is expected to bring switchable graphics to its desktop video cards this summer under the name of Synergy. If you don't feel like waiting, however, you can buy a current motherboard featuring the LucidLogix Virtu chip, which makes it possible to switch between an Intel IGP and a video card from Nvidia or AMD. However, only a few motherboards are currently shipping with this feature. ConclusionSwitchable graphics is a technology that will become the norm within the next few years. Eventually, we'll have trouble remembering a time when computers didn't come with this feature by default. If you have any questions about switchable graphics, feel free to post them in the comments. Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on MakeUseOf Answers! Read comments: Loved it? Hated it? Join discussion here ...
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