Jan 19, 2010 | Computer technology, Entertainment, News, Software
E-readers are fast becoming as ubiquitous as smart phones, giving us gem of a solution that offers a veritable library of books in a handheld device. Amazon?s Kindle is one of the more popular e-readers, but you might want to try out its functionality before deciding to move forward with a purchase.
Amazon has released a free E-reader application that essentially emulates the functionality of the Kindle, giving you a chance to see if this is something you?d like to include in your arsenal of gadgets. It allows you to read books you?ve purchased from the Kindle store, along with synchronization that links your Kindle with a PC.
Installation is quick.
After that?s complete, it?ll ask you to sign in with your Amazon account, though registration isn?t necessary should you be without one.
Once signed in, its functionality will become obvious, with helpful tips included in balloon pop-ups that appear at the top.
After you?ve loaded a book, navigation is easy, the controls allowing you to bookmark a particular section or jump to one.
Font sizes are varied, with 10 different ones available.
Depending on what you prefer, navigation is available via your mouse or the arrow keys on your keyboard.
Want to switch to another book? From your Windows 7 taskbar, you can access a jumplist from which a new title in your library can be selected.
On the upper-right, there exists a menu that includes various options, such as synchronization of Kindle for PC with your actual Kindle reader ? which ensures that your content on Kindle for PC mirrors that on your actual reader.
Want to add a book to your collection? Just visit the Amazon bookshop by clicking on the ?Shop in Kindle Store? option.
While this is only for Windows users, a Mac version is anticipated. Additionally, even more features are planned, including the ability to rotate images. For those of you who have a touch-enabled laptop, this takes advantage of the Windows Touch feature, effectively transforming your touch screen laptop into a Kindle.
This is an excellent way to test drive Kindle, and you can retrieve Kindle for PC here.
Jan 14, 2010 | Computer technology, Entertainment, Software
In this era of social networking, where the internet has become our main channel of communication, sharing pictures has become a routine activity.
Finding hosts for those pictures is as easy as surfing to any number of free sites that offer storage and linking of as many pictures as you would like, where the simple generation of a fresh url allows you to link your image on whichever forum you?d like to broadcast the latest exploits you?ve captured.
Zscreen is an amazingly convenient tool that not only captures screens from your computer, but it also uploads those images to you the most popular image sharing services you on the net ? TinyPic, ImageShack, Flickr, TwitPic, and others.? Additionally, those urls can be minimized with url shortening services like TinyURL and bit.ly.
Supporting more than two dozen services, Zscreen captures content and shares it, sparing you the hassle of having to visit a website to upload those images. Once the image link has been generated, you can share it with as many people as you?d like.
This is an excellent tool for those of you with a penchant for sharing pictures. It?s free and easy to use, but available only for Windows users.
If you?d like to make use of Zscreen, you can get it here.
Jan 7, 2010 | Entertainment, Software
Having so many friends on Facebook, it?s difficult to keep track of just how many photos of yourself that others have tagged. From that office retreat back in April to a family picture taken during the holidays, tagged photos can pop up out of nowhere, with you unknowingly present in some of them. Instead of asking them for a copy of that photo, you can use Photograbber, a neat utility that simply collects all of those photos in which your friends have tagged you and others.
Installation is simple. After its completion, Photograbber will scour the walls of your various friends for those pictures they?ve tagged. After selecting the Facebook friend from whom you want to grab, Photograbber will retrieve each and every one of the photos, storing them in a directory that you specify.
Photograbber doesn?t allow you to select which photos you want. When using it, Photograbber collects every tagged photo. Additionally, there is no way to preview the photos you?ve received, as Photograbber doesn?t provide any thumbnails of the images. You?ll have to open each photo to see what?s included.
We should also note that this will require that you?re actually friends with the individuals from whom you?re culling the photos. Depending on their privacy settings, you may find that Photograbber is unable to collect the photos.
If you?re someone who just needs to collect the photos of your Facebook friends, including those that feature you, this is an excellent and easy way to do so.
You can download Photograbber here.
Jan 4, 2010 | Computer technology, Entertainment, Software
We all like to spruce things up, keeping fresh for the New Year. With that in mind, you probably want to introduce a bit of variety to your desktop, making sure to rotate your wallpaper so you?re never looking at one that begins to grow stale.
While I have hundreds of images I?ve used on my desktop over the years, I?ve always had to manually set them, finding that I usually do so when growing tired of being greeted by the same image when booting my computer up.
There?s a new application that will juggle your images and update your wallpaper, leaving your desktop fresh in 2010. Not only will this tool set a rotating schedule for your wallpaper, but it also downloads new wallpaper images from two sites ? Interfacelift and Wallpaper Stock.
Called Wallpaper Juggler, this tool is for Windows users.
Whether you?re buying a new suit for your wardrobe or hitting the roads in a shiny new car, ringing in the New Year fresh is a long held tradition for many, one that could very well apply to something as mundane as your desktop wallpaper.
If you want to keep your desktop looking fresh, you can grab Wallpaper Juggler here.
Dec 30, 2009 | Computer technology, Entertainment, News
Planning a trip that will see you taking long walks through an as yet unexplored city with winding streets and the confusing noise of bustling pedestrians? Bringing your smartphone along for the trip?
If your answer to the two questions above is ?yes,? you might be interested in yet another innovative offering from Google, a nice accompaniment that aids those travelers looking to work those legs during their travels.
Part of Google Lab?s stable of services being tested before an official rollout, City Tours aids travelers in planning their trips, knowing that the uncharted streets of an unfamiliar city are part of the excitement we feel when traveling abroad.
When you input the city you?re visting, City Tours will craft a comprehensive tour for you, mapping out a three day itinerary that includes 10 suggested places to visit each day. Once they?ve offered their suggestion, you can add and remove sites, tailoring the tour to your liking.
Does your husband want to visit a location that famously served as the launching point for a popular band? Add it to the tour.
This great resource includes walking directions, names those locales you might want to visit, estimates the average length of time it?ll take you to go from one point to the next, and is just a generally welcome tool to employ when planning a trip.
Even if you?re not traveling, you might want to become more acquainted with the city in which you reside, making this just as invaluable a resource.
While it?s still being tested in Google Labs, you can use City Tours here.
Dec 28, 2009 | Entertainment, News
With the recession still thinning our pockets, saving money has become a priority for many, seeing us cut back on expenses that we now look at as unnecessary.
One such expense is eating out, a delight that many of us love to indulge in.
If you?re someone who?s found that going to a restaurant or ordering takeout is no longer a pleasure your wallet can withstand, we have a great website that aids visitors in preparing meals at home, giving you all the necessary ingredients ? absent food, of course ? to prepare a dish that you?ll probably find more fulfilling than yet another order of pad thai from the restaurant down the street.
NoTakeOut is a website that helps you plan your meals, offering appetizing recipes for culinary wonders that help you both save money and eat dishes that are healthier than your standard takeout fare. In addition to having actual recipes, NoTakeOut walks you through every step of the meal?s preparation, detailing the exact ingredients required and the tools you?ll need to see the meal to its completion.
This website leaves nothing for chance, even going so far as to assist you in organizing the time spent on each step. Each new day brings a new recipe, including not only the main course but the side dishes that go a long way towards complementing your entr?e. If you?re not interested in the daily offering, there?s an archive of past recipes, giving the brave chefs amongst you a chance to mix it up a bit.
You can either visit the website for the daily menu or sign up to have them email you a new recipe each day. Until we?re relieved of the economic climate currently weighing us down, this is a fantastic site that encourages you to keep both your pockets and your stomachs full.
You can visit NoTakeOut here.
