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In today's world, nothing escapes the fact that we are moving in a direction where quantifying and recording stuff obsessively is sort of the norm. We use Foursquare to check into places, we annoyingly take photos of our meals with Instagram, and we share our thoughts on Twitter. So would it be much of a surprise if we also like to track the number of steps they take, or how much we sleep? Today, we'll put the Fitbit Flex and the Jawbone UP against each other, and decide whether it's the newcomer or veteran who takes home the gold. We'll also be offering both devices, so enjoy the review then remember to join the contest.
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Check out some of the latest MakeUseOf discoveries. Most of the listed websites are FREE or come with a decent free account option. If you want to have similar cool websites round-ups delivered to your email daily email subscribe here....
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Microsoft released Windows 8 last year to a barrage of criticism from people who didn't like the wholesale changes made to the operating system. Microsoft had legitimate reasons for building Windows 8 the way it did, but it has also listened to feedback from users and is preparing to release a major update. Windows 8.1 will be released before the year is out, with a public preview available on June 26. Your hopes for this update form the basis for this week's 'We Ask You' column.
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You probably have a practical understanding of how Wikipedia works. To sum it all up, anyone can edit the information on a page, and they can do this quite quickly. These are the basic mechanics of how a wiki generally works, and Wikipedia just so happens to use it for their online encyclopedia. However, there are plenty of other purposes for this type of site. I'm here to offer a few suggestions for offbeat ways to use your own wikis.
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Do you love collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering? Do you love strategy games like Risk and Carcassonne? If so, we've discovered an iOS game that perfectly blends these two into an incredibly deep and challenging gameplay experience called Summoner Wars. While you play this game with cards of varying abilities, much of the gameplay actually feels like a strategy board game, and it's even featured on our Best iPad Apps page so you know it's top notch.
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Smartphones and tablets have changed the way we live life. No longer can we wake up and lull around in bed without checking our email or Twitter mentions. Nobody worries about getting lost any more unless they're low on battery, the smartphone user's achilles heel in a world of do-everything devices. Our gadgets have also replaced a significant amount of physical objects, to the point where many of us wouldn't consider buying a product when there is an equivalent piece of software that is up to the task.
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Almost nothing that you buy is a one time investment. Most things have follow-up costs for maintenance or just for plain being used. With computers these costs are small and easily neglected, but depending on your needs they can add up to substantial amounts nevertheless. Since you can’t manage what you don’t measure, let us [...]
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A confession: I've avoided ADW Launcher for the past two years and I don't know why. Maybe it was the not-so-catchy name of the app. Maybe I just had a bad day once and decided to shun ADW forever. Nonetheless, I regret avoiding this launcher for so long because it's absolutely fantastic and deserves a try no matter who you are. But sometimes, the mainstream solutions are mainstream for a reason.
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In this article, I'm going to show you how to import any data that might be stored in a table on any website on the Internet, into your Google Spreadsheet. Think about the enormous volume of data that's available on the Internet today in the form of HTML tables. Wikipedia alone has data in tables for topics like global warming. In my example, I'm starting out with a database on the National UFO Reporting Center
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Popular streaming music service Spotify has launched a new feature designed to showcase the most popular songs. The new feature, called Spotify 50, or Spotify Charts, shows the most played songs on the service according to region. The Social 50, on the other hand, showcases the songs users are sharing across social media the most.
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If it's about time you purchase a new computer, that computer is probably going to come with Windows 8. Microsoft hasn't included a tutorial with Windows 8 -- aside from the cryptic "move your mouse into any corner" line -- so you'll need to do a bit of research to get up to speed with the latest version of Windows. Most users agree the key to getting along with Windows 8 is ignoring as much of the new interface as possible. Start with finding the desktop.
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The Google homepage is intentionally minimalist, with a distinct lack of pointless detritus that would only serve to divert people’s attention away from the main purpose of the page. Which is to provide a kicking off point for exploring the wider Web. There’s the Google logo, a search bar, and a couple of buttons, and that’s it… most of the time.
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Productivity pros swear by multiple monitors, but we don't all have the luxury of carrying around huge screens and endless wallets. On the other hand, the iPad has become pretty ubiquitous, and it can really help you be more productive. What if I told you there was a way you could use your iPad as a second monitor, extending your desktop with precious extra inches? That would be pretty amazing right? Well here are three apps that let you do just that.
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One of my fondest gaming memories is Wings, a World War I fighter plane arcade simulator released on the Amiga back in 1991. It was the first game in which I was able to create a profile, it offered three different gaming options within the pilot’s career and most of all it was hugely playable and addictive. Sadly over the years I've never been able to find a game that comes close. Rise of Glory is a Windows Phone game with a similar premise.
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If using keyboard shortcuts is not your forté but you spend a lot of time working in workhorse applications like Photoshop, GarageBand, Pages, Word or you simply want a faster way to execute menu items on your computer, you might want to check an app called Actions for iPad ($3.99). The app enables you to set up commands to control your Mac or Windows PC from your iPad, and today I'll be looking at how it integrates with OS X.
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