May 9, 2013
The business card is a ubiquitous sight in any business meeting. The first documented use of them can be tracked to Japan in the 15th Century. These formal royal announcements, known as 'meishi', were distributed amongst the local community as a sign of a potential visit. The use of cards as formal announcements was later adopted by aristocrats in 17th Century France.
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May 9, 2013
Electronics make up a significant portion of your household energy costs. Computers, printers, and WiFi routers alone account for around 25% of your electricity bill. While electronics are becoming more efficient, their increased use offsets the gains. At the same time energy prices are rising. There are a number of things you can do to control your energy bill and none of them cost you any money.
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May 9, 2013
One of the most important things about using a smartphone is the ease with which you can compose and send messages. These might be SMS/MMS messages, emails or even a social network. The important thing, of course, is that you are able to get in touch with the other person as easily and efficiently as possible. Certain mobile phone platforms prevent this. In the case of Windows Phone 8 there are many improvements over competitors.
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May 9, 2013
Google+ Hangouts On Air users (which you will become if you join the official MakeUseOf Hangout on Friday) will soon find that a few highly-requested features have been added to the service. As part of the update, users will now be able to start a live broadcast immediately without having to refresh, access recordings on YouTube right after a Hangout On Air session, and rewind live broadcasts.
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May 9, 2013
Strip down YouTube until only what you want is left - the videos. Cleanr Video is a simple extension for Chrome, Firefox and Safari that removes everything – and I mean everything – from YouTube beyond what you absolutely need. Comments, recommended videos, ads – all gone, and in their place white space. If minimalism sounds good, this is one to check out.
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May 9, 2013
I am ashamed to admit that I've only recently decided to start experimenting with Google Spreadsheets, and what I've discovered is that whatever allure or power Excel had over me due to the amazing things you could do with VBA scripting, is completely overshadowed by the awesomeness of the sorts of things you can do inside of Google Spreadsheets.
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May 9, 2013
With the recent releases of the Samsung Galaxy S4, the HTC One, and the Nexus 4, there's a pretty good chance that, as an iPhone user, you may be looking at switching over. These Android phones have been creating a lot of buzz because of the great hardware and software they've been packing. However, switching over to Android isn't as easy as simply picking up the new phone -- or at least not as long as you have contacts, pictures, music, and more that you'd like to move over. How can you do this as quickly and painlessly as possible? Sadly, there isn't a single utility which can do everything for you automatically, but with a minimal amount of effort you'll get things moved over in no time.
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May 9, 2013
Wikipedia is often mocked for its perceived lack of truth. Because it's an encyclopedia built entirely on the contributions of random people, it has a reputation for not always being accurate and truthful. In some ways this assertion is fair... little-known entries (such as those for people you've likely never heard of) can be manipulated by pranksters or editors with an agenda, but it's far from the norm, especially on popular, oft-visited entries.
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May 9, 2013
Ten years ago Bioware released a game called Neverwinter Nights. Though disappointing as a single-player RPG, the campaign wasn't really the point. Instead, the game focused on user-generated multiplayer content built with the amazingly powerful Aurora toolset. Players eventually used the game and its sequel, Neverwinter Nights 2, to build sprawling co-op campaigns and miniature MMOs. Now, a new Neverwinter title has been released by Cryptic
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May 9, 2013
The Windows Phone 8 app updates keep rolling in, and this time its Foursquare bringing some big changes to its check in and recommendation application. Users will enjoy some new features including lock-screen notifications, NFC check-ins, the ability to pin items to the home screen, and other goodies. The update also optimizes Foursquare to work with Nokia’s latest Lumia smartphones.
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May 9, 2013
The Kindle Paperwhite is Amazon's current flagship reader, and one that we've been wanting to review and give away for quite some time. If you already own a Kindle or a different eReader, you may be wondering if it's worth your while to upgrade to the new Kindle Paperwhite. This is what we're here to find out for you. And as always, one lucky reader will get the chance to win a shiny new Kindle Paperwhite worth $119!
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May 9, 2013
If you are wondering what's going viral across the U.S., YouTube has the answer fon its newly launched interactive trends map. The Trends Map tells you at a glance which YouTube videos are popular according to both shares and views, and includes a breakdown of popular YouTube videos by region and city. Or at least that's the promise, as the map is currently only available for the U.S., but Google tells us to stay tuned for updates.
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May 9, 2013
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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May 9, 2013
The Internet has grown from a mere concept to an integral part of the everyday lives of most people in developed countries. And in a relatively short space of time. If you're on the Internet then you're truly on the Internet, with your name, location, and a host of other data about you following you around the Web like a bad smell; a bad smell that companies such as Google, Facebook, and Microsoft can track. We want to know, Does The Internet Need A 'Delete' Button?
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May 9, 2013
Some of us aren't fans of Facebook's theater mode when it comes to viewing pictures. It's not a huge issue - after all, it's just a matter of personal taste and preference. However, many of you have pointed out time and time again that Facebook (and other similar services) do not provide enough personal customization for their interfaces. Ideally, I think that we could have a fully-customizable Facebook with personalized layouts and possibly even colors.
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