There’s a reason the new Chromebook Pixel, an expensive high-end machine, uses a 3:4 aspect ratio rather than widescreen 16:9. It’s because the Web is vertical. Webpages scroll up and down, but most of us have widescreen machine these days. As a result, most websites have generously proportioned margins – basically, just wide swaths of blank background, showing nothing. Sometimes that’s nice, but sometimes you might want to use all of those pixels more productively.

I can’t remember the last time I wrote an entire MakeUseOf post about a single game. But here I am, dedicating this whole post to tell you about just one game, because it’s that good: Quantro for Android. You won’t find mention of it on the Quantro page, but it’s a Tetris clone. It’s not just a dumb clone, though – it’s even better than the original. They can’t tell you it’s Tetris, supposedly because of copyright issues, so here I am to lay down the truth.

Tools are awesome – if you read MakeUseOf, you probably agree. But the latest isn’t always the greatest. Rather, the greatest is whatever helps you get the job done, saves time, and just plain works. One good way to find those excellent tools is to see what an actual person uses in their daily life to get stuff done. Read on to see what Jonathan Smiley, a partner and a design lead at ZURB uses to get things done.

Photoshop is not just a strong brand. In the world of photo manipulation, it’s pretty much the only brand. When your product’s name becomes a verb (“photoshopping” images), that says something. But there’s a reason it’s such a strong brand – on the desktop, it is very, very good. So naturally, when looking to review the free Android version of Photoshop called Photoshop Express, I was expecting to be wowed by something at least as awesome as Snapseed.

Tools are awesome – if you read MakeUseOf, you probably agree. But the latest isn’t always the greatest – rather, the greatest is whatever helps you get the job done, saves time, and just plain works. One good way to find those excellent tools is to see what an actual person uses in their daily life to get stuff done. Read on for a detailed review showing how Corel’s Creative Director gets work done.

As Android phones grow ever larger, so does the need for a quick way to launch apps one-handed. Try holding your Galaxy S III or Note 2 and launching an app with just one hand and you’ll see what I mean: It’s nearly impossible to reach all the way across the screen, making traditional “app drawer” launchers impractical.

Even with a capacious 16GB SD card, I sometimes find myself running out of space on my Android phone. That usually happens due to my penchant for backing up – I have lots of Titanium Backup archives taking up space on my device, not to mention two or three ROM images (also known as “nandroid backups”) at any given time. Throw in the occasional 1080p video taken with the device, and things can get awfully crowded in a hurry.

In the past two hours, how many times have you glanced at your phone’s screen? Twice? Five times? I wouldn’t be surprised to hear if the number’s even higher (do tell me in the comments). Some people view this as an unhealthy addiction, but that’s a matter for another post. The fact remains we’re looking at that small screen all the time, making it an ideal location for noting things for later.

Traditionally, writing is a solitary affair. It’s just you and the screen, or a piece of paper. Man versus text in a battle of wills, wits, and emotion, until suddenly – you’re done. Now it’s time to show the world, to put your text out there and watch what happens. But in these digital times, that’s not the only way to go about writing.

Google Reader is sun-setting and shutting down on July 1st. Like most Google services, it was free – and in a world where many Web services are free, it’s easy to forget that developers need to eat, too. If you’re not the one paying for their lunch, then the money comes from advertisers. And that means you’re the product, not the customer.

Music is important. The right song at the right time can make a big difference, as Hollywood has shown us countless times. But soundtracks aren’t just for films – they work for life, too. Sitting down in front of the computer to work, like I’m doing right now, is an emotionally neutral experience. Music is what adds that human flavor.

For me, a big part of a smartphone being “smart” is about automation – my phone should know when to switch Wi-Fi on and off on its own; it should be smart enough to be silent when I want it to be silent, and to ring at other times. Generally, it should just do what I want it to do without me having to remember to fiddle with settings throughout the day. There are a few ways to accomplish that.

Tools are awesome – if you read MakeUseOf, you probably agree. But the latest isn’t always the greatest – rather, the greatest is whatever helps you get the job done, saves time, and just plain works. One good way to find those excellent tools is to see what an actual person uses in their daily life to get stuff done. Read on for a frank, detailed, and quite nerdy interview (with a computer museum inside).

Note-taking and productivity apps are a dime a dozen; in fact, there are so many of them, I’ve reverted to using a pen and paper for planning out my day (really). But a part of the problem is that many of them keep trying to outdo each other with features and complexity – online sync, Google Tasks sync, password protection, handwriting support, photo and audio notes…..the list goes on.

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….