Latest Articles
5 Gorgeous Go Launcher EX Themes To Make Your Droid Sexier Than Ever [Android 2.0+]
It can be said that the app launcher is the defining app for the Android user experience. If you’re stuck with a crappy launcher, you may feel the entire Android experience is lacking. Fortunately, there’s no lack of excellent launchers on the Market, including such crowd-pleasers as LauncherPro and ADW.Launcher. My own personal favorite is Go Launcher EX.
3 Amazing Themes For Your Rooted Android Device & How To Use Them
One of the things I like best about Android is how customizable it is. N3xGen Theme Manager is a free app that provides an easy, comfortable way to browse and filter lots of themes. Let’s look at how it works, and also at a few of the better themes out there.
Stickies - The Best Way to Keep Sticky Notes On Your Windows PC
The other day, I realized something that both shocked and delighted me. In the entire span of MakeUseOf’s existence, its authors seem to have missed one application which I deem absolutely essential to my day-to-day experience - the free and awesome Stickies by Zhorn Software. In a nutshell, it’s an application that lets you create little “sticky notes” and put them all over your screen.
Why Smartphones Are Awesome: The Case For Checking Email All The Time
A few weeks ago, we had a post published where Yaara wrote why she thinks many people use smartphones way too much, and why they may not be all that great. While many of Yaara’s arguments are insightful and convincing, I happen to be one of those people who are obsessively tethered to their phone, addicted to checking email.
Keep Your Windows Fresh Like New With DrivePurge
Windows systems get cluttered and become slow over time. This is a known problem that many companies and products have been trying to fix for years. There are a bunch of established players in the field, such as Soluto and CCleaner, but today I’m here to tell you about a small, free utility that you’ve probably never heard of before, called DrivePurge.
Tweak Windows 7 And Learn More About Your Computer With EnhanceMySe7en
I’m one of those people who like to have their computers “just so”. Before Windows 7 came along, I was an avid Litestep user for years. Windows 7 offers a beautiful interface that is actually usable (a great improvement), but still, there are plenty of things that could be changed and customized. EnhanceMySe7ven is a free app for tweaking these settings, and it also provides lots of system information.
4 Ways to Read and Understand an End User License Agreement (EULA) More Easily
EULAs, or End-User License Agreements, are one of the evils of modern life. These are endlessly wordy agreements, usually written in tiny print. These are the things you blindly scroll down, looking for that darn "I agree" button, whenever you install an application (or, in Apple’s case, an update to an application). Well, that thing you’re clicking yourself into is actually a binding legal contract.
Elixir 2 - A Free & Insanely Powerful System Information App [Android 2.1+]
When I first wrote about Elixir, that post made quite a splash. It turns out many people want a good, free, system information tool for Android. Well, for all of you out there, I have some great news today. Elixir 2 is much more powerful than the first version, and can probably replace several other apps you’re currently using, as well as add lots of new functionality you never knew you wanted.
Pendule - Neat Chrome Plugin For A Web Developer
I do quite a bit of Web development, and Google Chrome is my main browser these days. Chrome is pretty developer-friendly as it is, and you can also set up Firebug on Chrome. But today I wanted to show you a different Chrome extension called Pendule. Pendule supplements Chrome’s built-in Inspect Element feature with some interesting extras.
2 Fun, Addictive & Free Bubble-Popping Games [Android]
Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles! We’ve covered some bubble-shooting games before, but those were PC-based. If you’re looking for some bubble-popping fun while you’re on the go, and like free games, you’ve come to the right post. Below you’ll find two cute little gems from the Market. Each is a brain-teaser, both are free, but one involves far more tapping than the other.
My Country - A Free Addictive Sim City-Like Game [Android]
I have a serious thing for city-building games. Even though I almost never play on the PC, my addiction was rekindled when I read Matt’s recent post about modern Sim City alternatives. Where I do play, however, is on my Android device. So I decided to take you on a little tour of a free and full-featured SimCity clone for Android called My Country.
3 Fun Free Racing Games [Android]
Do you ever feel the need to cruise down an open highway, hitting pedal to the metal, going as fast as you can? Well, in case you don’t live in Germany (where there are autobahns with no speed limits), you may have to make do with a simulated racing game. On the bright side, should you choose to play that game on an Android device, you’d be able to play it while in an actual car (just don’t do it when you’re trying to drive)!
Why Windows Is The Way To Go: A Microsoft Fanboy's Perspective [Opinion]
Everywhere I look these days, I see people proclaiming the wonders of Mac and Linux. Well, I’m a die-hard Windows user, and have been one ever since the days of Windows for Workgroups 3.11 . One kind of blog post I don’t really see often enough is "why Windows rocks". I’m going to try to explain why exactly I stick with Windows, even though I can easily switch to Mac or Linux.
Add Notes & More To Your Photos Using Skitch [Android]
In Mac-using circles, Skitch has been a household name for a while now as it’s a great tool for capturing, editing and sharing screenshots. In August, Skitch was bought out by Evernote, and now we get to see Skitch on Android for the first time.
How To Take Control Of Your Ringtones With Ring Commander [Android 1.5+]
Ringtones are a very subjective thing, so it’s nice that Android comes with such a large selection of them. But once you’ve settled on a few ringtones you like, having to scroll through a lengthy list of irritating sounds just to swap between those few can get old pretty fast. For some reason, Android’s designers didn’t include a way to easily delete built-in ringtones.
Read Entire Books On Your Smartphone With Moon+ Reader [Android 1.6+]
While I dearly love my Kindle, my smartphone is always with me. Also, the Kindle doesn’t have a backlit screen (which is the whole point of a Kindle really), and sometimes a reading lamp spreads too much light – such as when your significant other is trying to catch some sleep and you want to read in bed.
VirtuaWin - A Lean Mean & Free Virtual Desktop Manager [Windows]
When I covered Dexpot some time ago, readers Colugo and Mick were quick to point me in the direction of VirtuaWin as a lightweight, fast alternative virtual desktop software. Encouraged by their feedback, I decided to take VirtuaWin on a thorough spin and I am back to report my findings.
Liven Up Your Windows Console With The Portable App ColorConsole
Some time ago I wrote about an alternative console client for Windows called Console. These was a fairly lively discussion in the comments, so I figured I’d share another interesting console client I found; this one is called ColorConsole, and it’s tiny, portable and free. The premise is quite similar to Console.
Site To Phone Lets You Easily Send Links & Text To Your Smartphone
I spend a large chunk of my life in front of my computer. For those rare times I need to leave my chair and actually go do something in the real world, I sometimes want to take a chunk of the Web with me. Google already offers something called Chrome to Phone, but it’s very limited. It works only with Chrome, and only with Android devices.
Expand Your Desktop Workspace With Dexpot - Cool Virtual Desktop Software [Windows]
I was talking to one of my friends, who is an avid Linux user. He told me that one of the Linux features he simply can’t do without is "virtual desktops". I can now tell my friend that such a thing does exist in the Windows world – maybe not as a native feature, but in the form of the powerful Dexpot application. In fact, the app bills itself as "the tool Windows lacks".