Pocket - A Handy, Free Personal Information Safe With A Desktop Counterpart [Android]
Pocket, is a free information “wallet” for Android, and one of the most recent entries in our Best of Android page. Pocket can be used for managing passwords, but also other information. It has built-in Dropbox sync, and a lovely cross-platform desktop client. And it’s entirely free, too.
Spinto - A Website Creator Both Newbies & Developers Can Like
Ah, the joy of creating a new website! Seriously, one of the greatest things about the web is how easy it is to start something new. There are numerous tools letting users easily create their own websites, such as Sidengo and Wix (which, incidentally, no longer requires Flash). Many of these tools are aimed at new users creating their first websites. Spinto is a new service that tries a different angle.
Take Your Fonts Out On a Date To See If They Match With Type Connection
Whether or not you take an active interest in typography, I’m sure you’ve seen something like this before. A document whose writer (or, worse still, its designer) tried to be overly creative, and did some horrible font matching. I don’t just mean "used Comic Sans MS" (the perennial "awful font" everybody loves to hate), but even if the writer or designer used "sane" fonts, they don’t always go together.
How To Freeze Or Uninstall Apps That Came With Your Phone [Android]
One of the biggest problems Android has is that vendors are obsessed with the concept of somehow “adding value” to their devices. Instead of just shipping Android as it was meant to be used, Samsung, HTC, and the other phone makers insist on stuffing their devices full of "unique" applications that make the Android experience infinitely more confusing and irritating.
Use Your Smartphone As An Instrument & Create Beautiful Audioscapes With NodeBeat
Confession: I have always wanted to play a musical instrument. Somehow, it never happened; I could never find the time, or the instrument, or some other excuse would come up. So for me, musicians have remained somewhat magical people, folks who can understand a language I can only hear. Because of this, I am always intrigued by musical "toys" – doodads and gadgets that lets you play with sound in interesting ways.
How to Fix Small Annoyances on the Web With Stylish [Firefox & Chrome]
Web designers have an almost impossible job. They need to come up with one design that pleases everyone. When talking about a service like Gmail, used by countless millions of people all over the world, you can really drop the "almost" part – it’s just impossible. Even if a redesign is well liked by most people, there will always be users who really don’t like the new look.
Find Out How Healthy And Fast Your Hard Drive Is With These Two Free Windows Applications
The platters of a hard disk drive are spin around at 5400 or 7200 PRM (and sometimes even faster) for countless hours. You would do well to check on their health every now and then. Even if your hard drive is perfectly healthy, it may still pose a performance bottleneck on your system. So how can you tell if your hard drive is healthy, and how can you tell how fast it is?
3 Fun Games You Can Play With A Friend On The Same Device [Android]
Multiplayer games are usually played over a network connection, one device per player. Socially, this means that even if you’re playing a multiplayer game with a friend who is in the same room as you are, each of you has their head stuck inside their phone. For all intents and purposes, it looks like you’re doing something separately – not like you’re actually playing together.
How To Keep Firefox From Getting Unbearably Slow
I don’t like Firefox. I think it is a monolithic, huge, heavy browser, and its XPI-based architecture feels slow and dated. Firefox is more flexible than other browsers like Chrome but it also gradually slows down and freezes. Let me show you some quick techniques I’ve used to get around this and use Firefox in relative comfort (and responsiveness).
Ice Cream Sandwich On Galaxy S II: A Review Of An Awesome New Android ROM, Resurrection Remix
About two months ago, I shared my thoughts on an Android ROM I really like, MIUI. Judging by the comments, quite a few readers liked that review… so today, I am back with an even more cutting-edge ROM: Resurrection Remix 9.6, based on Android 4.0.3 ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich).
Five Irresistable Reasons Why You Should Take Opera 11 For A Serious Spin
In truth, Opera 11 is an absolutely amazing browser. If you take Opera as a “secondary” browser and only use it now and then, you may just fall in love with it. Here are some of the main reasons why Opera rocks and you should try it out.
Hi Launcher - A Free Customizable Launcher [Android 2.1+]
The market for Android home screen replacement apps (or “launchers”) has long had some heavy hitters - ADW Launcher, Go Launcher EX and LauncherPro. But one of Android’s main advantages is that it’s a very open system, and it is built to encourage healthy competition. Today we’ll be looking at some of that competition, in the form of Hi Launcher, a free launcher for Android 2.1 and up.
3 Free & Awesome Tools To Optimize Your Dual Monitor Setup [Windows]
As some of my more loyal readers may know, I’ve been using a dual-monitor setup for years. Over time, I tried dozens of different tools, both free and commercial, for making the best use of my screen real estate. I wanted tools that would let me move and resize my windows with ease, as well as a wallpaper switcher that would work well with multiple monitors.
Liberate Gmail From The Browser With Dedicated Email Client Postbox [Giveaway]
This week, we're giving away 25 copies of Postbox 3 for both Windows and Mac worth $750 in total! Let me show you around, and maybe you’ll be one of the lucky winners!
Learn A Foreign Language On The Web & On The Go With Busuu
We’ve covered numerous language learning tools before, such as the excellent LiveMocha and 18 other great language learning sites. We’ve even looked at Busuu before, but today we’re going to take a more in-depth look, both at this exciting language learning website and its companion Android app for learning on the go.
Access US-Only Websites Internationally For Free With TunnelBear
If you’re living outside of the United States, here’s a familiar scenario for you. You’re reading your favorite tech blog, and suddenly see a post about the latest and greatest in web services. Maybe it’s a new way to stream music or watch TV, maybe it’s an awesome new bookstore. Excited, you click through to try it out - only to find out that it’s limited to US customers only. TunnelBear is a slick Virtual Private Network that can help solve that problem.
Why You Should Contribute To Open Source Projects [Opinion]
The concept of open-source software is not new, and with huge, successful projects such as Ubuntu, Android, and other Linux-related OS's and apps, I think we can safely say it is a proven model for creating and maintaining high-quality software. But let’s say you’re a novice developer, just getting started as a coder and thinking about whether or not this open-source thing is worth your time and effort.
Why You Have Too Much Crap on Your Computer & What to Do About It [Opinion]
I am here today to give you a message you don’t often hear on tech blogs - you have too much. Too much software, too many unneeded applications, too much digital clutter. Even if you happen to be working on a brand-new computer right now, I can almost guarantee your system is overloaded with crap you really don’t need, and would be better off without.
Manage Your Hobby Collection With These Free Android Apps
While some of us aspire to a minimalistic lifestyle with as few possessions as possible, others like creating and curating collections over the years. If you are of the latter camp, I’ve got some good news for you: You can easily catalog and manage your collection using your smartphone!